BateOff co-producer milkingCOACH sits down with French artist FrandsGabriel, BateWorld member and this years official BateOff illustrator, to chat all things erotic art, artistic process, BateWorld, and much more!
Listen to the full interview here:
Telling the truth through art
milkingCOACH: I wanted to start with how you started illustrating. When did you start illustrating men?
Frands: Well, it’s a long journey. It started when I was a kid and a teenager. I used to draw a lot. When I got into college, I had to stop because I had too many work for my studies. And so it took me 20 years to come back to drawing. It was in 2019. I felt the need to draw again because if you want to tell the truth, and that’s, I think, why I’m here.
I was myself a model for many illustrators and I never planned this. It was, thanks to Instagram, I discovered the power of drawing. I mean that illustrators allowed me to see things in myself I couldn’t see, or things I would consider as defaults of things that I didn’t like about myself and my body. And I realized that with the drawings and the portraits, I was accepting myself more for who I am, who I was and who I am.
So I wanted to do the same. I wanted to help people that feel that they don’t fit in because they are not in the standards of our society, mass media. So that’s how I decided to draw again and draw men because I wanted to help men feeling better with themselves and their bodies. And whether they have curves, big muscles, they are very hairy, they have, I don’t know, lazy eyes or big ears or everything that people in society may consider as defaults.
I decided to show the beauty in that. And in order to do that, I started with drawing faces of men. And then it was just, you know like headshots from guys mostly from the porn industry and mostly from Joe Gage’s movies. I think you know what I’m talking about.
milkingCOACH: Joe Gage is a legend.
Frands: Yes he’s a legend and I think he’s also a legend because in his movies there are so many types of men, you know, when it comes to bodies, age, skin color, I don’t know. Like regular guys, right? Then I started to focus on facial expressions and mostly all faces of pleasure feeling expressions. And then it was the beginning of my new journey with drawing now more the torso and full body and men are my main inspiration.
milkingCOACH: And you really focus on that incredible shading. I think the shading in your work is just amazing, as well as the details, the hair details, the facial details. And if you zoom in your art, you know, details in the eye and the pupil, it’s extraordinary.
Frands: Well, thank you. Yes, that’s true that I’m really focused on skin tones and trying to reflect as much as possible the light and shadows reality. And I’m not trying to make realistic portraits, either. I want to keep my own style. And it’s true that I found quickly my own way to draw body hair, especially the pits, bushes and beards and hair. That’s something I know that is my brand now.
Becoming a BateWorld member and artist of the community
milkingCOACH: So how did you become aware of BateWorld.com?
Frands: Oh, it was a long time ago, long time ago. I think it was 2010 or before, I think. Before. I was really curious about the site and the community. So I tried it, I liked it, even though it wasn’t really easy in France to find some baiters as well. I think it’s really important that we have this site to gather the community and people who think that bating is not just a side and it’s a true sexuality in itself.
And it’s important for me that there is some place where you can share about that and feeling that you’re welcome. Of course, in my my art, I don’t focus a lot on bating and solosexuality, but it’s a huge part of my art for sure. And that’s something that I think people don’t really get for what it is, because it’s not just people playing with themselves. For me, it’s people expressing their true self and just showing that jerking off is okay.
It can be a side of course for some people, but it can be a lifestyle thing. And there are so many aspects of that that I try to feature, you know, like gooning a lot because I love facial expressions. So of course I’m really into drawing Gooning and I’ve been called by one of my followers, so it’s not official, but I’ve been quite proud when he told me that I was the perfect Gooning artist or something like that. Like I was a reference.
So it was very warm for me to receive this compliment because okay I think there are some people that don’t see just some guy masturbating or showing his cock. They are seeing what’s behind and that’s the solosexuality. Portrayed a lot of BateWorld members for sure. You know like ProudBator, the winner of the BateOff season one. I drew Marcel who was the face of BateWorld for years. Well so many of them and of course some other contestants recently.
From a BateOff fan to this seasons official illustrator
milkingCOACH: You have been a fan of the BateOff since the beginning, right?
Frands: Yeah, I think it’s really entertaining that Beethoven created this competition. When I deeply think it’s not really a competition, but I think it’s more something like sharing and having fun with the community. But yeah, I was really curious about what it would become. And so now it became something [big] like in the fourth season. So that’s really great.
milkingCOACH: How does it feel to be a part of the show as the official illustrator now for season four?
Frands: I feel so proud. I feel so happy and so proud because it’s like I’m recognized by my own people, you know, being asked. And that’s really rewarding, I think, because I never thought about being an associate artist with BateWorld for the BateOff because it’s the first time there is an official artist for the BateOff. Of course, you already have some amazing illustrators collaborating with the site, but I couldn’t imagine someday I could be one of them. Maybe I was hoping in my dreams that I would collaborate with BateWorld someday, but now it’s becoming true.
I think I began in January this new collection, Les Fleurs de Mal, because I wanted to feel free from all this pressure to make something that could be sold. So I decided I wanted to go back to drawing bators in many aspects, you know, whether it’s popperbating, it’s gooning, it’s using cock rings and stretchers. Well, many aspects of the bating game. Started with MexicanGooner. I drew a portrait of him last Christmas. And then, DeanEros, theCockyPrince.
Big BateOff boners posed a challenge
milkingCOACH: Past contestants, right. Let me ask you a question about this current season, with you being the official artist. I’m really curious with this fresh group, these six guys and also you did a portrait of our host, ColbyJaxxx, how you wanted them to turn out. I know they’re based on photographs. Tell me if any one particular posed a real challenge for you as an illustrator. Was there one of the contestants or the host that was a bigger challenge than you thought it would be?
Frands: From the beginning it was a challenge because I usually choose my models. You know, I find a picture on social media or on the internet and I feel the emergency to draw. And that’s my interim process. I need to feel this emergency, I need to feel the fire. So what was different this time was that I had to draw seven guys that I hadn’t choose.
And so we’ve been asking them some pictures with some particularities because we needed to, some aspects, we need to see their faces very well with strong expression i wanted them to be as themselves as they could be i mean very personal in the way they like to bate if they were a gooner they could go on the picture if they want to use poppers (use code BW10 for 10% OFF!) they could use poppers in the picture… to show their true individuality and which one was a challenge.
I think all of them were challenging in a certain way because we have some fit guys these years for sure and I’m really not used to draw muscles and abs. I like a nice belly, you know, to put my head on and have sleep. Well, so I’m not used to draw abs and that was a challenge. All of them pushed me in my further in my own limits and I think I evolved a lot through all those portraits because I really wanted them to be the best version of what I’m able to do right now. That’s why I think it took two months.
milkingCOACH: Which some would say is pretty quick for what you accomplished with the final art.
Frands: Yeah, yeah, because I spent, well, it can be, it can seem quick, but I spent a lot of time. I used, I used to spend around 10 hours on every illustration I do. But I think now for those portraits, it was, it was a bit longer because I wanted all the details to be as good as they could be. My main goal is to really capture the essence of my models and drawing them, portraying them, spending all this time trying to understand the proportions, trying to understand their own specificities in their face, in their body, in their cocks.
It’s like a cosmic moment I spent with them. It’s like I’m really spending this time with them and getting very intimate with them, it’s a little tricky because in the end, I don’t know this guy. But I feel like I created a bind, a bind, bound, at least a relationship with them.
I got in touch personally with every contestant because I wanted just to validate the line art, as I told you, just being sure, do you see yourself? Do you recognize yourself? Okay. And then we had to find a place to add the BateOff logo also. Oh, yeah. So for some of them, it was more tricky than for others, for sure.
milkingCOACH: But I love that though, because it’s a subtle logo and it’s organic within the art, you know, it’s part of them, as opposed to just a logo at the top, which I love. I think that’s great. Well, I know that everybody’s going to love these portraits. By the time this interview is up, they will have seen them. So I know they’re going to be very excited. Not only the contestants, but I think the fans of the BateOff, will love these. And we’re so excited that you’re able to work with us.
Frands: Yeah, I’m part of the team. I really hope that people will enjoy that the contestants are represented as illustrations because it’s a new thing this year and I hope they will enjoy it. And they are still free to look at all my works everywhere.
Where you can follow Frands
milkingCOACH: Yes, so you are FrandsGabriel on Instagram, BlueSky, X, that’s your name everywhere.
Frands: Yeah, that’s my name everywhere.
milkingCOACH: Well, thank you, Frands. I’m so excited that we have this new addition to the BateOff. It’s definitely something unique for this season. And hopefully we’ll continue on in other seasons.
Frands: I love that.
Watch + Rank your favorites of The Great BateWorld BateOff Season 4, NOW STREAMING!
