Retro Skateboards

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Retro DIY Skateboards

From Illustrator To Applying Acrylic Paint On Board

Ahead of our 2023 Retro Round photoshoot, we spent some extra hours creating these incredible early 2000s-inspired custom skateboards for the shoot.

From random skateboards, to Fremantle retro relics

Two thrifted boards, some acrylic paint and a dream!

It started with a hunt for boards on Marketplace—it wasn't easy to find two cheap boards, and not everyone was convinced of this idea initially. We settled on one purposefully worn-out board and another 'hardly used' kids' deck with lime green wheels.

Both boards had to be sanded down, stripped back, and then primed for our designs. After creating many versions in Adobe Illustrator, we settled on our final designs, printed them out on A3 paper, laid them on our boards, and used transfer paper to mark out the designs.

Once marked out, we began to paint our decks with acrylic paint, applying about four to five layers for a consistent look, which resulted in our final product.

We both wanted a slightly worn look—Anna more so than myself—so we sanded them down a bit and gave them test runs to ensure they worked. Once we were happy with the distressed look, we applied some handmade stickers of iconic skate brands, bootlegged with a Fremantle twist (see below).

Bootleg skate brand stickers, with a Freo twist

Iconic brands, mixed with our retro colours and icons.

Etnies, Spitfire, Element, Vans, Flip, Santa Cruz and of course Thrasher! Some of the most iconic skatebrands in the early 2000's made an appearance, to visually sell the boards.

How we paired them with our models

Each board had its own purpose in the shoot.

Depending on our model, their outfit, and the location, we experimented with which board would best complement the shoot.

In grungier, more graffiti-filled settings, we used the frame board. We also used the flame board to contrast with any shots featuring our playing jumper (to avoid doubling up on the anchors).

However, when the image had more sky or featured more traditional products, we chose the anchor board to complement the jumper we were releasing within our collection.