Character Study: Preston
(Click the teaser images for the full versions (Archive Gallery password required.)
Preston Laredo
6’3”, 185 lbs.,
Brown Hair, Hazel Eyes
The thug of Anti-Heroes.net, Preston’s dominant expression, muscular bod, purposefully ethnically ambiguous looks, wavy cesar and signature tatts have made him one of the site’s most popular characters. So yup, he’s of course a streetwise gangsta, on a constant struggle to stay ahead in the ghetto. But he’s also the more fun definition of thug, an actual hired goon. With ties to the criminal underworld and willingness to do whatever his clients need. Whether it’s a roughing up with his diamond encrusted gold knuckles or a different kind of roughing up with the equally fearsome weapon dangling in his sweats.
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In Persuasions, Preston is screwing Marq, a meek, suburban school teacher. This scene takes place after a great plow, the two talk and Marq refuses to break up with his wife. Without that context, though, people come up with all kinds of stories for this image. One person even thought it was supposed to be about impotence! The floppy softie is really supposed to reflect a dick’s state after orgasm. Yunno, still erection-size but not hard. I’d come to realize that situation is a bit more specific than I initially thought…)
In front of a weirdly drawn piece I did back in college about domestic violence, Preston beats up his lover’s face-pussy, stuffing his babies down Marq’s throat.
Thug Preston (2009) , Agape (2008) by Anthony Gonzalez
Here are 2 Preston drawings by my friend Anthony Gonzalez. Anthony draws more thugs than me so he really knew how to nail it. On the left, Preston looks a bit like Jay-Z and on the right we’ve got Nuke and Preston marveling at the wonderful job they’ve done of sodomizing Jehosaphat.
This image was a proposed cover to my book “Tongue in Cheek.” Bruno Gmunder was okay with the drawing but wanted to “do something about the sheep up there.” Realized I needed to choose characters I’m not super attached to for the cover cuz no way was I going to change a character’s unique feature.
Life drawing turned into this guy.
I actually did this for the back cover of my book, Tongue in Cheek, making sure to pick varied characters although, with fresh eyes, it may look like Preston, Caleb and Ryan are all kinda versions of each other. Of course, the REAL version in the Members Gallery has giant erections and a drippy ass, (which, believe it or not, happens at all gym saunas in NYC, and in fact sometimes gets way more graphic than what I drew.)
Not normally into posting sketches but both this one and the coloring practice one were hot enough to show. They were on a plane, where I usually tend to get incredibly horny.
I was once contacted out of the blue to do a piece for Time Out New York’s annual “horny” issue! I had no idea the article would also feature art critics’ opinion on my work. None of it was favorable but with some research I learned that none of them were actually doing art and getting it published like me so… yeah.
The cool part was that EVERYONE in the city saw that piece and everyone I knew or would meet years later still knew the piece!
The very first drawing of this guy, before he was even a character and my earliest attempt at trying to really hone in on a homo thug type. Pose is referenced from a Source magazine cover but I shan’t be revealing who the rapper was.
The cummy version is one of my most popular drawings, and one of the few that I’m always able to sell prints of at shows. I try to act like I’m not paying attention when I see people staring at it. Invariably the convo they’re probably having with themselves goes something like, “Damn, this is hot… am I staring too long?… Gotta get the image burned into the spank bank… Wait how much is it? Only $5?! Fuck it, I’ll just buy it.”
And then they ask if I have something to cover it up for the trip home.
