“So the size and shape of the skateboard has been fluid, changing to fit the needs and demands of the riders, reflecting the changing interests and styles of skaters out on the street. Many former pro riders have gone into the design and production of skateboards; perhaps that is why skateboard manufacturers are so attuned to the needs of skaters.”

Okay, so we don’t actually manufacture planks (or decks, as we call ‘em) here at Sparky Firepants Skate & Shirt. We’re happy to take someone else’s beautifully designed deck and use it as our canvas. Still, it’s pretty fascinating to read about the science and history behind skateboard design.

Check out San Francisco-based Exploratorium: Skateboard Science and read about how boards have changed over the years. And, I have to ask: what is that dude wearing on his head?

David will be painting boards throughout the day in our booth at the Sandy Family Fun Festival this Saturday, August 13th, from 10 am to 4 pm. The Sandy Family Fun Festival is a small, local festival in its second year. To learn more about the festival, visit the City of Sandy website: http://www.ci.sandy.or.us 

David loves to talk about what he does and show people how he does it. Our idea is that maybe some of these kids at the festival will see that having a career as an artist is possible. Or maybe they’ll be inspired to create their own skate deck art. Either way, they’ll be able to see what materials they need to get started.

We’ll also hand out free stickers and have skate-themed t-shirts for sale at discounted prices exclusively for festival visitors.

If you can’t make it to Sandy, no worries. We’ll be posting some videos here when it’s over.

Penciling in the design is always my first step. Still, I like to leave things a little bit loose because I dig those serendipities that happen along the way. That’s what makes it fun and unique. At this point we show it to the client so they have an idea of how it will be laid out.

Sometimes I like having some of that pretty natural wood show through in my designs. In this case I had a vision of bright, bright color filling the whole board. This red made a shiny start.

Those pencil lines stay put so I can use them as a guide while I start painting by hand. Stay, pencil lines, stay! Good pencil lines.

The pencil lines were very good so I gave them a treat. I painted them. At this point, the board isn’t quite finished. I have plenty of touch-ups to do and lines to fill. Maybe another lightning bolt. We’ll see. I also used a new silver paint pen that looks great, but is super difficult to work with. Silver likes to drip and run, so I go much slower in those areas and let them dry completely before filling in lines around them. Somebody has to whip that silver into shape. Oh, hey – I guess that’s me.

We’ll post the final board once we’ve tamed all the colors and added the final touches. No board leaves the studio without 20 once-overs. Would that be 20-overs?

Anyway, stay tuned. You can also check out the Facebook Fan page where we post all kinds of juicy photographic updates and obscure iTunes song suggestions.

Check out the story from the Tampa Tribune/Hernando:

Family Grinds to Keep Skateboard Dream

But my tube socks looked awesome.

Skateboarding 1975-1977