I have been quietly following artist/illustrator Sarah Borrows' SniperStalker DeviantArt page for many, many months now. She draws men. Big, strong men. Makes you wish they were real men. And, most of her fantastical creations are based on pop culture and video games, so that makes it even all that much better for a dork like me. Not to mention that she likes to make RULE 34 versions of almost everything from Wreck It Ralph and Manly Dan to Mr. Incredible and some of the guys from Team Fortress 2.
But Sarah also does phenomenal original work. Last year, you might have seen her brief Bara comic series
My Big Boyfriend. Currently, she is working on a new series titled
Tusks that we will talk about more in the interview as well as a cool horror hunk pin-up series called
Macabre Monthly.
Sarah doesn't share a lot of bio info, but she did tell me this:
I did take art classes in high school but none of the skills were ever
really applied to anatomy. The skills involved in drawing men were
mostly self-taught. I did do a lot of tracing of male bodies but I felt
after tracing enough, I began knowing how muscle definition and body
details were drawn. To summarize everything, I basically draw a LOT of
men and it's beginning to pay off.
Anyway, I am sure it is just a matter of time before someone snatches Sarah Borrows up and employs her to illustrate comics and graphic novels for their own nefarious purposes. But for now, you can go ogle her creations at her
Deviant Art page and be sure to check out her
Tumblr for uncensored versions of her artwork. Or better yet,
commission her to make your something special!
Q: First things first…I have to ask. Are you going to be
adding more to the My Big Boyfriend comic? You kinda left us with a
cliffhanger.
Sarah: I'm not sure if I'll be returning the the MBB comic since I'm putting a lot of attention into the
Tusks series. I'm overall decently satisfied with where I left off as the question of how Mister and Rowdy met was answered. I will admit, MBB was a lot more easier and faster to produce but Tusks requires a lot more time and effort now.
Q: For those who don’t know, could you explain Rule 34?
And, what is your favorite Rule 34 creation thus far?
Sarah: Rule34 is the sexualization of existing characters from a variety of series, tv shows, movies, games and other various media. I also really can't say I have a favorite. I swing a lot from character to character which usually happens after watching something or playing a game. I just get compelled to draw that character afterwards.
Q: You draw big, beefy men like nobody’s business. When
did you discover you had this particular talent?
Sarah: A while ago I use to be sucked into Anime a lot and often I spent my free time drawing bishie guys. After that phase, I started tracing from actual men based on photos. It wasn't until I began drawing the Heavy Weapons Guy from Team Fortress 2 that I realized I really enjoyed drawing the sheer size of the character and it sorta became contagious with everyone else I drew.
Q: I totally adore your Macabre Monthly pinups. Please
say you are going to do more.
Sarah: I have another pinup practically finished for that series. I just need to think of some headline text for
the actual picture.
Q: Have you encountered any sexist discrimination from the
Yaoi/Bara community?
Sarah: Never have I ever received any sexist responses at all. In fact, a lot of people seem to appreciate my gender. I will admit, it's a rarity to have women associate in bara artwork so I'm happy to provide such content.
Q: Erotic content aside, what is the strangest complaint
you have ever received?
Sarah: Not quite sure how to answer that. I get a few responses of people who don't quite agree with how I draw men. I tend to exaggerate proportions a lot and most people aren't use to seeing characters they know perverted in such an extreme way.
Q: Based on your blog posts, you seem to be a huge gamer!
What games are currently eating away your free time?
Sarah: So far Dungeon Defenders 2 has been a good time consumer for me recently. Killing Floor 2 is also fun to play with friends from time to time and occasionally I play Team Fortress 2.
Q: What artists/illustrators do you follow?
Sarah: There's quite a few people on DeviantART I follow. To name I few, I'm watching aenaluck, Capomontone, freestarsis, frostious, hydaria, Lintu, ObeYecow, polvottish, protowilson, silverjow and many more. Each of them has something that appeals to my interests. I can't say I really have a favorite though.
Q: What are you willing to tell us about Tusks?
Sarah:
Tusks is a series set in a sort of Renaissance-fantasy world. The story is told through multiple characters and is mostly focused on a male orc-themed brothel establishment in a human kingdom. Despite the series being an excuse to draw orc prostitutes, it's also a chance for me to tell a decent story. I'm very excited to be making this comic.
Q: Who would win in a fight, Beefy Sniper or Beefy
Soldier?
Sarah: I'd say both would be in a tie. No class is ever really better than another based on TF2 logic.
