A R T B L E N D E R // TRAVIS MILLARD p on a wooded hill on the edge of the glam, glitz and weirdness of Hollywood, sits a small shack in which a bearded artist toils away. Travis Millard lives and creates there. Through his paint, pen and ink, he is able to conjure up beings and other worlds with great ease and skill. Hailing originally from the prairie lands of Kansas, he finished his Bachelor of Fine Art in illustration and printmaking at Kansas University in 1998. “It qualified me to gain employment at the local art framing shop,” Travis mentions, so he relocated to Brooklyn for a stint and in 2003 made the jump over to Los Angeles.
His involvement with skateboarding is personal, but it became part of his professional life as an illustrator with a June 2000 SLAP cover and then some shoes for Vans in ’03. The first skateboard decks he worked on were for Foundation in ’04, with an introduction to the brand through Michael Sieben. Most recently, Travis created a deck with Creature that also includes a 40-page ’zine, Creature Wants To Say Hi. Along with a variety of editorial illustration, album design and product graphics for the likes of Volcom, Burton and others, Travis is also involved with Chronicle Books, contribut-
ing to Farts and How To Speak Zombie. Not only do his images adorn the books, but they also include fart and zombie sounds for children to learn from. Travis’ images are distinct and friendly, even when the characters are gouging each other’s eyes out. You can see more of his art at various shows every few months, and if you’re feeling brave, make your way to his shack in the woods. Just make sure to pick up a few tacos from the stand down the hill and under the bridge. —Randy Laybourne fudgefactorycomics.com
clockwise from top left:
Creature “Creature Wants To Say Hi” deck Bueno “High Jumper” crusier board Foundation “Crooks” deck series Vans “Cranium Mania” shoes Vans “Traffic” tee Volcom “Hitten Switches” tee with Sieben Chronicle: Farts: A Spotter’s Guide book Chronicle : How To Speak Zombie book Slap Magazine June 2000 cover
“Travis has told me on numerous occasions that he and I are the same age. I’m pretty sure he’s lying. There’s no way he could be that much better at drawing if we’ve both been doing this for the same amount of time. I’m guessing he’s really about 70. Good stuff, old man. Good stuff.” —Michael Sieben // Artist & Designer
visit concreteskateboarding.com to download art blender wallpapers for your computer and iphone.
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“Poked Eye” By Travis Millard. Created exclusively for Concrete Skateboarding. 20
Concrete skateboarding