Social media can be used for all kinds of purposes, one being showcasing your art for the world to see. The man behind popular Instagram account Bullethole has done by proudly displaying his incredible pin up work of stars from all different kinds of industries including porn, reality television and more.
His fascinating depictions of people we know and love and others who are unknown but are easy on the eyes have helped him develop a huge following in the years since this journey began. Most of what he does falls on the NSFW side of things where the subject’s gorgeous body is usually on full display minus for his fans to gawk and enjoy.
It’s the kind of work that you would hang up in your living room for your guests to dissect and enjoy. The colors and precision he puts in each are truly outstanding and something worth taking a peek at this holiday season and beyond.
Check out our exclusive with him below where he talks about career beginnings, favorite subjects, COVID setbacks and more.
How did you get involved in the world of art?
I’ve been drawing for most of my life. I began as a small child and was doing it for attention. When I got a lot of positive feedback. I just kept on doing it. That ego boost worked through elementary school, high school and into college. I also really enjoyed comic books as a kid (and as an adult) and loved drawing superheroes and making up my own. After taking art in high school, I pursued a degree in design and took lots of art classes throughout. I work professionally in advertising as a Creative Director but I love to paint and draw to unwind. Bullethole began on a whim about 3 years ago, when I started my Instagram account and it’s grown since then.
Did you have any inspirations before getting into the industry?
For erotic art there has always been Tom of Finland. His hyper masculine imagery set the tone for the medium and I think everyone is influenced by his work in some way. I also love Harry Bush who was an erotic artist from the 1970s and 80s. Jim French aka Rip Colt (founder of Colt Studio) was also an influence with both his illustrations and photography.
Newer stuff I like are Cauro Hige, Gengoroh Tagame and Salem Beiruti to name a few. I also love Alberto Vargas and George Petty not to mention my Bullethole men who definitely have a bit of that pinup girl influence where there’s a cheeky wink and sense of humor about them. If I were to name one comic book artist who also influences my style it’s Adam Hughes who is mainly known for drawing women but he walks the line between realism and cartoons with his contoured outlines juxtaposed against his realistic shading.
How would you describe your specific style?
I really like to toggle the line between realism and fantasy. I accentuate the masculine traits and musculature but I also love to do portraits and catch a resemblance in the work I do. Bullethole is a very specific style that I’ve developed over time but I can do lots of other styles and also have a much different approach to my painting. I also love to do photography. Even though my Bullethole art has evolved over the past 3 years, I hope that it is a recognizable style that followers and fans will recognize and appreciate. Hopefully it turns guys on.
You’ve drawn some pretty amazing guys during your career. Do you usually search for them or do they come to you?
When I first started, I just would draw guys that I followed on Instagram that I found attractive, who had a certain look or physical aesthetic. I always say a Bullethole man is all about the 3 B’s – Bears, Beards and Booty. Now it runs the gamut, I have guys approach me and I sometimes reach out to guys and ask them if they’d be interested in being a Bullethole man. I will say for the majority of my real life subjects, most have been super gracious and wonderful to work with when doing a drawing of them. I have met some lovely guys who have big followings who are complete sweethearts but I have to say I have also met some guys who’s social celebrity status has enlarged their ego much more than their booty, lol. That’s also why I like to do a mix of real people and guys from my imagination.
Who has been your favorite subject to date and why?
As I said before, I have met more nice guys than not but a few stick out in my head. Colby Jansen has been one of the biggest and nicest surprises because he is so down-to-earth and supportive of the work I’ve done of him (I’ve drawn him twice). Bravo’s Craig Ramsay, Jack Dixon, Mr. Kid and Jack Mackenroth have also been very gracious. I don’t really know if I have a favorite though. It’s much like relationships in that I’m usually infatuated with my latest subject and think it’s beautiful and amazing, and then sometimes I look back on past works and wonder what was I thinking.
If there was one event that you could cover what would it be?
I’ve been able to do some work for Beardance here in Dallas and that was fun. I’ve got some friends who I’ve known for awhile now who got me that gig. I had entered the Tom of Finland new artist contest for 2020 but was disqualified for having sold my work commercially. I have to say that was a big disappointment because I’m such a diehard fan and the exposure from that would have been amazing. I also had planned to try and travel to do some of the bear events. In particular, I had wanted to do Provincetown Bear Week and set up a booth to do print on demand and sell my shirts and just meet people in person. COVID put a damper on those plans but hopefully when the travel becomes a bit more safe I can revisit them.
I also am thinking of possibly doing a calendar or coffee table book of my work through a Kickstarter or something like that. For right now, I’d love to grow my social media following. Instagram has been my main focus but it can be limiting because I can’t do any frontals or more erotic stuff there without being flagged. My Facebook following has surprisingly grown organically without much support but I should really focus on Twitter because they have less strict policies on nudity and erotica.
What does the future hold for you and what are you looking forward to the most in your career?
Just to have more guys exposed to my work. Right now, most of my followers are in NYC, LA, Chicago, and Dallas. I do have some international followers but I’d love to see that expand as well. Overall, I would love Bullethole to become a more well-known name in gay erotica and have my work instantly recognized. I also want to continue to do more t-shirts and apparel as well as selling prints of my work through Redbubble. Again a coffee table book or calendar would be fun and if that demand grows maybe my own website. Getting published work or commissions from gay magazines or big events would be exciting too. I love to do private commissions as well, so people interested can DM me for rates.