FEATURED ARTIST: Tristor Blue
PRONOUNS: He/him/his
MEDIUM OF CHOICE: Brushpen, markers, ink. Digital.
Finnish artist, Tristor Blue is our very first featured artist here on our blog. Over the last couple years we have had the opportunity to get to know him and it has been an absolute pleasure. His style is entirely his own and quickly recognizable. And even with his illustrative style, there is a sense of authenticity in his choice of poses and subjects.
He compares his creative process to meditation. “When I get anxious or sad, taking out my pens is the thing to do." Watching his work come to life through his Instagram live videos, the on-looker gets the same feeling. There is a contrast between the calming vibe of the video and the subject matter, which exudes the sense of motion and life. With each piece, he concentrates on making the shape of the figure and shadows as fluid as possible.
As far as the subjects of his art, he lets his mood guide him. He typically works from photo references, either people who have reached out to him or photos he has seen that have inspired him and on occasion shoots his own reference photos with models. "I tend to pick photos with a fraction of sadness or calmness. Also interesting lighting can make me inspired. When there is a twist or stretch in the figure the composition is more interesting to me."
Art has been an important part of Tristor's life as long as he can remember, having taken many art classes in high school and going on to study art and design in university as well as getting a masters degree in art pedagogy. He went on to work as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer, and is currently a full time art teacher.
Being from Finland, it should come as no surprise that one of his big artistic influences is Touko Laaksonen (Tom of Finland), as well as other classic Finnish artists who have portrayed the male figure, such as Magnus Enckell. “All and all I love the European modern art in 19th century, symbolism and impressionism. Bright colors and the stories a human figure can tell.” He also draws inspiration from pop culture comics and minimalist illustrations.
As far as his homoerotic art, it is still relatively new for him. “I started it only few years ago, as a way to study the male figure, and train my skills with anatomy. The male nude is fascinating subject, and the expression of emotion through the poses drives me. I tried different styles and materials and got stuck with this style. Tristor is a study of sensuality, sexuality, and beauty.”
In Doable Guys tradition, we also asked him what makes a guy “doable” to him: “Confidence and inner strength combined with a masculine yet fragile form.”
Below is a gallery of his work, but you can always find more and stay up to date with his most current work on Instagram at @tristorblue. He does do commissions when time allows, just reach out to him on IG! He is also one of 14 artists taking part in the online pass-it-along comic, @Spamworldcomic. He also has work in both Volumes 2 and 3 of the DOABLE GUYS anthology and last summer we teamed up to make an enamel pin of his design that you can find here: http://doableguys.com/shop/tristor-blue-rainbow-flag-pin
