The Smutty Rogue is an artist that does magnificent illustrations portraying gentle BDSM. His work was one of the first that I encountered and that made me fall in love with this lifestyle. I've been following him for at least three years now, and it means a lot to me to be able to interview him. We asked some simple questions, which you can read below, along with some of his incredible artwork!
1) How did you start drawing gentle BDSM?
I wanted to start drawing gentle BDSM simply because I felt there was a lack of content out there for people to consume and so it felt right to make the content I wanted to see and share that with people.
2) What body part or object is most interesting to you, to study for your art?
Oh that's so hard to say, the body is so interesting that I've found myself falling in love with every part but the most fun I've had is learning about skin folds, the way we twist and turn and the way in which skin and fat and muscle interact with each to create beautiful shapes
3) What is your preferred color palette, when you work in color?
I am always drawn towards a warm palette. Those deep autumn reds, yellows and oranges are always lovely to work with but I tend to use simple pale colours for my backgrounds to avoid taking attention away from my characters!
4) Do you usually spend hours sketching before doing the line work, or do you like going forward with just minimal preparation?
My process has changed dramatically and constantly evolves. The one constant I find is warming up through the use of gesture drawing or thumbnailing. At the moment, I try to do a rough sketch with a big brush to avoid adding too many details and then go straight to the lineart! In the past I would normally do many sketches and then one clean lineart but that would take ages and I would find it would overwork the original sketch and become stiff.
5) Is there something that inspires you while making your art?
I think I consume so much media and other art that I'm constantly inspired and then my own ideas and stories develop into the ideas that I draw for everyone to see! Whenever I find something I like I typically chuck it into a folder or save it on my pureref reference board!
6) Which software and hardware (i.e. a drawing tablet) do you use to produce your art?
I use Photoshop and an old Wacom Intuos medium that I've had since 2015! I also have a few brushes that I use constantly - one for sketching, one for lineart and a soft and hard round brush for colours.
7) Tell us a bit more about your OCs! Which ones are your favorites?
I could talk for hours about my ocs but my longest two ocs and the ones that I hold closely to my heart (and also produce the most content for) are Nina and Isaac. I've had these characters for a few years now when I was wanting to develop more personal stories in my art! They were formed on the back of one piece and I liked their design and dynamic enough to want to develop them further! Once I gave them names I fell in love and have been drawing them ever since. Nina is a confident, strong, charismatic woman who is loud and bold whilst Isaac is reserved and shy but a loyal and kind soul! A very common trope that I love!
8) What do you enjoy the most about gentle BDSM?
Gentle BDSM is a safe, trusting place where communication and vulnerability are the most essential parts. I find it's a way to express yourself whilst focusing on love and affection for each other! It's also just a lot of fun! It's why when I draw my characters I always want them to be looking as though they are enjoying themselves and having the time of their life!
9) What were the most positive interactions you have had with the gentle BDSM community?
It warms my heart as it happens so often but I receive lovely messages and comments regularly saying how Nina's body makes them feel more confident and better about their own body! Knowing that my art can inspire others to be more positive and confident about their body is one of the greatest interactions I've experienced.
10) If someone wants to support your work financially or commission you, how can they do it?
They can find me on patreon - https://www.patreon.com/rogueart or on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheSmuttyRogue and can use either link to support me or reach out and inquire about a commission!
You can see more of his work in our Art Gallery too!