This is a blog post talking about my skateboard designs for the Skateboard Exhibition held by Creative Skate Store sometime in September or later on.
“Whoa! Hold on a minute! Didn’t you already do some skateboard deck designs for the same exhibition back in May?”
Yes I did. If you can recall, these ones.
Which, at the time, I was quite pleased about.
But, during and after the ‘DiscoBeast’ exhibition, I came to the realisation that they are actually quite boring and a bit shit. And that the only people who could use them, are the guys on them; James and Chris. Which is what happened.
James bought his from me for £30 and skated it until it could “pop” no more. Chris got his as a wedding present. (He and his wife Pam got married last Sunday. (27th of August.))
Meanwhile I started on designing better graphics, ones which suited my style of art more. And they would still be a pair and match each other whilst being dramatically different.
The first ‘board was to be a continuation or reworking of ‘The General Feasts Upon The Cabinet.”
Initally, I wanted this ‘board to have a look that was not too far away from the album covers of ‘Slayer,’ designed by Larry Carroll. Lots of reds, browns and blacks, multi-layering, demonic and messy.
Instead, I simplified the design; using a 3 – colour pallette; black, white and army/olive drab green, and designing an imposing but uncomplicated graphic.

I created this guy by splicing together a snarling Alsatian/German Shepherd dog and a photo of General James Mattis, also known as ‘Mad Dog Mattis.’ (Can you see the connection?)
In order to hide the choppy bit at the bottom of the portrait, I freehanded a wiped-blood effect, (With a mouse. I do have a tablet and pen, but I still haven’t used it yet.) and inserted blood splatters over the top to build it up.
To add a twist, I placed the title (now “MAD DOG” in ‘STENCIL’ font) in-between the bolt holes for the trucks. My logic is that as the ‘board is being used and the graphic is worn away, you can still identify the ‘board because the title has been “saved” by being underneath the truck.
I know, a lot of faff, but I thought it was a stroke of genius.
Above the portrait was to be a halo of stars in the original work, and I retained it for the graphic.

It was looking great, but there was something missing. At the top of the deck, (the nose) there was an empty space, so I wanted to fill it. Not with something big, but with something that would fit with the theme of the graphic.
Like a plane. Or a bomber.
I had two in mind; a B-52, and an A-10 Thunderbolt.

In the end, the Thunderbolt won, but the B-52 looked great at the nose too.
I’m holding off at unveiling the full graphic here until I get the physical skateboard printed and paid for. Which I am looking forward to, simply because of how and if the printer would be able to replicate the colours first time, or like ‘TwoFngrs’ ‘board, there would be some “teething troubles.”
In the meantime though, I will follow up this post with another on the “twin” to the ‘MAD DOG.’