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Desert Cottontail

Desert Cottontail line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Desert Cottontail full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Desert Cottontail was completed on 10.19.2011. I was somewhat surprised that, when I checked my image library, I had only completed three different drawings of rabbits. So I decided to add a few more, starting with Sylvilagus audubonii - or Desert Cottontail Rabbit. These rabbits can be tricky to draw, as the fur can be difficult to render in ink. But with some practice I think I've got a good formula for their furry coats. The drawing is based on a photo by desert wildlife photographer extraordinaire Dave Beaudette.

Information about the Desert Cottontail:

The Desert Cottontail Rabbit - also sometimes called Audubon's Cottontail - is a small mammal native to the dry near-desert grasslands and forest of the western United States; from eastern Montana to western Texas, and in northern and central Mexico and westwards from central Nevada and southern California and into Baja California. They look a great deal like the European Rabbit, but the ears of Sylvilagus audubonii are usually larger and held upright more often. They also do not inhabit large social warrens like their European relatives. These mammals are usually active only in the morning and later afternoon into early evening, and are rarely seen during mid-day. They are often predated on by a variety of animals such as eagles, hawks, coyote, bobcats and weasels.