‘The feeling of being on the board made me want to return to drawing again.’
KIKE
Spain
March 2026
What inspired you to draw skateboard sketches?
Well, a mixture of several factors. Since I was a child, I have always liked to draw, I went crazy looking at the covers of movies, books and music records (especially heavy metal) of my time. I spent hours trying to replicate them in my own way. Dragons, monsters, demons, skeletons, fairies, warriors… they filled my notebooks and sheets where I painted.
As a kid I also learned about skateboarding. Thanks to a childhood friend who was able to pass me a VHS copy of «Thrashin’» and «Gleaming the Cube», it was love at first sight. I was so amazed that we started learning how to skate on weekend afternoons by our own with a Sancheski TOP skateboard (one of the first Spanish brands that manufactured skateboards here in Spain) and I started buying magazines dedicated to the world of skateboarding. Skate Magazine was called. I looked at the photos, the boards, the designs… etc. I realized that a lot of the things I liked to draw appeared on the boards and were part of that first massive wave of skateboarding in the 80s. Obviously, time passed I stopped drawing and skating, until a few years ago. I found both again. I skated again. The feeling of being on the board made me want to return to drawing again. I wanted to pay homage to skateboarding and that’s why I focused exclusively on drawing about skateboarding, its history, what it transmits and its culture, mixing it with disparate ideas that cross my mind, my daily life and the music I listen to (heavy metal in all it genders).
Proudest moment?
My proudest moment was when I made my first sale. I have always drawn as a hobby and still do, for free my mind from problems and stress, and found that someone was interested in my designs and wanted to buy some of them for produce t-shirts and clothing for riders (skaters, surfers etc) was a dream come true. Its name was Alopró (on Instagram @alopro). The brand was not famous, in fact, it was a start-up that emerged in Spain, but I felt it like Santa Cruz or Powell Peralta…imagine. The payment was in skating equipment instead of money. It was a barter. I got some new shoes, a new board, some new trucks and clothes from the brand for me and my children. Now every time I use it, I remember that moment and I love it. It makes me smile before I start skating and makes me think that maybe the world can work in a better way. Along the way there have been other joys. People that wanted to tattoo one of my designs, more sales and private orders, I have been able to collaborate with other artists and people who understand skateboarding as I do.
What techniques/tools do you mainly use for your illustrations?
I started using pen and black ink only. Pencil for the sketch and then ink for the final details and finishes. I find ink very addictive and very funny. It gives a retro and comic touch to the illustrations, and I really like the final result you get. Little by little I introduced colour based on markers and paints. I was like this for a few years, until I decided to try the digital world. I usually draw with a Wacom Intuos S tablet and with the Clip Studio Paint software. As you can see it is nothing super cutting-edge, but I tried and liked the result and now I’m fully into it. I am self-taught artist and every idea that comes to my mind to be drawn is like a challenge to overcome. I spend time researching ways to develop it as I want, watching tutorials and these kinds of things to evolve and become better.
‘Each design they put out has something that hooks me on an artistic level.’
Are there any other skateboard inspired artists you follow?
A lot. I’ve always been very interested in Jim Phillips’ work and Jimbo Phillips for Santa Cruz. Also, Vernon Courtlandt Johnson for Powell Peralta. His work continues inspiring me and has become timeless. But over this time I have found other artists that there are doing an amazing work… such as Martin Varbaro (@mvarbaroart), James Callahan (@barfcomics), Marcos Cabrera (@marcos_cabrera), Robie Arias (@exteenager). The list could be endless.
Which board company do you like most in terms of their graphics?
I’m a classic, Powell and Santa Cruz are always going to be very top for me. Each design they put out has something that hooks me on an artistic level. I also love the graphics of Creature. They are brutal and sick. Very much in the heavy metal vein that I adore. Madness and its psychedelia. Blood Wizard and its epic fantasy from the Outer Realms series seems incredible to me. Macabro Skateboard (with whom I have collaborated) have very beautiful things. Cruzade Skateboards. There are a lot, the list would be endless.
There I mix the things that I use to like horror movies, sci-fi and heavy metal with the skateboarding. Evil Dead came because the new movie of the saga (Evil Dead Rise), blow up my mind. I enjoyed a lot the film and I decided to create something with related with the saga that can be used as a poster. There you have the main character of the latest movie (Ellie), mixed with the Necromonicon (the book) of the classic movies, where a page seems to be a wave. A “surfer” that is going to surf the book, is Jay Adams in one of his iconic photographs, but wearing the chainsaw that appears in all the saga of Evil Dead
What else is on your wish list?
On an artistic level? I would very much like to design a board or wheels for a skate brand. It serves as a goal for improve in my artworks, for continue drawing, and try to reach more people.
If you could interview any person in the world?
This is a difficult question. There are a lot of people I’d like to be able to talk with, but if I could pick just one related with the skateboarding world, I think it would be Jay Adams. His photos of the early years. 100% attitude, the rebellion of the Zboys and the Dogtown. Being at the origin of the pool and the vert skateboarding and his iconic phrases and his way of understanding his role as skater. I think it would be a really fun interview, wouldn’t it? Remember that “You don’t quit skating because you get old, you get old because you quit skating”.
‘Thanks to a childhood friend who was able to pass me a VHS copy of ‘Thrashin’’ and ‘Gleaming the Cube’.’