Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art

by Sean Cliver

Longtime skateboard artist Sean Cliver put together this staggering survey of over 1,000 skateboard graphics from the last 30 years, creating an indispensable insiders' history as he did so.
Alongside his own history, Sean has assembled a wealth of recollections and stories from prominent artists and skateboarders such Andy Howell, Barry McGee, Ed Templeton, Steve Caballero, and Tony Hawk.
The end result is a fascinating historical account of art in the skateboard subculture, as told by those directly involved with shaping its legendary creative face.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

237 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Tim Hecklinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will bring back 1,000 memories if you ever skated. Just a compilation of about every skateboard ever made, it's a great coffee table book. There's not a person who's been in my house whos skated at some time, that hasn't picked this book up, plopped on the couch, and looked at it for LESS than an hour.

[Brett Marcus Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my new favorite art book.

I never skateboarded (I was into rollerblades), but I enjoyed looking through my older brother's skateboard catalogs as a kid, and when he brought home a copy of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater one night I became obsessed. Time passed, I kinda forgot all about it, but when I saw this in the used bookstore I picked it up thinking it'd be fun to just thumb through, but I loved every page. What an incredible culture there was around this industry!

Most of the artists who contribute to this book were so young when they got started, with lead author Sean Cliver getting his start in high school after winning a contest in an issue of Thrasher. All the pros were teens who just wanted the wildest art on their boards, and many of them got the chance to do the art themselves regardless of skill or education. There wasn't a LOT of concern for the market or what sold, and copyright infringement was almost a badge of honor. There's nothing else quite like that in the art world. And the art itself reflects that! Design standards changed from the eighties into the early 2000s, but you can flip to any page in this thing and get hit with a killer variety of designs that are all over the place. A huge inspiration that I know I'll be pulling off for my shelf to look at again and again as long as I own it.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent insider's view on the history of skateboard art and the trends in the industry. this was written by sean cliver, one of powell's premier artists who later moved on to work for world industries. tons of commentary by other artists and pro skaters from each era such as mark gonzales and jason lee. the photos are amazing and it gives an awesome look into the stories behind skateboard art, a lot of which is dismissed just simply as "graphics".

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

the greatest book ever printed on paper.

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just an incredible book of some of the most interesting underground artists of the last 50 years. It just makes me happy every time I look through it. My favorite art book of the past few years.

[Ryan Mickels · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all about knowing your skate roots! Great history of skate graphics and some content on the how and why certain designs came to be.

[Stinky Wizzleteats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just enough commentary to accompany the photos of all your favorite skateboard graphics.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great stories, so much history and amazing art, this book is s-s-sick. Makes me want to collect skateboards, God help me.