Alan Ilagan Cheesecake Boy in Progress, Part 2

By Paul Richmond - July 29, 2011

My new painting, Beach Bum, Starring Alan Ilagan, is progressing swimmingly, and I wanted to take a short break to share a little more of the concept. Previously, I posted a cropped version of the sketch focusing on the all-important "Pin-Up Face." Today's post is all about "The Situation." No, I don't mean the guy from Jersey Shore. I'm referring to the circumstances leading to our pin-up boy's wardrobe malfunction.

A glance through the archives of classic pin-up art shows us just how difficult it was for women to keep their clothes on. The streets are littered with obstacles when you're a Cheesecake model. Everything from stray nails...

...to mischievous darts...

...to curious crustaceans could result in a hapless flash of one's unmentionables.

And let's not forget gravity!

The inspiration for the scenario in my new painting, however, comes from an even more unlikely (but every bit as legendary) source -- the Coppertone Girl:

Tally Embry Advertising was certainly ahead of their time when they introduced this rambunctious pup and his pigtailed companion all the way back in 1953. And they have since become cultural icons! My interpretation isn't the first time this concept has been re-imagined as a pin-up opportunity. Both Carmen Electra and Marky Mark have been caught flashing their drafty derrieres with a canine prankster in tow.

So when I approached Alan Ilagan (writer, photographer, cultivator of exquisite tan lines) about casting him as a Cheesecake Boy using this concept as inspiration, I knew we had to come up with a unique twist. And thus I present another portion of the sketch, cropped to today's specific area of interest:

I thought that cute little cocker spaniel would be even cuter if he was replaced by a second speedo-clad hunk! Plus, I'm sure this feisty fellow is much more motivated.

Without a secondary model to execute the pose, Alan devised a brilliant way of achieving the same effect for the photo reference:

By the way, this photo was taken before "tan line season" set in, but one need only peruse the photo galleries on his website for a plethora of stellar examples.

I love the effort he put into making sure the tugging of the speedo was just right! Meanwhile, that hook contraption might come in handy down the road: