Lex Art Feature

AG: What is your name?

L: My artist name is Lex and my full name is a secret!

AG: Where are you from?

L: I'm from Germany, I have been living here since I was born. It's a wonderful
country with magnificent towns and landscapes, come here and drink a beer with me! :)

AG: How long have you been drawing?

L: Oh...that's a good question. I wasn't drawing my whole life. I can remember drawing regulary when I was 11, but there is evidence that I had the urge to draw the Star trek ship on my families' house walls a lot more earlier!

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

L: More or less, a hobby right now. It came up with an illness, it was my only way to separate
myself from overcharging scenes in my life. I'm still visiting health institutions
to get rid of this, but when the time comes, I want to live from my hobby. That would be great!

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

L: Nah, I'm self-taught. But I'm doing my on-the-job training as a future Arrangement-assistant. Sounds kinda spongy, eh? Apparently it is. There are more than 20 jobs I could do with this, I think that's pretty cool for guys who don't know yet what they want to do in their future. ;)


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

L: I have a thing for clear, strong colours I can create with my pc only, but from time to time I tend to do some traditional art like watercolour or pencil work too. I think a good thing about drawing is that there isn't anything you're forced into. So, it's more a question about what media the artist likes right now.

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

L: Well, first I'm starting my pc, turn on my favourite music, open Photoshop and doodle something. Mostly it's nothing I planned directly. At first there's the scetch, then on another layer I do the outlines and underneath this layer the flat colours. Then two layers on the mode dodge and multiply for the highlights and shadows. Other effects are optional playings after that, but I enjoy these a lot.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

L: Pictures, photographs, doodles, artist's styles or general conversation.



AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

L: Masamune Shirow is my all time favourite. He's one of the guys who hasn't only just got good skills in drawing. He's also a great philosopher rethinking politics and ethnic questions without losing the focus on his drawings. Too bad that there's no nobel prize for comic artists!

Also I like Alphonse Mucha for his graphic compositions of women and ornamental graphics, Yoshitaka Amano (should be known for his work on Final Fantasy) for his dark side of illustration and Olivia De Berardinis for her amazing Pin up girls!

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

L: Currently I'm building up a commission system, so...yeah! Lex is doing commissions soon! I'm also part of a festival crew. Guess what's my job is! Advertising!

AG: Has your work ever been published?

L: Yeah, some CD covers for different metal/punk bands, posters for local parties and a lot of flyers for bars.

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

L: Never give up your dreams, it's worth to get a school reprimand for drawing porn in maths!! Hahaha

AG: Cake or Pie?

L: Depends where it's stored. ;)

AG: Any other comments?

L: Thanks for the interview, nice to hear that there are guys outside who want to know more about me! (I also would have liked to have a question about sexual likings for the artists you've been interviewing! Hahaha)


Thanks Lex!

You can see more of Lex's work on his Y!Gallery

Images©Lex
DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION!

Asphaltjungle Feature

AG: What is your name?

AJ: I have several names, but I didn't manage to choose one definitively. My real name is Maxime, my user name on some sites like Y!gallery is asphaltjungle, but I use the pseudo "eeks" to sign my work.

AG: Where are you from?

AJ: Paris, France.

AG: How long have you been drawing?

AJ: I think I was born with a pen in my hand, for as long as I can remember, I've always been drawing. but I began to draw seriously and use digital media two years ago.

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

AJ: Drawing is a hobby, for now. Nevertheless, I have a kind of artistic career, as I'm an architect, but it's not really the same thing.

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

AJ: I have never learned to draw or use different medias with whom I work, I have learned them all by myself.



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

AJ: I cannot really say which media I don't like, for I only use the one I do like. As a hobby, drawing is something I do for my pleasure, so I only use the media I most enjoy.

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

AJ: I always begin with drawing a rough sketch with a pencil and when I'm satisfied, I ink it, with different kind of pen, most of the time with several rotrings. I never draw directly on my computer, I need to keep drawing in a traditionnal way, on a sheet of paper.

Then when the work is inked, I scan it and I begin to color it on photoshop. I first define the different zones with a basic color scheme, and then I add all the nuances of colour I want.Then I begin to use 3D software to draw the background, which is always very important in my work.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

AJ: As for my "gay" art, my inspiration comes from magazines, gay pictures or porn movies. but also from what I can see in my daily life.


AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

AJ: Even if I really like classical arts, most of my favourires artists who have an influence on my art are modern artists. Some men like Tom Of Finland, Etienne or Harry Bush really influence me but I think I'm strongly influenced by japanese artists, as Takeshi Matsu or Jirayia for the gay one, and Masamune Shirow, who draw typical straight stuff, with lot of lightly dressed women, but who draws one of the best mangaka.

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

AJ: Yes. My biggest project for now is a series of pictures about the far west, depicting the adventures of a bounty hunter in a city where there are only men. the complete project would be a book of around 65 pages and should be ready and self-published for the beginning of December.

I'm also doing a project of an artbook about sport, with soft and hardcore stuff, but don't know when it will be finished.

I'm also working with a few friends on a fanzine project, whose issue N°1 should came out in July 2010 for the Japan Expo in Paris. but before that, we will publish our first calendar in the next months.

AG: Has your work ever been published?

AJ: No real publications for now but some of my drawings have been used for some flyers for sauna parties.

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

AJ: Just enjoy what they do.

AG: Cake or Pie?

AJ: both!


Thank you!

You can see more of Asphaltjungle's work at his Y!Gallery

Images©Asphaltjungle
DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION!

Humbuged Art Feature

AG: What is your name?

HU: Humbuged. Everyone likes to call me Hummy sometimes :)

AG: Where are you from?

HU: Huminia!

AG: How long have you been drawing?

HU: I've been drawing more than half of my life.

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

HU: It's a hobby. Good thing I can make money from it :D

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

HU: I studied graphic design and worked for a few years.


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

HU: My works are all digital now. It's very convenient.

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

HU: It's all pretty random. Sometimes I get the inspiration first before I draw. Other times, I'll doodle things then a feeling gets hold of me to finish the doodle.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

HU: Music, colors, movies, men, life.


AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

HU: I appreciate the works of the Grand Masters and looking at current artists inspire me a lot! Currently, I get all giddy inside when these artists post new works; Dongsaeng, Artdecade, Zelolee.

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

HU: Yes I am :D Trying to expand the flash game library on my site, humplex.com

AG: Has your work ever been published?

HU: Commercially? I don't think so. I hope this will change in the near future :D

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

HU: Practice and have fun! :)

AG: Cake or Pie?

HU: Depends what flavor they are ;) Mmm, I'm wanting blueberry right now, hehe

AG: Any other comments?

HU: Keep doing what makes you happy :)


Thanks Hummy!

You can see more of humbuged's work at his site and Y!Gallery.

Images@Humbuged
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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
DO NOT REDISTRIBIUTE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION!

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)
DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION!

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
DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION!

Chaz Feature

AG: What is your name?

C: Carlos, although I sign as Chaz most of the time.

AG: Where are you from?

C: I was born in Venezuela but live in Barcelona, Spain since 2006.

AG: How long have you been drawing?

C: Since I was a kid! I even won a couple of art contests in school. ;)

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

C: Both. I'm a Graphic Designer and currently work for a company. I also do some freelance work in illustration and comics, which I really enjoy.

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

C: Yes, I do. I studied Graphic Design, I developed my natural skills, learned techniques, and design foundations. My work experience is abot 20 years old. I've worked in both, illustration and design since I was studying design.

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

C: Nothing compares (to me) to pencil drawing. I really like sketching and then tightening those pencils.

What I like the least is coloring, specially laying flat colors on comics, but once I begin "sculpting" flat colors, lights and shadows come out and then I begin to enjoy coloring.

It's like a challenge to me, so I face it even if I don't like it at first and do my best to get killer colors.

The good thing is every time I begin a new project, I learn a lot from it, so it never gets boring.

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

C: Not really. I just read a script or a brief idea for a commission, and then I just go for it. Sometimes I achieve a good shot from the first attempt, but there are several other times I have to make lots of sketches, try different poses and points of view, to get what I want.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist. When I see a finished piece after any given time, I feel like I could have done better, even if I like the results ;)

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

C: Human anatomy, special male anatomy of course! Also nature, plants and animals, fantasy, magic etc.

AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

C: Most impressionists (Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse), art nouveau like Toulouse-Lautrec's, and also Dalí.

As for comics artists, I like Ed Benes, the late Mike Wieringo and of course, Patrick Fillion and Tom of Finland!

There are a lot of talented gay artists nowadays, such as Jozef Szekeres, Ismael Alvarez, Hokane, Humbuged, and so many others!

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

C: Yes. As much as my daytime work allows me to!

I'm finishing the second volume of Brother to Dragons (Class Comics / H&O) and always making commissioned works for people everywhere :)

AG: Has your work ever been published?

C: Yes, my first ever gay comic is Brother to Dragons (Class Comics for English /H&O for French), and also some short stories in Handjobs magazine on 2008.

But I've been published lots of times since I've worked in newspapers, magazines and other media such as books.

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

C: Just go for it if you really like it and feel you can do it, either as a hobby or as a paid job. It's hard living from art, but if you manage to put your skills to work in a decent position/project or client, then you've got it made.

Sounds old, but you can do whatever you want, as long as you believe you can and go for it ;)

And yes, try to be very professional! That's just as important as your artistic skills!

AG: Cake or Pie?

C: Cake! Thicker and bigger, LOL.

AG: Any other comments?

C: Just thank you for your interest in my work and everyone who have read this far!

Feel free to ask/comment whatever you want or drop by my blog and say hi anytime :D

Thanks Chaz!

Check out more of his work at his blog and his Y! Page :).

images©Chaz
Do not redistribute without prior permission!

FallenMessiahX Feature

AG: What is your name?

FMX: Joshua Marin is my real name. FallenMessiahX is my pen name. FMX for short.

AG: Where are you from?

FMX: Born and raised in Denver, Colorado. I am still living here. It's not too bad of a city, I think.

AG: How long have you been drawing?

FMX: Since I was a kid. I used to do a lot of unicorns and Pegasuses cause I was gay like that. LOL. I then moved on to drawing Sonic the Hedgehog during my video game obsession. After that it was American style comic superheroes, mainly X-Men. When I was 15 I got into anime and I kept that drawing style ever since.

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

FMX: Both! My job involves doing nothing but animation and art work! I love it! I work for a well known company. *clue* Their mascot is some kind of rodent.

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

FMX: Yes, I went to the Art Institute of Colorado. I took their animation program. I was disappointed a bit because they concentrated more on 3D animation. I strongly dislike doing 3D.

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

FMX: Well I like it all. Well for the most part. Not 3D though! LOL

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

FMX: Not too much, first I use a light blue color (digital) or a light blue colored pencil and do a under drawing to plot down where I want everything to be. I then flesh it out with pencil and if I like it I'd ink and color it. Pretty standard stuff here.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

FMX: Other really good art work! Movies, books etc. Pretty much any other source that involves some sort of creativity.

AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

FMX: Well I feel bad saying this but I don't follow any "fine" artists. But I love the old Greek/Roman statues. Also the old school religious ones. I love epic statues that have nude bodies, flowing cloth and dramatic body possitions.

As for comic/animation artits I love Clamp, Hayao Miyazaki, Naoko Takeuchi. For my fellow Bara/Yaoi artists I got to give my love to Patrick Fillion, Absolutblue, Masanori and Zannuf. I know there are many other artists I love but I am having a bit of a brain fart right now trying to think of them all.

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

FMX: No, I never get around to devoting any time to them. I have so many I want to do but sadly they never get started.

AG: Has your work ever been published?

FMX: Well there was some contest entries I did many years ago for a "SwimSuit" competition for a no longer published magazine called Animerica. I also had some flyers and posters made for local events at night clubs. So I guess over all not a whole lot.

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

FMX: Yes! Draw, draw and draw more. Practice make perfect. Hide old art work someplace and come back after a while and look at them. You will totally see a difference, that means you are getting better!

Also, don't trace!!! Use reference but never trace over other images. It's cheating! When you trace over a image of a real person, it shows. We can all tell!!! LOL

AG: Cake or Pie?

FMX: I am not too big of a fan of cake. I don't like birthday cake, the frosting is nasty. I love cheesecake, carrot cake (Got to love cream cheese frosting) and German chocolate cake. So in short, PIE!

AG: Any other comments?

FMX: Isn't this funny how this is all happening while Lauren is gone?

Thanks FMX!

You can check out more of his work on Y! page and blog :)

images©FallenMessiahX
Do not redistribute without prior permission!

Patrick Fillion Feature

AG: What is your name?

PF: Patrick Fillion!

AG: Where are you from?

PF: I was born in the Province of Quebec in Canada, but my family moved to the Province of British Columbia when I was 5 years old. I grew up in BC and still live here today.

AG: How long have you been drawing?

PF: I started drawing in my Momma’s womb! LOL! Seriously – I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember.

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

PF: It’s kind of both actually! I feel really blessed that I can draw and make comics for a living – but honestly, if it weren’t my job, I’d probably be doing it anyway! It’s totally in my blood!

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

PF: I actually don’t. What I do is self taught.

After high school, I wanted to go the Emily Carr Art College. I had my interview with them, they looked at my portfolio, and they sort of dismissed me on the spot. They said I could actually be teaching comics if I wanted and that I didn’t need any formal training – (not sure I buy that, but that is what they told me!)

At the time, I did want to broaden my art horizons and learn about other things. I’ve always felt that the more you know, the better you get at what you do.

But their answer gave me a kick in the pants to just move forward and dive into comics professionally. So I guess you could say that for me, rejection worked out pretty well. HA! HA! HA!

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

PF: A lot of my fellow artists work directly on the computer, which is very cool. I’m pretty old school though. I pencil and ink everything by hand on paper, and I have to say that that’s really the part of my process I love the most.

Penciling is exciting because all that creativity can just flow through you. I find there is real raw energy involved in penciling an illustration. It’s not always about perfect lines – it’s about capturing something – I dunno – like a kind of essence you want to nail down and put onto paper. Sometimes that works really well, and those moments are so satisfying and very exciting.

Inking is the technical part I love most about my job. I love tight, clean lines and work really hard to make sure that everything is polished and smooth. The only real drawback to inking is that sometimes, because it is such a technical part of the process, you can lose the raw energy of the pencils when you ink over them. But I need to just let go of that sometimes, or I’d never be satisfied with anything I do.

There really isn’t anything I don’t enjoy about drawing comics. I love every aspect in its own way, because in the end it’s all necessary, and all comes together to create the final product.

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

PF: I generally like to see where my imagination will take me. On some books, I write a complete script and follow it religiously from start to finish.

On other books, I have an idea in my head of what I want to accomplish, and then I just start drawing. Where that goes can be really exciting and sometimes, it’s more liberating that following a script.

When I’m drawing, I visualize stuff in my head a lot and in great detail. I work pretty hard at transferring those images from my brain to the paper, but I don’t usually do a lot of different takes on things.

Another huge part of my creative process is music. If I don’t have some great rhythm blasting away at me through my headphones, I find it trickier to find my creative center. I call it “going under”. For me illustration and music have always gone together, and it’s very hard (though not impossible when necessary) to separate the two.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

PF: My characters are my main source of inspiration. Their lives fascinate me and their adventures consume me. I absolutely love being able to tell their stories and draw them for others to enjoy. Thinking of what my Boytoons will experience next is what fuels my creativity.

AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

PF: I’ve always loved Alan Davis’ work. It’s beautiful and damn near perfect. The man is a real genius and has always inspired me to do my best and to continually push myself to better my craft.

I’m also a huge fan of Dærick Gröss, Sr., Terry Dodson, Olivier Coipel and Kevin Maguire amongst others.

I consider myself really fortunate that my work permits me to collaborate and work closely with amazing artists of male erotica. I recently had the chance to work with the fantastic Jacob Mott on Naked Justice: Beginnings #1, and that was real thrill. The man is brilliant.

I get to play with Logan, Mike, Ismael Alvarez, HvH, Carlos Garcia, Mark Brill, Benoit Prevot and so many other wonderfully talented creators for a living. Honestly, what more could a boy want! LOL!

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

PF: Yes I am. I always like to have more than one book going at the same time. It keeps me from getting bored.

Currently, I am working on Felinoids #3, Zahn #2, Stephane’s Funhouse of Fornication #1, and Boytoon Adventures #1.

I’m also writing several scripts for other artists such as Naked Justice: Beginnings #2, illustrated by Jacob Mott; Deimos #2, illustrated by Logan; and Space Cadet #1 as well as Ghostboy and Diablo #1 – the artists for those last two titles will all be revealed in time. It’s still top secret! LOL!

AG: Has your work ever been published?

PF: My partner Fraser and I created Class Comics together to publish my comics. We’ve put out a ton of my titles through Class, and there’s a lot more on the way!

My comics have also been translated in French and published by the France based publisher, H&O Editions.

My comics have been translated into German and published by the Germany-based publisher Bruno Gmunder. Through BG, I’ve also released several hard cover books such as “Heroes: The Men of Patrick Fillion”, “Hot Chocolate” and “Bliss: The Art of Patrick Fillion”.

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

PF: Yup! If you’re trying to make it as a professional artist, be sure your work can cut it. What I mean that is that it’s always good to realize if you have what it takes. Look at what you like about the work of others. What qualities inspire you and what aspects of it you find appealing? Then ask yourself how you can achieve similar qualities in your work.

It’s really important to ascertain these things so that you are prepared for the professional art world.

That being said, NEVER give up on your dream to make it as an artist. I know that may sound a little corny, but it’s totally true. There is a way to make it – you just have to keep at your craft, keep honing your skills, keep knocking on the right doors and above all, never quit!

AG: Cake or Pie?

PF: Why choose? I love both cake AND pie equally... I have SUCH a sweet tooth!!! We are talking about dessert, right? LOL!

Thanks Patrick!

You can view more of his work on his personal website and at Class Comics.

Also check out his blog for previews and other cool features! :)

Images©Patrick Fillion
Do not redistribute without prior permission!

Zach Burns Feature

AG: What is your name?

ZB: Mr. Zach Burns, ol' Zachy Burns, Burnsy, The Burns... whichever takes peoples fancies...Frankie or trollop according to my modelling agent haha. Burns however isn't my real surname (mysterious) ;-)

AG: Where are you from?

ZB: The Queens glorious land of England, London in fact and the east end of it at that.

AG: How long have you been doing photography?

ZB: I finally decided last year April to get a camera and get snapping, it's something I've always wanted to do so had to jump on at some point and start learning.

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

ZB: Um i don't know really, it's started as a hobby but then I'm generally serious in everything i do so slowly becoming a career path so to speak. I had a photographer who i admire say to me that my future really does lie in the photography as opposed to modelling so was nice to know.

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

ZB: I did apply to my first college for photography lessons but it fell apart on the first day so have really just taught myself over the year, alot of visual research, trial and error, self teaching i reckon is the best way, you always strive to get better and better.

AG: What kind of equipment do you use?

ZB: I'm currently using my Canon 400d slr, pretty easy and simple camera to start learning with, trying to save some cash as i want to move to the big boy and get myself a Canon 4D. A photographer kindly gave me my lighting equipment, a full set of Portaflash flash units with soft boxes and stands, something I'm always grateful for, saved me like 400 quid.

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

ZB: My creative processes and thoughts always change depending on my mood, like now my mind is quite smutty so my mind races with images and ideas for shoots that can potentially have that shock factor, daring and dirty, possibly verging on the porn barrier yet still being publishable to mainstream magazines. Then another day I'll feel quite tranquil and generate ideas of calmness and general beauty. Right now though smut is in for me haha.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

ZB: Determination to be as good as can be, be up there with the top photographers who inspire me with their work.

AG: Do you have any favourite photographers?

ZB: Steven Klein's work i love, Mariano Vivanco i think shoots beautiful pictures, my favs also include Pedro Virgil, Dylan Rosser & Marco Carocari to name a few.

AG: If you can photograph anybody in the world, who would it be?

ZB: If i could photograph anybody in the world it wouldn't be staged and really couldn't ever happen physically. Sometimes and even today when i walk down the road on my trips, some of the most ordinary and not always pretty people can catch my eye for that split second and make me think wow, theres something about that person, its that split second look I'd love to photograph but unfortunately it's only a mental image and could never be replicated.

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

ZB: I've working on a few projects yes, alot keep evolving so many are unfinished but hopefully once finished i can push them for publishing. One is an underwear editorial based loosely on gladiatorial fighters, think barbaric, savage killing machines, it's all quite heavy to some people but i think it's hot. Another project I'm doing came from a t-shirt i bought at a stall, it gave me inspiration to make a series of it so getting a few more shirts and shooting to build up the piece. Got other projects in my mind too, right now i feel really creative and just want to push further to break more into the industry as a photographer.

AG: Has your work ever been published?

ZB: I've had alot of work published online on the blogs and online magazines too, in print I've had work featured in french gay mag MMensuel and Swiss gay mag Display, I'm hoping to have some more projects published on UK soil too, it's all about building the connections though.

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

ZB: Practice, practice and practice. Don't be afraid to ask questions to other photographers, engage and educate yourself mentally and visually, experiment with different photographic styles and just have fun. Be your own p.r guy too, promote yourself to the media's you think suitable and believe in yourself and your work. It is very competitive but the good photographers will support you, the crap ones will try and bring you down in every way possible, believe in yourself and enjoy it.

AG: Cake or Pie?

ZB: both, I'm greedy ;-)

Thanks Zach!

You can check out more of his work at his website and blog.

Images©Zach Burns
Do not redistribute without prior permission!

Johann Marx Feature

Simon - Rockstar
AG: Would you kindly give us your name?

JM: Johann Marx

AG: Where are you from?

JM: I was born in Bloemfontein in South Africa and I currently live in Johannesburg with my partner of ten years, Shane.

AG: How long have you been doing photography?

JM: I got my camera in 2005 and basically did landscape stuff. At the end of 2007 I got a set of lights for Christmas and as that horrible cliché goes: the rest is history :)

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

JM: It's a hobby. I would love to do it full-time one day though.

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

JM: Nope. Everything I know, I taught myself and learnt through trial and error. Come to think of it, I went on one one hour lighting "workshop" a long long time ago. But it wasn't very informative :)

Devon - Heartbreaker
AG: What kind of equipment do you use?

JM: I have a Canon EOS 20D and I use Canon 50mm f1.4 lens most of the time. I sometimes switch to an 18-55 lens for fuller length shots, but because I prefer to crop my images closer to the model, I normally only use the 50mm lens. My lights are two Hensel Pro 500 lights and, most of the time, I use a beauty dish on the main one. I also shoot with two softboxes sometimes.

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

JM: Hmmm. Well, for starters, I take the pictures! :)

Seriously though, most of the time I just wing it. Sometimes the model or the make-up artists have an idea up front, but a lot of the time we just make it up as we go along, depending on the outfits the model brings, etc.

The same goes for my lighting as well. I fiddle and prod until I like what I see. I have a few setups that I favour, but I normally just tweak it until I like what I see.

Once I have the shots done, I do some adjustments in Adobe Lightroom 2 before moving to Adobe Photoshop CS3. I don't really have a set exercise that I follow and the images take their own path most of the time.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

JM: Oh my! deviantART, for starters. There are some INCREDIBLE artists on this site! But I pick up inspiration from all over the show, really. And like I said: sometimes, it just happens. I'm very fortunate to work with some incredibly talented people. So that makes my job very very easy.

AG: Do you have any favourite photographers?

JM: Oh, definitely! Zoemon (Monique Zöllner) on deviantART is one of my top favourites. Her lighting is incredible and she's really talented. I guess the best thing to do would be to check through my favourites on deviantART. There are so many exceptionally talented people there!

Francois and Eddie - Smoulder

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

JM: Well, I'm working my way through seven shoots that I have to finish and I have another eight coming this month. Does that count? :) I have decided to take a month off in May to catch up and also get some time to relax. I've been working myself silly over the last couple of months, and I need a bit of a break.

AG: Has your work ever been published?

JM: Yep, it has. I've been published several times in a South African gay lifestyle magazine called GayPages. I've also had some of my photos published in a Greek magazine called CityUncovered.

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

JM: Ignore what people tell you about what's "right" and "wrong" in photography. Do whatever you think looks good and works for YOU. Rules will keep you from really expressing yourself.

AG: Cake or Pie?

JM: Neither. I'm on a very strict diet at the moment :)

AG: Any other comments?

JM: I'm just unbelievably fortunate and grateful for the opportunities I've been given since I started doing this. I've met some amazing people, made some friends for live and it's been one hell of a ride so far. I can't wait to see what the next five years bring me!

Morne - Warrior
Thanks Johann!

Check out more of his photos at his deviantart page

All images©Johann Marx
Do not redistribute without prior permission!