Another sketchbook down

A new sketchbook awaits-- Onward!

Playboy Bunny Research

The many bunny facts and figures (get it-- "figures?" hehe) I've presented on here of course come from research I've done on the subject. Hard work, I know!

If you are a fan of the Playboy Bunny, or just the era that brought them, there are two books I can't recommend enough:

The Bunny Years by Katherine Leigh Scott is a first hand account of life as a Playboy Bunny. Not only is it an endearing biography of her time at the club, but an extensive history of the club itself with contributions from a multitude of women and men who were involved. It is full of little details that I now try to incorporate into my drawings, as well as just having the knowledge and feel for the Bunny life. The book also presents stories from many women who worked at the club, what it meant to them, and what they went on to become. There were/are many misconceptions and attitudes towards Playboy Bunnies, and this book will leave you with an entirely new appreciation for one of America's most enduring cultural icons.

50 years of the Playboy Bunny is by far the best visual book produced to date, having been released only last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bunny. It also acts as a mini history of the club but its main draw is the fabulous photographs that chronicle the phenomenon.

I'm a longtime fan of Playboy itself, not just the Bunnies. It's not uncommon to find Bunny images in the magazine proper, tho random. There were a few special editions over the years that focused on the Bunny, and these can be found through second-hand book dealers and e-bay. I love these vintage magazines because they are a time capsule of the era from photos to advertisements.

There are a few resources online, aided of course by the ever-useful google image search. However The Ex Playboy Bunny Website is a trove of information, FAQs, and links.

These aren't my last bunny doodles by far, tho I'll be moving on to other subjects for a spell. Check back often for more cool doodles and lovely ladies!

And don't be shy, Cup Doodle loves to hear from our visitors!

Playboy Bunny corset variations 3

Playboy Clubs had a "VIP Room" long before strip clubs usurped and ubiquitised the name. VIP Bunnies that worked the room had white trim to set them apart. As the clubs grew in popularity through the sixties, they branched to Europe where the London Playboy Club saw the first patterned fabric. These were custom fabrics by in-vogue artists at the time, and set a trend that would see many striking patterns appear throughout the international clubs and back to America.

There were many more variations, some questionable, as the clubs apassed through the decades and eventually closed. Of course that only made way for the eventual rebirth in Las Vegas. The "Modern Bunny," as I call it, the ones now found at the Playboy Club Palms, has multiple style corsets with totally different cuts, tho the classic cuts are still seen in use. I may get to drawing some of those eventually...

Playboy Bunny corset variations 2

The black corset, for whatever reason, was rare amongst the original choices for Playboy Club Bunnies.

Kick-ass bunnies were rewarded shimmering outfits for attaing "Bunny of the Month" and the prestigious "Bunny of the Year."

Playboy Bunny corset variations 1

There were a surprising number of variations to the Bunny corset over the years. The very first didn't even have a collar or cuffs. While they eventually found consistency in the basic design, geographic locations found custom looks and state-required compromises. Miami's were thought to be the more risque, with high French-cut thighs. New York decency laws at the time required lower cuts on the legs and more coverage on the bodice (the legs they got, but women were too individually proportioned to enforce the bustline).

Fun fact: Every bunny corset was custom fit by the club's dedicated tailor.

More to Come

More Bunny Sketches

"The Bunnies should kiss"

"The Bunnies should kiss" was the club lingo for how ladies should orientate the cufflinks. Prior to reading that I wasn't even aware the cufflinks were cast for both left and right wrists.

This was one of the more difficult details to verify, as photos of the cufflinks readably visible are rare. And more than few showed them worn backwards! There are technically a few different ways the heads could face each other, but my tireless research leads me to believe the below is correct.

Yet surely such a rule need not be limited to cufflinks, yes? ;-)

Playboy Bunny Sketches

Curly Haired Bunny

Playboy Bunny details

A little more study work on the corset. One of the things I learned were the various details of the different corsets depending on which geographic location the Bunny worked at. More on that later...

Greetings from Bunny Joy

Happy Chinese New Year! Seeing how it's the Year of the Rabbit, I've decided to celebrate by posting my favorite kind of rabbit-- The Playboy Bunny! Check back often, I've got a bunch more on the way :-)

Drawing a Playboy Bunny: Finished Image

Drawing a Playboy Bunny: Colors

 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the finished piece!

Drawing a Playboy Bunny: Cleanup and Inks

The pencil cleanup was done in Photoshop, but I am growing fond of Manga Studio for inking with my Wacom Intuous 4 --there was a recent update to better make use of the Intuous pen functions. And I gotta say what was once the most arduous and nervewracking stage of my art process is becoming one of the quickest.

Drawing a Playboy Bunny: Rough sketch and follow through

Bunny Details: Collars and Cuffs (the ones that match)

Collars were one of the things I imagined different but have since corrected. It's much more of a full, tall collar, not just a simple band.

 

Cuffs are rounded, not square like I first thought. One of the coolest details are the cufflinks,  silver with a black laquer to frame the Playboy logo.

Bunny Details: Rosettes

Of the costume details, the "rosettes" seemed to have the most variation, possibly dependent on (geographic) location. The most common are the black interior/white type for the name, where the fringe and the ribbon were either white, black, or matching the costume color.

I did come across white and colored interiors with black type, tho most type I saw were all sans-serif block lettereing. I don't feel too bad about taking a little creative licence here with some script or some different color combinations.

There are a few notable cuts for the corsets, which evolved over time with function and fashion. Feel free to do your own image hunting, there are some variations with patterning that are pretty far out. But of note on the classic is where the telltale satin bunches up in the seams. There's supposed to be three seams down the front (with one right down the middle which I seem to forget), one on each side, and two more plus a zipper up the back. At the hip there are little string ties, which are easy to miss and often obscured. And of course the cottontail, don't forget that ;-)

Bunny Details: Ears

Some images are hazy when left to memory, you get the idea of what things might look like but you leave out some of the details. In drawing, especially in costumes, it's those details that really bring things to life. A little research is not only a way to improve your drawings but is usually alot of fun to learn from.

When I was looking up details for the Playboy Bunny outfit for this series of posts, there were alot of little things I knew were there but were previously drawing completely wrong. A little schooling is totally worth it!

I gotta say bunny ears may be the trickiest part to draw. Keeping the ear shapes while they curve takes a little practice, but breaking it down to basics is a good first step. I've got some work to do here but I'll keep at it :-)

...Bunnies Dip!

Ah yes, the signature "bunny dip."  It's in the manual!