I love art! I love artists! I love drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media, etc. I am inspired by the love and creativity that artists pour into their work.  At YourKinkyFriends.com, we love erotic art. We love the weird stuff. It may be orcs. It may be tentacles. It may be forced cross-dressing. It may be sexy vanilla art to hang over the bed.  Art is awesome.  I wanted to highlight some of the wonderful artists that I know, so I reached out to some of our Erotic/Kinky artist friends and asked them several questions.

 Ami Mercury

Ami Mercury is a model, writer, and creator of the graphic novel and art project, Orc Girl. She considers herself a nerdy goth girl who is very kinky.  As a professional fetish model and cam girl, she has done various kinky videos that include dressing up as a clown, wearing diapers, and being a strict Mommy. She is also an active PepLove lady. 

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmiMercury

Tumblr: http://theamimercury.tumblr.com/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OrcGirl

MyFetishLive: http://myfetishlive.com/AmiMercury

 

 

What inspires your work?

I think I’ve always been attracted to the concept of “monster romances.” I love stories where some type of monstrous or deformed character sought the love of a woman. Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Dracula, Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, Cyrano De Bergerac, Edward Scissorhands, and even King Kong, have always been big inspirations for me. I personally think there’s something terribly appealing about a seemingly frightening beast of a man, who reveals his gentle humanity through the love of a woman. But what always troubled me is that most of these stories tend to end in crippling tragedy, or at the very least in the guy not getting the girl. Okay, Beauty and the Beast has a happy ending, but the Beast turns into a handsome prince.

While I will always love the story, that part continues to bother me. I remember being about 6 or 7 when the Disney movie came out. My parents took me to the theater to see it, and afterwards they asked me what I thought about it. I remember saying: “Well it was good, but I wish the Beast hadn’t turned into a prince. I liked him better as the Beast!” My parents were understandably concerned. While I didn’t really have the ability to verbalize it at 7 years old, what troubled me was if we’re supposed to love people for who they are on the inside, why did the Beast’s outside have to change? I don’t think it’s intentional, but sometimes Hollywood, and fiction in general, seems to suggest that only conventionally beautiful people are worthy of happily-ever-after romantic endings.

I guess what really inspires me is a desire to create stories that change all of that. I personally find monsters, and people with unconventional features, far more attractive than the stereotypical, chiseled Adonis. But more importantly than that, I want to create stories where not-so-perfect people fall in love. I find it to be a far greater challenge. It’s easy to love someone when they have no flaws, but not only is that unrealistic, but it gets kind of boring. I want to see characters who make mistakes, and what they do to remedy them, or how they live with those mistakes if they can’t. I also want to see actual relationship building in stories. So many romances focus just on the chase, and not what comes after the wedding bells and honeymoon. No one talks about what happens after they get on the bus at the end of The Graduate and their smiles fade. My goal is to create stories where the monster not only gets the girl, he then gets to tackle life’s difficulties with her. I want them to argue, I want them to share pain and joy. I want them to learn to compromise. I want them to talk about sex, as well as have it.

Describe your creative process.

For Orc Girl, and for just about any project I’ve worked on, the whole thing is written in pieces. I’ve found it is difficult for me to create stories in chronological fashion, as most of my stories have started as just one particular scene in my head. Basically, I work on the parts I know first, and just piece everything together, filling in the blanks as I go. Sometimes I get an idea for Orc Girl, or other projects, while in the middle of something else. For this reason, I keep small notebooks in almost every room in the house. That way if an idea should strike me suddenly, I can write it down quickly before I forget. A very large chunk of the story has already been written, but it is spread out across a series of notebooks, post-its, and napkins. I also have a notepad app on my phone if I need to write something on the go.

Now of course, since I’m writing a comic, I do kind of have to work chronologically, but because I’ve already written a lot of the story I can often reference my notes if I get to a stuck spot. Before I draw each page I scribble a very rough “storyboard” in my notebook. It helps me to figure out how I want the panels to look, the pacing, and the dialogue. It gives me a chance to practice a challenging pose, or difficult background and make general edits before I start drawing it.

If I decide I like it, then I start drawing out everything on paper. Once it’s drawn, I scan it and from there ink and shade/color digitally. I use Photoshop CC, and a Japanese program designed for comic artists, called Medibang. It’s a great program and has some terrific features and tools that make comic creation much easier.

Some artists balk when I tell them this, but while I ink and color everything digitally, I still draw on computer paper. Seriously. I’ve tried sketch paper, but I never cared for it. I think it’s because my parents owned a private law office when I was kid, so they always had extra paper lying around. They knew I enjoyed drawing and coloring, so they’d give me some of their scrap computer paper to work with. To this day no other paper feels quite right to me. I prefer the smooth texture of computer paper.

What kind of reactions have you gotten from your work?

Largely positive, I am grateful to say. Most people seem to like the combination of monsters and cute girls. I’ve had people say that they think my monster guys are hot, and that they never thought they’d be attracted to orcs, beasts or even bigfoot, for that matter, until they saw my work. I think deep down everyone likes to see a monster’s gentle side, and having them fall in love really brings that out.

I’ve also had people tell me how much they like my female characters, especially Jenny, the protagonist of Orc Girl. Many of my female readers have told me how relatable she is, as well as likable. I’ve had a number of men confess that they have a crush on her. These are all things I really appreciate hearing, because while my leading females are attractive, they are not conventionally beautiful. I intentionally draw them with chubby thighs, soft bellies, glasses, freckles and the like. I also strive to depict them as real, believable people with discernable flaws. They make mistakes.  They’re sometimes awkward. They get angry. They say things they don’t mean. They get clumsy. They eat foods that aren’t always good for them and don’t always exercise… Just as with their monster lovers, I wanted to demonstrate that a person doesn’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love.

What do you consider your masterpiece so far?

I would have to say Orc Girl. I’ve played around with monster romances in numerous projects over the years, but most of them never made it past a few chapters and/or some concept art. I did have a Phantom of the Opera fan comic I worked on for about 5 years, but it was mostly for fun. I had no idea how to market it, let alone monetize it. Getting it published simply did not occur to me. Orc Girl is the first project I’ve really been serious about. For most of my life, art and comics were just a hobby. Getting to see my work in print for the first time – holding it in my hands rather than looking at it on a screen – was very eye-opening for me. When my work was only in the digital realm, it seemed ethereal and abstract. Actually having a copy in front of me made me realize “wow, this is really happening!” When people started buying copies I knew I was no longer just an internet hobbyist getting my kicks from “likes” and “shares” on social media. I was on my way to becoming a professional comic creator.

Orc Girl has already become so much more than I could have hoped for and, story-wise, we’ve only begun to scratch the surface. So much of my heart is in this and I can’t wait to share more. I’m a little anxious, but mostly excited about what is to come in my artistic career and for Orc Girl.

Ami Mercury interviewed by Nicholas Tanek

VIDEO CHAT: Ami Mercury with Nicholas Tanek

Mechanical Pencil Girl

 

Mechanical Pencil Girl is a Fetish Illustrator, Pervert, Sadomasochist, and Existential Absurdist with a penchant for buying too many books. 

Instagram:@mechanicalpencilgirl

Fetlife: mechapencilgirl

What inspires your work?

This is a question that I am often asked. Sometimes I answer “obviously I’m a pervert” but the more in-depth answer is my fascination with human sexuality. Our sex, how we have sex, what turns us on, is some of the most honest and undeniable portions of our humanity. Fetishism and eroticism is something I’ve latched onto since my youth, from not understanding to understanding and still learning to understand it. Around the age of 18, I was obsessed with pegging, I’m not sure where it came from, perhaps watching gay porn? I didn’t exactly think highly of men either so most of my early work involved femdom. I don’t really have any of my early pieces due to several incidents. Definitely, the discovery of certain artist such as Gene Bilbrew, Eric Stanton, Micheal Manning & Vincent Stephens [especially], Allen Jones, Suehiro Maruo & Toshio Saeki, Trevor Brown, Moebius & H.R. Giger (I could go on and on) inspired me; I want to continue on from their creations. There is beauty in how these artist never censored themselves and so I want to be uncensored also. The artist that worked on comics would already produce these almost non-sense stories filled with sex but also philosophy and they dived into the Id, ego, and superego. My desire to draw what is absurd comes from my breaking with societal expectations.

Describe your creative process.

My creative process is all over the place. Sometimes it comes from casual reading and browsing or from daily experience. Maybe something silly happened and I turn it into an absurd situation. My mind tends to wander throughout the day; I’m always processing something or I’m looking at porn and vintage erotica. I also write down small quotes accompanied with a doodle, usually a woman with exaggerated features and huge tits. If the quote is good, I might develop it into an actual piece of work. My sketchbooks are mostly fragmented doodles and loose ideas. I am never without pencil or pen and paper. 

What kind of reactions have you gotten from your work?

The reactions I’ve gotten from my work have mostly been on the positive. I figured with some of the subject matter, the nudity, absurdity and especially if it gets to be pornographic, I would think that the reactions would be more negative. But honestly, when I tell people I do erotic art, it’s “Oh I’d like to see”…so I’m showing strangers these fetish-themed pieces of work or a lady licking a dick and they ask “how did you do the shading?” I also, of course, get many smiles and laughter or I get asked “Do you do these sort of things?” or “Can you do these things to me?” My most favorite reactions are the types in which people tell me their secrets that they are often not comfortable enough to share with others such as fetishes and sexual desires. I politely listen unless it crosses a boundary of being rude. 

What do you consider your masterpiece so far?

I do not think I have a masterpiece so far. I am not sure if one will come in the form of a piece of artwork or a satirical graphic novel I hope to illustrate by the title of “Terrible Adults.” I need to produce more work in general; I keep putting it off. Part of me thinks that no one really wants to see my work unless it falls in line with this current hip Instagram generation. 

 

VIDEO INTERVIEW: Mechanical Pencil Girl with Nicholas Tanek

VIDEO CHAT: Mechanical Pencil Girl (Fetish Illustrator) w/ Nicholas Tanek

Jay E. Moyes

Jay E. Moyes is a fetish artist. 

Fetishartist.net 

@FetishArtistGallery on Etsy

@FetishArtist on Twitter and Instagram

BlackAndBlueMedia.com

http://fetish-artist.com/

What inspires your work?

I’d have to say empathy. Sounds like a cop-out… I know, but there’s a lot in my work that if I haven’t tried it, I’m curious about it. I haven’t done the piercings. I’m kinda afraid to try them, but maybe with the right person in the right situation. In terms of the latex and leather stuff, I don’t have the money for a lot of gear. So some of the fetish pieces are how I put myself in something I may never live in real life.

That’s what I love about the sci-fi side of the fetish stuff I’ve done. We don’t have hover boots, or Zero-G bondage gear yet, but it’s wonderful to picture ourselves trying it.

This is also where it gets weird with the politics because as a kinky artist, I’m perfectly aware I may get dragged away and shot for my work someday. Some of our peers are already dying out there. I just don’t want that conflict intruding into my fantasy space. When the protest march is over, the world I draw is a safe zone in its own way.

Describe your creative process.

After my second bottle of vodka and 800 mics of LSD…Kidding!

It’s hard enough keeping the work looking right during the drink and drawing model workshops all over LA now. Thankfully, these tend to be at breweries and I can take the wonderful craft brews to go after I’ve got my sketches underway.

I have to admit, my major advances happen when away from the studio. Some of my best work has been started, progressed, completed, or all three at places like play parties. I love the energy. The artwork becomes part of my personality.

Most of my painting is done at home. Sometimes in the garage. But sometimes, I can take paintings on the road when I’m vending. Pen and ink just works better in a dimly lit bar where they’re doing bondage in back. I’ll do a lot of color work digitally. Scanning inked pieces, then adding color later on the computer.

A major advance for me has been the drawing workshops, beginning with the Tom of Finland male figure drawing shops, then finding out about the Gallery Girls modeling workshops at breweries and bars. Some make it into final pieces, others become reference for future work or work in progress. Sometimes, I’ll have a good pose I can amplify with fetish. Other times, I have a good scene where I’ll use a previous sketch from a drawing workshop as reference. I’m getting a lot of good feedback about this.

What kind of reactions have you gotten from your work?

The funniest is when I do a show and someone asks “Wait, are you the artist?” I’m tempted to say, “No, I’m his Dad. He’ll be the brooding twentysomething with tattoos and piercings.” It’s become hard for people to believe this stuff has come out of my hand for two decades.

A major compliment I get is that I make a point to make this fun. A lot of my subjects smile. The original for Hitachi Rider sold right away and the printed greeting cards were very popular because everyone could get that she was right on the edge of “don’t you fucking stop” biting her lip through a big grin.

When I draw in public, I try not to freak out the mundanes too much. But most of the response tends to be positive. If anything, some will be upset about what others will think. Not that what I’m doing is wrong, but that someone else will think it’s bad. The funniest moment was when a priest walked by me drawing a piece and said “You’re very talented,” in a struggle to say something positive without addressing the topless woman I was sketching.

What do you consider your masterpiece so far?

Am I even allowed to answer that as an artist yet? Am I really that good enough? Um, it is really hard to say. While we all have mediocre pieces to put behind us, I’m proud of a lot of the stuff I’ve done. If I had to start whittling it down, I’d say some of the pieces for the major art shows like 12 Inches of Blue for La Luz de Jesus Gallery. Some of the pieces I’ve done for friends, like Perverted Podcast, or events like DomCon are ones I’m most proud of.

VIDEO INTERVIEW: Jay E. Moyes with Nicholas Tanek

VIDEO CHAT: Jay E. Moyes (Fetish Artist) w/ Nicholas Tanek

 

Topaz Steele

Topaz Linda Steele is a cosplayer, shibari artist, amateur photographer, artist, and a Domme. She is located in Chicago. Her other names are Artemis Sylverwolf or The_Sylver_Lycan. In the BDSM community, her focus is shibari.

https://www.instagram.com/the_sylver_lycan/

https://ko-fi.com/sylverlycan

What inspires your work?

Seeing artists that are much better, especially my boyfriend, Armani Rush. The dedication it takes and the love of it.

Describe your creative process.

Usually, I just think of what I want to convey in this piece. I sit with soothing music and draw.

What kind of reactions have you gotten from your work?

I do cartoon lewd parodies. It has made people laugh and feel happy. That means a lot to me. Especially when I know that a few of my friends are going through a hard time and I drop a picture in their inbox and it brightens their day.

What do you consider your masterpiece so far?

The realistic art that I have drawn of actual people. I’m a cartoonist and do silly art. I’m proud of myself when I can draw a real person and people recognize instantly who it is.

Video Interview: Topaz Steele with Nicholas Tanek

VIDEO CHAT: Topaz Steele with Nicholas Tanek

So…

What have we learned from all of this?

 

Erotic art is not only a celebration of sexuality and the kink community, but it is also a celebration of creativity. Sure, movies and photos can create a fantasy and that’s wonderful. To do it well, it costs money for production value. But kinky art is limitless. All you need is imagination… and talent. Sometimes, you only need a pencil. These artists do custom work. That means any weird kinky fantasy you have, they can create that scene especially for you! If you want to see a man licking the pussy of a werewolf woman while getting pegged by a female orc as bunnies perform pagan rituals behind them, these artists can make that happen. My point is that the beauty of art and sexuality go hand in hand. Makers of kinky art create this beautiful idea that the sexuality of your imagination is infinite. As kinky people, we need these people and we should support them. So, think about the beautiful and unique art you have seen. Feel lucky that there are people out there who are doing this for people like you. Also, ask yourself…. what will they do next?

 

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