Work in Skateboarding, an interview with Georgia Elizabeth Knowles

Work in Skateboarding, an interview with Georgia Elizabeth Knowles

Interview by Suziie Wang What artistic formats do you work in?

I use mainly watercolour and ink but I do like to experiment with acrylics. Lately I have been sketching with pencil and paper and then finishing the illustrations in Photoshop.

What do you like about being an artist based in London?

I love how illustration is so huge here. Going to events like the London Illustration Fair and seeing all the variations of illustrators is very inspiring. I also enjoy walking around in Shoreditch area where there is so much graffiti. Seeing work from artists such as James Reka on a huge brick wall, you can’t help but to want to go home and paint.

Did you study or gain a degree in Art? I originally went to University for Illustration and changed my degree to Graphic Design.

I think it’s good to have knowledge of design and illustration as they come hand in hand with each other.

Georgia Knowles

What’s the biggest challenge with working freelance and how do you deal with it?

A big challenge for me is time management and knowing how long a project is going to take. Sometimes the most simple ideas and projects take the longest to complete, But the challenge of meeting a deadline is really motivating.

When were you first exposed to skateboarding?

When I worked at a Van’s shop in London I became more aware of skateboarding because of Van’s history with the z-boys and the skaters they sponsor. When I was working I would always admire the boards that were on display, the artwork encouraged me to take an internship with Thrasher Magazine.

How did you get an internship at Thrasher?

Working at the Vans shop it made me realize I didn’t want to be in retail all my life, so I thought I’d learn a lot from doing an internship. I wanted to intern at a place that wouldn’t be office type work and Thrasher just popped into my head. I went on the website and sent my resume and illustrations to the contact email, one of the designers got back to me saying ‘sorry we don’t have any internships in England, contact us if you are in San Francisco’ So I just thought I’ll come to SF, emailed them back and that was that – It was such a whim.

Can you explain how long it was for & what you did on your internship there?

I came over to SF for a month and worked there full-time. I had a little desk in-between the two designers and they tried to involve me in everything, which was great! They didn’t make me feel like a burden at all and we had a lot of laughs. I helped with the merchandise, pretty simple stuff like mocking up templates in illustrator and photoshop for their clothing and accessories.

Think Filament Board Series

Lee Yankou Pro Board

How do you think it helped your career?

The Thrasher internship helped me a lot in just realizing exactly what I wanted to do. I still wanted to pursue illustration but I wanted to be a more experienced designer as well.

Watching the designers work and their process encouraged me to get my degree in Graphic Design, which I think has helped me become a more proficient illustrator.

Would you recommend it to others, if so why?

Yes definitely! Internships give you what a classroom can’t. You could be pursuing an education in a subject and then get in the work environment and realize it’s completely different to what you expected. Internships show you the reality of the work place.

Marty Murawski Board

What creative work have you done in skating and how did you line it up?

The first creative work I had lined up was with Blueprint Skateboards, they contacted me through a mutual friend who had showed them my illustrations. I created a board for them – it didn’t end up getting produced but it was

a great insight into how the process works. I have also done a pro board series for THINK Skateboards called the Filament Series and artwork for what was going to be Lee Yankou’s first pro board. Think wanted to go in a different art direction and their filmer at the time, Justin Carlson, passed on my work.

If you hadn’t known Justin, how do you think you would have gone about getting your work seen?

I think I would have just done the same thing as I did for the Thrasher internship, try and reach out to THINK through email, sending them examples of my illustrations and just be persistent.

What was your inspiration behind the Marty Murawski and a Lee Yankou Pro Boards?

The Marty Murawski board was going to be part of a series for Blueprint, inspired by the skaters favourite songs. The song that was selected for Murawski’s board was ‘A Horse With No Name’ by Neil Young. I wanted it to have a bit of humour to it and not be taken too seriously as it was a really fun board to create.

Rube Goldberg inspired the Lee Yankou board, he was an amazing San Francisco Cartoonist who would illustrate quirky gadgets.

How were they created differently from the Think Series?

The Murawski board was created in a similar way to the Think Boards, using watercolour as the base and ink to outline, then bringing them into Photoshop. Where as the Yankou board was created with just paper and black ink to keep with the traditional cartoonist style.

What was the Think Filament series inspired by?

The series was inspired by different environments and to tell a story around the light bulb, which is Think’s logo. Using the watercolours to create a less graphic approach and a more illustrative style.

In that series how did you relate the designs to each skater?

The environments signify the differences in personalities/styles of the skaters as they are all very unique.

What were the highlights about creating those graphics?

I was given a lot of creative freedom, using the medium that I loved to work in and experiment with the colours. It really helped me develop and showcase my style.

Of all the skateboard graphics you’ve made, which was your favourite and why?

The Murawski board is probably my favourite as it was the first board I illustrated. I really enjoy experimenting and creating typography, having the challenge of incorporating it within a design and making it work is really rewarding.

Why do you think Art is important to Skateboarding?

Art has always been a part of skateboarding culture, Skateboarding seems to be a lot about expressing yourself and not complying with the norm, Art is very similar. They are both outlets for people and are a sense of escapism.

Any other skateboarding projects I haven’t mentioned?

You got them all! I will look forward to doing more in the future.

www.georgiaelizabethknowles.com

Red Dog, Watercolour and ink