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We can't get enough of these amazing (and seriously sexy) sketches of studs!
If you're not following @StudSketch on Instagram, you are seriously missing out. The gay Canadian artist's homoerotic, digitally-illustrated portraits of men are some of the most colorful and most sensual we've ever seen on the social platform, and everything he draws seriously has us swooning for more! PRIDE got the chance to chat with @StudSketch to get to know more about his influences, how he decides who to draw, and what inspires him to create sexy art for gay audiences!
Scroll down to read our Interview with @StudSketch! And be sure to follow @StudSketch on Instagram for more of his work!
Who (or what) what are some of your artistic influences? How long have you been an artist?
I have a wide range of influences that are constantly evolving. Some that are perhaps obvious, in the male portrait canon, Tom of Finland, David Hockney, Caravaggio, Robert Mapplethorpe, and also many current popular illustrators on Instagram and elsewhere such as Glen Hanson, Chad Sell, Tom Taylor, Beefcake Boss, Christian Cimoroni, Ego Rodriguez, Silverjow, IBTrav, to name only a few. But I’m also influenced by vintage illustration seen in comic books, pulp novel covers, movie posters, and lifestyle magazines. I look for and study hidden techniques that evoke a certain genre and era. I try to incorporate and play with these techniques into what I draw., and because I have so many random influences, my work turns into a mish-mash of styles that falls out of my control, even. I also have ADHD, so that’s its own influence. With that being said, I have the same issue controlling my hobbies. I also do drag, sew, take photos, and write. Those all influence my art in many ways. And lately I’ve been dabbling with woodworking, which is exciting.
I’ve been drawing ever since I was a kid. I’ve taken some classes but they were fairly beginner and I didn’t really stay on track with learning theory and following rules so eventually I got sidetracked. I never really stopped drawing but kept most of my work fairly under wraps because I wasn’t sure if I knew what I was doing. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when I started drawing digitally that my work really clicked and I began to invest more time and energy into it. There are a lot of nifty tricks and methods in the digital medium that suit my interests, and since then I’ve also improved my skills somewhat with traditional pen and paper.
What made you decide to start your Instagram account? What has the reaction been like to your drawings?
I started an Instagram account after Colby Melvin shared a drawing I did of him to his account. I had previously used Tumblr and Twitter, though the outreach was limited. I also like the gallery layout of instagram and probably however the algorithm works because I didn’t feel so much that I was dropping my works into an empty well. The ability to connect on Instagram is phenomenal. Being able to tag models and other hot boys in the work I’ve created from their pics is quite motivating. And when famous models and porn stars follow me and like my work, it’s a nice ego boost.
I’ve had a great response. Many fellas on Instagram love seeing my work of them and often share it on their pages and stories, which provides an incredible outreach. The community for queer homoerotic art on Instagram is also amazing—there’s a lot of great work out there and it just keeps growing. And there are a lot of artists who are proactive in building that community by creating contests, collaborative projects and so forth. Beefcake Boss is one I particularly admire. He’s so kind and encouraging with his feedback and sharing of other artist’s work.
What inspired you to start creating art for gay audiences?
When I started drawing digitally, I just started in on things I like, so portraits of drag queens, movie stars, friends and relatives. Naturally I began to include hot boys because I’ve been a fan of them ever since puberty (earlier even). But I also like the secret visual language of gay art that exists, but is hard to pin down. We know it’s there because gay audiences have a natural instinct to recognize things like fashion, pop culture references, branding, and just naughty appreciation of the body.
How do you decide what or who to draw? Do you use models?
I work mostly from photos. I have a whole treasure trove of photos saved to my Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, you name it. I like to find people who are active users on Instagram because they will get to see it. But I also like to use random vintage photos from beefcake magazines, old catalogues, and elsewhere and see how if they can translate to a more current style. And likewise I like to create pictures from more recent hot boy superstars in a more vintage style, just to see how it translates. And I often am just drawn to a photo for its most basic elements, like angles, poses, and so forth. And also guys I think are super hot, which is probably obvious.
What do you want your supporters and anyone who sees your art to feel when they see your work?
It’s difficult to control how people feel when they see my work. I want them to like it obviously, and I hope that many viewers would recognize and engage with its sense of humour. There are some artists out there who seem to take a more serious approach to their appreciation of the male body, and they’re fantastic, but I’ve always had a sense of whimsy, irreverence, and irony in my day-to-day approach to life, so I do hope that comes out. I hope it turns them on, especially because there isn’t a whole lot of nudity or straight up explicit action. I would like to evoke sex without necessarily having to create full on pornography (though there are a lot of artists who do and make stellar work). That’s probably because I’m fairly introverted and shy. And probably a bit of a tease.
Where are you based, and do you draw full-time?
I’m based in Alberta, Canada. I don’t draw full-time. It’s largely a hobby, though I have branched out and done some commissions as well as sold some prints, t-shirts, merch, etc. I’m far too undisciplined to do a freelance career, at least right now.
