Baron + Sherwin - Doubly Intimidating

 Two studies by the artists Sherwin and Baron.
I don't know whose came first but they are both interesting enough for it not to matter.
 .

 Sherwin - Interrogation

The portable compendium of nasty torture instruments is a fiendishly original way of indicating the prolonged and varied path of pain which lies ahead for the poor, suffering POW. In fact it almost takes over the image, relegating him, who should be the star, to the sidelines.

 

Baron - No Mercy

Baron quite often includes interesting underwear in his pictures. He's also added a loop or noose around the prisoner's neck whose exact functioning is unclear but it casts the gaping hole at the prisoner's feet in a rather disturbing light.

There are a lot of differences between the two pictures which must tell us something about the two artists interests - but there's no prize for spotting them all! 

See also my previous articles on Baron and Sherwin

Baron has a site called Sub-terranean , Sherwin has a blog, The World of Sherwin

HeatHawk 13 - Striking Shibari Imagery

  The date that went wrong? 

It's as if the captive's right hand seeking to reach the knot in the centre of his back has been frozen there, secured tight in a supreme demonstration of his helplessness. Placing the crucial knot in this unreachable position just between and below the shoulder blades is no accident of course. 

This area of the back is celebrated as a point of ultimate (male) vulnerability in European culture too. Siegfried, the lusty hero of Germanic myths bathes in dragon's blood to make his skin invulnerable, but a leaf settles on this one place he cannot reach leaving a fatal chink in his 'armour'.

In this picture notice how tight the bindings are around his arms and body. The complex roping of Shibari is about power over the captive and this is totally nullified unless the ropes are tight. If they are not, the victim will almost certainly escape, but if he feels an unyielding grip around his body he will know he is truly trapped at his captor's pleasure.

 Date mistake part two. 

Not only are his legs immobilised now, but they are also drawn up towards the centre of his back (that place again), preventing any possibility of using them to leverage movement (if he had anywhere to go). The forced arching of his body is applying a compression to his lower back, which will become most unpleasant in due course.

This man has beautiful legs, chunky and just slightly hairy. The mounding produced by tight roping round thigh and calf produces an unexpectedly erotic shaping of his flesh, like the cut of jockstrap into buttock. Delicious.

Garish duvet covers can ruin a good bondage image but he's got it right here. The muted colours and vague impression of luxurious style throw the captive's body and his plight into striking relief in a way that is quite sinister. I think this one will become a classic.

 

 One removed from the naughty step. 

Where do you park a prisoner in a small flat when you want to get some sleep? We've all been there! This absurd setting complete with cat food and pasta sauce bottle relegates our hapless hero from being the centre of attention (unsought though that might have been) to the level of those awkwardly shaped, domestic appliances, so useful when needed but so difficult to store when they're not required.

His one-legged position, arms tight back position guarantees he won't get much sleep himself tonight. Tying the elbows and arms tightly together like this will prevent him from escaping too.

 

This is what helplessness looks like, as the captive cranes his neck to see what is happening to him. He's wondering what comes next, perhaps not anticipating that his restrictive bindings may have completely different properties if his captor chooses to raise him by the rope attached to his left leg.

The act of tying the captive in Shibari is a demonstration of power. He may accede to the first binding but as the process continues he becomes progressively less able to resist (or even to move). The increasing complexity of the rope work and the contortions into which his body is forced at his captor's whim are only made possible by his helplessness, but they reinforce and increase it. Ultimately (as in the second picture above) even the victim's personality becomes secondary to his state of bondage.

This is also a most erotic process, particularly where the artificial posture imposed on him opens up a sexual vulnerability such as opening the legs or pinning the arms back to open up the torso. The extra twist shown here, tying the arms to the ankle at one side, has produced a nice arching of the body.

(N.B.I have cropped this image)

The captive's backless briefs here showcase his beautiful fleshy buttocks far more effectively than total nudity would. His straightened leg exhibits fine erotic curves but so too in a different way does the tightly folded one. The socks and suspenders are a nice detail, a fetish in their own right for some I guess, but for me here they suggest a hasty, unplanned undressing - involuntary perhaps. A businessman snatched off the street.

Notice how the incomplete raising of his body is temporarily applying extra stress to the victim's back. The awkward, twisting tension between his left leg and right arm creates a powerful sense of frontal vulnerability for him. It's amplified by the facial roping whose purpose is not functional but to demonstrate that even his senses and his identity are no longer his to control. 

  In free suspension this unnatural position will soon become very unpleasant.

 Suspension is the ultimate demonstration of power over the captive. 

He is presented in all his helplessness at a convenient height to view and touch.

Meanwhile he suffers the discomfort of his bondage amplified by his own weight levering against the restraints, the suspension points and the contortions of his bondage. 

(N.B.I have cropped this image too)

  

Suspension allows the captive's body or the master's rope work

(according to preference) to be displayed and inspected at leisure.

Beyond that it creates a dismaying, insurmountable barrier to escape

If space permits, his distance from the ground can be increased to play on his fears.

See more at Heathawk13 (aka Digital Silver) but beware of female dragons!

Gagging For It

Rex

I tried to make a 'men sharing clothes' article out of these gag pictures from Bound Guys but the subtle variations in colours they used defeated me. I'm sure there's someone out there into 'used' gags but I can't pin it on these guys!

 Frankie

This is quite a nice bondage picture with the virtue of simplicity

although I suppose you might grumble about the setting.

 The soccer kit looks well on the model's physique 

and his thigh to ankle, open legs restraint is always highly erotic.

 Benji

The model's tight-fitting shirt creates an impression of tight bondage here,

 even though there's not a rope in sight.

 Benji

The moments when the gag is secured have a special  frisson

and the model rewards us with a suitably irritated expression.

In contrast, Rex in the first picture above really does seem to be gagging for it. 

Ron Jeffries

One of the virtues of BoundGuys output is the inclusion of the whole spectrum of body shapes and ages. Mature models like Ron above are a welcome change from the young bathing beauties that adorn most sites. Ron earns our attention with a well developed physique that is only enhanced by being tightly restrained. 

Photography by Bound Guys

(Best wishes to founder Caitiff recovering from an accident)

A Matter of Size

I have a friend who never misses an opportunity to point out how short Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise and other film stars are 'in real life' - as opposed to the way they seem to be on the silver screen. It's not something that troubles my choice in men, but it's a strange fact that photographs can create an impression of bulk or height in favourite and familiar models that is quite misleading. 

 Landon Conrad and Jessie Jackman

(Titanmen.com)

Landon Conrad always seemed to me to be a big man. I suppose his 'Desperate Dan' jutting, square jaw may have played a part in creating this impression but he looks tiny here next to Jessie Jackman. This dramatic contast in size contributes in no small measure to the erotic impact of his submissive pose. 

Bigger cock though.

Aha you say, it's only because he's kneeling down, well, maybe not..........

 Landon Conrad and Christian Wilde

(Men.com)

Christian Wilde has long been familiar to us as part of the Bound Gods stable of resident 'Masters'. I've never been quite convinced of him in that role on account of his slender physique and rather studious looking face. However, this picture of him  next to Landon Conrad (again) casts him in an entirely different light. I find it quite difficult to resolve it with my preconceptions of the two men. 

Landon is transformed from fearsome predator into cuddly bear. 

Christian from slender student into an awkward looking giant.

Left to Right:- Trevor Knight, Andrew Stark, Donny Wright

(Tales of the John - Men.com)

Andrew Stark and the lovely Donny Wright appear much as you would have expected in this photograph. I must say it shows Andrew Stark with a much better physique than I credited him with  from memory, yum!

.

But it's Trevor Knight that provides the size surprise. It's quite unexpected and not at all what you would guess from his roles as a top in erotic videos. We're in brooch territory here! Which, I hasten to add, is not intended as a derogatory remark, Trevor's physique from waist downwards is perfectly proportioned and very attractive.

.

Another case of a pugnacious face creating an impression of size which is an illusion.

Juan Lopez and Paddy O'Brian

(Men in Ibiza - Men.com)

Paddy created quite a wave of interest when he arrived on the scene as a rampaging top and his recent excursions into bottoming have, if anything, added to his butch persona. However, here he transforms into cute, little boy in the octopus arms of Juan Lopez - rest assured it doesn't stay that way!

Check out the relative sizes of these guy's pecs.

 Connor Maguire and Samuel O'Toole

(Artistic Touch - samuelotoole.com)

This picture was a double surprise for me. Previously, Connor Maguire's boyish face and slim body had created the impression for me of a typical young man, probably of average height. It comes as quite a shock to see him towering over the muscular, ultra-butch Samuel O'Toole. 

It's quite wrong to equate height or any other physical characteristic with 'topping' (as the previous example proves) but it is confusing to stereotypical expectations. It doesn't help that Connor's early career was heavily laced with bottoming scenes (this one is no exception) and his soulful face is well suited to that role for those of us who like erotica with an edge.

If you compare the size of Connor's head with his body you'll see he's inherited exceptionally generous proportions from the neck downwards - the source I suspect of my confusion.

  Austin Wilde and Tanner Bishop

(Guys in Sweat Pants)

They say everyone's the same size lying down, but this photo disproves that adage too. Austin Wilde never struck me as a particularly big guy (body-wise!) before I saw this. I guess his chunky build is similar to Sam O'Toole's (who I did think was big) but somehow Austin's slightly boyish, fleshy face to me suggested cuddly, stockiness rather than the sheer, mouth-watering bulk that is apparent here. His diminutive partner enhances the comparison of course but I'll never quite see Austin in the same way again. 

As a not totally unrelated aside, I'm no more obsessed with dick size than I am with body size, but this is a truly memorable penetration image - well done Tanner!.

There's a reason why Hollywood disguises the height of shorter actors of course and we can't expect the porn industry to be very different. Most of us in real life make no distinction between short and tall, it's not important. In some perverse way, though, our stereotypical prejudices do affect the way we view and enjoy sexual encounters and interactions on video. The same subconscious forces formed this article but I intend no disrespect, mockery or ill-will in drawing attention to these particular contrasts. Only for fun.

The Art of Eddie Chin

Joyride by Eddie Chin

This image makes a neat postscript to the previous article. I like the clean, simple style of Eddie Chin's work. He frequently depicts media celebrities and the glittery highlights, which are a trademark of his style, are perhaps a wry comment on the adulation bestowed on them. However, I confess I don't recognise this man or understand the title (a movie perhaps?).

Eddie Chin - Golden Balls

This one's easy even without the title, it's a good likeness of David Beckham. Unlike the first picture there's no sense of modesty here and the depiction of the underwear is understated but intensely erotic. In a way that captures the ambiguous personality of the subject rather neatly. The clinical, plain white background sanitises the sensuality to a considerable degree.

Eddie Chin - Smooth Body Provocateur

G-strings, posing pouches and the like are not everyone's cup of tea but the artist's asian background (although he's located in the UK) allows him a different perspective on the garment. As beefcake goes I think this is a terrific picture, sexy and provocative as the title says. The mounded pecs and fabric disappearing between the legs are very nice details and I'm sure that foot doesn't go unnoticed by specialists either.

Eddie Chin - The Unfaithful Husband

Eddie seems to be returning to the 50's here with the posing pouch obviously a cover for the nudity implied by the scenario. For me the result is not unpleasing. The handsome guest's perilously splayed open legs seem all the more exposed by the scantiness of his garment down under. Sadly the artist leaves all that to the imagination with barely a cheek visible this time. The picture is clearly influencd by the art of  'Banksy' but the social satire is rather less complex.

Eddie Chin - Save Him If You Can (Slavery)

After seeing the careful negotiation of taboos in the previous examples of Chin's work, this picture (if not the censorship) comes as something of a shock despite the humour. That vicious, bamboo-like spike is straight out of Tagame's world and the nooselike neck restraint is hardly frivolous either. The traditional oil lamp (more middle eastern than far east I would say) has sinister connotations all it's own. The youth of the victim is a turn-off for me (I suspect this is another 'celebrity' that has passed me by).

 Eddie Chin - Captive

Something more calming. The routing of the chain connecting the ankle cuffs is a clever erotic touch and there's some nice highlighting of the leather pouch in this beefcake-y image. The broken spectacles give it a little more edge.

I enjoy Eddie's work, it leaves you wanting more and if you produce your own images it fires the imagination too. See more of Eddie Chin at Deviant Art

If you can identify any of these men please comment!

In Emergency Pull Down

 

Jimmy:  "Oh mum! I didn't hear you coming!"

Mum:  "Jimmy! Those are your brother's football socks!

I only just washed them and now you've getting them dirty again!"

"This is sooooo embarassing!"

Frankie:  "Sorry Officer, I was actually expecting someone else."

Policeman at the door:  "Is that so? Well you can cut out the' little boy' act sunshine!

We've had complaints!"

 "Wait a minute, do I know you?"

 "Whaddya mean Dad? - Of course I've got something underneath!"

("just keep still dick and he won't see anything.")

 

"Sorry Ranger, it was only for a quick pee, I'll cover up now."

(Why is the Ranger looking at my ass like that? 

.....oh shit, the friction.......I'm gonna cum....!)

 

"Well, now that you've caught me out, 

what are you going to do about it?

(it twitches)

.... Sir."

Photo credits (2) Beautiful, ES  (3) Male Model US (6) DNA

I'm on the train!

Budget cuts at the Ministry of Justice meant that convicted prisoners could no longer be transported to jail in private security vans. 

Giving up their seats on the train was seen as a useful first step in their rehabilitation.

I can't credit the man responsible for this splendid GIF unfortunately.

.

Link - Train Ride To Crotchdorf

 

The artist 'Link' was rather more generous in his arrangements for transporting prisoners.

See also my A-Z article on 'Link' for another transport scenario

Mitchell - Mugger on a Train

This is an unfinished sketch I did many years ago in the days when railway carriages were not open with through gangways, as is universal now, but split into individual 12 seat compartments  which were completely isolated (and completely private) between stops, affording opportunities for all sorts of nefarious deeds. 

This was an illustration from a story in which an over-confident mugger

 had the tables turned on him between stations. 

(Some of my readers may be able deduce the geographic area 

from those distinctive carriage details)

It is readily re-envisaged as a prisoner transport scenario like those above with an unscrupulous escort introducing the newly convicted youth to the predatory nature of the prison life that awaits him.

 

Blade - Pulling A Train

I don't think Blade intended this terrific drawing as a prisoner transport scene either, but it readily allows that interpretation. In this case the repentant felon puts in a bit of community service on his way to the clink while his guard/escort turns a blind eye. 

The guard's grip on his oddly-shaped baton is a fairly obvious 'hidden eroticism' subterfuge, simulating the gripping of a dick. You might wonder why Blade bothered in a picture that is already very explicit, (including a rarely depicted foreskin). My guess is it's down to the dangling wrist loop which suggests some sort of fluid emission - probably a step too far along the trail of allowable erotic imagery. 

If you discard my prisoner story overlay and view the picture afresh you can see that there's an equally interesting story here of a young man who likes the excitement of casual, rough sex (of a sort), being lured into something even rougher and much more dangerous, dark and forbidden. This is symbolised by the uniform (promising him discipline), the gloves (a barrier to intimate contact, coldness), the handcuffs and the wooden baton (suggesting the possibility of punishment too). 

The apparent indifference of this man to him (clearly faked, as we can see) is only increasing his appeal of course. The dribbling baton-end signifies that this is where the young man can find ultimate satisfaction. 

Paradoxically there's also an element of  'if only he would notice me' in the uniformed man's dreamy attitude, a frustrated desire quite at odds with his superficially powerful image. We've all been there, but in the more secretive era when Blade drew this, unrequited longing was an even more universal feeling. This perceptive realism tells you why Blade is so respected, you won't find this subtlety in Tom of Finland.

Surprisingly I've never done an article on Blade for this blog, despite his significant role in the emergence of modern gay erotic art. There is a interesting similarity between the depiction of the squatting boy here and the style of Sean later.