It's no secret that the artwork featured on this site is totally sweet. But have you ever wondered about how it comes to be?
Like a delectable baked good, it requires many steps and sometimes quite a bit of time to come together--but ultimately, we're all rewarded with something sweet and delightful. Right? Well, in case you've ever been curious, here's how the magic happens:
Step 1: Find inspiration. Lately, I've been finding a lot of inspiration from Andy Warhol quotes--my favorite source is The Philosophy of Andy Warhol : (From A to B and Back Again)
. This is a book I bought from the dollar racks at the Strand Bookstore in NYC while I was in college, and it has always been close to me since that moment. Happily, I find that just about any Andy Warhol quote is made even more hilarious when illustrated with cupcakes.
Looking through it, it was quickly clear that this quote was the one: 
Step 2: Lay down a game plan. I usually pencil in a rough sketch, and then ink over it in permanent black ink.
Step 3: Get ready to paint. I give the ink a few minutes to dry, then erase the pencil markings underneath, so I have a surface primed for paint.
Step 4: Get to it. I wish I could say that I have a method in terms of laying down dark to light colors, or something of that nature, but I don't, really. In this case, I started by painting in the green of the leaves because I knew that I'd want to do some more detailing on top.
Step 5: Lay down your paint, color by color. Now, I know I said I don't get technical about what colors I lay down in what order, but what I always do is let one color dry before laying another one next to it. With watercolor, if you want to keep your colors clean and separate, this is important--otherwise they will bleed. This can be nice if you want the colors to blend (such as in a sunset, or on the coloring of a flower) but in my work I don't look for that effect. (Note: Please take a moment to admire the friendship bracelet below, made by my friend James).
Sometimes if I get bored waiting for it to dry I'll either speed the process along with a hair dryer, or I will just work on another painting for a few minutes.
Step 6: Once I've painted in all of the elements, I like to go back and add some detailing in lightly darker paint--for instance, shadowing on the buildings:
or add some slightly darker green on the leaves, to add a little more dimension.
Step 7: Finally, never forget to finish off the cake with a cherry!
...and voila, a finished painting. Andy would be proud, I think.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 
There isn't much cake in Bunny Lee's artwork, but it sure is sweet! 
, a collection of totally sweet Halloween crafts and recipes (and whose totally adorable crocheted candy corn and other sweet characters can be purchased at CakeSpy Shop!). Get your book signed, enjoy crafty activities from the book, engage in Halloween games, and indulge in Halloween cupcakes!
