NSFW: Bullethole’s Homoerotic Depictions of Burly Bears is Pure Sex

It's impossible for any gay man to not gawk at the drawings of the the artist, simply known as Bullethole. The 49-year-old illustrator's depictions of men are sexual, fun, and without a doubt, arousing. OUT caught up with the artist to delve into his artistic inspirations.

OUT: Where do you live?

Bullethole: Dallas, but I'm originally a Louisiana boy. I think my southern boy thing comes through in my artwork. I've always loved hairy bearded men.

How long have you been creating art?

I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I drew mainly comic book characters all through elementary school and took more serious art classes in high school (focused on portraiture) and continued my studies in college - eventually with a focus on graphic design. I also do photography and paint when I'm not doing work as a creative director. My paintings are completely different from my Bullethole style. One day I'd love to do a show of that work.

I also do traditional medium, but my current work is all digital and done with an iPad Pro using an Apple pencil and a drawing app called Procreate. I began drawing Bullethole men a little over a year ago after my boyfriend bought me an iPad Pro for Christmas and it surprised me how it took off, and I just kept doing it. Plus, I love drawing sexy hairy bearded men with big butts. I post a lot of process stuff on my instagram from sketch to finished work. I also will post time-lapse videos of the work evolving, which can be pretty interesting to watch.

Who/what are some of your artistic influences?

Of course Tom of Finland is a big influence; one of my other big influences is Adam Hughes, who is a comic book artist. On the gay end of the spectrum, I love Cauro Hige, JIRAIYA, Harry Bush, Gengoroh Tagame, and Salem. Plus, there are tons of great gay artists who I follow on Instagram. I seriously love the gay Instagram artist community. Everyone is so talented and generous with their time.

How does your artwork relate to your queer identity?

I suppose its like the saying "you are what you eat" except it's "you are what you draw." I really like drawing muscle bears but I also want to be more representative of the fuller figure man. I think some of my fantasy types (cowboys, cops, coaches) are definitely the same as most men. I hope my artistic take on them is fresh and fun for my followers.

Why did you start creating gay erotic art?

I've always loved the genre of good girl art (Vargas girls). I loved the bit of humor in the work and wanted to do the beefcake equivalent of that. I like a bit of cheekyness (pun intended) in my work. Beefcake can be so serious and I wanted it to be fun but still sexy. Plus, the idea of people wearing my artwork on t-shirts is a rush. Bullethole came about while joking with my boyfriend Jim, we were using it as a euphemism for the pink spot between a man's cheeks lol. My logo is a graphic twist on that pink part. I decided to do artwork that focused on hairy, bearded muscly men who loved to show off their backsides and so Bullethole was born. (Plus, it doesn't hurt to have a lawyer for a boyfriend. He helps me with all the copyright, trademark registration and stuff while I handle the fun stuff.)

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