To my readers......

SITE UPDATE NOTICE

Thanks for visiting mitchmen, home of Mitchell's Gay Art

The Caps and Collars/ Flat Cap Gang story at Google Groups is on a summer break until July. (see Group News for link)

Message updated 25th June 2023

Friday 27 October 2017

A New Life for our Airforce Boys

click to enlarge

You may have seen these two chained boys before 
but Chirenon's embellishments are brilliant, if not entirely politically correct!

N.B. mitch-translate gives  
"Keep protesting, infidel. the Warlord will reward me even more richly 
for an American showing spirit"

See Another New Life Beginning here also Art by Bowen for other takes on this subject

See more chastity images at Chirenon's Rules
also click on the label below for chastity in this blog

Other Chirenon inspired posts in this blog:
Control (2017) 
First Catch Your Rogue No 2 (2013)
Spank and Go (2012)

Wednesday 25 October 2017

A-Z, the end?

I finally reached the letter 'Z' in my A-Z of Fetish Artists this month. (Thank you to the member who commented on this little milestone). It's been a long haul since I posted the first article in this series featuring the marvellous artist 'Adam' back in April 2008. That's nigh on 10 years ago.

Adam
The world has changed a lot in that time and this series has too. The original articles were very sketchy compared with my current standard, partly to avoid falling foul of copyright issues. I also avoided explicit material so that the blog could be classed as 'non-adult' and would be less vulnerable to arbitrary deletion by Google. That meant I had to censor some sample images. Of course that policy was not compatible with the subject matter of the A-Z and as soon as I deviated the blog was removed anyway in May 2010. 

I think that event may well have been triggered by my publication of the A-Z article on Martin Of Holland in April 2010. This was and is the only article in the series that I developed in collaboration with the artist in question. I was mildly acquainted with him as a result of debates on artistic questions at GMBA (current link in sidebar). Martin was a man of strong opinions and principles and I knew he would not entertain my censoring his work, but between us we were able to select a not-too-demanding group of pictures that did some some justice to his exotic tastes in erotica. That article remains in its original form to this day (see Martin Of Holland).

Martin of Holland
Fortunately the suspension of 'mitchmen' proved to be short lived and Google allowed me to resume behind an 'Adults only' page. After that I felt freer to use uncensored artworks although (as regular readers will know) I still watch my P's & Q's if I'm in a challenging area. Despite that I'm grateful that Google allows me to use this platform although that co-existence nearly ended again in 2015 when Google decided they wanted to ban blogs with nudity only to reverse the decision a few days later. 

The upshot of this is that I have a legacy of articles running up to the letter 'M' which are not as I would wish them to be. I recently noticed for example that my article on Hasegawa, presently has one censored picture (below) and two vanilla ones which are not really representative of that great man's skills.

Hasegawa
  I have been updating some of these early articles for some years now but on a piecemeal basis only and I have only scratched the surface so far. Revisions are noted in the A-Z Index. So the answer to the question in the title of this article is no, it's not the end of the A-Z. I aim to revise the series more systematically. Hopefully it won't take another 10 years but I will have to balance that activity with introducing fresher art and artists here too. That includes artists who use computer techniques who are not represented at all in the original A-Z.

Sunday 22 October 2017

The Other 'Zero' (Part 2)

7
  The captive's faces in Zero's images always show interesting and varying responses to their situation and that is part of their success. Drawing out the the dark mystery and danger in bondage scenes is key to their erotic appeal. I'm intrigued by the hands in this picture which are posed asymmetrically. The positions are not physically impossible, but the reversed one on the left would be a lot more uncomfortable. This image is arresting and although it easy to visualise how it has been assembled, the craftsmanship is such that you can't really 'see the joins' to be sure.


8

A while ago I stumbled across what looked like the source photograph for this image (there can't be many other beam balancing torments like it on the net)! Unfortunately I've mislaid it again but I'll post it here if I rediscover it. The fence in this image actually looks faked but I think the artist has applied a blurring technique to 'neutralise' it's visual effect. Source discoveries for these pictures are rare which might be down to the clever modifications applied or to their obscure (Japanese?) origins or simply to increasing age which makes all vintage imagery harder and harder to find, modern search engines being firmly focused on the most recent items.

9


Another striking and simple composition. At first sight it looks like he's kneeling but the shadow bottom right shows he's suspended. Clever placing of the rope anchorage points has produced a believable, demanding pose that is sensual indeed. In this picture and the preceding one, the artist has taken less trouble to accentuate the models muscularity, it's more of a blurring effect. As a result you can almost 'see' the original photograph coming through.

In other pictures by him (not shown here) this effect is even more marked, large areas of the original appearing to be virtually untouched as the originator has concentrated on enhancement of the ropes and sexual areas. These images have an 'unfinished' appearance in comparison to the rest, and vividly demonstrate how the fuzzy, lack lustre greys of the elderly source photos have been completely transformed in the more polished examples, like the one below. 

10


This great picture is rather intimate with the captor engrossed in toying with his captive but in a mild, rather tentative way while his handsome victim nervously tries to pull away. This atmosphere contrasts sharply with the frantic 'tying up' example showing other captors in action in part 1 of this article (image 6).

Being positioned to the side rather than in front of his charge, this captor appears to be working his man for the benefit of us as spectators as much as himself. The threat of the hoisting tackle above them might thus go unremarked by the casual observer but it has the capability to transform this charming dick-tethering moment into an organ-stretching torment.
Notice the interesting feet detail again on the right.


11 (click to expand)
This variation on the tether-and-tug idea involves a  more complex arrangement. With the captive unattended, face down on his knees and with his most vulnerable locations either plugged or swathed in rope it seems to represent a most private form of torment. 

In this picture I fancy the victim's face has a slightly oriental flavour, which I mention in support of my hypothesis of Japanese origins for the collection. It's sort of true of some of the other images too (see12 below) but overall an impression is conveyed of a white anglo-saxon cast.
 On the other hand this is the only image with a (visible) butt insertion which seems unusual for Japanese erotica these days!

12 (click to expand)
I regret that I can't display this image in a larger size with my currect blog format, but it will expand. The impact of this dramatic bondage is arguably the strongest of all the pictures here. It's created by the stretched-out pose and unusually angled support coupled with the tight roping around his body and cruelly tied back legs, topped off of course by a suitably agonised expression. 
You hardly notice at first the nipple tugging that's going on and a related tug-of-war with his dick (these presumably invoking that silent cry). 
A vision of Hell or Heaven, according to taste.


13

For the last picture I have chosen a more conventional illustration of the bondage situation where the captive's role is not simply to suffer artistically, but to provide more direct pleasure to his captor by servicing him, in this case via the impressive endowment presently resting on his chest. A simple dick tether provides the necessary coercion mechanism - and it looks like it's going to be needed.

Although the captive is comprehensively restrained it's a relatively comfortable position. The legs might start to suffer eventually, but for now he even has a seat! I leave it to you to decide if said seat incorporates a peg/plug, but then again, once it's in it's in, deal with it!

~

These remarkable images are totally unique with a high standard of artistry and content and their longevity reflects those enduring qualities. This selection features some of the best ones but purely reflects my own personal preferences and indeed my own collection of this artist's work is not necessarily comprehensive. You are likely to stumble over these almost any time in bondage searches and they pop up from time to time on GMBA (see sidebar for that site's present whereabouts), but I cannot find a permanent website for them. (Info from readers welcome)

Thursday 19 October 2017

The Other 'Zero' - classic bondage photo manips (Part 1)

1

The name 'Zero' is commonly attributed to a large collection of black and white, bondage photograph manipulations which first appeared in the early 2000's (I believe).

2

These pictures have become classics, partly due to the wide variety of bondage torments they depict but also because of the quality and clarity of the images. At the time they first appeared they were startlingly groundbreaking and they still hold their own against modern colour photographs because they are focused entirely on the bondage predicament - and some inventive punishment options not easily demonstrated with a live model!

3


These pictures could almost be illustrations from a handbook of bondage technique, so clearly is the ropework shown. The black and white palette and absence of background detail contributes to this 'academic' effect. The images seem timeless with no clothing or background detail to give away context. The only possible clue to their era is the models' head hair, but it's usually neither excessively long nor severely short. In short they all look 'normal', 'guy next door', 'average joe' - call it what you will. These men's looks could be found in any era, so they still seem modern to us now. The very neutrality of the captives' appearance adds a subtle sense that these unfortunates are not dungeon enthusiasts, but might just have been plucked from their everyday lives in offices and shops to demonstrate for us. In this case, performing a backbreaking suspension where the heavy ball is doing more than just stretch his appendage.

4

It seems that nothing is known about the creator of these remarkable images. Since many of them have the sex organs pixilated, like this one, we may surmise that he was Japanese. You might draw a similar conclusion from the abundance of complex, Shibari-style ropework which was a relative rarity on the internet, pre-Van Darkholme. The awkward posture forced on the captive in this example illustrates the potential that Shibari has for passively inflicting punishment, the position becoming increasingly painful with the passage of time. The toe-twiddling foot and other detail seems to corroborate that the discomfort is starting to bite. You'll see interesting feet in some of the other images too, it was evidently an area of interest to the creator.


5
Agonised and remarkably expressive feet are prominent in this leg-spreading image too. I suspect the original source is one of the quirky series of limb-stretching torments inflicted on Paul Perris by Can-Am (Zeus) in 1999 (example below) although I can't find this particular one. You can see how much effort has gone into tidying up and embellishing the new image and how the rope detail has been enhanced and added to.

Paul Perris in bondage for Zeus/Can-Am
 A captive who lacks Paul Perris's degree of flexibility is totally dependent on his captor's ropes giving support to his body if he is to avoid increasingly dire consequences or forcibly acquiring a new party trick.

6
Most of the images in this series do not show the captor or other participants. Where they are shown they are active, contributing to the victim's discomfort, not merely gloating or groping him.

The process of tying-up the captive is an aspect of bondage I always find particularly erotic, so you can imagine I like this one very much. The cleverly simplified image removes the visual confusion that normally surrounds this process. This more complex 3-man composition reinforces the impression of an artist with an eye for good picture. The supplementary activity of the captor to the right underlines that this is the crucial moment of surrender and prompts us to imagine what lies in store for the now-defenceless captive. Once you've seen the other pictures you know it won't just be a matter of relaxing and flexing in his ropes, like a 'Captured Guy'. In practice tying up an unwilling victim is extremely difficult, it's not that easy with a willing one for that matter - all that tedious rope threading! We'll just gloss over that.

Continued in Part 2

Sunday 15 October 2017

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Zero

This is my last post in what you might call the 'first edition' of my A-Z of Fetish Artists (of which more anon). The artist is a recent discovery for me although the images featured here go back some years. His work pushes at the boundaries of my personal taste in terms of subject matter, age group and style. Nevertheless I think his work is certainly worth a mention here.



This simple but striking image sums up both my attraction to and reservations about Zero's work quite nicely. The implied branding fetish is dark and dangerous but the captive certainly isn't (or perhaps I'm getting old!). The artist seems to be Norwegian but his economical, comic book style is heavily influenced by the modern Japanese genre which I usually tag as 'spiky' art and am not a big fan of. If you place your finger over the caricatured, facial details you'll see the makings of a much more interesting male image.




Noose-art is rare on the web for obvious reasons but we're obviously dealing with threat here not actuality. The comic-style characterisation seems to have wandered into the realms of 'Tin-Tin' and Tacitus adventures and that connection disarms the dark subject matter to some extent. At the same time the use of cartoon technique adds considerable impact to the grimacing, facial expression of the subject and you can't really tell how serious this piece is.


This picture by contrast tells a much more complex story of trial by water with bets on the side (drawn to our attention by colouring the money). The drawing of the watchers is actually more interesting than the captive here. You couldn't describe this scene as innocent but the formally-dressed man on the left looks like he's just left his office desk to get a coffee and just happens to have stumbled on an intriguing ritual. The other two men, who are clearly in charge of proceedings, are of a rougher breed and show a more knowing and callous interest, cruelly booting a second captive (his buddy?) who has already undergone the frightening experience. The cheerful, watching crowd in the background complete a scene that is both bizarre and disturbing.



This looks like a conventional 'kidnap' scene with the captive in his underwear tormented with a wet face covering. The participants here are more youthful-looking than I would wish for but there's a sense of experimentation in this image rather than malign intent reflected in the shared but un-erotic semi-nudity of the participants.



I'm not so sure about this scene though. There's a clear power relationship in play here, amply illustrated by the standing-kneeling and clothed-unclothed contrasts, as well as the more obvious bondage element. We can only speculate about the meaning of what we see but this certainly isn't a conventional dungeon scene. Not with a 'master' whose dress and posture are very normal and casual albeit with just the tiniest bit of eroticism suggested (and hidden) in the trouser detail. This casual veneer disguises an unusual and rather sinister form or water torture/breath control and if you look more closely you can see it has been preceded by a more brutal episode. I always encourage my readers to spend time studying erotic images more closely but sometimes you may not like what you find! A suitably challenging end to my A-Z.

This artist signs himself as Zero on his pictures but his blog is called Zero after Dark
and is very dark indeed with a tag line I'm loath to repeat on the Google platform. There's a related blog called Zerotation which is less demanding.

Note: There is another artist who is usually given the name 'Zero' and attributed as the creator of a well-known, vintage collection of black and white, bondage, photo-manips, obviously that Zero is a different artist.


 For more articles in this series click on the A-Z label below or search for specific artists using the index page or the search boxes (in the navigation banner and top right)

Wednesday 11 October 2017

Tom of Finland - Unearthed Earthy Work

 Regular readers will know of my admiration for Tom of Finland's work which was instrumental in setting me on the path to self acceptance and 'liberation'. If you're a fellow fan you may have already seen the 2015 postings of a rediscovered series by the great man, showing three motorcyclists cavorting in mud. 


This is the opening image of the set which the publisher has placed in 1959. It certainly looks like an early work from the faces, but the technique (e,g. the leather jackets) seems amazingly advanced and detailed. Perhaps that's because most reproductions of his work from that time are very fuzzy. 

As a private commission the series is also much more explicit than other works we know from that era. The motorcyclist's bulge shown here is a mere hint of what follows and it comes as quite a jolt to realise that Tom's graphic images of the 70's were a long time in the making. 

This series also features a mud wrestling and bottom smearing scene that would have horrified 50's censors if they had had the imagination to understand the innuendo. Presumably this ingredient was stipulated by the person who commissioned the artwork, since Tom is not noted for this sort of eroticism. Interestingly, the playful image below, also from 1959, hints at a similar sensuality and I wonder if there's some sort of cross-fertilisation of ideas going on here.

see the whole motorcycle set at Tom of Finland Originals

Other Tom of Finland Articles at this blog

or click on the label below

Sunday 8 October 2017

Community Protection Services ~ "Catching Rogues For You"

Unable to find regular work and led astray by bad company, Michael slipped into a life of crime almost without noticing it. But when he went solo and raided a Priest's house hoping to steal the church silverware it all went wrong. Through inexperience, he set off an alarm and before he knew it two burly security guards arrived and arrested him. 

It was a sultry summer night but even so Michael was surprised at the lightweight, skimpy uniforms they wore. He'd happily confront a regular cop but found these two men strangely intimidating and offered them little resistance. 

Outside in the back of their van they offered him the choice of a lift to the Police Station or an on-the-spot fine. Of course he would have preferred the fine but didn't have enough money with him.
That's OK, they said, we'll take payment-in-kind.
Another community litter patrol, he thought, Cool!
Mitchell - Community Protection Services


But when they shackled his wrists to a ring fixed to the side-wall of their vehicle and stripped him of his clothes he wasn't so sure, Naked Litter Patrol sounded too scary.

Just then another alarm call came in, so they drove off with Michael in the back of the van, still shackled and naked. As Michael struggled to keep his balance, he saw there were other rings further along the wall and wondered if other men would be joining him and what would happen to them all.

As it turned out, he had plenty of time to ponder what the punishment might be,
the guards answered several more alarm calls that night but didn't catch any other felons.
When their shift ended they drove to a quiet spot and returned to Michael to exact his 'fine'.

That's when he found out it that didn't involve litter at all
 although he did have to bend for it.

~


The original picture on which this image is based was originally intended to be the final part of my 'Homeguard' Series which I expanded and transformed into the story  'A Christmas Criminal'
(published here over Christmas and New Year 2015-16). The picture didn't really fit as I explained in my post-script to that story and you can see the original sketch there, but I thought it was worth finishing as a picture and this is the result. The Homeguard service has now transformed itself into 'Community Protection Services' whose initials are very appropriate for this scene.

for other gay art by Mitchell click on the 'mitchpix' label below

Rokudenashi's 'Crisis'

This part-article (particle?) formerly (and mistakenly) formed part of my A-Z entry for Zelolee and I'm reposting it and parking it here until such time as I am able to do justice to the real artist.
I'm indebted to 'lamlamblam' for pointing out my original error.

Rokudenashi - Crisis page 9
In this image from Rokudenashi's 'Crisis', however, the rendering technique works very well on the hero's skin-tight suit, suggesting a clingy suppleness that must be a treat to wear! Unfortunately it also seems to be irresistible to the genetically-bred 'monsters' that he has come to hunt down. The drawing here is highly-stylised with minimal background detail and the hero's face totally obscured by a sleek, futuristic, helmet. In contrast the monster is rather crudely and confusingly imagined, as a sort of humanoid dinosaur with added tentacles which appear to grow out of his backside (see next frame!).
(Remember to read these pictures from right to left)

Rokudenashi - Crisis page15
Needless to say the creature duly has it's way with the hapless soldier, gradually removing his entire uniform – but not his helmet which appears to be an integral part of his body with the eye holes cleverly changing shape to convey his reactions. The rough assault is portrayed by the artist in a series of angular frames with close-up detail which is not always easy to read but conveys a sense of the desperate, slightly comical struggle. Inevitably I suppose, the coupling soon takes the form of the standard, tentacle 'sit in my lap' pose, similar to that in the first picture in this article (in case you hadn't noticed). 
 
Rokudenashi - Crisis page24
Eventually our hero is rescued by a comrade who comes to his aid and dispatches the randy monster, who presumably dies happy. The story has a delicious end-twist when the recuperating hero is told that the monster's impregnation must be removed from his body or he will turn into one himself. 
The extracting machine, designed to probe all the relevant orifices turns out to have monster-like dimensions too and the story closes with treatment in full flow. We get to see the hero's fully naked body in this scene and I'd have been tempted to remove his helmet too to give this scene a more human dimension, but I suppose that's not the way of heroes.

colourised version of 'Crisis' (beware yukky pop-ups)
also see more at Rokudenashi's pixiv page