Today, we take a peek into the mind of an individual who helped shape skateboarding and whose sketchbook and unique vision has made him popular around the world.
In 1998, our friend Mark "Fos" Foster founded Heroin Skateboards. What began as an elegant joke has now become one of the most popular skate brands in the world. Heroin features non-traditional shapes, striking art, and a diverse team of skateboarders who move to the beat of their own drum. Skateboarding fans instantly recognize Fos' art and design style, knowing it's been adorned on the veneers of brands like Baker, Deathwish, Element, Toy Machine, Zero, and Creature.
We had the opportunity to dive deep into Foz's creative mindset and talk about form, art, team building, Heroin Skateboards, and his latest brand, Snot Wheels.
Thank you so much for speaking with us, Fos ! We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule. What's your typical day like these days?
I wake up around 9 or 10 in the morning and make an Americano. I recently got a nice espresso machine, so this is a big change. I have some toast or a pastry and start work. I check emails, check incoming shipments, and try to balance freelance art, art for Heroin and Snot Wheels , or packing and shipping Snot orders. My wife gets home around 4 , so I spend time with her, have dinner, and watch a show. Then she goes to bed around 10 , and I usually start my night shift, working on art, graphics, ads, or board shapes for the next season of Heroin .
It's always a good day at the shop when you can unbox a new Heroin deck and inspect the latest shapes. Are your shapes inspired by experimentation, ongoing jokes, skateability, or a combination thereof?
Skatability is usually the most important factor when deciding on a shape. It has to be functional. When I first started making shapes (around 2014 ), we made some flops. It was a case of "this nose and tail look cool together" and we ended up with something terrible, like a 15.5 wheelbase on a 32 inch board . That wasn't good.
It seems like measuring tapes are being used a lot these days. So let's talk wheelbase. Is wheelbase entirely down to personal preference, or do certain wheelbases lend themselves to certain skateboarder styles? Let's try and ignite this debate a bit.
Wheelbase matters. A few years ago, while skating at Jim Greco's old park, I was trying to do a brand slide from the bank to the parking blocks, but I couldn't do it on my 8.5 board. I popped it and tried to turn 180 degrees, but it just wouldn't turn. I tried it 50 to 100 times. The wheelbase was probably 14.5 or 14.6 . I went home that night, set up an 8.38 pop with a 14.25 wheelbase, came back the next day, and did it on the first or second try. It worked every time after that. That's when I realized the difference in wheelbase functionality. Most of our wheelbases work in the 14.125 to 14.3 range. We have some that are longer, but we feel these sizes work best with our boards.
Over the past few years, the Heroin team has always been a mixing pot of skate styles. From Daniel Shimizu's effective flow to Lee Yankou's monster pop, to Dead Dave 's foray into some of the wildest territory you'll ever see, the chopper seems to sit in a genre all his own. What do you consider when choosing your team riders?
There are many factors, such as style and originality. Also, if you are placed with another team, it can almost be a negative influence. Our members feel that being part of another brand doesn't work. It's hard to say what the magic formula is, but what is it actually? If there are people doing tricks I've never seen before, that's a good start. However, it's important not to be too outlandish. It's a very delicate balance.
Does the team have a say in the shape and dimensions of the board?
Yes, Dead Dave and I designed his mutant shape. Swampy helped me design two shapes as well. One is coming out in April and the other in July . I just finished configuring a sample of the July one, codenamed Bog Log 2. I still have some grip dust on my hands as I type this. I'm going to test ride it tomorrow with the crew.
Is there such a thing as a skateboard being too wide?
I haven't found one yet. Our only limitation is the trucks. It's hard to get trucks that are 12 inches wide.
Tell us about Snot Wheels . When did you launch the brand?
It was an idea that came to me during the pandemic. The idea came to me in 2020 , and Dead Dave didn't have a wheel sponsor, so he decided to start a wheel brand. I also reached out to Jake Snelling from Blokes Videos . I've known Jake for years, and he wasn't riding for a wheel brand sponsor. Those were the first two riders. Because of the pandemic, it was really hard to get wheels. We had one delivery in 2021 because of all the shortages, and it sold out in 10 days. Then, 2022 was a little back to normal in terms of production. We had two big orders come in, and of course, they arrived in the same month. There were challenges, for sure. I'm managing everything from my house, and I do all the packaging from containers in my yard. All of our wheels are made in a great factory in the USA. I wasn't going to go the Chinese route. Their wheels are still trash right now. I'm just having fun. Our crew is all riding them, so that's a good sign.
Your timeless art is the recognizable identity of Heroin Skateboards . Can you walk us through the process of creating skateboard graphics?
1. The idea. It has to make sense, work, and fit with what the brand is trying to do. 2. Sketch. I draw it in my sketchbook with pen or pencil. I draw the basic look of the thing. 3. Work on the computer. I usually start by taking a photo of a good draft on my phone, then start working from there, redrawing it over and over again. Sometimes multiple redraws and lots of lightbox time. Once I'm done, I put it back on the computer, Photoshop it, vectorize it in Illustrator and color it. And it's pretty much done. Now I just have to wait 3 months and see if anyone buys it when it's released. Lol.
In your opinion, what makes a great skateboard graphic?
The best graphics I've ever done have some elements ... like Frank Villani's bat board, which is technically okay, but you get the idea, and looking back, you could slightly change some elements inside, but somehow it's made better by the fact that it was Frankie Villani's first pro board. There's that. I made a few boards for him, and I have it hanging on my wall. What I'm saying is that sometimes the combination of rider, brand, and graphic is what makes a graphic special. It's the context. I think that's true of a lot of great graphics. I always try my best as a designer to avoid putting text under the trucks as much as possible. I try to include the rider's name and brand. I also have some weird rules. For example, don't put an image of a skateboard on the board. That seems really weird to me. It's a skateboard. We know you love skateboarding. There's no need for an image of the board on the board. I've also always been put off by boards with professional portraits on them. "Do you have a portrait of yourself on your board?" Hmm ...
What advice do you have for young skaters looking to pursue design or art as a career?
I proposed graphics to a lot of brands before Ed from Toy Machine gave me my first chance. Get to know the brand and rider you're proposing to and become familiar with them. While skulls and other things don't necessarily work for brands like Girl or Chocolate , there are plenty of brands where it might work. They might not necessarily need graphics the first time you pitch them, but keep trying. Every skate brand requires new graphics every 90 days. That should motivate you to pitch them. I've been busy with Heroin and Snot lately , so I don't do a lot of freelance pitching to other brands.
