Behind the Boytoons—A bio of Patrick Fillion by Alexis Halliwell. Patrick is an artist who has a very clear idea of what he wants out of life, and is open to sharing his passion for nudity, the male form and his artwork. Born in the province of Quebec, Canada, in 1973, Patrick’s parents claim that he entered the world with a pencil already in hand. Drawing came as naturally to Patrick as breathing, and, never afraid to express himself on paper, he began to draw comic book art and nudes at a very early age. When asked if he has always preferred to illustrate erotic art, Patrick is confident in his reply. Growing up Catholic in a small community didn’t make things easy, but Patrick persisted in illustrating the male form. Eventually, an unprejudiced high school art teacher encouraged him to draw what came naturally. When Patrick moved to Vancouver and discovered the gay community and a new-found sense of freedom and self-awareness, his work went from merely slightly erotic to XXX erotica. It was an exciting time for the young artist: the more comfortable he became with his sexuality, the more comfortable he grew pushing the artistic envelope. Over time, Patrick’s style evolved to include more and more risqué subject matter, and the harder edged works developed from there. This was a natural progression with which he is extremely pleased. With a strong interest in comic books and the craft of comic book illustration, Patrick is no stranger to the superhero genre. He and his life and business partner, Fraser (pictured above with Patrick), have created their own publishing company, Class Comics, through which they have released several gay-themed erotic comics. From Camili-Cat, (a sexy Felinoid bottom who can’t seem to get enough hard-core sex), to Naked Justice (a daring superhero with a minimalist approach to fashion and a very large and UNIQUE weapon) to the callboys of Satisfaction Guaranteed, Patrick’s Boytoons are some of the hottest and most recognized of our day and age. All of the Class Comics titles are translated into French by France-based publisher H&O Editions, and recently one of the world’s leading publishers of homoerotica, Bruno Gmunder has released several books featuring Patrick’s work. Patrick’s first 3 art books, “Heroes”, “Mighty Males” and “Hot Chocolate” were instant successes, and received several printings. In 2007, the fourth art book entitled “Bliss: The Art of Patrick Fillion” was released to rave reviews. The collection is his boldest yet, featuring over 96 full color pages of some of Patrick’s sexiest and most daring illustrations to date. His art has been seen in several advertising campaigns and he has recently created illustrations for RSVP Vacations, GayDemon, FleshJack by Fleshlight and Ajaxx63. He also created illustrations for popular Gay adult publications such as Black Inches, Latin Inches and Torso magazines for seven years. As an artist, Patrick takes a special interest in the Gay community, and believes in the importance of helping emerging artists to find their voice. Through his Blogs, Boytoons Magazine and Artistic License, Patrick continues to encourage new artists as well as established ones, believing in a Gay artistic community that is proud of its oeuvre and supportive of the creators it is comprised of. Patrick and Fraser continue to push Class Comics to new heights. In 2006 they began releasing the works of other Gay artists and creators such as Logan, Max’, HvH, Mike and Zan Christensen to name just a few. Patrick strongly believes in Class Comics’ ability to contribute to Gay Pop Culture in a positive fashion, and to create memorable Icons which are embraced by a community who can be proud to call them their own. Despite his extroverted artistic side, Patrick is a very reserved and private person. One might find that hard to believe looking at his art or his personal photographs. Nevertheless this is an artist who is content to lead a quiet life creating comic book characters and depicting their sexy adventures.