I grew up skateboarding, and two of my main artistic influences as a kid were Vernon Courtlandt Johnson and Pushead. Two things they share in common is that both have drawn TONS of skulls. Their illustrations have had such a profound effect on me that anytime I sit down to draw, I immediately start sketching a skull, and I frequently have to remind myself that there were tons of other things that I could draw instead. Like what, you might ask? Glad you inquired.
Here is a start: Pretty flowers, dead flowers, a Deadhead hiding in some flowers, rotten tomatoes, graffitied potatoes, Henry Rollins wearing a bonnet, Vampire Bat, Wombat, Batman bottle feeding a baby wombat, chubby tugboat, Datsun 240Z sinking in a swamp,haunted hamburger, raver puppies, Axl Rose fly fishing, bell pepper jack-o’-lantern, that Jamiroquai dude’s fuzzy hat, glowing energy blossoms, a bird that looks sorta like Eminem, blown-out flip-flop, Master Splinter from TMNT, disintegrating backpack, regrettable tattoo, spaghetti demons, pecan pie sliding off a duck’s back, smoldering surfboard, meat piano, forgotten treehouse, fantasy bong, pool-soaked Band-Aid, Robocop’s buttcheeks, sad spider, happy shrub, all the dogs, heavy metal locust, my friend Josh, Chupacabra bait, your aunt’s Corolla, Sandra Bullock as a Muppet baby, stubby pencil, dragon talon, vintage dentures, the forbidden creek, super-chill fern, half-sunk raft, ominous portal, boogie board trophy, concerning mole, cactus deity, golf cart wreckage and a sunset worship circle. —Michael Sieben
Note: Feel free to use any of these should you find yourself with a case of imagery block—or if you need a name for your high school grunge band. I get to draw your first album cover if you go with the latter.
Art by Michael Sieben
