Chestnuts Roasting!

I'm revisiting an old chestnut with this image. My very first personalized Christmas card was a two parter. The first image was a pin-up girl hanging one of her nylon stockings on a fireplace with caption reading "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care." The second part was beefcake and was a much simpler image than the one below.

I can't believe I had the nerve to send both images to my folks, to whom I was not yet out. My faith in the joke and the "cleverness" of my pun superseded any nervousness I might have had about reavealing myself in such a way. 

Have a great Holiday, guys, however you choose to celebrate it. I think work and family togetherness are going to keep me from posting again until the new year...so Happy New Year, too!

best,

j.

Be an Athletic Supporter!

"If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter." So says Eve Arden in Grease. I can not take credit for the awesome pose in this image. As with the previous Olympic drawings I am using photo reference so any credit for "capturing a moment" must go to the photographer(s).

Now this doodle is dedicated to Super Underwear Pervert! His site is among my daily ref-checks and he recently posted this wrestling photo. I imagined the discomfort the American guy must be feeling standing on his head and cartooned up my version. I remember wrestling in Gym and having my head jammed into the mat, chin touching my chest as I try to break the hold of my stronger opponent. After I drew it I just had to colour it. I needed to see the beat red exertion in the bottom guy's face.

Man, did I ever hate wrestling.

Sorry there are only two drawings. I spent more time colouring than I should have.

j.

Olympic Guy a Day!

Did someone say Gymnasts? No? Well here are a few gymnasts anyway. I'm sorry to say I didn't get all their names. The photos on which all of these are based were all labelled "Olympics". 

I tried to cartoon these guys a little but I can see in the Parallel Bars that I was a little too slavish to the photo. It's an incredible pose and I really wanted to include every flexed muscle. That stomache was so...grrr!!!

We're now caught up to the Alexander Despatie drawings posted on the 19th and 20th. Whew! Feels good. The next set is going to include a few older Olympiads and some fitness models. I've been linked to some really inspiring athletes (Al Oerter, Jason Lezak, and Jared Connaughton).

In other news, I recently saw A Chorus Line here in Toronto. I tell you, a dancer's body is truly a thing of beauty...both male and female. I find that when I go to a show I pick my favourite performers (usually by build :) and keep an eye on them throughout the show. I wish I could sit there in the audience with my sketchbook at hand to record all the great poses. 

best,

j.

Begin the Beijing!

The Olympic drawings begin this week...I've already done a few days of Alexandre Despatie back when he actually competed. Since I am still catching up with my guy a day doodles we all get to revisit those thrilling summer days. I don't know who the wrestlers are...it was a random net jpeg that I used as reference. But everyone knows Michael Phelps, winner of EIGHT (thanks, Javier) weighty awards. I wanted to caricature him based on all of the articles that appeared describing his abnormal physical attributes. Apparently Phelps has incredibly long arms, a long torso, and an adorable grin. Not in the drawing are his supremely quick reflexes, faster than normal pumping heart, and webbed toes.

I've got some great photos of gymnasts to draw from next...and then I think I'm gonna have to come up with some way to speed through September. I've really got to get caught up with myself :)

best,

j.

Howl-O-Ween!

I've come to realize that Halloween is truly my favourite out of all of the Holidays. I'm not so much into candy, but I love handing out treats. I love dressing up in monstery costumes. I love old monster movies...some of the new ones, too. There are still a few that I just can't watch because they scare the bejeezus out of me and I won't be able to sleep. A few days ago I watched the original Night of the Living Dead in its new digitally colored version. It was not nearly as scary as the first time I saw it.

The first time I saw Night of the Living Dead I lived with a roommate who worked a night shift...I watched the movie alone and had to keep looking down the hallway to make sure ghouls weren't slowing making their way towards me. When I went to sleep that night I put a case of books against my door so that no one or no THING could enter. I'm pretty sure I watched the rest of the movies in the Romero series including the Tom Savini directed remake.

And yet I've put up a drawing of a Wolf Man.

Just once I'd like to dress as the Wolf Man for Halloween. I just don't know if I could stand to have all that hair stuck to my face, though. I've seen good Werewolf make-up but if I ever did it I'd want to look really scary.

When I was a kid I saw a bit of the movie The Company of Wolves. There's another film that scared the crap out of me. The scene with the wolf snout popping out of the guy's face! Ugh! And I carried with me the scene of the werewolf getting its head chopped off and it falls into a vat of milk. When the woman stirs the milk the head has changed back into a man (her husband, I think). It really freaked me out and I'm not sure I saw the rest of the movie. Not until years later when I watched the movie on TV and realized from whence came that horrible nightmarish image!!

Speaking of nightmares, I hope you all have a terrifying Halloween! Don't make yourself sick on leftover candy!

best,
j.

Guy a Day! Follicle Guys!

"Mr. Natural" has a full chest and stomach of hair that may also continue to grow up over his shoulders and down the other side. Stomach hair weaves its way into the pants, down the legs and stops somewhere around the toes. "Mr. Natural" is commonly found in the bear family tree although the ectomorphic members are often referred to as "Otters".

From Bears we go to the barely hairy. The "Eyelashes" are little tufts of hair that grow around the nipples of a man's chest and no where else (although sometimes there is a small sprout between the pecs it does not connect with the lashes). Too often a guy with "eyelashes" trims or shaves them off perhaps out of embarassment at the inability to grow a fuller chest of hair?

And finally there's the "Hairless" man. No hair at all on his chest or stomach...naturally. This does not include those who shave their bodies for streamlining or vanity. Those guys have body hair they just choose, heaven knows why, to remove it. The "hairless" man may have light dustings of hair elsewhere on his body but this hair is often so faint as to be non-existent. Also not to be confused with Alopecia which is the involuntary loss of hair. This guy just simply does not grow much hair on his body. It's as simple, and unfortunate, as that.

:)

best,

j.

p.s. I'm just teasing the hairless or less hairy. I happen to enjoy a hairy man but not everyone does. Certainly I would have to sweep my bathroom floor a whole lot less often if I weren't so hairy myself.

Guy a Day!

A little theme begins with August 7th's image...the previous sketches of facial hair inspired me to take a look at chest hair. Above is "The Superman". I had a roomate in college who had a perfectly shaped Superman "S" symbol of hair. Totally untrimmed, naturally pentagrammical (five-sided). This type of chest hair is misleading when seen shirted. The tufts peeking over a neckline, or out of an un-buttoned dress shirt suggest a full torso of hair. The reality: what you see is all you get.

The "T-Bird"! So named because the growth of hair forms a capital letter "T". Hair may be sparse around the nipples and thin out as it heads south but it definitely connects with lower stomach hair as it enters the pants line.

Definitely more to come :) And please feel free to suggest alternative names for the various styles of chest hair. These are simply my names for them.

And speaking of chest hair, Happy Birthday* to RJ Danvers . Clicking the link takes you to the very cute young fella's totally not safe for work blog. He's a comics fan which is totally how I know about him and is my only interest in him, this I swear.

best,

j.

*Belated Birthday, really. This should have been monday's post but Monday was Thanksgiving Holiday here in Canada and I was out eating a large dinner with my family. Gobble, gobble. One of us!

Facial Hair!

Beards are definitely "In" right now, and I'm all for it. For a certain part of gay culture beards were never out (Hello Bears and Cubs). But the straight crowd hasn't always been hair friendly. Lately, though, I've noticed a whole lot of straight boys with beards. And not just scruffy, let it grow-all-over beards...these guys are keeping their beards neat and trim.
So I thought I'd sketch up some of the facial hair I've noticed around town. I'm not saying I'm a fan of all the particular types of beards drawn, but I must say that a man's look can improve greatly, in my eyes, with the addition of a beard. Matthew Fox, for example, looks a whole lot more appealing to me with all of his island grown scruff.
I left out one trend in bearding...the "Chin Strap". It's that thin line of hair that runs from the side burns, down the jaw line ending in a little cup of hair under the chin. A buddy of mine expressed perfectly my feeling on this particular look when he said "Friends don't let friends grow chin straps." Agreed.

What are your thoughts on the current trend in facial hair?

best,
j.
p.s. Is it un-PC to label the "Fu Manchu" as such? I wasn't sure but couldn't find any other name for it. Apologies if it is offensive to some.

Guy a Day! August beginnings!

A couple of these are based on real people I know or have seen around town. As Autumn approaches clothing layers are added and it becomes more difficult to appreciate a person merely for his/her physical appearance. The artist must imagine peeling back the additional layers of clothing in an attempt to discern attractive surface qualities. The secret glimpse of skin becomes more and more difficult to find as thicker underclothes are added to the daily wardrobe. Those extra bumps and bulges may simply be an extra fold in a pair of thermals.

Take heart -- though it is Fall out my window on my drawing board the season remains Summer. I've only just begun August. The Olympics are a few weeks away. Warm weather prevails. Such is the benefit of falling behind in my duties.

best,

j.

Guy a Day! Finishing up July!

Today is the first day of Fall and I can't think of a more fitting way to celebrate than by posting the final Guys from the days of July! Think summery thoughts!

best,

j.

Guy a Day! Wednesday update?

Well, these lads should have gone up on Monday. Then yesterday came and went with me completely forgetting to update again. So Wednesday it is. It seemed just too long a wait to hold off until Thursday. 

The weather is turning colder here in ol' Upper Canada. There are always a few holdouts...guys wearing shorts well into October. Generally, however, colder days means heavier clothes and less outdoor activities. Wherever can I turn for inspiration? Has a man ever been "hot" in a full snowsuit and ski-boots? ("Hot" in the attractiveness meaning of the word...not in the actual Webster's "an increase of temperature" definition). 

I had a dream last night that I was back in school, trying to solve an absolutely impossible math problem with a pencil that wouldn't work properly on paper that was too thin. The teacher handed out new pens to everyone because we were no longer allowed to solve math problems with erasable pencil. Later at home I worked on the homework until four in the morning. At the end of the dream I spilled hot chocolate on my notebook. Anyone with thoughts on possible meanings behind said dream are welcome to comment.

best,

j.

Guy a Day! Still in July!

Oh brother...we're already into September and I'm still catching up on July's Guy a Day. That's pathetic. What can I say...I get distracted easily. I bought "The Big Penis Book" and have been thoroughly pouring over the articles. So far one of my favourite articles is on page 54...just goes to show the old "self portrait in front of mirror" is as old as hats.

Firstly, I must point out that the above fantasy is at least eighteen years old. In high school my locker was just down the hall from one of the jocks who hit puberty early (I'm pretty sure this guy had a full beard by grade ten). He'd been in a few school plays showing off chest hair and that, along with his overall huskiness, made me madly in love with him. If he wasn't at his locker in the morning I'd linger a little longer until he showed up. He was only a year older than me but looked a whole lot older. I was a late bloomer :)

*sigh*

I should add up how many guys I've drawn with body hair and how many without. Take some statistics on my guys and see how it all averages out.

best,

j.

Y'wanna B'Wana?

A buddy of mine loves the B'Wana Beast. I drew this as a card image for him and then completely forgot to give it to him on his birthday. I even postponed putting it up on my blog before his birthday so that if he happened to be checking out my blog last week it wouldn't ruin the surprise.
The actual B'Wana Beast comic book is fairly lame. I only have one issue but the art is not so hot and the stories are borderline stupid. But B'Wana himself is a guy in a loin cloth which merits checking out even in the worst of situations.

best,
j.

Guy for the day! Alexandre Despatie!

Any search for Alexandre Despatie brings forth the "famous" bulge shot! Alex arching backward, red speedo straining to contain...little Alex. Naturally it must be the basis for my first drawing of Alex.

Despatie really puts his all into his dives. I'm amazed at the ability of athletes to control their bodies so precisely. Heck, I can't even walk through my house without bumping into doorways and rapping my knees on furniture. I'm just clumsy, I guess. But the way Despatie twisted his body on his last dive was just incredible to me. I also caught the trampoline competition and the same thoughts arose. How do they stay on target while twisting around, upside-down and with an audience of millions? The answer, I know, is skill and practice! But still...

Incidentally, I dated these drawings for the days I drew them, after Alex's silver win on Tuesday and Wednesday. You might have noticed that the other Guy a Day posts were back dated to catch up on July's missed days. Back dating the Alex drawings just felt wrong (if I look at the drawings in a year I might think that I had a premonition about Alex's Olympic win by drawing him BEFORE he actually competed).

best,

j.

Guy a Day! Canada takes a Silver!

A for real guy I saw while out bike riding. At first I was simply mesmerized by his entire look...from the long hair under the hat to the pointy toed cowboy boots. He stood on the corner waiting for the light to change. Completely cool. A swagger in his step even when standing still. And then I noticed the front of his jeans. Though my drawing is a cartoon, the image does represent the real deal! Is it possible he was carrying a shotgun in his jeans?

Alexandre Despatie was the inspiration for this drawing and today he just won a silver for Canada. Naturally I missed the event but I'll try to catch the highlights on tonights news. I'll do a better drawing of Despatie in the coming posts.

Ol' swoosh-hair makes another appearance. He spent the night reading in a seedy motel.

j.

Guy a Day! Still catching up!

I find myself with not much to say today...there's a thunderstorm rolling in and my lights just dimmed. Fortunately my computer is plugged into a power bar with battery back-up so I didn't lose my connection. I do believe, however, that I will log off and sit on my front porch to watch the light show.

best,

j.

Guy a Day returns!

Travel with me back to the past...it's July 11th, the weather is hot and muggy with a high chance of rain. We're at the cottage deep in the wilds of Northern Canada. We've been swimming, lounging on the dock...letting go of the stresses of city living. Meat sizzles on the barbecue. We pop the tab on our soda (substitute favourite alcoholic beverage) and guzzle away our thirst.

The only two drawings I did at the cottage. All I had was lined paper. Maybe forgetting to bring blank copy paper was my subconscious telling me to relax the old drawing hand for the week.

The above two are Pride holdovers. I'd actually already inked the drawing of the skateboarder and so threw it into the batch. He was super cute and I love the casual way he boarded. The Daddy is loosely based on an actual fella hanging out on Church st. Not especially my type but I liked the way he wore his shorts!

Drawn after the week at the cottage, but with fond memories of jumping into the lake. When I'm older I hope I'm able to own a cottage...and have several art proteges who will visit to swim in my lake. I'll be the James Whale of the comic book scene :)

best,

j.

Battle to the Death!

So there I was peacefully lying on the dock, listening to the waves lap, lap, lapping at the rocks, cold soda fizzing by my side, thoroughly engrossed in my first reading of Dune when I snapped bolt upright....I'd forgotten to set up my blog for an automatic update!

Crumbs! I've been working on a mock cover for a nonexistent galactic barbarian comic. Just something to doodle when I get a minute here and there. Only I didn't even have a spare minute to scan the unfinished pencils let alone ready the update. *sigh*

So here I am...late. And with (please don't be angry with me) no Guy a Day update!!!

I drew a few at the cottage. But I was really enjoying Dune and swimming and eating and napping and reading and swimming and I didn't really do a lot of drawing. Now that I'm back I've got quite a lot of work to catch up on. Soooo...I probably won't be updating with the same regularity as I did in June and the beginning of July. But I will be drawing a guy for each day of July, catching up on the days I missed. The cottage inspired a lot of sweaty, sun-soaked images that I really need to sketch.

My apologies, guys. I'll get back on track once I'm caught up with work.

your semi-suntanned summer lover,
j.