“The Prophet”
Right after the interview with Duke. I went to dinner with my friends at MAL, and I lightly messaged the next model about being in the series. I got a vibration while biting down on my spicy chicken sandwich, and then I ran back to the hotel.
I met Jamal through one of my models… Keron. I swear this man helps me with so much. Now for everyone to know. I’m a shy person if I don’t know the person, so for me meeting new people is a struggle. I usually meet people through my models or friends. Then if I know the person I’m like an energized dog wagging my tail. Keron talked to Jamal with me there, about my series and my artwork. Jamal was interested in being a model for my series, and I let him decide. He was mostly busy judging the contest. So I let him go to socialize while I was chasing Duke.
Now to bring you up to speed if you don’t know Jamal, he won the most iconic leather title “International Mr. Leather” (IML 46). He is also a big advocate for racial equality and justice, as well as a trans rights advocate. Which honestly at this point should be standard. Trans people and all people of color aren’t going anywhere, and neither is the rest of the LGBTQIA+. As I watch his IML speech now, it’s no wonder why Jamal won. His voice was powerful and had meaning behind it.
So, after just randomly messaging Jamal after the MAL contest was over. Which was great. The entire time I was watching I said “Wow I hope the guy from Pittsburg wins…” little known fact… he didn’t. Jason won, which was expected, because he had the crowd behind him. It was like the entire Virgina state came to support him.
Now back to Jamal, I literally bit down onto my spicy chicken sandwich and got the vibration in my blue leather jacket. It was him… I looked at my friends who were there at MAL with me, got up and left. While chewing my last bite of the sandwich. Now I understand I was wearing my Royal Blue Leather formal outfit. While carrying my backpack with medications, camera, and notebook. I was ready to run for MAL this year, but didn’t I wasn’t too busy with interviews and photoshoots. I ran back into the main hotel, rode one of the elevators up to his floor, got to his room, and the interview commenced.
The Interview/Photoshoot
I want to be very clear to everyone… I was not prepared for another interview with Jamal THE IML. I was only prepared to interview both Ken and Duke. So, I was literally grasping straws with Jamal’s interview questions. As the interview went on, I was shocked by how humble he was. We chatted more about his life, and then to him winning International Mr. Leather. Which I was really eggar to hear. Also, I wanted to know what that “winner” feeling is like. Another thing that I was shocked by was his network. At the time of me interviewing him. I had a network of friends like maybe a thousand people I knew of, and who knew me. He knew so many people I was having trouble keeping up. I literally was like “who are we talking about again…”
The Source
Now Jamal was in full leather formals for the contest, and at the time. I did not have the balls to tell him what to wear. I mean could you imagine an unknown artist telling THE INTERNATIONAL MR LEATHER what to wear… Yeah that wasn’t happening. So, I was happy with what he was wearing. It also blended him into the group of men in the series. I wanted more of a diverse leather look. Not everyone has to have full leather formals. You can have a bar vest and be in the leather scene. Everyone’s look is different, and I wanted to capture that. Minus that, Jamal’s hair was standout. It was like fight braids, and I was so mesmerized by them and eggar to draw them.
The Process
Drawing Jamal is a huge honor and I hope to draw more IMLs in the future, and I wanted to do him justice. He had an amazing year as IML, and he continues to do great things within the LGBTQIA+ community. So, drawing him well was important to me. The process was fun and exciting. Drawing his awesome braids to his eyes then to his leathers was a breeze. I did not draw the t-shirt design. I did that with the last portrait of Theo, and I wanted that to be consistent. I also chose this pose because I wanted to go out of the border. Before I was afraid of breaking the border for this series, and I did it and loved it. It stands out from the rest of the pack. Which is what I wanted.
“The Prophet”
Leather Men Series 12 “The Prophet”
11x14 Bristol Paper, Faber Castell Matte Black Graphite Pencils, Faber Castell Graphite Pencils, Ohuho 320 Marker Set, Prisma Color 150 Color Pencil Set, White Posca Pen, Zebra Brush Fine Pen
While I was getting ready for my sister’s wedding, that’s coming up two weeks from writing this post. This portrait took me about three weeks to complete. This entire series has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but mostly happy ups. I’ll be getting my sister ready for her wedding in two weeks then right after I’ll be working on number 13 in this series. So, stay tuned and alerted, you never know when a bear comes snooping around.
