In October of 2013, I attended the first of many sessions at Gay Men’s Sketch in San Francisco, led by photographer and artist Mark I. Chester. Mark created the group in 1987, as a safe space for gay artists to draw the male nude. Walking up the staircase to his studio, I was greeted by a handsome gentleman in his underwear. He introduced himself as Patrick, the model, and showed me into the small atelier.

I hadn’t participated in figure drawing workshops since college, and joined the group as a means of honing my anatomy skills. Until that point, I had focused my attention on watercolor landscapes, and Photoshop illustrations of Science Fiction characters. Instead of the traditional graphite and charcoal generally associated with figure drawing, I opted to use the materials with which I was most comfortable: an ultra-fine Sharpie pen and my watercolor pocket box.

Below is one of the figure studies I created that night. I love seeing how my style has progressed since then: the ink linework, watercolor rendering, and varying colors. While the technique may have changed, I think it’s definitely still recognizable as Frank Paints Dudes. What do you think?

PATRICK, 6”x8.” 20-minute ink and watercolor study. Print Available!

If you’re in the San Francisco area, Gay Men’s Sketch meets every Tuesday night in SOMA, and is open to all skill levels!

Gay Men’s Sketch Facebook
Gay Men’s Sketch Instagram

My good friend Trent Warrick, a ridiculously talented videographer based in Dallas, asked if he could film one of my painting sessions. Trent suggested we utilize over-exposed natural lighting and intimate close-ups to best capture the session, and I trusted him to work his magic. The challenge was to create a video that portrayed the intimacy and innocence of a typical painting session, without being too “porny.”

Neither of us had met our subject, Hunter, but I found his southern accent and shyness immediately endearing. While Trent filmed the painting session, Hunter and I compared stories about growing up in the South, commiserated over shitty art school models, and bonded over our love of comic books.

We only had time for one 20-minute pose, but am thankful Trent was able to capture this beautiful moment! Make sure to check out his other work!

instagram.com/treedon
vimeo.com/trentwarrick