I recently saw the movie "Miss Potter" about the life of Beatrix Potter, (Author and illustrator of "The Tale Of Peter Rabbit", and several other children's books), starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor. (US dvd release: June 19 2007)

The movie shows Beatrix' tendency for whimsey in her studio, and an affection for her creations that I found very familiar.  In one endearing scene, she just finishes painting the infamous blue jacket on Peter Rabbit when he suddenly comes to life and squirms out it.  I interpreted this as Beatrix making a mistake; over-drawing a line - and rather than getting irritated with herself, she imagines Peter's the culprit - The over-drawn line now his jacket on the ground, and she scolds him for wiggling around while she's trying to do her work.  [I've made a mental note to gently scold any westie, cairn, etc. that cause my mistakes from now on!... Perhaps my days will run a bit smoother.]

I began to feel a kinship with this incredible woman from long ago and realized that she was not too terribly different from the modern-day women Artists I've had the pleasure of meeting on eBay...

• She was a proactive, professional and self-representing Artist in a time of very rigid domestic expectations of women; approaching publishers with her drawings and stories despite pressures to just get married and run a house as other women did. 
• She dove right in when invited to monitor the first printings of her illustrations in the printhouse (something others of the time deemed highly inappropriate for a lady), and she had no qualms in telling the men to test-print them again & again until the colors were perfect - it was afterall, the debut of her Peter Rabbit at stake.
• She was protective of her creations yet very determined that her book be affordable to any child.  Had she been born in my generation, I think she would have joyfully embraced selling her art on eBay!

The ebay Artist community is full of amazing animal artists; Everything from whimsical Illustrations to realistic paintings can be found throughout eBay, from the self-representing category to the animal collectibles category.  If you take a little time to seek out original art on ebay, you just might find your own modern day Beatrix Potter, in the making!