I am a 20 year old student at Oasis Skateboard Factory. I'm also an inspired tattoo artist. The theme I chose for my skateboard graphic was a cartoon clown followed with words that I live by and flowers to represent the beauty of life. The reason why I used clowns: most people are afraid of clowns from a young age and I wanted to reverse that message into an art form.
My inspiration branched from L.A. style clowns and text that is mainly used in Mr.Cartoon's tattoos. Kat Von D is also an inspiration to me. In the near future I want to progress my style and expand it with unique and greyscale animation. Some of my personal interests are tattooing; over the years I will learn the key fundamentals to being an impactful tattoo artist.
The materials I used were 7 layers of veneer, wood glue, a Roarockit vacuum seal bag and different sandpapers. The techniques I used were stencils made from acetate and an x-acto blade. Each of the colors that are used on my board were a step by step process
that took planning and preparation. Elements and Principles of Design I used were the value in different shades of pink on the female clown; I wanted the lips and flower in her hair to be a more darker color to make it look realistic. Texture was used in the sanded background to make the wood look old and worn down.
Working on my first board was a challenge but gave me the fundamentals used to make your own personal board. I've also learned that preparation is key when making your own custom deck because if you rush yourself you later have to backtrack in steps that could jeopardize your paint, surface and your durability of your skateboard.
After OSF I want to start my own custom skateshop where boards can be made for all ages and subcultures.
