Also the 501 Legion was there and had a considerable booth space. I love people with costume obsessions...it doesn't get any better.

Being the Easter Bunny is one of the hardest jobs I've ever had. The head is burdensome and hot and constantly threatening to fall off. It provides very little vision which is limited to only that which is directly in front of you. The Easter Bunny wears a hollow fat suit under his clothes, thus holding babies is very difficult. And some of their mothers were stupid and would throw their fat babies on me and walk away for like ten minutes at a time while my arms went numb and I desperately tried not to drop them...

I could go on, but in the spirit of Easter, I will point out some of the sweet things about being the Easter Bunny. Kids from about 4 to 8 think the bunny is simply amazing. They would hug me and give me hi-fives and ask if I liked carrots. Some kids don't want to leave, rather they wanted to sit next to me all day and they cried when their parents made them go. Others asked if I would remember that they would be out of town for Easter. Some very considerate children would tell me about their siblings, who weren't there, so that they wouldn't be forgotten. Children also bring lots of letters and drawings for the bunny...

The effect of commercialism is very apparent as quite a few kids ask the bunny for Nintendo Wii's, new bikes and Heelies. But many kids still ask for candy, eggs, stuffed toys and bubbles.

Being the Bunny was a very surreal experience. It's strange to have children believe you are a giant rabbit. Some of them believe in the giant rabbit with all their heart, like only a child can. I think that the ability to believe in the impossible is the most beautiful thing that we lose when we grow up.

When I would take off the suit and walk around the mall I would see the same children and parents who had just visited the bunny. Sometimes they would end up next to me in the food court and they'd be playing with the toys I had just handed them. Neither they nor their parents had any idea I had just posed for a picture with them, a picture they will keep and look at 30 years from now. It's a funny thing to be in hundreds of family photo albums and not be at the same time.

Thus I'm developing a second character, which I am currently calling "Bottle Caps the Clown."

A modernized but yet classic hobo, in a cut off black suit jacket and pants, black (perhaps red) and white stripes and various patches. I plan on converting an old suit case as a way to carry props and balloons. I'm uncertain if I will incorporate a painted black beard. While clowns are technically without a sex, I just think having breasts and a beard would be confusing. I also plan to break a clown rule and show my arms, and they are obviously not masculine, thus again the beard would be weird. Without a black beard the face paint would look strangely Auguste, which is a different type of clown all together...the beard predicament....erg...it needs more thought.

So after 5 years of wanting to invest in a set of prismacolor markers I finally pulled out the visa and went for it. Here are my thoughts...

I purchased the 48 color set soley because the 72 set was not available at the local mega-chain art store where I had a coupon and Dick Blick's shipping costs are ridiculous.

I used a 50% off coupon because it would be dumb to pay full price as the mark-up on these markers is absurd.

I checked out some online reviews and tips. The best tip thus far is to keep the marker moving on the paper to avoid funny dark spots.

I started on my first project...

I quickly found that the uber bright color selection of the 48 boxed set is not ideal. I went back to the store and purchased a few warm and cool greys as well as eggshell and brick white. I still lack good skin tones. I will have to special order them but that's always a gamble as web color don't really reflect reality and shipping is a bummer.

The small end of the markers are much larger than the former design, which is good because it keeps them from drying out however I am finding it difficult to get a fine line without moving quickly which leads to errors in the direction of my lines...something I am working on.

For black lines I'm using a copic sketch (brush) marker, which is hands down my favorite possession. I would love to own a set of color copic sketch markers but they are far too rich for my blood. I've also heard good things about chartpak markers and they make a fleshtone set which seems promising.

In addition to the paper clay doll I have been experimenting with Sculpey Modeling Compound. Sculpey is much harder to mold, as it is very soft, however once it dries it is much more sturdy and can be sanded with a great deal of pressure.

I made a crow's head and some wings. I initially wanted texture in the wings, but after baking them I changed my mind. Luckily it was easy to sand most of the texture out without a problem.

After the rabbit was spray painted I was ready to add details and attach the limbs. I applied off white paint to the stomach, face, ears and tail. I found that doing this free hand worked the best. I then painted on the eyes, nose and whiskers, before applying multiple coats of matte varnish....which wasn't really matte...but it turned out for the best.

Lastly, I attached the limbs by running thread back and forth with a long needle. I used buttons to help hold the the limbs in place while maintaining movement.

I planned to make this guy some clothes and I found a great doll coat pattern at the libray, but after putting him together I feel he is perfectly happy in his birthday suit. Thus he is finished, and "Adventures in Doll Making Pt. 3: Clothing" will have to be post-poned for another day and another doll.

Comments and critiques welcome.