Why be bored in school? Go to a Skateboard School! This Toronto District School Board alternative school design program helps students earn high school credits and graduate by creating their own brand and running a skateboard business / professional design studio. OASIS SKATEBOARD FACTORY (OSF) "ON THE GRIND": TDSB's ART & ENTREPRENEURSHIP O.G.s since 2006!

Sunday, November 16, 2014

ISMS Apparel


I am a first semester Grade 12 student at Oasis Skateboard Factory. The brand that I started is called ISMS Apparel. ISMS Apparel exists to disrupt the mass cultural acceptance of graffiti and bring the art form back to its true roots.

I chose a black white and grey graphic that reads “STREET ART IS A CRIME” across the center of the deck, with a portrait of a police officer on the nose end and a modified ISMS Apparel logo on the tail end. The design was inspired by the “GRAFFITI IS A CRIME” posters that a graffiti writer may see in a police station after being arrested. This design was meant to remind the people who love street art and hate graffiti of the fact that it all starts with a creative act of vandalism.

I made my board by pressing 7 Canadian maple veneers using a Roarockit street deck mold. Then I shaped the edges and sanded the entire board with 4 grades of sand paper. After that I drew a sketch and got to work on my graphic which I applied using spray painted tape stencils. Overall I was happy with my finished board, but next time I would like to plan out my graphic better so that I would not have to use so much paint.