Dull Vs. Vibrant Skateboards

Contributors

Tobias Maxon

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3uKJvwH

Apple Music: https://apple.co/3VTlFeb

Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/43bXy

Instagram: http://bit.ly/3PngrVw

Julian Clifton

Instagram: http://bit.ly/3XK3B6A

Objective

You will create two skateboard graphics using any creative tools you'd like. The first part of the assignment will be to think about, investigate, and define the project's theme as a class. We will further discuss these topics in class. You will then begin the design process with the goal of creating designs that will make your personal interpretation of the theme. You will then be responsible for creating a unique way to display your skateboard for the winter art show.

First Round Sketches & Ideas

I start by writing all my ideas down with a vague description of what they might look like. Then, I pick around half of the ones that I think would work the best for this project. I do small, quick sketches of those ideas to get a general feeling for what each will look like. I don't spend much time on these because I want to have more time to create my final design and work on the board.

Second Round Sketches

For my second round sketches, I pick 4 of my favorite ideas and use Adobe Illustrator to create the sketches. I use more detail than the first round sketches, but still don't spend much time on these.

Design Process

I decided to go with my retro stripes vs. synth-wave design for this project. The retro stripes idea is my dull design and the synth-wave idea is my vibrant design.

I start by designing the retro stripes because they are simple and won't take me much time. I try to establish a color palette from other pieces of retro stripe art. Then, I work on how I want the stripes to look. The circle is good way to determine how the stripes look. I decided to make the stripes conform around the circle and go with a symmetrical look. I removed the background color for my final design.

I started my synthwave design by creating a space inside the board where I want acrylic. This determined the size of my design and how it was going to fit in the board. Next, I created a horizon line, mid line, and small hill on the side. I filled in those parts with grid lines and started creating the mountains. The mountains took very little time. Finally, I created the sun with the circle tool and also learned a new technique the make the bars appears correctly.

Final Designs

Retro Stripes Synth-wave

Music

I wanted to make my vibrant board be more vibrant, so I decided to incorporate music into it. I asked my friends Tobias Maxon and Julian Clifton if they could make some songs for me. The style of my vibrant board is synthwave, so I wanted the music to match it. Mr. Maxon and Mr. Clifton did a wonderful job of creating the synthwave music, and they release it to the public later.

Design --> Board Process

I started transferring my design to my board by testing different settings on the laser cutter. Once I found the right settings for acrylic, I engraved my design and started making measurements on my board. I also put the lights and music around the acrylic to make sure I was getting the effect I wanted.

I then switched my focus to my retro stripes board. I decided to do a gel transfer so it could rideable desaturate some of the colors. While I was removing the paper from my board, some of the ink came off with it as well. I was thinking about redoing the transfer, but instead went for a weathered look. I rubbed off all the paper quickly and then sanded around the color to make sure all of the paper was off. After that, I burned the wheel wells of my board, and, like any irresponsible teenager would, tried to do it with a hairspray torch. The hairspray didn't work, so I just a lighter instead. Then, I sprayed a satin clearcoat over it to protect everything. Finally, I used textured spray paint to make it look dirty and heavily used.

After I finished my retro stripes board, I switched my focus back to my synthwave board. I cut out the center of my board using a drill and jigsaw. The cuts weren't completely straight, but they were good enough and not too noticeable. Next, I used a router on the back of the board to make the acrylic sit inside the board. I left a bit of extra room for the LEDs to sit in as well. Then, I sanded down a small area of the board and reused some of the deck to create shelves. The larger shelf is at the top and will have a speaker facing viewers. The smaller shelf will let the other speaker hang and face a microphone that is connected to the LEDs. Finally, I tested everything with some music.