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 has been on a break since January,
I am working on it and hope to resume shortly. (see Group News for link)

Link to the Royale Studio Archive in the right sidebar


Message updated 6th Sept 2024

Saturday, 6 February 2021

The Art of Luxuris - 3

Luxuris - DJ Noah
 
Luxuris' more serious portraiture art has a different, sharper style. He has a knack for capturing the attractive features of a man and translating them into a stylish image that flatters the subject. Here suggesting a powerful, dominant presence that reflects the heroic role a DJ enjoys on the dance floor.

Luxuris - Francisco Manent

Fran Manent depicted as powerful too, but mysteriously alluring like a male siren. The sharper muscle definition has slightly hardening and 'distancing' effect. This is a man with a strikingly sensual and sexual aura in real life but it's sacrificed here to produce neatness and heroic solidity. Nice green highlights suggest hidden 'powers' of a more supernatural kind. These images show similarities to the fan art of Silverjow.

 

Luxuris - David Zongoli

This image is more simply sketched and the absence of fine definition (in the thighs, for example) creates a more striking sense of bulk, but it's bulk with a softness that is sensual even though the shading and highlighting is so subtle you hardly notice it. This pose is quite different to the heroic man above, it has an inherent modesty that plays against the implied strength of the subject to create a thoroughly charming, 'gentle giant' image.


Luxuris - Sexy Boy

This image is inspired by the well known image of Lawrence Dellaglio, the England rugby player, changing his shorts on the pitch during a match. Dellaglio is a chunky beast and Luxuris slims his waist for Sexy Boy, producing an image with a different sort of more youthful appeal, take your pick! He sensibly keeps the glimpsed underwear almost identical to the original spectacle.

 

Luxuris - Tsumugu Kinagase

There are echoes of Sexy Boy in this image of a fictional character but the original, unconscious display of Dellaglio has progressively evolved into more self awareness coupled with a simmering threat that would daunt most admirers! Dark trunks obscure the details of a backside but that gives it a bulk in exactly the same way as David Zongoli's thighs above. It conveys a sense of modesty too but in this case it's not so much charming as tantalising and challenging.  There's a naked sequel at the links below.


Luxuris - Warrior Dai Grepher

We're back with games characters here and that gives Luxuris scope to devise imaginative costuming that is intended to do the exact opposite of of Kinagase's black trunks by drawing attention to every curve and every nook and cranny of Dai's posterior. The lace-up back and sides add an (probably illusory) sense of accessibility but it doesn't look as if you'll encounter much resistance anyway. This is the least undressed of a sequence of variants with an M.O. (messy outcome).


Luxuris - Tribute to Iceman Blue

Another image that depicts a muscular giant as a cute young man by drawing on the 'baby on a rug' routine (but with more adult body emissions). The ragged clothing suggests a boisterous coupling has led to this contented state. The simple rendering of body hair is rather nice.
 

Luxuris - Sailor Saluting


This picture is fairly heavy on iconography, somewhat confusingly. At first sight, the sailor's cap and portholes set a nautical scene for this blue-eyed boy which seems to link him back to the heyday of sexy sailor images in the post-WW2 era. The same might be said of the tattoos, I see there are traditional anchors and roses amongst them, but rather more than most old-time sailors had. Moreover the shoulder tattoo in the Japanese style has gangland associations and the scarf round his neck prompts thoughts of piracy rather than regular naval organisations. In fact there seems to be an element of mockery in the salute and frivolity too in the tiny cap with it's Pop-Eye anchor badge, which certainly connects to the dense musculature of course. I can't decide if I like this or not!
  

Luxuris - Tattoo Boy

I don't harbour(!) the same doubts about this simple image of a swimmer. The trunks do it for me every time and there's not a trace of edge in the 'come on'. The tribal tattoo on his shoulder might have intimidated in olden times but it's an everyday sight now. Visually it has the effect of pulling the shoulder forward here and creates a slightly 'hunched' posture which is more defensive than aggressive. Likewise the tilt of his head, requesting rather than demanding our attention, is completely unchallenging. Seems like a nice boy. Too nice for a fetish blog perhaps. 

There's some interesting detailing in the background which has led to censored variants on some sites.
 

Luxuris - Wrestler in a Leotard

There's a censored version of this image too but I thought my readers could cope with the full blown version. It's a rather nice imagining of the leotard effect which used to be confined to the wrestling arena but now graces athletics tracks everywhere, usually less prominently than this! Luxuris doesn't leave much to the imagination here, painted-on you might say, the subtler hints of muscular contents in real leotards look even better to me.
 

Luxuris - Diego Groping

This muscular hook-up is immensely sexy and romantic too. In it's essence it's a regular sight in gay night-time venues but with the embellishment of undress and enhanced muscularity it makes a terrific image, full of erotic electricity and the participants seem to enjoy us watching. The romantic side of Luxuris is as enjoyable as his raunchy fantasies.

 
 
LINKS

Wednesday, 3 February 2021

The Art of Luxuris - 2

Luxuris - O.C. (2018)
 
In Part 1 I introduced the 'OC' of Luxuris and his sprouting, rabbit-like ears (presumably indicating when he's feeling randy). He has muscles, a variety of tattoos which come and go and, as you might expect, a generous endowment seen here straining at the leash. Luxuris usually portrays him as a mischievous, 'cheeky chappie' personality.

Luxuris and Redgart
 
This image shows a more intense side in a vigorous, romantic encounter with the O.C. of the artist 'Redgart'. The base drawing is largely the work of the latter, but he picks up the Luxuris' style by way of tribute. Tongues are intimate, bulbous buttocks contend with skimpy swimwear and there's a hint of rip as well in this brush on muscle beach.
 
A collaboration between Luxuris and Red_Gart
 
The idea of an O.C. originates from the world of digital games, where a player can adopt a persona and equip him with a selection of powers and attributes. His choices might well reflect the player's own personality and aspirations allowing him to identify more closely with his 'representative' in the game. Applying this idea of 'character tailoring' to the ancient, artistic tradition of self portraiture greatly extends the possibilities for self expression in that genre. It allows the artist to communicate something of his 'inner self' which is limited in a conventional painting to devices like clothing the subject appropriately and including symbolic objects - for example, a Bible, a sword, a flower, a skull. 
 

Luxuris - O.C. and Beast (2016)

I don't know if it is possible to port O.C's between computer games yet, but in his own imaginings an artist like Luxuris can transplant his O.C. into any game environment he chooses. Thus this image shows a charmingly cute O.C. removing his underpants/briefs in the presence of an ox-like beast with an overpowering presence (whose identity I've not been able to establish yet). O.C.'s expression looks angry but determined, as though he's complying with an order, scared perhaps, but still defiant. Bara characters often have this angry expression, but it infuses a tremendous tension into this particular scene. The contrasting sizes of the two characters also helps. 
 
(You might also read this scene as an explorer trying to keep his pants on despite interference from behind, but I'm not sure that would be in O.C.'s character!)
 
I really like this picture.

Luxuris - O.C. and Beast (2016)
 
In this sexy sequel the contrasting sizes are necessarily less extravagant for practical reasons. O.C. has acquired a harder, more muscular appearance as though drawing on inner reserves to steel himself. But  but the challenge facing him (or should I say probing?) is no less daunting. His bunny ears are wilting, his face flushed and that determined grimace looks very strained. Still, the beast's intentions seem very loving and at least one part of O.C.s body is responding positively and rising to the occasion! Great image.
 
 There's a touch of Absolut Bleu about the characterisation here, a slightly more plastic style.

Luxuris - O.C. as MEKA
 
MEKA is the acronym of a Korean defence force from the game 'Overwatch'. This picture shows O.C. trying on the outfit of one of the female characters thereby producing a gender blurring image, although this kit looks completely different on the lithe figure of the original wearer. The pec cups are interesting (if improbably skin-like) and O.C.'s bulge seems to have found unexpected stretching capability in the female-width gusset!
 
In Part 1, I included an image, Tracer and Zarya which also drew on gender cross referencing. I'm glad to say that the characters Luxuris ends up with are unambiguously male but have some of the artifice of female allure added to their portfolio of attractions. It's not drag but tokenistic cross-dressing, a fetish area which is as old as time, remember the vintage comedy of panty theft from washing lines? More recently it's been acknowledged as an ingredient of mainstream male erotica, notably in the work of Gentlemen's Closet and Men at Play
 
 
Luxuris - Superman
 
Costume stretching is also the essence of this image of Superman and clearly a cause of great consternation to him. It's not exactly appropriate behaviour for his family friendly image nor for his popularity with the press. Thank heavens those old red over-briefs got the heave-ho! They always looked absurdly big in the original incarnation of this character but would have still been no match for this monster. The picture captures rather well the idea of a handsome hero with very human (very male!) vulnerabilities.
 
Needless to say, perhaps, Lux has produced a series of variations on this image in which Supe's kit gets shredded and he is goaded into a MO (messy outcome) by an unseen assailant.

Luxuris - Little Mac and Captain Falcon

'Little Mac' is one of the most endearing of the game characters adopted by Luxuris. He's inspired by a boxer in the "Punch Out" video game who always dresses in a black tank and green shorts (with matching green boxing gloves). At the hands of Luxuris he has to contend with opponents with bigger, non-boxing capabilities. This image sees him pitted against Captain Falcon (from the F-Zero racing game) and still managing to look particularly cute. Having lost his shorts he can't be in much doubt about where Captain Falcon is heading and it shows in his face.
 
Two other artists have picked up this pairing: See the sequel by XhromeR and sequel by Heading South
 


Luxuris - Little Mac and Ganondorf

Luxuris presents Little Mac as fair game for exotic species that have wandered in from other game universes, in this case Ganandorf from the Legend of Zelda. I love Mac's look of bewildered dismay and the glimpse of his boxing boot and pumped calf is an unexpectedly sexy detail. Little Mac's boxing gloves may be useful in the ring but in non-conventional fighting against punch-resistant opposition they are a positive hindrance, bestowing a degree of helplessness on him that is unique and distinctly erotic. This may be why he is often characterised in gay fanart as a passive receiver.
 
In these two images Luxuris explores a similar theme to that of 'O.C. and The Beast' above. Both men are cute, sexy, out gunned and intensely desirable. Both are ultimately overwhelmed.


Luxuris - Little Mac and Ike

Little Mac is given a well-earned reward here in the form of a romantic (human!) date with Ike from Fire Emblem. Luckily his gloves seem to prove no hindrance to him enjoying himself in this situation. The 'crossed swords' imagery here seems to owe something to Tom of Finland's iconic pair of biker lovers. That connection adds romantic depth to a memorable validation of gay love.

Numerous other gay (and straight) artists have been inspired  to produce Little Mac Imagery but Lux's images are probably the best of the bunch.


Luxuris - GladiolusAmitica and Terrified Partner

Gladiolus Amicita with the eagle shoulder tattoo is a character from Final Fantasy but I haven't an ID on his partner here who apart from his obvious endowment almost seems like a regular guy at the gym or club. He's as cute as Little Mac but has a more developed, more manly look that makes him a obvious target for marauding super studs. One of the delicious ironies of the art of Luxuris is that massive members abound but few of their owners seem to relish a taste of their invasive sensations. This one looks positively terrified although it looks like he's been a willing partner up until now. 

The figure drawing here is very good but the exaggerated assets a little OTT for my taste. You wouldn't normally be able to see both cocks and it's not a very convincing deception. I'd settle for a glimpse between the receiver's legs indicative of his size in exchange for a better sight of his ass. Talking of which, are those cane bruises on his cheeks?

Luxuris - Barbarian and Warrior

It's the dominant figure who is cutest in this refreshingly human combination with the defeated(?) Warrior picking up the mantle of 'yeah, whatever', angelic do-gooder, previously seen in Part 1. Not quite blond though and he's hanging on gamely! The Barbarian's furry cloak and boots frame and emphasise his nudity rather nicely and their animal associations imply qualities in him which seem to have risen to the surface (for good or ill depending on your point of view). Luxuris has managed to create a sense of his bulk 'enveloping' his leaner-framed partner. That's a warmly erotic element, one that he also seemed to be aiming at in 'O.C. and the Beast' and 'Little Max & Captain Falcon' above. 


 
This image featuring Joe Higashi (left) a Thai Boxing fighter from 'Fatal Fury' has a more earthy focus on gay sexuality. Joe has a goofy, playful persona alongside his fighting capabilities and this scene captures that, clearly fun to be with! He features in a number of Lux images but I confess I included this one mainly because I like the rolled-down swimming trunks!
 

Luxuris - Baird in Trouble
 
The character of Damon Baird from 'Gears of War' has a distinctive and rather butch appearance
 which Luxuris has nicely captured here. He usually portrayed clad in overalls and chunky armour with trademark goggles, which makes his naked muscles (etc.) here a thrilling discovery, leaving him to follow in the footsteps of that other, much-lusted-after hunk, Chris Redfield (see Luxuris Part 1). You'll gather I have a liking for seeing mature-looking men on the receiving end in this type of situation. 
 
The game characters used by Luxuris in these images come with their own colourful backgrounds and CV's, contributing extra depth of interest for games aficonado's in the know (which I confess I am not). Thus the 'real' Baird is noted for his technical, problem solving skills rather than his combat capabilities which makes this predicament a rather apt choice. The bulky plug challenging his anal orifice is similar to that on which Guile was posted in Part 1 but Baird does not seem to be restrained like him, giving him the chance to put his problem solving to good use (if he can bring himself to concentrate). 

~

More Luxuris in Part 3, site links in Part 1

Friday, 29 January 2021

The Art of Luxuris - 1

Luxuris - Bondage Angel

Luxuris is a prolific artist but he's more focussed on modern fantasy art than conventional, S&M fetish which is one of the reasons why I haven't featured him at 'mitchmen blog' before. The images above and below however have an overt bondage theme and others in this article flirt with such things. 

Arguably the choice of an Angel to be tied up shifts this particular picture into thoughtful, arty territory. The unexpected, yellow trainers suggest he's non-conformist of some sort and his carefully colour co-ordinated, underwear implies a sensitivity to art and design. Say no more! When coupled with an exceptionally muscular body, they suggest a preoccupation with self-image which is not entirely in accord with spiritual or angelic norms. 

The bondage that has been inflicted on him might simply be a rebuke from Higher Authority, or a precursor to expulsion from the Heavenly Host, or it might be the action of a more down-to-earth admirer or perhaps a ruthless collector, irresistably attracted to his cultivated, male qualities. The (well-informed) shibari-style ropework is quite brutal for a virgin, his facial expression shows dread and the rivulets of cold sweat trickling over his body also indicate he isn't totally happy about it. 

However, it has plainly induced an erotic response, witness the giant pouch. So it seems this is an Angel heading for a career change, a fall from grace which was lurking within him, waiting to happen.

 

Luxuris O.C. in Chains

   There's a hint of the fantastic in this character too, neccessitating that he be restrained with chains. In fact this is the O.C. of Luxuris, in other words his 'Own Character' or avatar who represents him in his own imagery. He often grows rabbit-like ears out of that purple hair (of which more later). This picture is part of a series in which O.C. is stripped and subjected to sexual interference the outcome of which you can probably imagine (it's messy). Personally I'm quite happy with him in his common or garden jockstrap while I enjoy those pneumatic muscles. The enthusiasm with which Luxuris embraces bondage in these first two images makes it surprising that it's so rare in his work.

 

Luxuris - Encounter by Moonlight

 The night is full of dangers for the inhabitants of Lux's imaginary world. I haven't identified this character yet, but I love his allegedly 'corny' underwear and Bluto-like beard. They top and tail a torso that would make any man tremble (for one reason or another). It too is beaded with sweat but it's certainly not of the cold variety. In this series, set in a murky wood, he has his way with a stranger who is cast in similar virtuous mould to the Angel above. In need of life experience, you might say. But it's the sense of dark domination and masculine strength that caused me to include this particular picture.


Luxuris - Chris Redfield, Zombie Attack

At one time the popular homo-art world was awash with images of the muscular Chris R battling with the unintended consequences of biological experimentation. If only he could pop up and help us now! One of his character's great virtues was his tendency to get involved in wrestling matches with strange creatures and have his clothes ripped off his body in a highly erotic manner - leastways that's what always happens in the homoerotic art stream!


Luxuris - Chris Redfield, Zombie Attack

This isn't the prettiest representation I've seen of Chris, although he probably looks better when he smiles. Fortunately this incarnation of him more than makes up for that in other departments, neccessitating, for example, that he wears more capacious underwear than most of us prefer to see on a man. Actually these look more like swimwear than undies, providing him with better support during athletic exertions and the option of modesty in the showers afterwards. Ultimately none of this matters since they don't hang for around long once Chris is propelled towards his own M.O. (messy outcome) by which time you've stopped worrying about his face.

 

Luxuris - Destiny Hero, Dreadmaster

Chris R's shredded clothing is typical of Lux's output and this character, originating from the world of card trading (don't ask!) provides another 'in your face' example. If you can cut away from that distraction for a minute you'll see that he is also chained at the wrists. 

The sheer density of the rippage here indicates that either Dreadmaster has fallen into the hands of an obsessive gradualist who has turned the exposing his captives flesh into a painstaking, time-consuming fine art (in the manner of 'Straight Men In Trouble') or else this chunky captive has unwisely invested in inferior-quality garments that have split under the pressure of his flexing muscles (and other body parts). Maybe the swirling atmospherics have caused them to rot. 

This image is a case of bulk for the sake of bulk since the character's face is hidden by a mask which gives no clue to his feelings at this predicament. It matches the bondage angel above, two superior beings brought down to earth and confronted with their own earthy weaknesses.

 

  
Luxuris - Captain America

Giant appendages are Luxuris' forte and when they are not being used for educating innocent angels they can also serve as an ironic 'also present' at their owners own comeuppance. When the man being taught a lesson is a Superhero of a particularly respectable character, his downfall is particularly entertaining. 

Lux portrays Captain America as a classic, all-American jock. The shock of blond hair is often associated with boyish innocence and purity. Ah well, all things must come to an end sometime! The rips and absence of any physical restraint might indicate that he's been reduced to abject submissiveness by this other-wordly opponent. That won't look good on his CV. 

Or maybe he didn't need to be overpowered at all, that might take a bit of explaining too. Perhaps he's found that he enjoys it rough but you sense that the shredding of his expensive, body-hugging uniform must have galled him as much as the loss of his virginal and dull, conventional reputation.

for more ripped clothing at 'mitchmen' click on the label at the foot of this post

Luxuris - Drake Dominant

This image has a strong domination theme too, but is more discreet about the mechanisms than the previous example, although the inevitable M.O. is still apparent and there's an interesting interpretation of horniness if you look closely. There's a mild bondage ingredient in this picture. It's more symbollic than anything but those ribbon-like ties do look good twined around muscular biceps and I dare say they have magical, restraining qualities that belie their frivolous, gift wrap appearance. 

I generally pass over fantastical characters but I admit to liking Drake's spiky hair and sticky-out ears.  I'm not a fan of animal hybrids either but the bovine headgear used here neatly gets round my objections* and it does add an 'essence of animal' to this muscular giant which is appropriate to his bulk and rather delicious. His anguish in defeat is depicted very well, arguably the highlight of the image. Looks cute. Needs a cuddle!

I believe this is a collaboration with Hotcha, it may have been cropped at the bottom

(*The horny crown also circumvents a recent UK law banning possession of animal intercourse images. You'd think they'd got something better to do with their time in Parliament.)

 

Luxuris - Tracer and Zarya

'Cute and dominated' might also sum up this image although it's a relatively mild form of domination. Bulbous bottoms are one of the glories of Luxuris' art and this is a particularly nice example accentuated by cleverly placed strapping. It's contents are duly unveiled in associated variant images of course but you don't need much imagination to visualise those possibilities here. His friend's pouch is equally impressive but seems to have a solidity and form that suggests enforced chastity to me.

These characters (I believe) are regendered versions of their namesakes who are perpetual opponents in the game 'Overwatch'. That combative background seems to have evolved into affectionate rivalry here. 


Luxuris - Nipple Ring Play

 This is essentially an affectionate image too. It revisits the Angel theme of exploring sexuality with a mentoring flavour that is inter-generational but beyond reproach. Although the younger man stands with his hands passively behind his back, they are not tied and you can decide for yourself whether there's any pain involved for him. It's much simpler than most of this artist's images and has a distinct sense of Style which is very satisfying.

 

Luxuris - Aquaman in Tentacles

Tentacles are frequently depicted as disembodied appendages that seem to just float around in space. Luxuris gets round that by referencing Octopus limbs, which supplies some understandable biology, even if we can't see it. Aquaman's passive, receptive pose (something of a tentacles cliche) seems to contradict the protest on his face. There's little sign of resistance, all those muscles going to waste! Do tentacles employ muscle relaxants or paralysis chemicals to immobilise their victims in this position? 

Having said that, I applaud the artist's restraint in limiting the number of tendrils enveloping him and the technique in evidence in the surround is impressive. The looping red arm at the top is looks particularly authentic.


Luxuris - Guile from Street Fighter

The art of Luxuris is not all softness and sex. Impalements are his trademark but this medeival torment is a bit extreme!  Guile is a popular character from the 'Street Fighter' game series who seeks to avenge a fallen comrade but in this image he seems to have bitten off more than he can chew.

Luxuris may not be a fetish artist, but you can see from the list of labels below that he still presses a number of 'mitchmen' buttons!

Continues in Part 2


 LINKS

Luxuris on Deviant Art

Luxuris - Rule 34

Luxuris @ Tumbex 

Tuesday, 26 January 2021

Slave Market

Dean Cornwell - The Slave Market

 This is how conventional artists visualise a slave market. Although the stereotypical Arab slaver is much in evidence in this picture, it's actually Roman citizens who are salivating over the meat on offer. Not without reason, he's a bit of a hunk if you get rid of his Alice band. If I were that way inclined I might think the the woman descending the steps is even sexier, she's certainly being marketed better. The man sports what can only be described as a baggy loin cloth, but he is puffing his chest out as if he wants to be purchased by someone who appreciates manly characteristics.

Dean Cornwell was a prominent illustrator in the first half of the 20th Century treading similar ground to Leyendecker but without the subversive eroticism. This image is from his series, 'The Robe' and thus robes itself in Biblical authenticity but it's really just another turn of the century, Middle East fantasy. Quite why he's put a man on the podium instead of the usual female I can't think, but we should all be grateful. 

More Dean Cornwell pictures

Saturday, 23 January 2021

All time Most Popular Posts at mitchmen (MPP3, 2020)

A scene from 'Close Encounter' by Priapus, in which a gym user finds his physical exertions attract close attention from an unexpected quarter. Or perhaps it's one of those erotic daydreams that the repetitive pumping sometimes brings on (now don't deny it!)

~

According to my Blogger 'hit stats', out of all the mitchmen articles published to date, 
those registering the most hits since publication are as shown below.


Table 1 mitchmen Articles With Most Hits Since Publication to end 2020

Posn
(last yr)
Title of Post
(& link)
Year of
Pub'n
2020
Hits
2019 Hits
1 (1)
2012
35489
30906
2 (2)
2010
28452
26717
3 (3)
2008
27569
23837
4 (6)
2017
24101
15238
5 (7)
2018
23619
14184
6 (4)
2009
19546
17666
7 (-)
2016
17450
 667
8 (5)
2010
17223
16033
9 (19)
2018
14966
6929
10 (8)
2009
13801
12849
11 (9)
2010
12084
11071
12 (10)
2009
11253
9814
13 (-)
2018
10091
7803
14 (13)
2015
9924
8202
15 (11)
2009
9536
8676
16 (16)
2009
 9040
7460
17 (12)
2012
8883
8410
18 (15)
2010
8467
7569
19 (14)
2012
8447
8059
20 (17)
2009
8359
7240



This year Priapus of Milet – 1 retained the No 1 position it gained last year, extending it's lead from 4K to 7K hits. It may have been helped by the mitchmen feature on 'Shooting The Past' in mid year but there's no arguing with the popularity of this conservatively fetish artist who continues to produce stunning new work over at Telemachus12 and Patreon.
 
Second and third place stayed the same but A-Z of Fetish Artists – Mike Carcel which lost the No 1 position last year has nearly been caught by A-Z of Fetish Artists – Cavelo. Visits to both these posts significantly declined this year, both of them seem to have stopped publishing new work and they are now at threat from behind (if you'll pardon the expression).

The two gate-crashers from last year -  The Milking Factory and IFNB – A Fantasy World of Bodybuilder Morphs consolidated their challenge to the old order in 2020. Although they only rose 2 places (to 4th & 5th) respectively, they made significant inroads into the gap above them. If they make the same progress in 2021 they will leap-frog into 2nd & 3rd places, but it will take them at least another year to catch up with Priapus-1 in the top spot.
 
Milking Factories – 3 also caused a surprise last year sneaking into 19th place from nowhere. It rose a further 10 places in 2020 and for my money the image in this article (by Cupcakes666) is exceptionally good. No 4 in the Milking Factories series is not far behind in 28th spot and if the phenomenal popularity of these posts continues there may be more surprises next year.

Undoubtedly though, the biggest surprise this year was the arrival of the Etienne - index of articles at mitchmen at No 7, again almost literally from nowhere. It was accompanied by another 'Index' type article, Homoeros Gallery debuting at 13. I discussed the baffling appeal of these articles in the previous article MPP2. I think I 'get it' but I suspect 'Etienne' will struggle in 2021 and emulate My Initiation which had a similar spell of euphoric support but now clocks up more mundane levels and has gradually drifted down to 19th position and likely to be ousted from the top 20 next year. By the way, it is the only photogaph-based article in the chart unless you count the photo manips of IFNB.
 
These two new arrivals edged downwards a number of the other old established, A-Z of Fetish Art articles which all dropped 2 or 3 places with the notable exception of A-Z of Fetish Artists - Julius which hung on to 16th position possibly helped by my reworkings of a couple of his images early in the year. 
 
Also hanging on, much to my delight, was A Christmas Criminal by Mitchell (1-5). It dropped just one place, but did better than the ebbing fortunes of other mid-table articles and is now just shy of 10,000 recorded visits. 
 
This year we lost A-Z of Fetish Artists – Klaus von Brandenburg and A Tribute to Bound Gods from the top 20. Up and coming articles pushing for a place next year are 'The Art of Homoeros - 6 (crucifixion)' at 22, 'A New Life For Our Air Force Boys' at 25 and 'Milking Factory-4' at 28.
 
I'm progressively revising and extending my oldest A-Z entries but this year I only managed to do  Bastille now at 182 (-) (latest and previous position). There were also extensions by way of exhibitions to the entries on Leo 18 (15) and Zamok 105 (142). Last year's featured exhibitor, Facchini , rose to 55 (79) making it 5 rises in a row in this annual chart. 
 
The entry level to the top 20 is now 8359 hits, about a thousand up on last year. It's sobering to reflect that this represents over 2 years worth of BrosFate-3's winning 'New Post' total in 2020.
That article enters this 'all years' chart at No 98.

For comparison, my 'Index of Artists' page reached 52757 hits at the end of 2020 (over 20% up from 40807 last time). This would have earned top spot in this ranking if I counted it as a post. It shows the tremendous interest in artists who work in our field.


Years not presently represented in the survey

Average hit rates

The total cumulative hits method of assessing popularity is obviously biased towards older articles so it's interesting to compare average hits per year since publication - see table below. In this list I have left out 2020 posts which don't even have a full year yet and are covered by a separate table (MPP1). If I had included them they would have bagged many of the top 10 spots!

Table 2 Articles with the Highest Average Hits per year Since Publication
Article
Published
Hits per year
Position
(& last year)
'Total Hits' position
2018
8386
1 (1)
5
2017
6230
2 (2)
4
2018
5738
3 (-)
9
Homoeros Gallery
2018
4924
4 (-)
13
Etienne - Index of articles at mitchmen
2016
4204
5 (-)
7
2012
4075
6 (3)
1
2019
3744
7 (-)
28
2018
3315
8 (4)
22
IFNB is most popular new post of 2018
2018
3131
9 (-)
37
2010
2707
10 (5)
2
2008
2634
11 (6)
3
2018
 2471
12 (-)
39
2017
2353
 13 (7)
 25
2019
2173
 14 (-)
92
2018
2029
15 (-)
43
2015
1974
16 (8)
14
2009
1860
17 (10)
6
2010
1639
18 (12)
8
2017
1591
19 (9)
40
2018
1584
20 (11)
66

This method tends to benefit popular, newer articles in the short term and this year the newcomers have pretty much swept away 'the usual suspects' which have dominated these charts in the past. That swing has been amplified by the general uplift in visitor numbers in the last 3 or 4 years which penalises older articles. Among the new entries I haven't already mentioned are a number of Homoeros and Milking Factory articles and yet another of those baffling items IFNB is most popular new post of 2018 which didn't register at all in it's first year. Like those other puzzlers referenced above, I can only presume that it's the images that make these articles so attractive and also the introduction of the 'Popular Posts' gadget in the sidebar of the blog which includes teasing thumbnails for each entry and tends to extend their periods  of popularity.

Historically, younger articles can disappear from this chart just as quickly as they appeared if they do not keep up their high initial hit rates (remember Woodunart?) but the scores of older articles that 'hang on' gradually becomes 'less dilutable' by the passing years. Even so, the ability of our big 3 (Priapus, MCarcel and Cavelo) to sustain a presence in this table is remarkable and those 'middle aged' articles like A Christmas Criminal at 16 and Chirenon's A New Life For Our Air Force Boys at 13 seem to be building a base for a long stay.


The articles I post to this blog are very much based on my own interests and fancies but the results of this survey do help me plan future offerings. My readers preferences doesn't always match my own (where are Les, JoeT and Link?). Nevertheless it's gratifying to see such interest in the great artists who often have a fairly low visibility on the web.

Remember, this comparison is only made for entertainment, since I don't really know how accurate Google's stats are, they don't seem to add up to the overall hits at the blog and I suspect they don't count the activity of people who just browse through the blog roll.

Thanks to all of you for your continuing interest and support.
 
This annual set of articles is made up of 3 charts
MPP1 - Most Popular New Post of the Year 
MPP2 - Most Popular Post of the Year (Old and New)
MPP3 - Most Popular Post of All Time (i.e cumulative performance)
that's this article!


Thursday, 21 January 2021

Cute Slave Anyone?


 I don't know who drew this image but it has some very attractive ingredients and an enslavement theme that fits in well with recent postings. I haven't come across this style of handcuffs before but it has a nice chunky look that leaves no doubt that it's intended to restrain and not be forgotten about. Sustainable materials too. Yum!

I've seen this image on Soup Goblin's Stash  from way back although I didn't get it from there