Cell Phones

GUEST ARTIST:  Rebekah Nazarian

While in the U.S. Customs line at LAX after a trip to Asia, Rebekah spotted a cell phone that, for some reason, looked a little cuter than other cell phones.

Rebekah wrote:  "I asked this gal what the ears did because they look like she can communicate with aliens but she said its just a protective case. Of course anything bunny ears reminds me of this blog so I asked if I could snap a photo for it and she said yes.  :)"
Thanks for setting jetlag aside long enough to snap this pic, Rebekah!

Rebekah runs the ever-interesting site, iSCREAMgarbage.  Also, you can see photos from her trip to Asia at her Flickr account.

Having the Internet Go Down Making You Look Like a Total Creep Just When You're Trying to Smooth Things Over With Your Now Ex-Best Friend

GUEST ARTIST: Cristina Petrescu

Cristina controlled her computer problems long enough to send this image all the way from Romania. Hopefully her ex-best friend will forgive her.

Spiders That Creep You Out Just as You're About to Go to Sleep

GUEST ARTIST: Steven Wells

Steven, an animation artist in LA, recently finished an internship on "Spongebob Squarepants."

Hitmen

GUEST ARTIST: James "Morty" Mortensen

Morty is a storyboard artist in the LA animation industry.

The Snacking Equivalent of Buttered Styrofoam

GUEST ARTIST: James Lien

James is an illustration major at California State University, Fullerton.

Things That Grow in Your Fridge

GUEST ARTIST: Breann Johnson

Breann is currently an illustration student.

Thanks, Breann, for breaking the posting drought!

Overly-Complicated Nail Art

GUEST ARTIST: Arlyne Ramirez

Arlyne is a designer in the Los Angeles animation industry who also contributes content to iSCREAMgarbage.

A minor announcement from Ryan:
I've decided to take a break from posting daily. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop completely, but my posts will be more sporadic now. You can follow on the CiBE Facebook page. I'll still be posting your submissions, so check out the guidelines here if you think of something that could use bunny ears. Thanks for understanding!

Grocery Shopping

Clippers Fans

CG Sky Domes

GUEST ARTIST: Akiko Crawford

Akiko recently finished working on the latest Tinker Bell production and is currently a painter on the DisneyToon Studios feature, "Planes."

While on Tinker Bell, Akiko spent countless hours painting sky domes, which are like matt paintings, but curved to encompass the whole sky, far mountains, or anything else that might be in the distance in a CG movie. The appreciation/effort ratio of sky domes is extremly small, as most of the audience's attention is focused on the characters or foreground sets. Next time you watch a CG movie, take the time to stare past the characters, past the houses, past the trees, and appreciate the work of a sky dome painter.

Neighborhood Militia

Yesterday, I was awakened from a nap by a harsh "TING TING-TING TI-TING" kind of noise. I followed the sound to the bathroom, peeked out the window, and saw a person in full camoflage, goggles, and a rifle pressed against the vacant house adjacent to ours. I slid to the front door, flipped the locks, and peered outside. Hiding in the bushes was another soldier, rifle cocked.

"Holy sh*t! Burbank is at war!" was my first thought, but the notion evaporated as soon as the soldier stood up. He had the stature of a teenager and his rifle had a bright orange tip.

Then another round of "TING TING-TING TI-TING" spattered against our house.

Rarely do I have to act like an adult, but the role naturally surged through me. I clenched my fists, puffed out my chest, grew my beard a half-inch longer, and ran outside, yelling, "Dagnabbit! You crazy kids know you can't shoot guns in the neighborhood!!" The boys stopped firing, simultaneously said, "You're old," and disappeared around the corner of the house.

I shouted after them, "Get back here you little brats!! I have some bunny ears to put on you!"

What kind of a parent lets his/her kids shoot automatic Airsoft guns in a residential neighborhood?? Maybe I am getting old.

Silence

Happy 122nd Birthday, Charlie! (Chaplin's birthday is actually tomorrow, April 16th, but I don't post on Saturdays, soooo...)

Faking Awake

Queen Elizabeth II's Old Used Panties

GUEST ARTIST: Arlyne Ramirez

Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II's panties are for sale. MUST HAVES if you have a couple grand to spare.

Arlyne is a designer in the Los Angeles animation industry who also contributes content to iSCREAMgarbage.

"Morbidly Obese and Slightly Depressed" Bird

"Can you tell me how to get...how to get to the cookies, please?"

Sweet and Sour Seniors

Doing the Limbo

It may be cuter, but it's definitely more difficult.

Poking Yourself in the Eye

The Wizard of Chocolate Land

GUEST ARTIST: Jimmy Miller

Jimmy is a student in Lock Haven, PA.

UPDATE: Betsy Coffey, a teacher at Central Mt. Middle School in Lock Haven, PA, has been posting drawings from her 6th grade class on the "Cuter in Bunny Ears" Facebook page. Check out the young creativity!

Slimy Ghosts

I believe the original tagline for Ghostbusters was "I ain't afraid of no ghost...as long as it's in bunny ears...otherwise I might pee my pants a little."

8-Bit Ghosts

Boo.

Chicks

Illumination Entertainment's "Hop" comes out today. I didn't work on the movie, but I did board some promotional shorts for it.

By the way, here's a little Illumination Entertainment trivia:

After making this bunny-minion mash-up last July, one of the Illumination directors saw my image and passed it to the "Despicable Me" marketing team. Shortly afterward, a "Cuter in Bunny Ears"-inspired opener was made for the "Despicable Me" DVD. Then they asked me to storyboard a teaser, which became the Illumination Entertainment title card before the movie "Hop."

Sea Captains Who Are Looking for Love

Are you a sea captain who needs his bed rocked by something other than the ocean? Stop scouring the seas for that perfect first mate and make an account at Sea Captain Date!

Fashion-Conscious Cheetahs

GUEST ARTIST: Nicolas Chevaillier

Nicolas is an illustrator based out of Bombay, India.

Women With Prostates

No more prostate posts for a while. I promise.

Riding on Your Bike So Long That Your Prostate Hurts

Learning at an Embarrassingly Late Age That There Are No Inner Tubes in Car Tires

When I was about 25 years old, a tire was slashed on my car while it sat behind my apartment. For $350/month, the apartment building didn't have the best security (but I did have my pick of hookers, drugs, and handguns). I slipped on the spare, drove to a mechanic down the street, and asked, "So, do I need a full tire or just the inner tube?" He laughed, paused, laughed again, and then charged me double. I found out later that modern car tires stay inflated purely by the pressure of the rubber on the metal rim. Gimme a break, though. Bike tires have inner tubes...why wouldn't CAR tires??

Be honest...did YOU know?

Lost Amazon Packages

GUEST ARTIST: Sylvia T. Leung

Who knows...maybe they wouldn't get lost if they had bunny ears on them...

Sylvia is an LA-based storyboard artist who teaches a Drawing Manga class at Otis College of Art and Design.

Midget Sidekicks

Boston Terriers That Have Had a Long Day

GUEST ARTIST: Xep Levy Campbell

Xep is a veterinary technician living in rural coastal Oregon.

By the way...if you have random photos of yourself, your friends, family, pets, etc. in bunny ears, I think I can say that we'd all love to see them. Feel free to post them on the Wall of the Cuter in Bunny Ears Facebook Page. Thanks!

Public Sketchers

A great exercise for artists is to sit in public, watch people, and quickly record poses, body types, and clothing syles in a sketchbook. I did this with a handful of other LA artists at the Hollywood and Highland mall on Saturday. There's a strong correlation between the number of people in your sketch group and the number of strangers who notice that you're staring at them...but don't worry, we're not actually looking at YOU...

Sensing Danger

Disgustingly Thick Beer

Ew.

Using Royal Anime Fingers

Eggs That Are Larger Than the Birds That Lay Them

"Darwin, your assistance needed on aisle 3, clean up!"

GUEST ARTIST: Emily Berrios

Emily is an animator in Columbus, OH.

Burrowing

GUEST ARTIST: Kirk Millett

Kirk is an illustrator and animator in the LA animation industry.

Top Halves That Can't Keep Up With Bottom Halves

Gummi Centipedes

GUEST ARTIST: Fawn Veerasunthorn

Do not watch this related movie trailer. It will scar you.

One Year!

One year ago I was in an artistic funk. I had been freelancing like crazy - adapting my drawing/storytelling style every couple of months - but I needed a creative outlet that was more...me. I wanted to give myself the chance to explore and experiment with my own asthetic preferences without committing to one visual style.

As I scribbled bunny ears on some crappy drawings in my sketchbook, I brainstormed the possibilities... "Should I illustrate a book? Animate a short? Paint the bathroom? Hey...wait a minute! This horrible drawing of a girl looks kinda appealing in those ears. And that dinosaur sucked ass before, but now he looks like he's got some personality." The rest of the day I rode an obsessive, bipolar wave of adrenalin...signing up for a new blog, buying the domain name "Cuter in Bunny Ears," brainstorming concepts and scribbling sketches.

It's one year later and I'm a little surprised that I was able to post every day (FINE PRINT: Minus weekends and Union holidays). Thank you to everyone who submitted a bunny ears image. I love seeing how other people approach this concept in their own bizarre ways. Keep the submissions coming and I'll keep posting.

In honor of Cuter in Bunny Ears' first birthday, my talented wife, Fawn Veerasunthorn, made this plushy of CiBE (pronounced SEE-be), the little logo/mascot I have been scribbling lately.



Also, I've created a Facebook page for Cuter in Bunny Ears. I plan on posting photos, drawings, and other info that doesn't have a place on the daily blog. If you enjoy the blog, please sign up for the Facebook page.

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow!

Bi-Winning

"I've got one speed; I've got one gear: Go!"

I really don't mean to perpetuate the whole Charlie Sheen faisco, but I couldn't resist doing a topical caricature.

Strangers Who Ask "Are You a Cop?"

Yesterday, I joined a handful of animation peers for a 15-mile bike ride. We met at Union Station and rode to Burbank by way of the LA River Bike Path. Halfway up the bike path, one of our crew decided to pull into a resting stop called Marsh Park. It's basically a small patch of dirt with a giant rattlesnake sculpture, one bench, one broken waterfountain...and one shady dude. The shady dude eyed us as we gathered around the rattlesnake for a picture. I had been taking a photo of a sign, so I was the last person to pass him. He asked, "Are you guys cops?"

Are we cops?? You mean you can't tell we're animators with our pasty skin, ungroomed hair, and silly cartoon t-shirts? I replied, "Heh...no," and looked over at my group. They were parking their bikes and making silly poses with the snake. Apparently, no one had heard this guy's question. I joined the group, trying to accelerate the picture-taking process. While we were posing, the stranger started getting nervous. He paced around the dirt, peering at his cell phone every few seconds. Eventually he had the phone to his ear, but I didn't actually see him talking.

Did someone call him or was he pretending to be occupied? Or maybe he was contacting someone. Maybe he was contacting a bunch of people. With guns. To shoot us. In the face.

Okay...I admit that I can be a bit paranoid, but "Are you cops?" is not the first question you usually ask someone. With our photo now taken, we all mounted our bikes and rolled back onto the bike path, allowing the man to be shady in private once again.

Suicidal Robots

Women Who Do Their Makeup While Driving

Rube Goldberg Plants

GUEST ARTIST: John Anderson

John is a story artist in the LA animation industry, currently working on Tinker Bell's Pixie Hollow Games at DisneyToon Studios.

Rabbit Jugglers

Vultures That Whistle "Taps"

Drawings by Three-Year-Olds

This one goes on the fridge. High seven!

Discovery's Last Mission

GUEST ARTIST: Akiko Crawford

Today in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the space shuttle Discovery took its 39th and final launch into space. This closes a chapter in NASA technology, allowing the scientists to move on to their next challenge: producing bunny ears that won't burn up in the atmosphere.

Akiko was born in Japan and raised in the suburbs of Manhattan. She currently makes a living painting backgrounds and concept designs for the LA animation industry.