Male Transformations: website

Readers of this blog know that I rarely plug other people's products. But I'm happy to make an exception for "An American Werehorse," a superb transformation comic that can be purchased here. The artist is named Meesh, and though he doesn't have a large backlog of TF artwork, he's already produced some of the finest (and sexiest) transformation art I've seen--his work looks wonderfully professional. If you don't believe me, take a look at his free comic "A Transformation Tale," which shows how Meesh can turn a man into a stallion. Just be warned, it's NSFW and gives literal meaning to the phrase "hung like a horse."

A Transformation Tale:
01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13

Fine as "Tale" is, "American Werehorse" is even better, and Meesh has generously provided a preview of half the pages. (01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 ). The second half is even better than the first and can be purchased for $6. That not only includes high resolution pages, but also many behind-the-scenes extras.
Even good transformation artists can have problems with pacing a long comic. By "pacing" I refer to the process of having multiple body parts gradually transform over the space of multiple pages. "American Werehorse" shows exquisite control of pacing--I don't think you'll find a better horse transformation on the web. The transformation community is always in need of good artists, so let's do our best to support them.

Friday, February 28, 2014

The Transformation Art of Crinitus (Werewolf and Gorilla Transformations)

I normally wait until an artist has a full gallery before I feature him on this blog, but I'll make an exception for Crinitus, who has created three of the finest morphs I've seen from an amateur transformation artist. His characters are finely detailed yet morph with exquisite fluidity.
The three morphs are:
* a werewolf
* a reverting werewolf
* a gorilla (and I have to agree with Crinitus--there just aren't enough ape transformations out there!)
* a wereraven

Thursday, October 18, 2012

The Art of Lobo Leo

Here's some big news--Lobo Leo has updated his website! He doesn't update often, but when he does he gives you a treasure trove. And those of you who only know Leo through his webcomic Alpha Luna, about a female werewolf, might be glad to know that Leo gives equal time to male werewolves on his site.

Leo's art style has some anime influence, but it's very much his own and lovingly detailed down to the last strand of fur. He is an artist who's plainly fascinated with werewolves and deeply intent on capturing the process of transformation in all its sensual glory and excitement. This means that some of his art is not safe for work. His site is split up into four sections, all worth a visit:

* Drawings and Sketches is a rich storehouse, including several sequences of writhing lycanthropes.
* Comics contains Leo's latest work, "Two Howls," a 21 page comic about a couple discovering each other's inner beasts on vacation. You need to pay $12 to see it, but it's definitely worth the money. The remaining comics are free and worth perusing.
* Photomorphs contains several impressively realistic sequences--maybe the best of their kind on the web.
* Lastly, in Movies there's the "Downloadable Videos" section featuring animated versions of several photomorphs and drawn sequences.

News Update: Dutchbull Updates,Teen Wolf Season 2, and a fixed link

I have a video update planned for later this week, but first some news:

* Dutchbull has updated his terrific Transformation video website! Of special interest are a wolf TF from Full Metal Alchemist and the werewolf transformation and reversion scenes from the direct-to-video Werewolf: The Beast Among Us. The movie isn't quite as bad as I thought it would be--the werewolf hunters are stupidly anachronistic and the ending is cynically happy to make room for sequels, but the central character fits into the Wolfman tradition (and is played by a rather hunky young actor).The werewolf is CGI of course, but the technology seems to have improved.

* The finale of Teen Wolf season two aired while I was on vacation. Before I discuss it (spoilers ahoy!), allow me to continue being smug about how I predicted the show would be better than everyone else on the internet thought. And in season two the storytelling, direction, lighting, and acting have improved even further. So let's tip our hat to Producer/Showrunner Jeff Davis and his crew.

That said, I wonder if the storyline was worth all that effort. I don't think the Kanima (or however the hell it's spelled) merited a season-long story-arc. Davis has said this storyline was one of redemption for Jackson, but surely Jackson's appeal was in being an attractive bastard whose humanity showed only briefly and teasingly. Furthermore, having Jackson redeemed by his love for Lydia depends on the dubious idea that he actually loved her in the first place, when it's clear that the only person Jackson loves is himself.

Nor was the Kanima convincingly explained--why would a human on the path to transforming into another mammal be detoured into reptile form? Worse, the kanima seems to have eaten up the special effects budget and left none for the lycanthropes--not a good thing in a show called Teen Wolf. (And frankly, if we have to have other werecreatures on this show, why not weretigers? Or weredonkeys for comic relief?)

Though we got to see Jackson transform into beta werewolf form, we were denied seeing Derek turn into an alpha werewolf--by which I mean a real werewolf, not a human with pointy ears and sideburns. (The make-up for the beta werewolf is fine, but it's even less animalistic than that of the original Wolfman from 1941.)

Why was this? On his twitter, Jeff Davis was asked why Derek didn't turn into "that big bad Alpha like Peter did?" Davis answered "To be honest, the CGI is way too expensive and I prefer live actors." But unless MTV shrank the show's budget (highly unlikely, it was a hit!), then the special effects money must have been spent on that damn Kanima. In any case, it didn't make sense for Derek to not transform into a bigger, badder monster when fighting something so deadly.

Someone later asked "why did Peter turn into a full on wolf type creature when he was alpha but Derek didn't?" Davis replied "That will be explained in Season 3." I certainly hope so, just as I hope the new season, which will feature more alphas, will also feature some alpha transformations.

With that in mind, I have a suggestion for those of you who use twitter. If you could, why not ask Jeff (in the most respectful and positive manner that you can) whether we'll see any alpha werewolf transformation scenes in season 3? After all, a werewolf show without a good transformation is like a vampire film without any blood-sucking. Just remember to be polite and gracious with Jeff--he's already given us a great werewolf show.

* Having to often replace dead video links is a recurring annoyance, but I'll gladly do so to make sure you get your TF fix. Today I fixed the link for the werewolf transformation in Zombie Loan episode 7. If you haven't yet seen it, take a gander. And just to remind everyone, new posts are coming soon.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

News Update: Update at Dutchbull's!

Drop what you're doing and head on over to Dutchbull's site, because he's updated! Make sure to check out his videos from the latest seasons of the British and American Being Human. The latter is still inferior to the original, though it did have one good idea: introducing purebreed werewolves (i.e., who have been born that way). And unlike that mopey bore Josh, the purebreds are quite happy being amoral superbeasts. One was played by an actor who looked like a depraved Adonis and gave an ample demonstration why evil is sexier than good. Instead of keeping him around, the show got rid of him of course. Let's hope the new season of Teen Wolf does better on the televised lycanthropy front. In the meantime, mark your calendars for Dutchbull's next update in July.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Art of Mamabliss

I've been following transformation online since 1997, and I can tell you one thing: TF artists burn out. I've watched so many come and go that a pattern emerges: a brilliant entrance, several years of productivity, a period of declining workrate, an even more fallow period, then disappearance. Eventually the artist pulls his work from the web to try and erase every trace of his presence. Though I can draw somewhat well, I've never led the life of an active amateur artist, so I can't presume to say what makes TF artists burn out. But they do.

And yet there are always exceptions. One of these is Mambliss. She (or he?) has been producing art for years now, and unlike so many bitter burn-outs has remained good humored and able to put up with the irritating demands of people who view artists as their servants. She's also still as productive as when she started, and--unlike so many people who tried and failed--she's managed to make money from TF art. Her site (linked above) has a free preview section, but in order to see the many TF sequences she's drawn over the years, you have to subscribe. It's worth doing so. Her style is extremely distinctive and sensual--the linework is whispy, the figures funky, the imagery sensual and not for the prudish. For an example, take a look at this freebie donkey TF from her blog.

She also has a free archive site that stores many of her older TF sequences, and these you can see right now. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page. I've picked out some of the best male TFs for the benefit of my readers. Here are my picks:

"Cici's Mount" (Horse TF)

"The Locket" (Horse TF)

"All the Way" (Horse TF)

"Equine Transformation" (Horse of course)

"First Time" (Werewolf TF)

"Seals" (Short seal TF)

"Tutoring" (Very short werewolf TF)

"Renamon" (Digimon TF--I don't usually care for those critters, but some readers might)

Readers will notice a preponderance of horse TFs. This is not due to my own taste, but rather to what sequences Mamabliss has chosen to make available for free. Subscribers to her site will see a wider range of transformations.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

News Update 4 (Dutchbull Updates, and Teen Wolf reactions)

Before I begin posting my own stuff, I should note that Dutchbull has once again updated his terrific site, and you should head over there now.
I particularly recommend checking out the clips from Outcast (a teenager to hulkish monster TF--an anonymous commenter notes that the beast is anatomically correct; pause at the 50 second mark for proof) and Le poil de la bête, a Quebecois werewolf movie. I'd planned on having these on my blog, but Dutchbull beat me to the punch. An obvious sign that I need to update more often!
Dutchbull updates every couple of months, but he always announces the exact date in advance and is always true to his word. How many other webmasters are so consistent and trustworthy? Dutchbull's site is especially valuable since Shadowlord Inc. (still the largest TF media site on the net) has been dormant for five months.

There's one other set of new clips on Dutchbull's site that I particularly recommend: those from Teen Wolf. Readers of this blog know that I was a supporter of the series well before it aired, despite the know-nothing carping from other netizens. I'm happy to say they were wrong and I was right--Teen Wolf is a critical and commercial success and will return for second season (shooting starts in November). Though its pilot was deceptively generic, the series began deftly toggling between thriller, horror, romance, comedy, and high school drama. Characters who first seemed like stereotypes ended up as well-developed members of an excellent ensemble cast. The mystery at the heart of the series (who was the Alpha?) was unexpectedly and wisely revealed before the finale, which left more than enough plot strands for next season's story arc. Showrunner Jeff Davis said the whole series was essentially structured like an eight-hour movie and was right. It also looks just as good as one--the photography and lighting were far above TV standards. Lastly, I don't think I've ever seen a better looking group of male werewolves on TV...

...Which means that I pretty much for forgive the show for being slightly disappointing in the TF department. Scott's transformations were quick, and being an omega werewolf, he didn't have all that far to transform (omegas are little more than humans with long ears and nails and gnarly facial features). The same went for Derek. That left the Alpha, who transformed into an honest-to-God wolf monster, but only once onscreen (watch it here). We mostly saw his back during the TF, though there were some nice muzzle-growth spasms beforehand. Mostly CGI too, but of decent quality. Anyway, we have to remember that Teen Wolf has a limited budget and managed to disguise that in other areas for most of its run. I hope that next season they'll have enough money to spend on (British)Being Human-style animatronics--especially since the new Alpha is played by a stunningly handsome actor who I would dearly love to see going through the throes of an American Werewolf-style TF.
In the meantime, congratulations to everyone involved with the show, and best wishes for the new season!