Category: Features

10 o’clock meet at the park and quickly cut a stencil for the makeshift steward tees after assembling the tonne of fencing, and the faces start to appear, among them, eothen from eothen skateboards, poch from somewhere, the Bucks Boarding Crew, some Kent boys, the cock skateboards lot, and Jed and James from simple…

Everyone gets right to it with the Cock skate crew busting out some wild and wacky tricks on the mini while froggy and I session the channel gap, me succeeding, then failing miserably for the cameras!

Just as the call for entries goes out, the heavens open and the crowd disperses while others rush to desperately throw the tarp over the mini. After half an hour of torrential downpour, we decided to fuck the park comp off, grab the beer and prizes, and hit up bottle alley (a local landmark built in the early 40’s, 400m long alley with banks one side, and coloured glass shards in the walls the other, all situated under Hastings seafront).

After waiting for a call to see if the park was dry, and a session on the ledges, we decide to make the most of another day of typical British weather and have the comp down there.

First up was best trick on the ledges, Asher hit a f/s 50 50 to ride in, BBC Alex tried some shuv wall rides, (at 9yrs old!), Jono (cock) tried some layback 5-0’s but local Rob wins with a perfect wall ride 50/50 all the way along and in.

Next up craziest drop in, seeing Asher (cock) win with a blindfolded nollie out of nose blunt into the tight incline, well deserved! Then a mass game of skate won by local ripper Toby. Next up longest Ollie. At one end a crutch, at the other, some fresh death wood. Gradually the distance gets larger, and the contenders start falling, until Andy from Kent steals the glory from Aaron Derman (cock) at about 9feet!

Next, longest manual won by Giles from BBC, followed by Badger and Rob. Cool John took a harsh slam slipping out on his hard pink wheels, nasty! Next up highest Ollie, won my Joe Sandland, and Aaron Derman, at 6 decks before highest hippy jump, won by Murren at about nipple height.

Next, my highlight, the tic-tac racing from one end to the other. Now that was a sight, 30+ skaters Tic-Tacking into the lead in a 10ft wide alley! After 3 heats (to nacker them out), Dylan Ewing came out on top, after Joe fucked up trying to show off over the finish line! Then power slides through the puddle comp, where the winner (max) was the only one not to fall into this mix of cider, rain and tramps piss! After a few more prizes are given out, we decide to call it a day. A true underground (literally) skate comp, just what was needed, where all had fun and prizes!

The after party was also a huge success, with the WADA pirate video from Sk8-Goa, a Witness the Shitness Cock Skateboard advert (can’t wait!) and the cock skate euro flick. Then some rock and roll from Gorilla, a huge disco by the jukebox to So Solid Crew & Queen, more rawk from regular John, then into the 7seaters to Cool Johns where more drink was to be had alongside best trick comp on his indoor vert wall! Everyone passed out about 5AM on an awesome day! That’s what Hastings is about, who needs flashy skate comps when you’ve got alleyways full of amped skaters?!?!

Thanks go to Death, Duffs, The Source, Eothen, Simple, SK8-GOA, Bucks Boarding Centre, and Sidewalk for all the prizes, Document & Crossfire for coverage, Heroes for the after party, the bands, JP, Asher and Tom for the vids, me for MCing the day, Matt Davey for council bullshit, everyone who helped with fencing, rufus + deano for the PA and Joe for all his hard work…See you next year!!!!

SR

Harrow local David Steel has such a fascination with the art of photography that he can be found on a daily basis in a pro camera shop in the East End of London when he is not freelancing for Sidewalk Magazine. He loves the japanese language, will flog anything on ebay and has a passion for country music as he shoots skateboarding which is of course his favourite pastime. Welcome to David Steel’s Triple Shot..

Full name:

David Steel but known to some as Styley.

How long have you been a photographer?

Looking back on it, I was always the one with the little red boots camera documenting what my friends and I got up to but it was only in 1994 that my friend Andy Hutchison (hutchphotos.com) really inspired me to get a proper camera, make a zine and learn photography. I was on and off living in Indiana in the USA for a few years.

On the first day out there I met Andy who used to make a zine called “Don’t Ask Me”. I used to ride around indy on my bike with my camera and board in a backpack and just shoot stuff to help out with Andy’s zine. He now shoots for Thrasher. I haven’t seen him for years but i want to go back to Indy and meet up again and take pictures of all the hillbillys out there that I became oblivious to!

How did you get into skate photography?

I guess I’ve been into skate photography since the 1st time I looked at T.L.B’s pictures in R.A.D. mag… It just seemed to go hand in hand. Pick up the little red camera and go skate somewhere with your friends and have a laugh. I’m still doing that now. My friends started getting good and I was taking photos of them. It was only a matter of time that their companies needed pictures of them.

What image first inspired you to take up photography?

Not one picture really inspired me to take photos that I remember but more a collective of a bunch of killer shots that got the ball rolling. Out of them all, Slap magazine in the mid nineties used to get me standing in the bookshop missing my buses. They were the photographers skate mag….their layouts were so sick too, to the point that it inspired me to make my own zine – Blue Tile Fever.

If there was one shot from Slap Magazine back then that really made me aware of how good photography would be i would pick this photo of Brad Staba doing an ollie from boat to boat by Lance Dawes. (below).

What were the best and worst bits of advice anyone gave you in regards to photography?

When I really wanted to get into it I would bug the hell out of any photographer who would stray into my path….(thanks and sorry Wig, Horsely and Vuckovich!) The best advice was to read a book about how a camera works. I constantly read this one book over and over until it all made sense. I’ve never really had any bad advice.

Have you ever felt bad about taking a photo? If so, which one?

I took this photo of a friend of mine doing a tre flip on a bank in the middle of this estate. I suddenly heard this weezing behind me and this poor old guy had hobbled out of his flat to tell us we were making a racket….the guy looked like he was on his last minutes…seriously weezing and coughing so we chilled with him till he got his breath back and left.

What were the best and worst days shooting skateboarding of your life ever and why?

Right now I’m as stoked as the first days of picking up the camera…I’m lucky enough to work in a hire company that allows me to experiment with different cameras and lighting, freelancing for Sidewalk who basically let me shoot what ever I want. Sure there’s been low points but without them I wouldn’t of got to the point where I am now which is pretty chuffed. My best and worst days are usually in the lab when I get my film back!

What is your personal favourite skate shot ever that you have shot?

I wanted to do this shot for a while but the Harrow pool was always grim looking, plus not a lot of people can do a bunch of stuff in there.

One day I popped down to the park to find it had just been painted, I ran to the car, grabbed my fisheye and had a peek…it looked sooo sick (I even got a friend to carve over me for a test shot!)

Stevie Thompson had been sessioning the park nearly every day throughout that summer so he became my guinea pig. I set my flashes up and proceeded to lay down in the flatbottom.

The thing was stevie would nearly hit me as he went in and every time he bailed, his board would fly to the flat and whack me.

Luckily someone had a helmet which I wore during the shoot and my friends covered me with their boards to act as armour from stevie’s bails till he made one: Krooked grind to dodge the armored paparrazi in Harrows pool.

I think a shot of me in my wooden armour would of been good too but by the time Stevie landed it, I’d been hit in the head anough times and wanted out. This was a velvia roll I think.

What’s the relationship like between a photographer and filmer?

I’ve been hooking up with Phraeza a lot recently. We just help each other with my contacts and spots for his contacts and spots. Usually having a filmer there encourages the skater to land his trick. They get super stoked after they see the footage and then I email them the picture the next day or show them the digi sequence. Go to www.jahladathelearningcurve.blogspot.com/ to see how many times I get in Phraezas way!

What key advice would you give to upcoming skate photographers?

Read a book…. Check out other photographers of all fields on the web for inspiration…. Use provia! Embrace digi….but learn to print black and white. Use your friends as guinea pigs ’till their legs wear away…..visit gallerys…experiment…..buy a lomo and learn about cross process for a laugh…make a zine/blog or whatever, as long as it gives you an aim to keep on shooting pictures.

Are there ways of getting better/free equipment as you continue to grow or do you have to fund everything yourself?

De-nutrition yourself by eating only beans on toast for a year and with all the money you save go buy your desired equipment. Getting a job usually helps….i once got a free roll of film off Paul Thompson once (Transworld photographer) – he just came up to me for no reason and said “try this” and passed me a roll of provia, i think he saw me put some shoddy film in my camera!…..I’d like to shake his hand.

As for big items I’m sure there is a way to get them free but i wouldn’t rely on that, where theres a will there’s a way….seriously I literally didn’t go anywhere for the time that I saved for my fisheye….I ate pasta and beans and skated in my home town.

Is the work of a skate photographer well paid? Do you get by in life with this income alone?

For me it’s a hobby with a pay cheque…I get paid but without sounding cheesy I know for sure that I would do it anyway… I’ve always done it and I couldn’t imagine not having it as part of my skateboarding days. Linda’s cheques from Sidewalk accounts do aid me extra treats per month so I’m not complaining.

What is your favourite photo that you snapped outside of skateboarding?

Parc de Expositions – tours – France.

I was on a trip in tours, France, spending most of my morning trying to take portraits of dodgy looking French people getting their baguettes in the morning…I wasn’t having much luck.

As I came back to where my friends were I saw this massive sign next to the stadium where the car was. I took a couple of snaps not really thinking too much about it. When I got them back from the lab I instantly was stoked on one of them.

The next week I printed one up by hand and voila, my favourite shot. I just love how you can take a photo in black and white that ends up totally different then the shot you thought you were going to end up with. Tri-x 400, over expose it 1 stop.

Does music ever inspire your photography? What artists can you not leave for a tour without?

I usually hum Dierks Bentley tunes when I’m sitting in a gutter taking pictures of slappy grinds.

If you were to buy a pocket snapper for capturing skating on a budget to get going, which camera would you suggest?

Skate photography is changing so fast and getting so good. Go hunt down a Nikon fm2 with a 100mm lens on ebay. That’s what I started on. Shoot black and white and just play about with it. I used to write down everything I did when taking the shot so when I got my film back full of mistakes I could work out what I had to do to improve things.

Would you recommend digital or film?

Both! I use both. From high end film cameras like a hasselblad down to a lomo….and i’m just starting to use Nikon d2x’s along with my trusty Nikon f4s.

What are the benefits of using film or digital?

Digi for sequences and film for stills…that’s where I stand at the moment…only a matter of time till that will change.

What kit do you use?

Ok…Nikon f4s with a 100, 50 and good old 16mm fisheye. My three flashes are metz 45cl4 with a couple of manfrotto lighting stands. Three quantum freewire radio slaves to fire them off remotely. From work I’ve been playing with the d2x digi by Nikon with an 80-200 lens. When I go travel I take an x-pan panoramic camera and I’m just starting to get into the hasselblad 500c/w sooo crispy sharp and 500th synch speed…blah blah blah

If people reading this wanted to check out more of your photos do you have a website address?

Yeah, go to www.parazz.com/albums/davidsteel

Helsinki, Finland – written by Guido Gazzi

Here’s the brief:

The flight was late, i jumped on a bus from the airport and everyone is very friendly. Helsinki looks like a beautiful city and weather is good.

I was straight in at the deep end – hooked up with event organiser Mikko and some of the other guys and headed out onto the streets to the Opera House for a little street comp on some weird angled wall ride, then onto the Museum of Modern Art for more.

I shared an apartment with Paul Shier, Ollie Todd, Pat Duffy, Justin Strubin, new Death rider Patrick Melcher and Brian Ueda (Thrasher photographer) – and generally it was all good.

The following mini interview is conducted with Mikko who organised the event which should give you some background on what Helsinki is becoming famous for in World Skateboarding.

So, when did the pro-skate actually start?

Mikko: The first pro-skate was in 1999 in a small warehouse in Helsinki, but we are now at the ice stadium and the first one was held here in 2000, so we’ve been here 6 times. The whole thing started in 1992/93 and we had Finnish championships in the Autumn. More and more people started to know skaters from around the world so we started to invite skaters from outside of Finland. We sent out pro-skate invitations and now 40% are foreign skaters and the rest are Finnish who are semi-pro/amateur or sponsored. So that’s the main idea.

Skating has been quite big in Finland. There are 5 million people here and most of them are old, so there are maybe 1 million who can be in the target group so it’s a big thing, that’s why we have this event. If you compare Pro Skate with a lot of other places they don’t have this kind of ice-rink, and may use skate-parks or something like that but here, the scene is so big which attracts people from other countries to.

And why have you adopted an indoor venue rather than build something outside, is it just a precaution for the weather?

Yes it is just because of the weather. It is really expensive to do it like this. We would have much better prize money if it was outside. It usually rains in the Spring time, not in the Summer but if you do it any earlier it’s colder.

The first championship arena was too small – there was only 2,000 people who could see at the same time which was really crowded and half of the people didn’t see anything anyway. So the ice-rink is good for that, that’s why we have kept it here because it’s more comfortable, everybody sees everything. It’s maybe a little bit big but they can all see what’s going on. If you’ve paid for a ticket you have the view, you can see all the tricks.

So you have put this event together from the beginning?

Yeah, I run it, I’m like the founder of it. I’ve been doing this with 2 guys. The first time we did it, in 1998, we tried to do it without any sponsors, the next year I did it with one other guy without sponsors and after that we started using sponsors.

What are your feelings about this year so far, maybe in comparison to other years – has the level of skating increased?

Yeah, now, the international level is quite good because now about 10 out of 30 people are invited by us, usually it’s not so many but it’s mainly because who we invite usually are good guys. But it’s a good level, many of the guys have been here before.

Last year we had Mark Appleyard who was skater of the year in Thrasher magazine a couple of years before. Maybe we have like one main star for example – 3 or 4 years ago we had Bastien visit us, it was his first big tour coming here and he won. Then we had Spanky, so they were like new names for us here and in a couple of years they have got bigger with Mike V,Rick Mcrank and Ed Templeton.

It’s great skating and a good gang of people – basically a good vibe where everybody gets on together quite well. It’s fantastic to have a great atmosphere so that the competition is not the main thing. The main thing is people coming to a new place, many haven’t been to Finland before, so we welcome them to check out new spots and a new kind of lifestyle, that’s the main idea. With the addition of sponsors we can also offer a little bit of prize money too so a few thousand dollars are up for grabs for the winners which is a cool gesture…enjoy!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

So the Helsinki pro event turned out to be laid back but well organised and was in effect, excellent.

With the class of skateboarding equalling the expectations of previous years Mikko has brought his experience of running events across the board and applying it to what he loves best – skateboarding. Enjoy the footage on this page.

This years results:

1. Eero Anttila – Finland
2. Eniz Fazliov – Finland
3. Jani Laitiala – Finland
4. Chami Laprebendere – Argentina
5. Clint Peterson – USA
6. Justin Strubing – USA
7. Chris Åström – Sweden
8. Jyri Pitkänen – Finland
9. Pat Duffy – USA
10. Patrick Melcher – USA
11. Sami Miettinen – Finland
12. Miikka Virtanen – Finland

Go to www.proskate.com for more.

Well the Oban ramp jam went nuts as predicted.

It was just like the x-games but gold medalist Div decided to trade his million dollar prize money for the 24 pack of Tennants!

From here on in we all new it was going to be an alchohol fuelled weekender!

The Heathen boys were out in full force with Young Colin pulling out his big guns all over the place, along with big Mark tearing the amazing mini a new a-hole.

After the fun and frollicks by the ramp the whole crew upsticks and head even further north towards a wonderful mystical island known as the Isle of Seil. Considering the single track road and shear remoteness of this wee island the turn out was a hefty few hundred.

All were there to witness and drink in accordance to the soon to be famous band called UNCLE JOHN AND WHITELOCK. The gig as expected went absolutley ballistic, im sure the Isle of Seil has never before witnessed Div and Napalm Jeff slam dancing there way through the star’y night.

Hopefully this is going to be a yearly event which will involve mandatory attendance.

Big thanks for drunken debauchery pics from Alex Irvine who will have his Triple Shot interview on this very site soon.

Tez

June 25th
Rotterdam

As almost every day in Holland, rain comes and goes.

On Saturday the weather was very nice, the sun was shinin’ and the first vertriders were checking out the vertramp. The vibe was good and some crazy tricks were being shaped for the contest. But unfortunately, as always, on Sunday the rain was coming down and the contest had to be moved to the indoor Skateland skatepark.

The vertramp was smaller so everybody had to ‘feel’ the vert again. And yes, after a while everybody was in the zone and skated their asses off. Crazy tricks, as inverts, big ass backside airs tweaked out, nosegrinds and a lot of switch skatin’ was going on.

We started out with qualifications and every rider had three runs to show their skills. In total 16 riders had found their way to rotterdam to skate the vertcontest. From Germay, Belgium, Holland and even from Brazil. I can bother you with who did what trick, but I ain’t. You can see the pictures for yourself and be amased by the vertskating that is going on in Holland.

Seven people made it to the final. Jonas Bader, Erwin Prent, Mark van der Eng, Georg Wanek, Bob Joosten, Otavio Neto and Simon Stachon.

The finals were in old jam session format. Which meant, every rider had 5 runs, if they bail the run was over and the next rider can do his line. Damn this was hard for the jury. But as you already know, there can be only one winner. The best Dutch rider would also be Dutch vert skating Champion.

Anyway, The 17 years young man from Brussels had the most skills and got first place, Simon Stachon. It was Simon’s second day on Crail trucks. In second place, all the way from Brazil, Otavio Neto. Man can he do a lot of nolly tricks in a vertramp. And yes, third place is the man from Holland, Bob Joosten. Our new Dutch champion in vert skating.

The contest was a succes and it was clear that Holland still has a good vertskating scene. Vertskating ain’t dead yet!

Enjoy the pics from Tjeerd and see you next time.

Rob Rouleaux
(Skateboard Federation Netherlands)

Full Results:

1. Simon Stachon [BEL]
2. Otavio Neto [BRA]
3. Bob Joosten [NED]
4. Georg Wanek [GER]
5. Mark van der Eng [NED]
6. Erwin Prent [NED]
7. Jonas Bader [NED]
8. Lars Stout [NED]
9. Robby Buttner [NED]
10. Jeroen van Sluis [NED]
11. Erik Meuldijk [NED]
12. Nils Hammann [GER]
13. Leon Loef [NED]
14. Joe Kleinendorst [NED]
15. Michael Verhaar [NED]
16. Miriam Vijfvinkel [NED]

This new skate park was built at the back end of April 2006 in Nottingham at Forest Fields, kind of between Radford and St Anne’s (click here for a local map).

We had the pleasure of visiting this park for the MANRODEO annual weekender put together by the locals and peeps at www.beastmangoat.com. In fact if you want to see some of the shots from the Sunday where people make the funniest hats ever and go skating, click here. It’s a treat!

Nottingham was desperately in need of a new skate park as the Arnold Bowl on the side of a hill in Notts is hardly what you would call world class, but fun though all the same.

Like every other City that decides to build a skate park though, this is yet another build that is situated right in the middle of a sketchy area, so if you are looking to buy some crack at the same time you will be chuffed! Within 5 minutes of being there a bottle was thrown at a car belonging to a skater by local chavs, saying that though, the rest of the afternoon was spotless.

This park is quite a fun little spot if you are looking for something fresh to skate. The locals there are easy going and don’t run with that “it’s our local park bullshit” some have acquired over the years, so always say hello if you are passing through.

The concrete mini ramp is quite fast and a good size with escalators included for your session. Heathen Skateboards rider Colin Adams (pic left) seemed to shred the coping faster than any other human being whilst we were there, seriously, it was fucking insane!

You will also see above that Icon Skateboards rider Ian Rees has his lines down in here as well with the most tweaked airs Notts has to offer. (pic above.)

The rest of the park, although small is great fun with a gapped driveway, ledges, a vert wall and a hubba that has tight vert trannies up the sides. All of this is crammed into one space making this park well worthy of a trip if you are passing through or need something fresh to session.

Alongside Heathen and Icon Skateboards, you will also find that Unabomber Skateboards is also run from Nottingham and the local skater owned shop (SOS) called Non Stop is based at 14 St James’ Street. Tel: 0115 953 1002. Get down there. – Zac

Sam Ashley is the now London based, bearded photo editor for Document Magazine. Like all skate magazines, Document take their photography seriously but they also know that quality will always be delivered whilst the onus is upon this fella..

Due to his commitment to skateboarding and his incredible eye through the lens, Sam has risen to the top and now also finds himself shooting adverts for for Blueprint, Landscape and Heroin Skateboards – welcome to Sam Ashley’s Triple Shot.

How long have you been a photographer?

I’ve shot photos for as long as I can remember but I’ve had stuff published since ’98.

How did you get into skate photography?

Just by wanting to shoot photos of my friends, sometimes skateboarding, sometimes not. I did this for a few years before sending some photos to Sidewalk Mag, they began using them a short while after.

Have you ever felt bad about taking a photo?

No regrets!

What were the worst days shooting skateboarding of your life ever and why?

Trying to get a photo at competitions alongside 6 other photographers, 4 of whom don’t even skate, sucks. Other than that it’s all good!

What image inspired you so much to take up photography?

Matt Hensley by Dan Sturt,Transworld, August 1990. – I don’t think this photo made me run out and start shooting skate photos but it made me realise how great photography could be. When this came out Hensley was everyone’s favourite. The craziness of the spot made it seem out of this world but at the same time it was almost attainable, it made you think ‘maybe we could skate something like this?’. The BGPs are awesome and the trick was epic too. Sturt tied it all together with on point lighting and composition, everyone I knew was blown away by this.

What’s the relationship like between a photographer and filmer?

I’m good friends with quite a few filmers, they’re generally good lads! Problems usually arise from the fact that I consider photos with a filmer’s death lens hanging in the corner only fit for the bin. As long as they’re not stood in front of my flashes or my lens then I’m happy.

What main advice would you give to upcoming skate photographers?

Try and be as original as possible. Practice your photography on your friends, If you mess up a photo of Johnny Pro backlipping a 29, everyone’s going to know about it. Don’t work for free, if your photos are worth publishing then they’re worth something.

Tell us about your favourite skate photo you submitted to this feature?

It’s a shot of Paul Shier in Barcelona 2003.

I’ve chose this just because I like the simplicity of it I think. There’s no flashes or fisheye or colours…

A lot of skate photographers (myself included) get bogged down with tons of lights and trickery but a most of my favourite photos end up when I just try and keep it simple.

Is the work of a skate photographer well paid?

I’m happy to make a living from doing just skate photography.

Let’s just say that photographers in other fields are probably paid much better, but they probably don’t have as much fun.

Are there ways of getting better/free equipment as you continue to grow or do you have to fund everything yourself?

I’ve never tried to blag any camera equipment, I doubt I’d get too far either! Fuji give me film now and again though, which is nice. You can write equipment off against tax though.

Does music ever inspire your photography?

If I’m shooting bands I’ll definitely listen to their stuff beforehand and try and convey what they’re about in the photo. I listen to music quite a lot, but when I’m on tour I usually leave the i-pod at home. I find it a bit antisocial when people stick the headphones on when they’re in the van.

Tell us about the non skate shot you have submitted and the story behind it…

Adam Mondon, Finland 2002 – How can you not love a ropeswing?!

If you were to buy a pocket snapper for capturing skating on a budget to get going, which camera would you suggest?

My first camera was a Nikon FE2 with a 50mm f1.8 lens. This set up is small, light, has fast flash sync and is relatively cheap, I still use it! FM2s are good too.

Would you recommend digital or film?

Generally speaking I’d say shoot film for stills and shoot digital for sequences. There really are too many variables to say definitely one or the other. Digital’s so good now that what you’ve shot is more important than what you’ve shot it on.

What are the benefits of using film or digital?
Basically, I think film usually looks nicer and digital is more convenient.

What kit do you use?

My standard set up is Hasselblads for stills, Nikon digital for sequences. I’ll quite often mess about with other cameras though, just to make things interesting for myself.

You can find out more about Sam Ashley’s photography over at www.samashley.com

Leave comments on the Triple Shot features here.

Element presents: Elementrio
A retrospective of three skateboard artists: Matt Irving, Don Pendleton and Todd Francis
By Ralph Lloyd Davis

The power of the skateboard graphic is often under-estimated by an arm and a leg by the people who ride the pressed resin planks. But, initially those detailed pictures that decorate the bottom of each deck is a calling card to every child’s imagination.

I remember vividly seeing a Vision Psycho Stick at school one day and being blown away. The electric use of colours was like no cartoon of comic I could have seen or read at the age of 9. It was raw, it was wild, it was unique and it was one of the key elements to making me pursue a life of ollies and wallies. (It was also one of the most popular graphics of all time for Vision!)

So, whilst most of the kids on the block scratch and slide the underside of their boards away and worry more about what next weeks flavour of the month will be, Element Skateboards decided to put on a show that would tour Europe and celebrate the work of three in-house artists that have created some of the most memorable disposable images. Say hello to Don Pendleton, Todd Francis and Mike Irving.

For a brief introduction to each of these artists work let me say that you’ll recognize Todd’s graphics as having a comic style to them and his most notable work has been for Anti Hero, in fact he’s the guy that drew the OG Eagle graphic for the skate bandits!

Don is best known for his freehand drawings that graced Alien Workshop boards in the past, and now Element. His personal favourite was the debut Jason Dill Elephant model. Remember, Don’s work looks like tools have been used, but trust me a lot of it is done free-hand.

Finally, there’s Matt and Matt is the newest graphic designer to join the Element art board. Matt’s work is mostly recognizable through his various takes on simplicity and use of colour, notably in the new Delphi series about to be released by Element. In a personal declaration, Matt explained one of his series’ resembling wallpaper, but damn fine wall paper at that! Enough of the introductions, let’s see what the Elementrio had to say for themselves when Crossfire caught up with them at the Brussels leg of their trip.

So guys, tell me when did you realise you wanted to pursue career in drawing skate graphics?

Todd: On the flight over here! (Laughs) No, seriously. I’ve always been into graphics and the visual imagery is so strong in skating that it just pulled me in and felt like natural progression. I don’t remember exactly when or where it happened, but I knew it was something I wanted to do.

Was there ever any one graphic that sparked this passion?

Don: I really liked the old Neil Blender graphics back when he was on G&S in the early 80s. He did a lot of ink brush sketches and did his own graphics for G&S, then he went to Alien Workshop and upstarted that. You’d try and mirror your favourite pro and that would mean copying their graphics.

Matt: For me it has to be the early Mark Gonzales graphics, or Natas stuff.

Todd: For me it was Courtland Johnson(Renowned Powell-Peralta artist who instigated the Skull and Dagger graphics) whose graphics used to blow me away each time I saw them. But when you get older you start to realise that there are only so many ways you can make a living off your art, and (skate graphics) are probably one of the most free ways and enjoyable mediums to do that in life, so it became a pretty easy decision to make.

What were your first professional graphics that actually ended up being screened and sold in a skateshop?

Matt: My first professional piece of work was for a Colt Cannon rookie board. I worked with Todd on it but we’re not very proud of it and like to pretend it doesn’t exist! (Laughs) I worked on an idea of Todds to illustrate with pencil and charcoal which was an animal series.

Don: My first graphic was the Jason Dill debut model on Alien Workshop because he had just got on the team.

The one with the elephant? I had that board!

Don: Yeah! The guys at Alien Workshop saw that I could draw so they pretty much just left me to my own devices. From then on I did pretty much all of their graphics. This was in early 1998.

Todd: The first board I did was for Julien Stranger when he was on Real. Julien was in court at the time for skating or drunken misconduct..? I think it was drunken misconduct. Anyway, he was stuck in court and no-one could reach him, so I figured I’d do a graphic that portrayed his situation with a judge and bailiff overlooking the viewer.

Is it hard to draw graphics for certain pros? Do they just tell you to draw something ‘cool’..?

Don: Working with the Alien Workshop guys is pretty easy for me because they are good friends of mine and we hang out a lot. I can pretty much draw whatever comes into my mind because I know what they’re into and I know their personalities. Over at Element, I don’t know the riders so well, so we all get together and kick ideas around. It’s more of a collaboration rather than me doing my own thing.

Todd: At Element we have a lot of fun doing what we do. We work with the riders and they trust us, so in actual fact we’re pretty free to try what we want. Everyone puts in their 2 cents and the art department guy gets a look. We have a lot of say in what goes down, so it’s mostly up to us.

What was your favourite period for skate graphics?

Don: The mid-80’s for me, like 85-86-87. I loved the Neil Blender Coffee Break graphic, and Mark Gonzales Underwater graphics. It just didn’t seem like it was considered an art at the time. During that period, some people were really starting to take their graphics seriously, but as a kid I was so far removed from all that.

Todd: I think I’d have to say the mid-80’s too, like 84-85-86… Well, actually maybe it was before that. Like the Courtland Johnson stuff when you’re young and impressionable it blows you away because it’s so technically better than what you think you could do. Looking over the last 15 years or so, it gets a lot harder because everything getting thrown out there. Of course you have a few favourite series’, but essentially when you get into adulthood you tend to look back at when you were a kid and what influenced you then. At least that’s how I look at it.

Matt: I’m younger than these two, so whenever they were inspired to draw graphics is probably when I got inspired. I think my favourite period was the early 90’s with basic colour graphics between the bolts and solid colour boards. Clean and simple aesthetic was when I was completely infatuated with skateboarding and doing it for hours and hours. I think childhood memories reign supreme, and I like a lot of the old Girl stuff, the old Real and Stereo stuff that Todd did. We figured that out later on when I talked to him. If I had to have any one board, I might have to say the Jason Lee Blind board with the gun, beer, TV and cigarettes on it. Something about that graphic I just love, it’s so funny!

What graphic are you most proud of? And, which graphic of yours do you with never went to print?

Don: I’ve done over 350 boards, but there’s only one that I really like and that’s a Jason Dill board, probably right after I met him. He told me what he wanted, like these colours and shapes and I got it for him. That’s the one I’m most happy with, I can’t think of one I’m not happy with though because at the end of the day, if you’re not really happy with it, you don’t submit it.

Todd: You see, I’m envious of Don because he doesn’t have a single board he didn’t like, whereas I have done hundreds! (Laughs) I tend to focus on the ones I don’t like and wish to never see again, but that’s because of the nature of deadlines. I’ve had to draw up graphics in a day, and that can result in a lot of bad shit. My favourite graphic has to be the Julien Stranger graphic of a cop dog biting the face of the cop.

Were you inspired by an old Consolidated advert for that?

Todd: No, I wouldn’t say it was a direct inspiration, We were doing a Nature’s Revenge series where all the animals got back at humans, and Julien always wanted the most fucked up graphic possible, so there it was!

Matt: I don’t have a single graphic that I’m more proud of than others. There are a few series I did for Stereo that I’m proud of, like the Construct series with the wonky graphics. I also like the Cut Out series I did for Jason Lee and the Stereo team. Now, it’ll be some of my new Element work that’s under my direction notably the new Delphi series which is about to be released. As far as a particular board I don’t like, I can’t say… As a graphic designer, part of my job is to help facilitate people’s ideas and make them happy, but this doesn’t always make me happy. I’m definitely envious of Don who gets to blaze his trail and focus on more personal pieces of work. I have to try and convey the ideas that the team riders want, so when I did a series for Element – the Non Series- where we allowed every rider to pick the subject matter and general aesthetic of their boards from start to finish. Todd and I worked on that series and I guarantee you it is probably one of the worst that ever got produced! (Laughs) It never happened again, and I don’t think the team riders were too stoked either…

Yeah, leave the artists to do the art and the pros to skate! Do you ever think skateboard graphics are taken for granted?

Don: There may have been a time like that, but not anymore. People collect them, sell them on E-bay and stuff like it’s legitimate art.

Have you ever been approached by non-skaters for commissioned work or anything?

Don: over the last couple of years, you’ve got some big corporations and companies like Mountain Dew or something that will want you to do something for their ad campaign. Like they’re trying to get ‘that feeling’, you know? You get offers from people like that, but I’ve never taken any of them.

What advice would you give to a young kid that wants to start a career in drawing skate graphics?

Matt: Just keep drawing and expanding on your ideas. Take as many art classes as you can at school and dedicate as much time as you can to being creative and drawing the things that are in your own brain.

Don: I think kids will draw whatever they like because it’s just a skateboard and that’s freedom right there. You mustn’t get caught up and try and do ‘Skate or Die!’ graphics. Just keep it as personal as possible. Just try and figure out what you want to say and say it.

Todd: I would just say don’t fall in love with your work because it will make you lazy. Try as hard as you possibly can to get better and better. Push yourself and challenge yourself so your stuff keeps growing. You don’t ever want to look back and wish you’d tried harder or put in more effort. Life’s too short and people die all of the time.

Associated links:

Element Tour Blog
Don Pendleton’s Elephont website
Todd Francis’ personal website
Matt Irving’s Delphi Collective website

If you are into skate graphics you have to buy the Disposable book by Sean Cliver…click here to read a review – it’s just amazing.

The ‘Escape from Boredom’ premiere at the Log shop in S.F was so much fun. Here are a few photos from the trip. Right: UK crew: Percy Dean, Nick Zorlac, Kyle Green, Dan Cates and Horsey.

Left: On the day of the premiere a lot of shralping took place. Nick Zorlac wallride crail at a well known schoolyard. Right: Here is our friend and ‘tour guide’ for this trip, Kyle Green. The premiere was also an art show for Kyle and friends’ work.

Left: Karma, Doug Saenz and friends are in a band called AM Magic. They played at the premiere, after Karma ruled the mini ramp that was there. Some people are good at everything!
Right: Horsey plus free beer. Make sure he’s near a window when you drive him home.

Left: Dan takes a moment out. Right: It was him!

Left: Roberto Aleman. ‘Say cheese!’. Right: Must dash.

Left: Percy from Document was on this trip with us. Head banger of a frontside wallride.
Right: Kyle Green, long boardslide in Santa Cruz.

Left: Jersey Barriers rule. Doug Saenz, slicing through effortless feeble grind to fakie.
Right: Beast of a Ditch. This place is no joke.

Left: Cates with the mega pole jam! Richie Jackson would have dug this one! Right: Be afraid…

Left: The effect Dan has on some people is quite something! Right: Zarosh and his buddy drove from San Diego to skate with us and go the premiere. He did some sick stuff in this pool considering it was a bust after 3 minutes.

Horsey=Hustler!

THANKS TO: James and the Log shop in Pacifica for doing the premiere! We had the best time. And to Smart Monkey Distribution (Consolidated Skateboards) making it happen for us in the U.S. And last but not least, VANS for helping to make this trip possible.

To find out more about your Death, click here.

Nick Zorlac

The Creature team flew into the UK this summer and headed for fresh blood at Ramp City on Wednesday 19th July.

Darren Navarette, Sam Hitz, Josh Perkins, Alex Horn, Al Partanen, John Ponts, Stu Graham, David Gravette and tour fiend Div made the trip with locals on hand to join the session.

Matt Sefton documented the demo for you to view on this page, so thank him if you bump into him as he did a stirling job. If you would like to see a bunch of pics Matt took at the demo, click here…

The video is in the usual place on this page, get in there.