‘For me, the process of making them is a bit like skating a new spot.’
ROB TORRES
Texas (USA)
June 2025
Can you tell us something about Texas that no one knows?
Probably not, but here goes… according to the National Weather Service, Texas has more lightning strikes each year than any other state in America – with an average of 3 million strikes annually. I had to look that up, but there you have it.
What came first? Skateboarding or painting?
Painting, well drawing really, was what I was doing as soon as I could hold a pencil. Like most of us, I started skating before I knew I was a skater. Just like I was drawing and painting before I knew I was an artist. It was just something I did because I was compelled. Because I loved the way it made me feel.
‘What’s not to like? Austin legend. Skater. Thrasher.’
Which techniques do you use for your paintings?
I’m all over the place when it comes to technique. I’m a little embarrassed to even use that term. I have no real formal training. I’ve only ever done drop-in classes and periodic drawing sessions over the years to help pick up tips, and to get in some studio time with other artists. But techniques range from palette knives and brushes with acrylic to washes and splatters of acrylic ink, to colored pencil, to graphite, to watercolor, to plain old sharpies on rice paper – like most of my contour portraits.
Tell us more about your Contour portfolio. It looks like you draw this in one line without any breaks. Almost like wired art.
Exactly. Each piece is one, uninterrupted line. I like the idea of continuity, movement, and how I really don’t know how it’s going to look until I pick up my pen. It’s improvisation. For me, the process of making them is a bit like skating a new spot. It’s not always easy to find the right line. I’m just trying to keep my attention slightly ahead of my current position so I can decide what to do next. If that makes any sense? When they work out, it feels like finishing a good run.
Proudest moment?
That’s a tough one. So many cool moments in my life that this question makes me think about. Thanks for that. But as a skater and artist, I’d have to say when I heard how stoked Rodney (Mullen) was after I designed a collab board for him. Or maybe it was when Rodney wore our “Willie, Waylon” shirt while on Tony’s podcast? Or maybe it was when fellow skater and musician extraordinaire Ben Harper wore one of the t’s I designed when he played a show at Stubb’s in Austin? I think it’s a tie.
What are some of other skateboard inspired artists you follow?
Oh man, so many great artists out there. But a few whose work I really dig are Pushead, Todd Francis, Andy Jenkins, Sieben, Haslam.
What do you like about Sieben?
What’s not to like? Austin legend. Skater. Thrasher. You know his work on sight. He’s got his own, recognizable style. As an artist, I can tell you this is not an easy thing to come by. His work is bold and humorous, and his shapes and lines always feel so intentional. I was recently gifted a limited run poster he designed for a mutual friend of ours (skater and author Bret Anthony Johnston). I’m looking at it right now. Just three colors (black being one of them). But, again, it feels like there’s a place for everything, and everything is in its place. I’m a fan.
“Give me a museum, and I’ll fill it.”
Which board company do you like most in terms of their graphics?
For sure when I was growing up, the Zorlac boards were the coolest to me. Pushead por vida. Santa Cruz has probably had the most consistently rad designs over the years. I like Welcome illustrations a lot, too.
What else is on your wish list?
Pivot fakies. Frontside 5-0’s. And I’d like to have a gallery show at some point. I’m not sure how to even begin to do that, but like Picasso said, “Give me a museum, and I’ll fill it.” Or something like that.
If you could interview any person in the world, who would it be?
Even though he’d done many interviews before he died last year, I would like to have had the opportunity to interview Kim Jung Gi. He was unparalleled at putting together incredibly complex scenes and compositions without any (traditional) preliminary work. Just dove right in with ink and churned out masterpiece after masterpiece. I would like to have gained some insights into his virtuosity. How does he see the world? What does he consume to feed that encyclopedic reference machine in his brain? Stuff like that. Also, I would have prompted him to create a whole KJG skateboard scene. That would have been epic.