Cleansing the Palette!

Or -- what I do when I should be working! This is what happens after I've been drawing on napkins at the bar. I try to translate the guys I've seen and sketched into cartooned versions. When I draw someone at the bar there's usually some characteristic or feature that I want to exaggerate. Sometimes I get it in the bar sketch -- but often it's not until I'm messing around on paper at home that I get that "thing" I want.
The guy above is Toronto leatherman Sean Cribbin. I've drawn him, and his boyfriend, before when I saw them laughing and hanging out at the bar. Sean's got a heavier beard and I wanted to get that chin extension. He looks mean in the head-shot, but I assure you he's never been anything but smiling when I've seen him out.
Oh, his shirt was also riding up just a little bit and that peak of flesh above his jeans was just oh, so lovely!
This page is an attempt at the guy I introduced myself to. It's still not exactly right -- there was something about his strong jaw that I'm not getting in my drawing. The other two guys are Woody's bartenders. Adorable, hot and friendly! Am I out at the bar too often? Perhaps! But who can blame me when surrounded by such delightful man-folk!
And this disembodied torso is something I'm working. It's a paper-cut out doll. No. Not Roger Rodgers. It's someone I've never drawn before and will be revealed in due time.

All right now! I've got work to get done! Enough porn-crastination!
Be well, boys.
j.

p.s. I've labeled this post as "Guy a Day". I've decided that "Guy a Day" should include any post about regular Joes!

Rough Men!

What do you do when you're out at the bar, surrounded by hot tattooed and muscled men, and you absolutely MUST draw them but you haven't brought your sketchbook and the bar seems to be completely out of napkins? I'll tell you what I do. I grab one of those free newspapers available in nearly every city (you know, the ones promoting music/art/movie events in the city as well as their own political agendas). Find some open areas on ad pages, grab your pen (which you always carry around in your pocket) and draw, draw, draw!
I scribbled down these doodles at Woody's on Sunday night. First was the new bartender (bottom left) who is just simply adorable. Then the tattooed guys (middle and upper right). I couldn't stop staring at them because they were both incredible, were having a great time and the tall one in the dark shirt "spoke" sign language with a cute blonde chick. All my staring caught their attention (which, really, isn't that what I wanted to happen anyway? :) and the shorter guy and I chatted for a bit.
I'll be doing real and better illustrations of these guys but for now I wanted to get these doodles up. I make sketches like this often and then turn them into proper drawings later on...my sieve-like brain often forgets details and the doodles help remind me of important stuff like the arm tattoos, the fact that the tall guy had the cutest little overbite and both ears pierced, and that the new Woody's busboy wore his cap backwards.

j.

Wiggam Does It Again!

Wow! Michael Wiggam, colorist supreme, hit a home run with this one! I love the light color outline around the jock and his buddy! The coloring of his football jersey is also cool. . He's created a dreamy silhouette with the darker foreground elements and fantastic use of monochrome for the background helps all the right stuff stand out!

j.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

It's Guy-a-Day in stunning color! I woke up one morning, checked my e-mail as does nearly everyone in the civilized world...and what appeared before my sleep-puffy eyes knocked me out of my slippers and woke me right up! Someone had sent me his colored up versions of some of my Guy-a-Day drawings. Not just any 'someone' but super-colorist Michael Wiggam!

I was and am beyond flattered. I think Michael brings an amazing, painterly quality to my drawings. He finishes them off so beautifully that the inker in me is jealous. And unnecessary.
Michael started a blog of his own, Niveous, to showcase his stunning work. Hopefully he'll be adding more than just my drawings to his blog. He's been coloring Dark Horse's Star Wars: Clone Wars comics for a while now and he just gets better and better with each issue. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's coloring the art of superstar Scott Hepburn though, does it!



Saving the best for last. I am so madly in love with this final image. The color of the beach, water and the tan on the guy's skin (and that adorable untanned butt). I need this on a t-shirt, throw pillow, coffee mug AND tattooed on my back!

You'll be seeing more of Mr. Wiggam here, I guarantee!

best,
j.

Guy a Day!

Oh dear, my grand "Guy a Day" plans continue to limp along...here we are in the bitter chill of January's grasp and GaD warms it's face in the waning light of August. I had notes and sketches enough to take me through September (probably), but I just couldn't keep up, could I. 

I'm not giving up. August have it's final days drawn, and then I think I'll start fresh with some January images. I can no longer ignore how cold it is. Nor how impossible it is to get glimpses of bared flesh. If you want to see nudity in winter (and you're single) you just have to pay for it...by joining a Gym. What did you think I meant?

Monday's and Thursday's are still my update days, though I'm not always weekly (as many of you know). I'm already really excited about some of the plans I've got for this year. 2009 will definitely see the publication of a sketchbook and/or calendar of my drawings. 

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.

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!

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.

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.