In Praise of Jock Straps - A Selection Of Mitchells Jock Art

Naturally my fascination with men in Jock Straps (see previous posting) is reflected in my own drawings and I've attached a selection here. I put my pencil where my mouth is!

I was quite shaken when at the age of 18, I was told by an older work colleague that Jock straps were standard issue in the British Army at one time. My imagination ran riot over the possibilities should a young soldier ever be captured - see below for example featuring a GI captured in the jungle.

(from Mitchell's Series: 'The Lost Patrol')
.

Being educated at a rugby-playing school I was already fascinated by the
strong thighs and rounded buttocks developed by players straining in the scrum.

What better display for them than the straps of a jock?

(Picture below from Mitchell's Story - 'The Strange Case of Manley RFC')

Of course the simplest attraction of the jock is the fact that only the genitals are covered.

Even 'dressed' the wearer is vulnerable to a predator.
(Picture below from Mitchell's 'Inspired by Tom' Series)

And scrumming leaves rugby players vulnerable in other ways too!

(picture below from Mitchell's story 'The Strange Case of Manley RFC')

 

All the pictures here and others like them can be seen in the Galleries at my Yahoo Group

which is also called 'mitchmen' . The link and more info can be found in the side bar.

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

In Praise of ......... JockStraps

I know that not every man will share this view,
but I have a firm belief that jock straps look great - but only on big men.
When slim lads like the guys above wear them they just don't work.
.

The guy above looks better but is really still too thin
for that chunky waistband.

No, a thick trunk is needed to stretch the waistband so the proportions look right.

 

Obviously the more stuff you can get in the pouch, the better. 

There's an added frisson that comes from evidence of maturity.....

.....but given the right build,
youth itself is not an impediment to the erotic exploitation of the garment



The requirement for shapely bulk is also true of the rear view.



The buttocks should bulge out over the leg straps
like they were a restraining harness.
.

Finally they should not be pristine white. I'm not into excessive soiling, but clothes that have been worn mould to the body in a most sensual way. Jockstraps need lots of washing to achieve that state because they are made to be strong with thick material. But it's worth the wait while they soften.
You can't beat a big man in a jock! 

(revised Feb 2017, Jul 2018)

Mitchell's A to Z of Fetish Artists - Best of the letter 'B'

Picking out my favourite in the letter 'B' category is tough - there are several artists that excite me here so I know my choice is going to be somewhat arbitrary.

If I were making my choice on drawing style and sensuality it would have to be Blake - I love how he draws his beleaguered men - but the subject matter is just too hard for me. I feel the same about Bastille's sleazy orgies though I admire his intelligent artistry.

I like the inventiveness of Bishop's bondage positions but the female nuances in his figures kill the fantasy. Belasco's hard black and white style reminds me of the war story comic books of my youth and fills his stories with action and drama but somehow the sensuality and interest isn't quite there in individual frames - I can't put my finger on exactly why.

That leaves us with Boundex and Brick - both use cartoon styles so we are not really talking about sensuality here (apart from Boundex's shiny buttocks whose charms are not inconsiderable!). For me the main attractions in the work of these two artists are the depiction of male bondage itself, the use of clothing which creates a connection with the real world and the story-telling. It's a hard choice but Brick just edges it for me because his men have just a touch more realism and his pictures are more varied in subject matter with rather more going on in them. So Brick joins Amir in my personal Hall of Fame!

Mitchell's A to Z of Fetish Artists - Brick (revised 2019)

 

Brick's subject matter usually shows men held in detention and subjected to various indignities (and occasionally much worse!). His captives are often hyper-masculine with big, muscular and very hairy bodies. He makes their maltreatment as humiliating as possible. For such a beast to be carried around while naked and helplessly trussed is a simple but powerful example. This image showing a kidnapped cop being transported naked between punishments stokes the erotic imagination very nicely!

'Rookie Cop' starring the unlucky Officer Ricci, was one of the products of Brick's extended collaboration with writer 'Boi Bill' aka Steve McHalperin. If you search Brick's work you'll also find images he produced for other stories by the same author 'Brick and The Mad Scientists' and 'Russian Reform School' (RRS).

Brick - Military Trainer

 Those of you who have read my articles drooling over military shorts won't be surprised to see this example of Brick's work here. Brick has an eye for sexy clothing. The bulging hairy thighs are just part of this man's armoury of intimidation. This is a detail of a larger image showing two naked grunts, with one transporting the other in a cage.

Brick - Come In

Another hunk being carried. In this image Brick blends the menace of Military authority with the more sinister undertones of rubber wear. We get a glimpse of what awaits the cute captive inside. The gagged and blindfolded victim is only able to guess, but at least he gets the comfort of human contact while he's on his way.

Brick - RSS Trolley

This prisoner doesn't even have that. The are similar elements at work in this picture but Brick's imagination has taken flight with the prisoners intimidating garb and transportation arrangements. If you've ever had a fight with a supermarket trolley you might wonder if this 3-wheeler would make the porter's life any easier. It's apparent instability may be part of the prisoner's ordeal of course, but I think we can assume that there's  a hidden plug to prevent him toppling off. I imagine most men in a captivity situation might take some persuading to provide enough dick for a decent grip.



Brick also uses the threat of what is about to happen in this picture, it's being revealed to one horrified captive and demonstrated to his comrade who is the next man in line. The array of implements on the shelves behind them hint of much more to come for them. I wonder whose shorts are they? The yellow shirt hints that these two have just arrived from the normal world outside - their captors garb suggests they might be a pair of hapless hikers who took the wrong path. Brick places his characters in locations so that the viewer can imagine a story not just the enactment of a fetish.

Brick - No Eye Witness

This picture perhaps answers the question about the red shorts and reveals more about the nature of the prisoners ordeal. A paddling is about to resume after being interrupted by a breakage which tells us the punishment is heavy and protracted. Notice the pink highlight in an unexpected place on the prisoner's torso. The captor's uniforms tells us that this is an institutional process, impersonal and unstoppable. Being forced to wear brief red shorts (like the rubber gear in the trolley picture above) is part of the process of compelling submission. The row of rubber-shrouded prisoners parked behind makes it clear that paddling will not be the end of the story for this prisoner.

We're back with the Kidnapped Cop here. He's being stored and punished in a glass box barely big enough to contain him. The holes in the lid and drain tube at the bottom hint at some sort of  watery ordeal in the offing. For me however Brick's image brings out most convincingly the sheer humiliation of a strong man being compelled to accept degrading treatment. In other images by Brick the punishment boxes take the form of cages, fridges, hot cabinets and even ovens.

Brick - Precinct 69, Crime Hurts

Humiliation is also the name of the game here. Bricks men are always tied up, even when being marched around and the bondage here is designed to make walking difficult and undignified. The prisoners are not even allowed to clean themselves in this prison. The non-conformist hairstyle hints at a reason for this man's detention, it's rather more subtle than simply being punished for being hunky or being a cop.

This picture sums up many of the qualities I have mentioned above, hunky men, humiliating transport, sexy clothing, painful punishment and loss of identity in a pseudo-institutional process.

~

Brick's pictures look like coloured cartoons which gives a sense of lightness and humour, but the underlying subject matter is not funny at all. You might guess that his Eastern European background influences what he draws. The pictures have an uncanny power to make you linger and fantasise about what is happening. Their effect is lifted by the details of the faces, body hair, clothing etc. It's more varied and sophisticated than mere cartoon imagery. He's been described by his collaborator as labouring endlessly over his pictures, we can all be grateful for the results.

(Updated Jan 2019)

~

More Brick at mitchmen: Brick and the Mad Scientists , New pictures by Brick notice

Brick is an elusive artist on the web, he has no website of his own as far as I know, nor even a favourite posting place since Greasetank's demise and his name is not as unusual as you might imagine in gay circles! He has recently (2022) produced a number of new Slave Academy images which you can see at Metalbond and there's now a good collection there if you search on his name. I have also produced an Index of these 2022 Brick new releases.

You should be able to find more at GMBA (current link is at the foot of the right sidebar if it's been zapped again by Google since i wrote this).

For other A-Z's click on the label below or visit my artist index page in the tabs at the top.

Mitchell's A to Z of Fetish Artists - Boundex

T
he Art of Boundex typically shows images of men, often skinhead types,
who have been tightly tied up, gagged and suspended.

Sometimes they are depicted in skinhead clothing - Adidas tee shirts and jeans - but often they are clad in tight fitting lycra or shiny rubber suits which are depicted in a sensual way and create a strange effect of nakedness and vulnerability whilst clothed. These male bondage situations are bought to life by little side comments or exclamations muffled through gags conjuring up fantasies of revenge, abduction and punishment very much in the 'mitchmen' style.

Boundex's style of drawing is very simple and often all that can be seen of the faces is wild, fearful eyes but the overall effect is strangely erotic - particularly when paddles hover over the shiny rubber clad buttocks of the helpless captive men.

For more examples visit http://boundex.net/

Mitchell's picture 'Captive US Sailor'

Though stripped of his uniform and tightly bound,
 he is still proud and unbowed.

Even his abductors admire his manliness and beauty.

A perfect hostage with which to work.

______

This image is not part of one of my stories, just a study of male bondage

It features of some of my favourite 'mitchmen' motifs

- tight ropes, a muscular body and a handsome face -

Mitchell's A to Z of Fetish Artists - R J Blake (revised 2019)

RJ Blake - Nut Grappling

Much of R J Blake's work is not for the faint hearted, but his depictions of men are excellent. Square jawed and rugged, with muscular bodies sporting just enough hair, they are superbly masculine and sexy. In the example shown above a man grapples with a restrained captive in an encounter bristling with passion and danger. Faint details hint at other ideas and elaborations discarded or left unsaid.
A good example of his style.

(All the picture titles in this article have been assigned by me)

RJ Blake - Restrained Man

The craggy face and hairy torso of this man recalls Palanca's Latino men but there's none of their cheerfulness and fun in this picture. This character studies his own erection as though it were a source of discomfort rather than pleasure. His tousled, dangling hair suggests involvement in sweaty action which has yet to reach it's climax. The disappearing arms suggest his hands are tied, telling us he is not in control of the situation and creating a very open pose which highlights the vulnerability of that formidable organ.

RJ Blake - Deflated

Whilst Blake has a talent for portraying mature men, he's equally adept at depicting younger ones. There's a similar sense of dismay in this man's face, underlined by his drooping quiff which is matched by an equally drooping (and lovingly detailed) cock. Although the cause of his deflation is unseen we can see that his wrists are bound together behind his back, a simple restraint that renders him totally defenceless, masculinity tamed.

RJ Blake - Tight

A different take on youthfulness here. This man's neatly coiffured head hair and faint 'designer' chin stubble would give him a sophisticated, worldly look when fully clothed. Stripped of that a fleshiness and prolific body hair is revealed, a quite different, 'untamed' look that calls out for correction. (Similar qualities can be seen in seemingly related figure featured in the preview for this revised article),

The bondage here is cruelly tight, strangulating even in places - but the young man's libido is clearly not intimidated by it, unlike his predecessor above. Some folk do this for fun! There's the faintest suggestion that Blake considered a noose-like extension as well, but he's clearly less interested in the mechanics of the rope above the waist. I cannot work out exactly what is happening at the back of his neck, is that a hand reaching in?

This image showing just the head and front of the torso is typical of much of Blake's work concentrating totally on the focus of his interest. Where a fuller body view is shown, as in 'Deflated' above, it's liable to be bare outlines outside the key erotic area. 

RJ Blake - Whipped

Whips are often perceived as punishing the victim with cuts and skin pain like spanking. In this image Blake captures the full, jarring, smack of the lash and shows the captive's physical and erotic response. He shows little interest in other elements of the scene - he barely hints at the prisoner's restraint and shows nothing of his attacker. 

For once the captive is shown clothed (well partly). This is an army uniform and that's one of the few forms of clothing Blake ever shows*. Although he was still publishing work as recently as 2010, he was most active in the 70's in the wake of Vietnam, Korea and WWII, so this military interest (sometimes overtly depicting POW tortures) is not entirely surprising. His pictures were published in Drummer at that time but there's little sense of a controlled S&M leather dungeon ritual in them. It's uncomfortably real sometimes.

  (*There is actually a hint of sagging trouser showing in the first image of this article but it's clearly not an important detail to the artist).

RJ Blake - Hooked

There's an even sharper focus on the prisoner's feelings in this image. Probably not a fishing accident! It's a beautiful study of action and reaction. The tension in the cord finds a direct echo in the corded veins of the subject's neck. His knotted brows and rivulets of perspiration underline his efforts to endure the pain and threat of injury in a calm, manly fashion, as befits his handsome features. Even the spiky-looking body hair seems to speak of inner stress. The characteristic quiff and curled hair at the nape of the neck form the ends of a curve that pulls his head down towards the wicked, tugging hook. The overall look of this image reminds me very much of the work of Rex.

Blake's wispy, insubstantial lines contribute a nightmarish, 'is-this-really-happening?' flavour to his pictures and you can glimpse it here, but in other examples it's neutralised or lost altogether by well-meaning but clumsy contrast and sharpening enhancements, driven mainly by the limitations of viewing art on modern monitor screens. There's a prime example below.

RJ Blake - Tension

Blake elaborates on the hooking theme here, possibly inspired by the ritual suspension scene in the 1970 movie 'A Man Called Horse'.  Indeed, the less defined detail suggests this could be an example of a Native American 'trial by fire', which is another of Blake's areas of interest. (see also Sergey)

His depictions frequently show men throwing off copious bodily juices (of all descriptions) in their plight. This is a foretaste of Mike Carcel's modern day obsessions, although the frenetic struggling shown here is at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum from the eerie, disturbing, calm resignation that pervades Carcel's images - victims and persecutors alike.

RJ Blake - Sulky

 I'm closing with this, almost vanilla piece, partly for underwear fans, who get two for the price of one if you look closely, but also because it's an image that reads quite differently when you understand Blake's motivations and dark intentions. I can't show examples of his more demanding pictures in this forum but suffice to say that they usually involve sharp implements more than they do rope. In Blake's imagination, this innocent-looking young man, who is probably a soldier and probably a captive, faces that fate. His sober face and bulging underpants present a Ying and Yang of anxiety and excitement. 

RJ Blake - Riding The Samurai Wedge

Blake's art with it's economical subject matter and sketchy style is at the opposite end of the artistic spectrum to someone like Homoeros, although they tread similar paths. Blake pushes the boundaries of S&M in the same discomforting way that Dante did. His heroes are attractively drawn and oozing with masculine qualities that almost define 'homoerotic'. That makes even his least fetish-y pictures well worth a look.. 

Having said that, it's hard to find even innocuous examples of his work on the web. I can only direct you to the good old stalwart GMBA which seems to have resurfaced from a period of suspension by Google. Ask there if you can't find anything listed (the archives get zapped from time to time). The latest link I have for GMBA (it moves around sometimes) is in the sidebar towards the bottom.

This article was expanded and revised in March 2019 (ref1407) 

 For other A-Z articles click on the label below or visit my index of artists