Horrific, disgusting and downright gruesome skateboard graphics are a cornerstone of skate design.
After finding that the only 9″ deck in stock at my local was Witchcraft’s ‘Slaughter Cult’ (above) two boards running, I’ve been violently forced into an awkward love affair with gruesome skateboard graphics. Now I’m on the look out for the top five most gruesome skateboard graphics out there.
1. RATTA SKATEBOARDS – MARCOS CABRERA SERIES
Marcos Cabrera‘s style has all the makings of a gruesome skateboard graphic designer: scratchy penwork, strong contrasting colours and an attention to detail that leaves little to the imagination.
Ratta’s Artist Series that brought Marcos Carbrera’s style to their wood also brought with it three horrific rats, astride skulls or eating ogres’ heads. It’s that type of design that makes you want to look closer while simultaneously makes you regret doing so.
2. BO TURNER – STABBING BY MIKE HILL
Mike Hill here sticking a huge kitchen knife in our childhood toys and letting the blood spray all over the walls. There’s little more to say about this graphic other than “what did Kermit ever do to him?”
3. GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ – SEAN CLIVER
Gnarly as hell and legendary in the deviant skate art scene, Sean Cliver designed this little number for Gabriel Rodriguez with absolutely confidence. A bloody drill – simple as that. Look, you can even see a couple of hairs on the end of it. I wonder where they came from.
For anybody who doesn’t know who Sean Cliver is, he’s the dude who designed one of the most famous offensive graphics in history.
You’ve probably seen it floating about online on offensive deck rundowns. This thing even came in a bag which read “Censorship is weak as fuck”, which was deemed less offensive than a woman masturbating.
I wonder what Sean Cliver will be able to bring out next to top that, maintaining his spot as top of the list of deviant skate designers.
4. $LAVE – POSITIVE SERIES
Every single one of these decks has its own unique gruesome charm, but when put together we see a line-up of grinning morons being slowly picked to death by increasingly extravagant weaponry.
Kudos to $LAVE for yet another run of graphics we can all be embarrassed to show our parents.
5. EVERYTHING FUNERAL FRENCH HAS EVER DONE
Witchcraft is without a doubt the leading gruesome skateboard graphic pusher, with every series containing at least one design that I need to awkwardly shield when I walk past an inquisitive child.
Head of Witchcraft is dark master of doom, Richard ‘Funeral French’ Sayer, who recently talked to Skateism about the ins and outs of his horrific illustrations. I opened this rundown with his Slaughter Cult deck, and I’m going to close it with another of my favourite Witchcraft creations.
And for good measure, here’s one of a nun being burnt to death…
