Fit Blokes

Mitchell - Fit Bloke

Occasionally I do draw straight-forward beefcake pictures. This man's balloon like pecs were probably based on a photograph that inspired me but I've never seen the point of slavishly reproducing someone else's art so I've finished the picture with this cartoony slant.

This is a stereotypical 'fit bloke' and I used this idea (and the picture) in my S&M Clinic story (2008) about a town-ful of men summoned for health assessments. You can find this story at my Yahoo group (link in side bar). I left this story incomplete at the time and am currently in the process of reviewing it and adding the final parts.

Look out for an announcement at the Yahoo! group

High Waisted Trousers

Man eating an apple

My latest series at the Yahoo! Group (see sidebar) is a fairly old work and features fashions from the 70's such as the sort of trousers shown here. I stumbled across this picture just a few days ago. I don't know the vintage but it shows an exceedingly high waist line which accentuates this man's trim midsection. It's a style somewhat reminiscent of Navy trousers though this outfit puts me in mind of fairground workers for some reason. It's also a striking example of the ability of the humble shirt to showcase muscular arms which would look far less impressive in a topless shot.

Addendum Dec 2011: My readers have identified this model as Steeve Reeves, no less,
 auditioning for 'Lil Abner. More at Born Again Redneck

Military Style

Chase Bauer

Over at my regular (adult) blog I've been running a lengthy article about the military style photographic sets produced by Royale Studio in the 50's/60's and making a plea for a modern photographer to revive the genre. This photo gives a glimpse of what might result. Chase Bauer could just be a soldier with those khaki trousers, a bare chested warrior crossing a watery obstacle in pursuit of the enemy or freshening up after the march.

Beautiful Thing - 2

Francisco Soriano
This image fits in with my recent theme of images propelled by striking colours. In this case there's a bit of a fight going on between the shoulder enhancing, royal blue T-shirt and the lime green trunks but the power of clothing to enhance the male body could not be better illustrated.

However, the most memorable feature of this picture lies not the clothes at all, but in the fact that the model has kept his spectacles on for the shoot - and to tremendous effect, undoubtedly disproving the adage that 'no one makes passes at men who wear glasses'
The result is sort of Clark Kent - Superman moment, although with muscles like this as a starting point I imagine the transformation would be less astonishing than is suggested in the comics.

As in my last post (Jeff Stryker), beauty does not have to conform to crude commercial formulae. Nevertheless I have to give credit to this model and Jockbutt, the sponsors of the picture for a bold gesture that will warm the cockles of spectacle wearers everywhere.

Fifteen minutes of fame for the model
but I suspect this image will be around for many years to come.

Beautiful Thing

Jeff Stryker

A stryking image indeed of the famous actor and model.
It's success owes a lot to the choice of clothing,
very masculine with clever colours that grab the eye
 and work with the floppy hair to suggest youth.
Beauty is not measured in inches!

Men before Machines

Mercury

Mercury is a classic subject for male anatomy studies and this colourful portrayal of him, striding across the sky, is highly traditional too, affording a modest portrayal of the naked body. For some reason, the well developed upper thighs and chiseled, strong looking face made me think of him as a Rugby player. Quite apposite with the World Cup upon us again. I'm not sure this very modern-looking man would think his helmet terribly flattering, hats can be a minefield, as I'm sure Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will attest!

Photo by David Vance, Model : Nathan Wessel.

Men and Machines

What is it about men and motorbikes?
The attraction of power? A love affair? Or just companionship.
This picture by Michael Downs covers all the bases.

Hoodies and Rabbits

I like the frightened rabbit look in this picture of Ben Richards.
The hoodie is usually used to suggest streetwise danger, rather than awkwardness.
I like the way it frames his voluptuous torso.

Photo by Gilles Crofta

Faces by Turquine

Dude What by Turquine

I am very interested in male faces and facial expressions and really liked these when I discovered them on Turquine's blog. Strange how a simple picture like this can invoke a storyline in the imagination.

Ouch by Turquine

No relation

Matteu Mitchman is definitely no relation
but he turns up on 'mitchmen' searches in Google so I thought I'd enrol him here.
Worth a mention.


Photographer Adam Pretty has caught some nice highlights here on the curvature of his 6-pack

Vested

Cut away vest

Continuing my occasional 'vest' images, this one shows the cut away design that highlights muscular shoulders. Incorporating design elements from the Argentine flag has added shape and clean, attractive colours. It also seems to vest the wearer with sporty connections and Latin attributes.

There's a sweetly, submissive element in the kneeling pose

This image comes from the Narciso Underwear range.
There is a site but it seems to be inaccessible.
You can find more images however by Googling them.

I hope to assemble these vest images into a coherent, spiced up article
 on the main blog when I have more time.

Silence ......

Silence is precious by Vish Studio

I love pictures like this, not just for the attractive young man who is it's subject, but because it shows a commonplace gesture in a gently erotic context, inviting the viewer to interpet the scenario and compose his own story for the picture.

This gesture seems to assign leadership and knowingness to the model while the open shirt and flyaway collar seem to imply self confidence and an adventurous spirit.

Such power in a simple photograph!
 It's an image I could envisage poaching for my own artwork.

More excellent masculine images at Vish Studio

Facial Beauty

Back to vests

Returning to the topic of vests and the things they do for the male physique, this image of Matt Schiermeier grabbed my attention on the Rufskin website. Matt doesn't need much help to show off his physique but the cut of the arms on this garment will enhance any man's shoulders.
Shame about the tattoo.

Marooned

Ross Watson - Untitled

One of a series of pictures by Ross Watson in which he blends photographs of young men into scenes from old masters. The concept is a bit pretentious really but I admire the technical skill that has gone into matching the colouring and textures, giving a surrealist flavour. The fearful anticipation on the model's face and the elegant pose make a terrific image anyway and angling his body to echo the slanting masts is neat.

You can see other examples at Beautiful including a crucifixion scene featuring Francois Sagat which I have also posted at my main blog

The humble vest

The sleeveless vest was once just a simple underwear garment or a light body covering for athletic pursuits but these days it's out of the closet - it's real purpose is to make men's bodies look good. (Sorry girls, it just doesn't work on your shape!)

The cutaway arms simultaneously enhance broad shoulders and emphasise the shape of the pecs. Worn outside jeans, as in this picture by ES, the shape also shows off the unique, slender body shape that men possess.

Vests as underwear feature in my current story at mitchmen on Yahoo!,
Charlie's First Shoot - from the Naive Models series.

Chase Hostler

One of my favourite faces at present is Chase Hostler, whose blog (Chase in your face) I stumbled across this week. With his diminutive stature, he presents a curious mix of boyish innocence and hardness. Gifted with an admirable physique, his willowy hips give this simple beefcake picture a little extra something.