You know him from some of the fine work he's done for Nike SB, namely the "Send Help" and "Send Help 2," but Todd Bratrud is a true G in the skate design game, having worked for just about every brand in your local skateshop. Bratrud is best known for vivid, sexy illustrations. His line work is distinct, taking stylistic cues from classic comics, pin-ups, and tattoo culture. And Chocolate Skateboards employed him to put his skills to work on this fresh series of decks and tees inspired by classic spy novel covers from the '60s. For a little more context, here's a short Q&A with the man himself.
Read on, then go buy your favorites from the series while you can, available now here.
How did you meet the Chocolate crew and get involved with this project?
I have been a fan and friend of [Chocolate and Girl art director] Andy Jenkins for a long time and known Sean Malto forever as well. I did a recurring graphic for Sean Malto based on his bike gang. There were 4 graphics in total over a year or something like that. I think that turned out kinda cool. Andy hit me up with this idea and it sounded like fun.
What was the inspiration for the Chocolate Girls project?
We wanted to recreate the feel of classic spy novel covers from the '60s. The guys at Chocolate gave me some sketches and asked if I could do a more illustrated, line-work based rendition.
Anything special to mention about the artwork?
I had a few friends of mine posed for some of these.
Why were you drawn to work with Chocolate?
It’s Girl/Chocolate! Like all skaters, I have paid attention to most everything they have done from the start and I’ve been a fan forever. Any chance to work with these guys is always a trip, an honor for sure.
What do you have on the horizon?
I’m working on a pretty in-depth series of pro graphics for Girl at the moment. Stay tuned.
