Egg Carton Bunny Portraits
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I can't get over how cute these little bunny portraits are!! For those of you who have been here a while or who follow me on social media, you know that I'm not big into seasonal decorating. With the exception of Christmas, I don't really do much, other than maybe adding some natural elements that give a nod to the season. Every once in a while, though, I get a creative urge and want to make something. These egg carton bunny portraits were too cute to not put my own spin on and I didn't have to buy anything...always a goal.
I'm fairly certain you can make the bunnies using only items you have in your home. There are lots of ways to vary how they look and what you use and there is much freedom in that! This project took me back to 2020 when I did a lot of creating to share online, using only what I had on hand. We were all stuck at home, but that doesn't stop the creative bug. In fact...I think it only made mine worse. There is something so satisfying in making something new with things that you already own.
Want more creative ideas? I'm sharing a few posts from the archives using everyday items you likely have in your stash.
To start out this project, I gathered all the supplies I thought I would need. I had a couple of framed floral prints that I'd never found a spot for that I knew would be perfect for the bunny portraits. I'm sure some will balk that I painted over the florals, but they weren't really anything special...just old prints on cardboard. I'd much rather have something I can enjoy in the frames rather than having them down in a stash in the basement not being used. If you don't have frames, no worries! You can simply cut out a larger background from cardboard to act as the "frame".
The primary thing you'll need for the project is a paper egg carton. We eat A LOT of eggs, so we had more than enough cartons on hand to choose from. If you don't have any, you could ask a neighbor or even pilfer neighborhood recycling bins. I didn't love the shape of the bottom of our cartons (kind of made a pig-looking nose), but beggars can't be choosers and I still think they turned out cute.
Next up on the supply list are PAINT/MARKERS/colored pencils/crayons. You can leave the cartons au naturel, but I decided to give mine a white wash. In addition to painting the egg carton "body parts", I also painted over the florals on the frames using a paint sample from a previous bathroom project. Again, if you don't have paint for this, you could cut out paper to cover the frame instead. The backs didn't come out of my frames, so I decided painting was the best option. Plus...I have more paint in my stash than I could ever use...it's always nice to find different ways to put it into action.
To round-out supplies, you'll need paper of some sort for the background (I used an Amazon paper mailer-you could use printer paper or construction paper), glue (I think HOT GLUE will work best because it dries quickly), SCISSORS, and a pencil (if you need to draw things out before cutting).
The first thing I did was paint the background of my frames, simply because I needed them to dry before I could do anything else. After that, I CUT the snouts of the bunnies and the ears. For the snouts, you can use the more rounded bottoms of the cartons or the pointy parts inside the carton that separate the sections. I chose the rounded bottoms this time. I freehanded the ears from flat parts of the cartons, but used one as a template so they would be somewhat uniform. Once the pieces were cut, I white washed them with a bit of paint. I say white washed because the paper absorbed the paint and it wasn't as strong in color. If you want a "whiter" bunny, you'll need to let coats of paint dry in between and it may take seceral coats to get the look you want.
I wish that I had given myself enough time to let the paint fully dry on the face and ears because it made it difficult to get the facial features to look the way I wanted while it was a bit damp. So, don't be me...give yourself time between steps! I used SHARPIE MARKERS to create the facial features, but you can use whatever you have that will work. Again...we're using what we have on hand.
Once you have the body parts ready, it's time to create a background and make the "body". For the background of the portrait, I CUT an oval(ish) from a paper Amazon mailer. Mine kind of look like potatoes, but once the bunny portraits are in place, it looks just fine! To create the body of the bunny, position the snout and ears of the bunny on the background, making sure you have enough space for both. Then, at the bottom of the bunny snout, you can draw a shirt and arms. Here's where I think paint or paint pens would have been nice because my markers all seemed to turn dull on the paper. Maybe I'll use white paper next time? In addition to creating the shirt, you can embellish the edge of the frame with a design.
Once you have the shirt and edge design drawn on, it's time to glue the body parts on. Just a thin bead of HOT GLUE will do for this. Place the snout just above the shirt you made, then on top of the snout, you'll add the ears. Once the ears are in place, you can add some fun design embellishments around the bunny in the "background".
Now that you have your bunny in place, you can glue the background oval (or potato in my case) onto your frame. If you're not using an actual frame, you'll be gluing onto the piece of cardboard you cut. Now, I didn't get overly creative with the background that I PAINTED over the floral art in my frame, but you could definitely keep the creative juices going here and add more embellishments. Maybe I'll come back to this project and do a little more work. But...probably not...I know myself.
A few thoughts about the egg carton bunny portraits:
-You don't have to only make bunnies. Do any animals that strike your fancy! Although, the bunnies are perfect for springtime and Easter!
-This would be a lot of fun to do as a family. Each person could make their own "likeness" as an animal.
-I am a perfectionist, so it was hard for me to not be able to make clean cuts and lines on this project. This is a great lesson in contentedness, though. Also, I think the magic of the bunny portraits is how quirky and whimsical they are.
-Honestly, just use what you have on hand for this project. There is so much flexibility in creating the bunny portraits. Don't let yourself get stuck in the details.
I had a lot of fun creating the bunny portraits! Whenever I do projects like this, I'm reminded how important to create just for the sake of creating. I don't always consider myself to be an artist, but I know my artistry comes out in the decorating of our home and the outfits I put together...not art in the traditional sense. However, when I take the time to do projects like this, it helps stretch my abilities and allows me to relax.
My true goal is to inspire you to create for yourself. I know we would all be better people if we took the time to do fun and frivolous little projects like this! Whatever you decide to make, I hope you'll share it on Instagram and tag me @hilaryprall so I can see!
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