Art by FranklynIE

FranklynIE - Coach Lost it at Practice

The accidental turned into something more intentional. This amazing picture shows just how much AI can do in the hands of an accomplished technician. The athlete's rosy cheeks and some tweaking of the tackler's age complete the transformation of a normal on-field tackle. The athlete's physique is amazing.

 

FranklynIE - Game On

This is another, cleverly ambiguous image in much the same vein. AI tends to have a mind of its own and doesn't yet understand how important eyes are in establishing what's going on. The artist here has got it just right, but we have to decide for ourselves whether the naughty Coach is walking into receptive arms - or a trap. 

FranklynIE - Unexpected House Call

A man in the hands of a Doctor is regular homoerotic scenario, when they are usually keen to get to the bottom of the problem. This is part of a series of 'bed' images, mainly about a man who is a malingerer, hence the title. Various efforts to persuade him to reform seem to centre on that same, particular area of the body. It's another startlingly bold image. The other variations are at the artist's website (link at foot of post).

FranklynIE - More Than One Way To Unmask A Superhero

I'm not a fan of masks, but I do enjoy a superhero takedown. Have you noticed how video captors nearly always have to resort to scissors to finish the job when they're supposed to be ripping the clothes off their prey? It spoils the macho imagery somewhat. There's a sequel to this image at the artist's website (see below) which is too close to the knuckle to post here.

 

 

FranklynIE - Punished At Work

I like the idea of this scenario, but the nature of the employee's offence seems to be a key, missing ingredient for this image. Has he been stealing the stock of lingerie and been caught red cheeked? Is exposure the sum total of his penance, or something more stinging? We need to know!

 

FranklynIE - Mr Caruso's Very Good Day

The tailor's inside-leg measurement is a hoary, old joke for gays, it turns up in my posts regularly, in art dating back to the 1960s. But I wonder, do young people, who've probably never had the pleasure, really understand it? (Answers in comments, please!). The retro briefs here recapture beautifully that sense of exposure when the pants were down. As I recall, the professional technique was to use strong hands. Oh, how our legs quivered!

 

FranklynIE - A Proper Apology

It's a nice image, but Franklyn flirts with some tricky, age-related scenarios in order to find a reason to expose this young miscreant. I think I prefer something like the straightforward, underwear shoplifter scenario. They're not yours, so take 'em off lad! 

 

FranklynIE - Another Helpless Victim of Aggressive Policing

He's on safer ground with this one. Gays have an interesting love-hate relationship with cops, something like Stockholm Syndrome. The artist leaves it up to us to imagine what this guy's offence was, but the open flies suggest he was involved in a bit of a scrap or else was caught exposing himself. 

 

FranklynIE - Good Ol' Country Boy In The City

I confess I haven't a clue what the title of this means, but the image is irresistible, not least because of the subject's maturity. Teasing callow youths is best left to their peers, imo, but grown-up men are fair game and much more interesting! 

 

FranklynIE majors on embarrassment, but I think anyone who gets in a wrestling ring must be beyond that emotion, otherwise they wouldn't be able to ham it up so badly. I take my hat off to their athleticism though.

 

FranklynIE - New Roomie Ritual

Well, OK. In an all-male household it's a rare creature that would be embarrassed as easily as this, so it doesn't quite work for me, but nevertheless I like the imagery. Psycho was never like this!

 

 

FranklynIE - 'Rough Night, Old Chap?'

This hunk has experienced gay sex the night before his wedding. The artist doesn't explain whether it was by seduction of his natural impulses or a rather cruel, stag night prank. Either way he's obviously got some thinking to do. He's going to feel a bit awkward walking down the aisle with the tingling aftereffects. All those people looking at him from behind. Possibly including the perpetrator.

 

Original

FranklynIE - The Need

This is rather powerful and meaningful articulation of inner gay feelings, even if we might not choose to express ourselves in quite this way in real life.

 

FranklynIE - Speechless

I just like this one. The zip is genius. 

~

 

FranklynIE posts at Deviant Art 

Art Bob 2

Read Part 1 of Art Bob

Art Bob - GoldBrickers

We'd call them 'slackers' or 'malingerers' these days. Three men trying to get a Doctor's note for a few days off work. Or perhaps it's just an excuse to be examined by the handsome, young Medic. The degree of disrobing he requires of them suggests he has an exacting and thorough technique (and equally dubious motivations?). 

 

The hunk in the foreground is wearing shorts that are both rolled down at the waist and rolled up at the leg to create a sort of loin cloth effect. He is faking a fever by putting his thermometer on a hot radiator, which itself is puffing out smoke signals of appreciation for the assembled, hot "hunkage". 

 

The current examinee, standing with his flies wide open and nothing underneath apparently, presents himself for the medic's stethoscope, nervously tensed. Anxious perhaps, that his pants will drop at the slightest provocation, revealing something he'd rather keep to himself. 

 

The guy stripping off at the back, for me, is the most interesting, strong jawed and lightly stubbled, he has a cute haircut and muscular arms. A glimpse of buttock tells us he's going to be examined totally naked.  

 

Art Bob - The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall

Everyone's already naked in this image, queuing up nervously to get their jabs, of which there are to be a great many, as witness the multiple plasters on those who have gone before. If that wasn't daunting enough, one of them - 'Mr Bigger' - has fainted and is being carried away by his buddies. 

 

Physique Pictorial captioned this as a military induction scenario, which implies the men are strangers and need to demonstrate good masculine resolve in front of their new peers, even if they are naked and defenceless. 

 

There's some interesting detail, a stray hand seeming to pull back the guy at the front of the queue (or perhaps it's tickling the fainted man's foot). The nearest culprit gazing upwards innocently. The recruit at the very back appears to be humping someone. This provocative, but discreetly obscured, forward thrusting pose is seen in other Art-Bob images. 

 

Art-Bob's contemporary, Spartacus, often drew large group scenes like this with sporting and naval settings.  

 

Art Bob - Life Savers

This situation is sort of medical too, but following a book of Life Saving instructions suggests this is about novices getting in practice, rather than a real emergency. Admittedly the 'victim' does looks a bit glum, depending on whether you see his eyes as open or closed. The 3 oil rigs in the distance seem as if they might be an interesting phallic representation of the group's feelings. They also suggest it's based on a geographic location known to the artist.  

 

The portable radio and shades in the foreground are a nice detail. The basket weave, kepi-style cap appears in another image below, US readers may recognise the style, but it's new to me. 

 

Art Bob - Skiing Mishap (my title)

 Another young man seeking his buddy's help with a bad case of burnt bottom after misjudging the strength of the sun rays on the snowy ski slopes. The ointment and liniment on the bench suggest his friend is equally stricken, but he still looks highly dubious about the prospect of mutual oiling in that particular area.  

There's an odd-looking detail in the grass beyond them that looks rather like a big cat with menacing fangs. It's actually a bearskin rug, and it appears in one of other pictures in the set (see below). Perhaps to parody of the pain the boys are experiencing.

This is one of six drawings in The 'Skiing' Series. Two others are known to me. One shows the blond trying on his skis, wearing nothing but a hooded top, unzipped to the waist. In the other, he's being roused by his buddy from sleep to go skiing before the snow melts. Both seem to simply showcase the boys' physiques. I suspect there's a narrative in which the snow melts, and they resort to nude sunbathing with disastrous consequences. 

 

Art Bob -The Young Carpenters 1

More bottom pain awaits one of the protagonists in this diptych. Our increasingly hapless blond is working with his buddy again, this time nailing shingles on a roof. He loses his balance and his buddy's efforts to save him only result in ripped clothing.

There's some nice physique drawing here and a distinctly balletic composition, brought out by the light hand used to sketch the background detail. In other images Art-Bob depicts ballet scenes and tights more explicitly. 

The difficult perspective here presents no problems to this accomplished artist.  

 

Art Bob -The Young Carpenters 2

This sequel is quite a well known image, you may have seen it converted into a spanking picture. The blond has landed in a barrel of nails which his friend considerately extracts from his posterior one at a time.

The bulge and shading of the legs of the buddies jeans here is quite effective. 

 

Art Bob - The Artist (my title)

 Many of Art Bob's pictures seem to simply be vehicles for male physique drawing. The artistic hunk in the foreground is a deceptively casual creation. But while he lazily touches up his painting, two naked, young men, posing for him in the background must sustain as pose that must be getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. So it's also an illustration of the control any visual creator has over his models. 

 

There's a more overtly erotic ingredient in the positioning of the right-hand model's head just in front of him, seeming to suggest he's being obliged to give service, which in a way he already is. There may not be much of a bulge in the artist's jeans, but the dripping paintbrush is equally telling. A rather stylish example of 'hidden eroticism'.

 

Art Bob - Artist With His Model 1 (my title)

There's a similar theme here, with an exceptionally muscular, young model being prepared for his shoot (as it were!). The miniature figure on the floor behind him suggests this is a sculptor's studio, so he's probably in for a long stint. What's more, the coat draped over his shoulders and the broken window behind him, with snow and icicles visible, indicates that this is the proverbial, freezing garret. 

Oblivious of this, the artist takes great pains and time to get the skimpy, modesty covering adjusted just right. The sculptor's clothing, complete with trendy deck shoes, is the product of an artist well versed in fashion sketching, but perhaps not the typical attire of bohemian artists.

 

Art Bob - Artist With His Model 2 (my title)

 In the sequel, the sculptor has given the poor model ear-muffs to wear - in response to his complaints about the cold presumably. To add to this indignity, they are particularly feminine, fluffy muffs. He is also obliged to pose holding a household broom instead of a manly spear, highlighted by the contrast with the authenticity of the helmet.

The sculptor working on his model looks at him as if mystified by his grumbles. Of course, he's wrapped up warm himself. At first sight he looks like a painter cleaning his hands with a rag, but he is actually modelling a figure, you can see the shape of the legs, matching those of the model.  

 

Art Bob - Crowded Quarters

 

In their youth, men are usually undismayed by having to share quarters and bare all to other men. The two hunks in the foreground here seem happy to improvise, doing their morning ablutions in close proximity without any apparent concerns. The close arrangement of crotch and elbow is not without erotic interest, nor of course the bent over pose of the nearest man.

 Their younger flatmate, waiting his turn, seems to positively enjoy the spectacle of them jostling at the sink. While they are preoccupied, he seems to be holding up someone's undershorts for a closer examination, as if wondering how they would feel on him. Art Bob seems to have liked this criss-cross pattern, it crops up in a number of his drawings. 

This man also seems to be holding a rosebud which I'm not sure how to interpret. Is it a symbol of his crush on the owner of the pants? Or of what he imagines extracting from them? Maybe the forward thrust of his pelvis and the shielding of his crotch by the backside of one of the hunks provides the answer. Well we can all dream!

 

Art Bob -Water Shortage

 This picture has a similar 'sharing' theme to the one above, but is almost the opposite in emotional terms. These four men jockeying to get some of the water that is dripping out of the shower head are definitely not happy with the arrangement. When it was published, Physique Pictorial related it to military service, when of necessity, washing arrangements were often improvised. 

 

Comrades in arms usually make the best of such inconveniences, but the levels of embarrassment on display here seem to go far beyond that. There's a certain, very mitchmen-esque pleasure to be derived from their predicament. 'Trim' No 3 bizarrely observed that "the English might consider that these boys deserve this fate". Be that as it may, we are deprived of Art-Bob's usual cute faces as a result and must content ourselves with some luscious physique detail.

 

The picture is not without erotic humour, however. The muscular blond in the foreground is rubbing his backside, almost as if he has felt a surreptitious touch. Beyond him, a comrade looks back over his shoulder, as if he might have felt the same thing, as they bathe, accidentally cheek to cheek. Or perhaps it's his wandering hands that were responsible, and he's feigning innocence but can't resist observing the reaction of his target. 

 

The same might be said of the figure on the left, whose willowy physique is another example of Art Bob's forward thrusting pelvis action which produces a natural bunching of the backside and possibly in this case, embarrassment for the man in the middle soaping his hair, he's seen what we can't!

 

~

 

More Art Bob in Part 3 (article pending)

 

Read Part 1 of Art Bob

Art Bob 1

Art Bob was a popular gay artist in the 60s with an unmistakeable, playful style. He depicted young men enjoying life and getting into 'interesting' situations. I've never reviewed his work here before but have previously posted sample images, also one more recently at the mitchmen account at BSkySocial.  

 

Art Bob - A Little Pull From A Buddy

 

Many of Art-Bob's images will be well known to my readers, so I'm starting this article with one of his less familiar ones. It shows a guy helping his dormitory buddy into a tight-fitting suit -  a diving or flying suit perhaps or, given the imagery on the walls, some sort of spacesuit. 

 

It's not exactly clear what he's doing to help, except that he's using a thread. The suit area below his foot shows cross-stitching and yet the suit seems to have a zip. Sewing it all up seems decidedly kinky. 

 

Even more surprising (for the 50s) is that his foot is placed firmly on his buddies' groin. You don't have to be familiar with foot fetish to perceive the erotic nature of this gesture, the recipient is clearly 'getting it', as it were! For the avoidance of doubt, rockets thrust skywards behind them 

 

The would-be astronaut is a typical example of the artist's usual fare of young and slightly gauche subjects, but his buddy is something else. Stubbled chin plus a hairy and muscular physique, complemented by a rare sight of Y-Front style, white underwear. Hunks like this pop up refreshingly in other pictures by Art Bob. 

 

The title is an example of Art Bob's humorous innuendo. It seems charmingly coy to us but was necessarily so in 1959 when this was published. Most of the images presented here were drawn in the 50s, an era of repression on both sides of the Atlantic. 

 

 

Art Bob - A Stitch In Time

This picture also has a sewing theme. Another hunky buddy helps to fix his (nervous) chum's jeans. The pithy title suggests it's a repair, but these look well past being fixed 'in time'. In the 50s, fashionable young men started to have their jeans altered to fit more tightly round the bum. The most professional technique involved unpicking the centre seam of the pants, like this, cutting away a 'dart', and then sewing it back up. 

 

Needless to say, few lads were accomplished sewers, but if they were lucky their mums or girlfriends would do it for them. Otherwise, they had to call on a 'best mate', whose expertise might be just as lacking as their own. Doing the alteration with the jeans still in place is a typically male solution to the problem of getting it as tight as possible. But it's not without risk, as the stick-on plaster shows.

 

Quite why the helpful friend is nearly naked for this task is a mystery, but who's complaining? His muscular body is clearly shaved below waist level. The 50s furnishings in the background are a delightful detail, not least because the artist's style exactly complements it. No modern home could be without a cheese plant back then. 

 

 

Ronald Wright - A Stitch In Time?

Art-Bob's 'stitch' was very well-received and was reproduced in a number of contemporary beefcake magazines. English artist Ronald Wright was so impressed with the idea that he made his own version, copying the original composition pretty much exactly, but dressing the characters differently and relocating it (bizarrely) to a sports locker room. It's not a patch on the original, but the deliberate reversal of the characterisations is quite interesting.

 

 

Art Bob - Just The Ticket

Buddy collaboration features in this image too. Two lads in a beach buggy are trying to talk a cop out of giving them a ticket. While the cop is distracted, another member of the party reaches out of the boot (US, trunk) to let down his tyres. You don't notice it at first because of the absurd perspective and distance. It's quite an artistic hand, feminine potentially. The passenger feigns innocence on both counts.

 

The characterisation of the cop is decidedly odd. Wearing a bow tie, tight shirt and sun shades that look as though they belong to a fashion model, he's not exactly the epitome of authority.  

 

Beyond the cartoon joke, the check shorts of the passenger are quite sexy and the flash on the driver's trunks hints at, yet disguises, suggestive shaping. In the distorted, visual vocabulary of the image the driver's hand appears to be nudging the cop's groin, possibly grasping something - and the cop seems to have noticed. The hidden eroticism of the time (see label at foot of post for more).

 

 

Art Bob - The Rescue 1

 

Still at the Seaside, a young man strips off on a jetty to rescue a drowning man. He's not wearing any underwear which only underlines his heroism, putting himself in double jeopardy!

 

The artist has gone over the top with wide-eyed boyishness which doesn't gel at all with the mature, hairy muscularity of the character's physique. However, there's a nice sense of urgency in his improbably confused undressing and off-balance pose. The grasping hand projecting from the water is masterly. 

 

 

Art Bob - The Rescue 2

In the sequel, we see a handsome, young man being dragged from the water by his rescuer, whose concerned face now shows rather more maturity. His discarded clothes can be seen on the jetty in both pictures, the sketchy style seeming to morph them into fishing nets! 

 

The water ripples are delightfully stylish. The lower legs visible beneath them don't reflect reality, in contrast to the hand in the previous picture. That might simply reflect hasty sketching, but there's a modernist argument for showing something that's there, even if you can't see it. You can compare Art-Bob's depiction of dripping water with Tom of Finland's below.

 

Art Bob produced a number of diptychs like this, but these images are a far cry from his usual frivolity and whimsy.
 

 

Tom of Finland - Sailor Rescued From Drowning 1

 

Tom Of Finland's 1963 mini story about a drowning sailor rescued by a biker may have been inspired by this couplet. It's equally brief.

 

Tom of Finland - Sailor Rescued From Drowning 2

 

Interestingly, Tom's and Art-Bob's images interleave rather well to produce a more complete storyline, despite the disparity in technique and dress. Both seem to have decided it would be prudent not to attempt to show the moment where the two men come together in the water.

 

There may be more images in Tom's story, he usually did sets of six around this time, but if he did, I don't have them. 

 

 

Art Bob - Down The Road A-Piece

 

The final picture shows two sailors who also need rescuing. They seem to be stranded in the desert with their kitbags and an empty fuel can. A cowboy is gleefully directing them to the nearest gas station - which is clearly miles away! Little wonder they both look so downcast and dismayed. 

 

The cowboy seems to have his horse with him, the reins are in his hand, but he doesn't seem to be offering to help, perhaps he wants to enjoy their predicament for a while, as do we. 

 

Perhaps his offer of help comes with conditions and he's pointing out the unpalatable alternative. He's dressed pretty provocatively for that species and there's a telltale handkerchief in his back pocket which they haven't seen yet.  

 

I love the depiction of the sailors in this picture - both the butch seated one and the boyish doll-like one on the left. This artist shows his understanding of the sexiness of tight sailor's outfits and mangled caps. His depiction of them can't be faulted. Which is why I posted it previously in the In Praise of Sailors series.

 

More Art-Bob in Part 2 

Teddy of Paris - A Comeback?

Teddy of Paris - Overpowered 

  

The much admired 90s artist, Teddy of Paris, has been in touch to say he's planning to start creating artwork again. I'm sure all his fans will join me in wishing him well and looking forward to seeing the fruits of his labours. Read the full message in the comments attached to my article on his work:- 

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Teddy of Paris 

My image above comes from Teddy's Bridegroom's Cherry Collection (Out of print)

See also:  

Teddy of Paris - Initiation 

Teddy of Paris - Passion du Fruit 

 

 

The Transformation Art of AG-Ren

 Some years ago I showed some images by Siproites and Yomero (JesusOnTheRocks) that showed men unexpectedly undergoing total transformations into very different beings, stereotypes loaded with challenging qualities for the average Joe. Since then, photo-manipulation techniques have spawned a host of muscle morphs and body enhancement images, but the artists tend to ignore the possibility that the subject might find his changed body and status less than desirable, which makes for a much more interesting situation. I suppose BedVC's 'combatants', conscripted into mysterious, hyper-male roles, might be an exception, but their reactions to the predicament are largely masked.   These images by AG Ren make an interesting contribution.

AG-Ren Boyfriend's Shorts

 

 Massive thighs are a natural consequence of some sports.

Giving the process a hand seems innocent enough..... 

 

AG-Ren - Big Bag Basketball Player

 

But beware of The Law of Unintended Consequences.

A big bag might seem a good idea in erotic dreams,

but it's not a great advantage in energetic sports.  

 

  

AG-Ren Overtime For Office Workers

  

Bigger muscles might be a great way to attract fans

and might even distract a batter into an error.

However, a sportsman looking for media adulation, 

might find TV has a problem with this pants display. 

 

AG-Ren -Big Breasted Sportsman

 

There are other embarrassments for sporting types who overdo enhancement treatments. Their new bodies not being accommodated in normal sports apparel, for example. This guy had to improvise special jocks for his weighty  junk, much to the amusement of the others in the locker room.

 

 

AG-Ren - Tease

 

Developing mega pecs seemed like a great way to attract admirers.

But Willy's nips became over-sensitised in the process,

an erotic trigger that soon became an embarrassment to him.

As word got around, everyone came to try their luck.

see end result 

 

 

AG-Ren - Opponent or Partner?

 

Inevitably, like attracts like.  

Casper's felt his efforts to develop a powerful, manly physique had been in vain, as men with bigger pecs and even bigger personalities drew him in. He found himself mesmerised and dominated when he had wanted to be the dominant one.

 

AG-Ren -Big Breasts in Latex

Of course, many men who took the plunge were delighted with their new bodies. Old latex suits, which had never seemed to fit quite right before, suddenly clung like a second skin, deliciously peelable. Now they showed off the impressive growth of flesh above the waist and also below.

AG-Ren - Enlargement

Not every man found enlargement to be a liberating process. Unapproved treatments were emerging and causing strange reactions. Pete, an advertising executive, found himself to be the horrified owner of enormous melons which burst out of his shirt when he wasn't expecting it, triggered by a weird light effect the boss had installed in the Office foyer. 

 

It wasn't just the visual effect that dismayed him, he had to carry the damn things and they were very heavy. He didn't like to think about what was going on in his pants.  

See also Roger's Bra Crisis at 'X'

AG-Ren -Big Muscle Bros

Nor were such embarrassments confined to public spaces...

 

Gee! What happened bro'? 

You're not usually this big!

Have you been messing with my supplements? 

AG-Ren -Superman Ripped Butt

 

You would not think that Supes would need to mess with body enhancement, but his human side had its full share of vanity.

Unfortunately, his Super side caused the 'supplement' to go into overdrive. His suit was designed to withstand any stress, but in the middle of a mission it gave way, 

first at the rear ....  

 

 

AG-Ren -Superman Curvy, Ripped Suit

 

....and then at the front

 

AG-Ren - Office Workers

 

Next day at the Office, Clark Kent was wary of attracting attention. He'd found an XXXXL size shirt and pants but sensed his body was continuing to expand in every area. Already his pecs and biceps were straining to escape. He dreaded running into Lois - or Jimmy!

 

AG-Ren -  Muscular Man in a Suit

 

Kent tried to restrain the growth with a harness under his shirt, but it didn't work, and soon seams were giving way again and the cascading sweat just made everything worse.... 

 

~ 

 

Other related transformation posts:-

Fantasy transformations by Siproites  

Colour transformations by Yomero (JesusOnTheRocks) 

To Serve is Pleasure 

Art by Ultraswole 

The Art of Muscle Matt 

Muscle Morph Art by Built By Tall Steve 

Demonic Transformations by Platter