I had the delight of volunteering with a local rat rescue at the Bay Area Pet Adoption fair a couple weeks ago. Rattie Ratz asked if I would design and donate some buttons and stickers and I had fun making these updated "team rat" stickers and new rat pattern buttons.
We didn't have any adoptable rats that day, but we did have the rescue's ambassador rats who were super chill, little professionals. Most of all it was really fun to meet new people who were passionate about rats and talk with visitors about their past pets (I also had fun watching customers pour over the buttons and agonize over which marking to pick :3c).
Here are some of my brainstorm ideas, and in the booth photo you can see which ones made it (I was very rushed and didn't have time for individual product photos).
In my drawing class a lot of the early assignments have been straight in pen with no real prep beforehand. The slow, methodical way we approach our contours and life drawing inspired me to take the same pen (just a simple, papermate flair felt pen) and draw some rats, starting with their nose and focusing on their head shape. For these pages (one of which was a whole page of studies during the fair) I used the same method. I'm considering making a series of plain stickers this month, or combining these into a coloring page (let me know if you have a preference, or other ideas, I'd love to hear!).
The biggest thing I've learned in my classes so far is to slow down and, not necessarily concentrate on the quality of line I'm actively drawing but to think about what I'm drawing, its shape, outline--really open my eye and see what I'm seeing rather than what I'm imagining in my head. I don't really know how to put it, but that practice feels like it transfers back into drawing from memory. I'm sure as I keep going along I'll find a better way to word this, with the benefit of hindsight.
Have a great week!
bean