Animals everywhere!
Beatrix Potter was an author, illustrator, nature lover, and scientist born in 1866 in London, England. Conservation was incredibly important to her; she donated land to the National Trust, creating and preserving much of England’s Lake District.
Potter’s illustrations were often animals, and she used a mix of watercolors, ink, and brush markers to create her soft paintings. These animals weren’t just woodland creatures, but Potter’s house was full of animals including rabbits, hedgehogs, frogs, and mice. Many of them roamed loose in her home!
Her illustrations of animals have them in their best clothes, with dresses, petticoats, and suits and shoes, humanizing these animals.
Her stories, including the most famous “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” continue to be read to kids around the world in homes, art rooms, and everywhere in between.
We can all relate to Mama Rabbit
In many of the stories, poor Mama Rabbit is trying to get her bunny kids to behave, and off they go to get into trouble. I think we can all relate!
I mean – wasn’t she just telling them to help her pick berries for a pie? Kids will be kids.
In this project, kids will paint mama getting a day out (bunny self-care). Though what’s more likely is that Peter is getting into trouble again, and he’s off sampling any food he can get his hands on.
Supplies for the Beatrix Potter Art Project
When drawing, let those “perfectionist” artists use a pencil, or use a black crayon, using light lines.
Here’s what you’ll need – but as always, use what you have!
- 9×12 white sulphite or mixed-media paper
- Pencil (optional)
- Crayons
- Watercolors
- Paintbrush
- Black oil pastel
A few tips while creating
Drawing the head can be tricky for some kids, in particular, the eyes.
To make things easier, encourage kids to add their own eyes, or choose small rainbow eyes. However students draw their eyes, spread those far on the head. It’s a perfect time to talk about a prey’s eyes are usually farther apart!
Although this Mama Rabbit is wearing a dress, and it makes it easier to draw, once they have the head shape down, kids can add whatever clothes they would like.
If adding a dress, remember to add an apron, fancy buttons or wavy lines that look like lace!
Students may also wish to create Mama Rabbit as the Easter Bunny!
Kids can think what Mama Rabbit might have near her – is it a basket? An umbrella? Did she bring a picnic?
In the original illustration Mama Rabbit is in the forest, so filling the space with trees and unfinished lines helps to create that sense of her being deep within it.
Once finished drawing, use crayons to add details such as lines to the tree, clothing, basket, and fur on the face. Potter kept her colors muted and soft using colors like moss green, cranberry, tans, and rich chocolate browns.
Once finished, paint with watercolors, using a very small amount of color. The object here is to make the color barely noticeable and not super vibrant, often the opposite of what we all want to do!
When dry, use a black oil pastel to retrace the lines. This finishes the project and is one of the objectives. Ask kids to compare what it looked like before and after the dark black line was added.
Download your free PDF of the Beatrix Potter Art Project
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Looking for other bunny projects? Try out our Bunny Doodle!