We spent some winters in Sun City West, Arizona, and I had an easel set up by a bank of windows overlooking a wide strip of grass behind the house. That grass attracted animals like a magnet—quail, owls, birds, coyotes and of course, rabbits. The bunny in today’s reference photo was enjoying a morning salad when I snapped this photo.

The charcoal powder we’re using natural copies the mottled colors of desert bunny fur. It might get a bit messy but it sure is fun! We powder it on the paper, then subtract the lighter areas with erasers. While there is some drawing involved, it’s more pulling out the light blocks of color with erasing.