2014 was a busy one. Here are all the decks i designed last year, including the ones that coincided with my book “Look Away: The Art of Todd Francis” from Wins Publishing (available online). The year started with a bang with Vagrant All Stars, and ended with another bang in Raney Beres’ first pro deck. And 2015 is gonna be even better.
Getting to do a deck for the legendary Jeff Grosso is one thing…but to celebrate a Live And Let Live mentality with a pro-gay rights graphic, and at the same time knowing you might be alienating much of Grosso’s fan base….well, it adds up to be one of the more meaningful board graphics i’ve done in my sweet, short life, and it went over big. The Gross Gay Pride decks sold out remarkably fast, and got a lot of people very stoked. Fun fact: the inspiration for the graphic was via Grosso’s instagram feed, where people were arguing back and forth …
As part of my ongoing monthly page for Penthouse Magazine, here is my piece for their March 2015 issue, on newsstands now. I hope you’re viewing this on your phone right now. It might be my favorite one so far. Stay tuned for more updates and artwork appearing in Penthouse, this stuff is fun.
During the June 2014 art show and release party for my book “Look Away: the Art of Todd Francis” at The Branch in Costa Mesa, CA, i showed a new charcoal drawing that was displayed in the men’s room. This piece was a real crowd pleaser, and it led to a flurry of comments throughout the night. Seen here for the first time, its large (60″ x 44″) and in charge. For inquiries, contact Yong-Ki Chang at yongki@equaldist.com
If you don’t already know, i’m doing a monthly art page for Penthouse Magazine. Really fun ongoing project. Every month i get to explore today’s pressing issues: peace in the middle east, global warming, racial tensions, and frozen yogurt. Here is my piece for their January 2015 issue, on a magazine rack near you. Yummy!
Recently completed artwork for a series of articles on Xgames.com for ESPN exploring the economic concerns for athletes and participants in “the industry”. Called Money In Action, the articles discuss those who’ve cashed in, and those living in a van down by the river. Here’s one of the illustrations. To read the articles, and to see the artwork in its natural habitat, go read them for yourself. Here’s a link to the few: http://xgames.espn.go.com/article/11781311/money-action-living-dream http://xgames.espn.go.com/article/11904068/money-action-future-esports
Starting with the December ’14 issue, i’ll be doing a monthly page of art for everyone’s favorite source for cutting edge journalism, Penthouse Magazine. Yep, its true. The fine folks at Penthouse gave me very specific rules to stick to: Do Whatever The Hell You Want. With this in mind, i hope to give readers exactly what they’re looking for when they pick up an issue of Penthouse….really good, thought-provoking artwork! Here is my first piece for Penthouse’s December issue, stay tuned for monthly updates on this. And get yourself a subscription to really take it all in.
In stores now from Antihero is the Miracle of Life board set, with decks for John Cardiel, Andrew Allen, Chris Pfanner and Grant Taylor. It celebrates all the things that make your life so goddamn special…..guy’s night out, date night, the magic of fatherhood and the beauty of offspring. Art by yours truly. Sure to crush your psyche for a few minutes at least, get yours at your local skateshop. Enjoy!
Released July 1st is “Look Away: The Art of Todd Francis” from Wins Publishing, edited by Seb Carayol. Its a 96 page softcover book covering all my years of art….in the words of the publisher Winston Tseng, “This book contains a selection of Todd’s personal favorite works over the last 20 years. Included are over 200 classic and never-before-seen decks, illustrations, paintings, and sketches for companies such as: Antihero, Real, Element, Stereo, Oakley, Vans, and more.” You can order the book directly from WinsThings.com, or look for it in your local skateshop. It took a ton of work, but really …