Don Pendleton‘s penchant for skateboarding led him to a lucrative career that specializes in both fine art and graphic design. It began in 1998 when he took a position with Alien Workshop. Since then, the Ohio-based artist has contributed artwork to companies such as Element Skateboards, Oakley, The Hundreds, Vans, Mountain Dew, STANCE socks, and Volcom, his most recent project. He also won a Grammy Award last year for his work on Pearl Jam‘s Lightening Bolt album, which was released in 2013.
Needless to say, Pendleton has carved out a comfortable career for himself and continues to impress with every new project he unveils featuring his immediately recognizable signature style. Pendleton talked to The Source about working with Vans, concert poster design and growing up with incredibly supportive parents.
The Source: How did the recent Vans collaboration come to fruition?
I met one of their employees who was involved with their artist division at a group show I was in at Artist’s Republic in Laguna Beach. I have done a lot of shoe art over the years for companies like DC, Etnies, Gravis and even Nike. But this was the first time I had the opportunity to have creative control with the overall design and packaging. And it had my name on there, so that was kind of cool. Vans is a huge company at this point…in the big scheme of things, I’m not Disney or Star Wars so it wasn’t a huge deal but the design process itself was really fun.
You’ve done a lot of work with STANCE socks recently, as well. What drew you into that one?
I worked with Ryan Kingman at Element. He was the marketing director there and he’s a great guy. He was one of the main guys who got STANCE going and I believe I was one of the first artists that was asked to be in the Punks and Poets program, which is their artist division. I knew it was a good idea at the time. It’s a sock company dedicated to specific types of sports and skateboarding that were made well and had an aesthetic focus. I’d never had my artwork on a sock before so between working with Kingman and being a part of a new brand, it was an easy decision to get involved with them.
I really like the concert tickets and posters your design. How is it different from coming up with clothing designs?
Not too much different, to be honest. With all of that stuff, I have creative control so I approach them the same way I would a skateboard deck or a t-shirt or even a painting in some ways. The main difference is that you’ve got to respect that the elements serve a purpose—dates, venues, etc., and you try to integrate that type into the overall design in a way that looks natural. With something like a ticket, you definitely want it to look cool but more than that, it has to be functional and serve its purpose. I have a lot of experience with page design from working at newspapers and it’s very similar to that. Any time I get to work with illustration, design and type…those are some of my favorite projects.
Obviously your background in skateboarding led you to an amazing path in life. Is there anyone you credit for paving the way?
I think just having good parents who let me do what I wanted to experiment with, whether it was breakdancing or BMX or skateboarding or art. There was encouragement and they never tried to talk me out of anything. I grew up in a small town in West Virginia, but I wanted to look like a skater from California so my mom would make shorts for me to wear and bleach my hair. And then I’d sit and watch my dad paint pictures, and he drove me to skateboard demos and contests. That kind of stuff makes a world of difference. And with skateboarding you learn pretty quick to get up every time you fall down and you make your own spots. All of that develops skills that you use later in life.
What are you currently working on?
I have been painting a lot recently for a few upcoming group shows and putting together some promotional stuff for a Volcom signature line that’s coming out this spring, and some skateboard stuff thrown in for good measure. And I’m also shoveling snow…I try to keep my winters as slow as possible because it’s not the ideal time to be productive in Ohio.
What’s next?
As an artist, I never think too far ahead. I just try to keep my head down, keep trying to stay productive and wait to see what the next day brings.
