VERB SKATEBOARDS X jordan metcalf
What was your inspiration or the idea behind your
Verb design?
Human nature. I was inspired by the duality of
people. Our amazing ability to create and destroy
in equal measure, our blend of self-loathing and
narcissism, our balance of vice and virtue, how we
break ourselves up into small parts and label them
as “good” or “bad” and assign credit and blame
accordingly.
What music were you listening to while you were
creating your graphics for the Verb range?
Lots of folk music and low-fi indie stuff,
Phosphorescent, Neutral Milk Hotel, Okkervil River,
Bowerbirds, etc. Most of my inspiration comes from
song lyrics.
Did you have any formal art education, or are you
self-taught?
I studied design at AAA.
What sort of full-time work do you do currently? Are
there any other projects you’re involved with at the
moment?
I’m a freelance designer and illustrator at the
moment, doing lots of type illustration and design
work.
What sorts of mediums do you work in and what do
you enjoy about it?
Pens, pencils, brushes, ink, paint, craft knives,
Fabriano and watercolour paper, my Wacom tablet,
Photoshop and Illustrator. I love the imperfection,
spontaneity and tactile nature of painting and drawing
but I also love that digital work allows you to zoom in
and make tiny changes to vector points and try lots of
options before deciding on a final. I get a very different
but equal satisfaction from digital and analogue work.
Could you briefly explain the process you went
through in creating this work?
I sketched out a few visual ideas around the idea of
“Human Nature” on paper, then scanned them, cleaned
them up and vectorized the final.
Do you do anything else for fun other than make art?
I spend time with my girlfriend and other friends,
watch movies, watch bands, trade music, take photos
of everything, go places, see stuff, speak to people and
stress about making cool work.
