Gninrom Art Feature

AG: What is your name?

Gn: My name is Matti Virtanen. Haha! I know it sounds weird to English ears, almost all the Finnish names does. Friends call me Masa or Max. In art I use Hc or Gnin/Gninrom.

AG: Where are you from?

Gn: I'm from Finland. The cold and expensive place behind god's back where the president looks like female version of Conan O'Brien lol!

AG: How long have you been drawing?

Gn: Since I was a kid! Don't we all Haha! I remember when I made my first smut pics and my mom found those... Embarassing.

AG: Is Art a chosen career choice or a hobby?

Gn: I would love it to become as a career but for now it's still a hobby in which I use very much of time =P

AG: Do you possess any formal training i.e. college, workshops, through work experience etc?

Gn: No I acturally dont. Everything I know I've learned myself. I remember how hard I tried when I made my first digital piece. After that I felt horrible. Of course it looked like a total mess. I wanted so hard to become one of the good artists and share my stuff to everyone. Then I just bit my teeth together and made a piece after another. Nowadays I'm actually starting to be pleased what I see, but of course there's lot to learn =).


AG: Which media do you most enjoy? Least enjoy?

Gn: I've always loved pencils cos you can take them anywhere with yo u=).
And I do enjoy of sketching very much. Drawing a super dirty gay smut pic while sitting in a bus when there's an old lady next to you is actually quite fun XD.
I apologize from all the shocked old ladies. Hahaha!

There's actually not much I don't like, except cleaning linearts and tight deadlines for commissions and such. I hate it when people fuss =P

AG: What is your creative process? Do you have one?

Gn: First I have to know what I wanna draw and how I want it to look, then I choose the weapons =). Usually I grab my pens and start making pre-sketches and then continue it digitally. Sometimes I just open a new canvas in CS4 and start to ink right away. It often takes a lot of cleaning which I hate the most.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

Gn: Oh wow! There's so many! Hahaha! Morning cartoons! Comics, Anime series lol
Mostly toons at the moment. It changes much, it depends which mood I'm on but mostly all these things inspire me very much, especially other artists fine work that makes me want to become better =)

AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

Gn: Yeah I have, MANY haha!! First the Historical. I love Michelangelo's art! Even women were muscular as hell! Though his males could have had bigger dongs Hahaha!!

And my most favourite modern artists are : Alex Ross, Patrick Fillion, Jacob Mott, Tom Of Finland and many many more! This list would just go on...


AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

Gn: Yes I am! I have huge pile of commissions and 2 comics under work.
One of those comics is a dirty doujin of Japanese Anime series Naruto.
And the other one is a secret!

AG: Has your work ever been published?

Gn: No not yet. But I actually have a big project i'm working on!
I'm so excited about it but I gotta keep my mouth shut! Sorry!
I'll make a huge deal of it when it's the right time, I promise=)

Oh! and I gotta thank Patrick for featuring my art on his Boytoons Mag.

AG: Any advice you would like to offer to our aspiring artists out there?

Gn: Yeah I do! As all the others have said also I'm gonna say it too! Don't ever give up!! You can always improve your stuff so don't feel bad if you didn't quite make it this time! It takes a lil time and practice to get better and I know it feels frustrating sometimes but you'll get there if you try as hard as you can =) And remember to NOT burn yourself out!

AG: Cake or Pie?

Gn: HAAAAAAHA!! Dirty dirrrtty hahaha! Or is it just me?
Well, I gotta go for the cake!! Cos we have these Karjalanpiirakat in Finland and they really look like... Okay, I'm not gonna go there XD

AG: Any other comments?

Gn: Yes! Thank you very much


Thanks Gnin!

You can see more of Gninrom's work on his blog and his Y!Gallery.

Images©Gninrom
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James Michael McCracken (Stpeteartisan) Feature

AG: What is your name?

JM: James Michael McCracken

AG: Where are you from?

JM: I grew up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. (East Tennessee) U.S.A.

AG: How long have you been drawing?

JM: As early as I can remember. When I was very young I drew mostly females, and flowers.

AG: Is Art a chosen career choice or a hobby?

JM: Art was an escape as a child for the loneliness I endured. My parents were NOT very supportive of my art. It became a choice of career early on around 10 years old. I wanted to be a Hollywood makeup artist first, a fashion designer and later a card artist.(I have made many latex masks in my life. I studied the Westmore's techniques when ever possible, and I taught myself to sew on a machine.)

I was blessed to have some very "high quality" art education in my public school system. My art was published a few times at grade and high school level. I won several awards, and even made the local newspaper.

After I graduated high school, I was hired by two local companies to do brush work both in packaging design and fabric print. They were miserable for me, painting 8 hrs a day and offered no freedom of personal expression. The pay was barely above minimum wage. I lost all desire to paint at home.

I did a hand drawn flyer for a gift boutique illustrating each item they sold with a witty description.(I hand personalized many items for them in the store.) I also made a short lived debut in an Uptown Ladies boutique circa 1983 with high end hand made art jewelry, and painted Men's Dress Jackets with some images inspired by French Artist Toulouse-Lautrec, Jeweled and studded, which all sold very well.

I soon after started my medical education, and then later joined the U.S. Air Force. I realized art was a vital part of my life, and could be revisited,if not my primary income source. I completed only about 5 paintings in that twenty years. I seemed to allow "everything" to get in the way of my art.

I still somehow seemed to volunteer my services to current employers for brochures and flyers.

AG: Do you possess any formal training i.e. college, workshops, through
work experience etc?

JM: I would have to answer No. Any pro training I have had, has since been replaced with computer technology in the work place. I do have a college education, but was not able to attend any formal art training.

I have since I can remember as a child, been fascinated by artists and have read every "How To Book" I have ever seen regarding art and technique. I still find myself getting every book, from any public library I visit. I have a great love for realism, and an emotional attachment to both expressionism and impressionistic techniques. It is very important to go to museums and see famous works of art. They often appear very different in person than print,often you can find clues of technique within the actual painting.


AG: Which media do you most enjoy? Least enjoy?

JM: I most enjoy watercolors. They are extremely affordable and portable. My most favorite would be oils, but I am not able to tolerate the chemical fumes without getting nauseated.(Even low odor is too much for me.) My biggest challenge is to master Acrylics, and hopefully be able to satisfy the love of both.

My least favorite would be markers. I really like to be in control of both the flow and stroke. I am not a big fan of mixed medium either. I think this is partly because my instructors encouraged me to use pure mediums.

In an art show "Mixed Media" pieces are usually shown in a more amateur section, albeit the same could be said about watercolors. With digital imaging mixed in, it is becoming more difficult to discern what is actually a real painting or a digital print that has been enhanced to an untrained eye.

AG: What is your creative process? Do you have one?

JM: Yes, actually I do. It always starts as something I have seen in life, or on television. I often write down a few descriptors when something additional or a particular image comes to mind. I keep several pieces in the works like this until something emotional solidifies.

I have to add here that some of my favorite works were created on the fly with minimal preparation and close deadlines. I have yet to be able to devise a method that assures success both with online collectors, and at sale. It is usually most popular in one or the other it seems. Although I have sold every painting I have ever done, I still consider myself evolving in technique and genre.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

JM: Often I am inspired by the world around me something will trigger a thought. I did a long and enjoyable series of over two hundred painted portraits donated by young Men for Metropolitan Charities..promoting healthy self awareness, and the "need" for building community.

I do enjoy painting male musculature. Initially, I considered my work to be erotic, after much feedback on deviant art about that classification, I have become more comfortable with it being modern male figurative study. I really still enjoy painting animals, flora, fauna and still life's. I suppose I am a Portrait Artist best classified. I do work with digital photographs, often several, and have built some very meaningful relationships with photographers on dA and abroad.

Did you know that the late nineteenth century, and early twentieth century artists, paid the highest prices for early photographs and sustained photography in the beginning?(We still have much to share with each other.) History channel is great for inspiration for me, as is deviantART. There are many wonderfully talented dA stock providers, and contests here.

Some artists feel that concept is more important, others feel technique. I agree with the latter, if you can't engage the observer with technique, they will often lose the concept.

AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

JM: Too many really, from unknown 800 BC, to Leonardo, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Ruben, Matisse, Monet, Moderns include Wyeths all of them, Boris Vallejo, Frank Frazetta, many dA's.


AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

JM: Yes, I am currently working on a permanent exhibit for the New St. Petersburg College Arts Complex, and The American Stage Theatre. I have just finished Two illustrations for a celebrity cookbook, and currently doing caricatures for a celebrity greeting card line.

AG: Has your work ever been published?

JM: Yes, as a young artist and then again just this summer, and all over Spain. I have been featured many times on the Internet. The cookbook should be out for this holiday season mainstream bookstores. The card line is awaiting each celebrity's signed release, and expected to also be out soon. I am not allowed to discuss either by agreement until after marketing.

AG: Any advice you would like to offer to our aspiring artists out there?

JM: Yes, don't get discouraged if you do not feel as talented as the artists you admire. Desire and diligence are the true definition of talent, repetition will bring familiarity. Utilize both yourself and friends as models. I sometimes feel I can paint better than draw. The brush seems to tie it all together for me. I would encourage any artist to not create anything they may be personally ashamed of later.

Your genre CAN limit your future possibilities. Experiment all you can, and with all the mediums you can. I would start small, even an apple or a cored cabbage heart make excellent study for all media. As your self confidence grows with your technique branch from there.

AG: Cake or Pie?

JM: Definitely cake. I don't care much for pie crust except "fried pies"..

AG: Any other comments?

JM: Believe in yourself ,and love and respect yourself then others, after that the rest is a fun ride...


Thanks James! You can see more of his awesome work at DeviantArt.

Images©James Michael McCracken (Stpeteartisan)
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Blog Update 24/09

MOAR LINKS!

Blogs

ADRAS
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BARALUST
BENT COMIX
BOYS AT ART
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TOMATOMA

Art Websites

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Aneros Feature

AG: What is your name?

AN: Aneros, not my real name, but I don't use it online.

AG: Where are you from?

AN: I was born in southern Louisiana, I am Cajun, and now I am living in Houston, TX.

AG: How long have you been drawing?

AN: I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. My earliest drawings were really bad, and funny, but I kept it up.

AG: Is Art a chosen career choice or a hobby?

AN: At the moment it mostly is a hobby. I am involved in graphics work at my job, but it is nowhere near what I would call art related. But I think that on some level it's good that I am not drawing for someone else all the time so that I don't get burnt out. But if the opportunity to do real art for a living would come available I would certainly take it.

AG: Do you possess any formal training i.e. college, workshops, through
work experience etc?

AN: I have Bachelors of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in 3D Animation from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. But I found that I learned most of my skills from practicing and experiencing. College just scratched the surface of art for me, and I have built from there. I realized that I did not like the rigging (the "bones" and "joints" of the 3D model). I found that my enjoyment came mostly from the concept art.


AG: Which media do you most enjoy? Least enjoy?

AN: I like working with pencils. It is going back to basics. But that in turn lead me to using the computer and I have blossomed from there. The computer allowed me to do a lot more things that I would not have been able to do on my own. I have to say that part that I least enjoy is doing backgrounds. I usually focus on the figures and the background is secondary. I usually just keep everything as a gradient color with some texture. But if I think something would look good in the background then I will push myself to do it.

AG: What is your creative process? Do you have one?

AN: The process for me is to sketch with pencil, then ink it by hand. I scan that into the computer and start the coloring process. It usually takes me around 4-8 hours to finish a drawing from start to finish. I have started to practice working from the beginning and coloring all digital. But recently I have found that I enjoy coloring other artist's lineart almost as much as I like making my own. I really like coloring adult lineart because it seems to me to be like an adult coloring book. Coloring books was a favorite of mine as a kid.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

AN: For the most part it is my imagination. I take a lot of things from sci-fi and fantasy, video games, movies and books. But the biggest inspiration, especially for my adult art, is that I think the athletic male body is one of the most beautiful forms around. The male human form in erotic and sexual poses just sort of flows from there because it is in those situations where the body seems to exemplify the form. Plus I love porn and sex so it is something that makes me happy, also knowing that others like my adult art.

AG: Do you have any favourite artists? (Historical or Modern)

AN: I am a fan of the Old Masters. I have built from studying them in college. As far as modern, I would have to say that Patrick Fillion and Joe Phillips are my two favorites. I was never a big comic person, I loved the art, but was not a collector, so I don't even know most of the major artists. But I came across Fillion and Phillip as well as some of the great Harry Bush's works and I realized that there were other artists out there doing gay themed erotica. That really spurred me on to keep getting better and better. I see Fillion and Phillips as my goal and I will keep working to get to their level.


AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

AN: I have quite a few projects that I have in my head and one or two that art actually down on paper. I made some amateur attempts at an erotic comic two years ago and people have been asking for another one ever since. That is the most pressing project that I am working on.

AG: Has your work ever been published?

AN: I have not been published formally. Most of my art has been posting to my blog and art galleries. I recently was commissioned by the website Dumb N Hung to make a splash page for the month of September. That would be the only published works I have out at the moment.

AG: Any advice you would like to offer to our aspiring artists out there?

AN: Draw anytime and all the time. You can never really stop. I have stopped for a time and I always find myself sketching and coming back to drawing. If I did not then the ideas that I have flying around my head would have no where else to go. I also want to say that you cannot base whether or not you think drawing is worth it by comparing it to another artist. There will always be someone that is better than you, you just have to look past that and say that you are going to work until you are as good as they are.

AG: Cake or Pie?

AN: Pie, especially peach. I like cake as well, but pie seems better to me, but it must have vanilla ice cream on top.

AG: Any other comments?

AN: Thanks to everyone that has enjoyed my artwork. It really keeps me going to see that so many like what I am doing. I just hope that I can keep it up and keep getting better.


Thanks Aneros!

You can see more of Aneros's work at his blog.

Images©Aneros
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Blog Update 19/09

Heyo guys :)

I have added some more links :D

Blogs

ANDREZ
BENOIT PRÉVOT
DINOSAUR PRINCE
ERIC ARVIN
ICEMAN
JACOB MOTT
KUPOPO
NICOLAS BRUNET
VGL MEN

Photography Websites

ABEL CRUZ
ACTURAL MEDIA
ADAM BOUSKA
ADAM HENDERSHOTT
AJRIMAGING
ALPHA DESIGN
ANDREAS DELROSI
ANDY HOUGHTON
ANTHONY DEEYING
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ED FREEMAN
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GRANT YOSHINO
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HOTSNAPZ
IMAGENPAUL
JAMES ALLEY
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JOEL ENDEMANO
JOHANN MARX
JOHN GALANG
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VISION PHOTOGRAPHY
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WALTER KURTZ
WANDER AGUIA
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Art: Francesco D'Macho & Damien Crosse by Chaz

Another commission but this time from Chaz.

This was done in December '08

Francesco & Damien is just the cutest couple ever!

You can see more of them and their work at their website, Stag Homme Studios.

Also don't forget to visit Chaz's blog too!

Art©Chaz

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Art: Black & Blue With Love by FallenMessiahX

A commission FMX did for me in May '08.

Money well spent.

Thanks FMX! <3

FYI, the flag in the background symbolises leather pride. It has the name "Black and Blue with Love" hence the title.

Character©Adam G
Art©FallenMessiahX

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