Ooh, this is really nice! :D I'd love to chat with him! And great job not needing a rabbit reference - absolutely nothing wrong with using a reference, I pretty much always do - it came out very well!

Thank you <3

Unless i specify such, am working with a character with specific design or practicing, i almost never actually use a reference. More than a few folks tell me my work suffers due to it, and i can't say they're wrong.

I keep in mind something i read a long time ago, basically saying that the more an artist relies on references, or examining other artists works, the less they actually draw from their own artistic vision.
That said It's mostly due to laziness more than anything else lol.