Portfolio Review: Illustrator Adam Villacin Shares His Drawings of Wrestlers, Skinheads, and X-Men

Los Angeles-based artist Adam Villacin's illustrations seem to come to life right on the page. His stippled portraits of people like Mike Tyson, Biggie Smalls, and Scottie Pippen have a depth beyond pen and ink. Instead of being simply caricatures, they capture the complicated personalities of those depicted.

Clearly a fan of sub-cultures, Villacin has used his talents to depict skinheads, WWF wrestlers, and X-Men. His drawings of weapons, one of his favorite subjects, earned him a commission from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art store to illustrate a book of historical weaponry called Archaic Arsenal. Villacin's drawings appear mostly in skillfully crafted zines, and he also sells tote bags, pins, and T-shirts with his work. You can find more of his illustrations on Instagram and Twitter.

We asked the artist to tell us the stories behind some of his pieces. Check out our Portfolio Review: Illustrator Adam Villacin Shares His Drawings of Wrestlers, Skinheads, Weapons, and X-Men.

“This is from my Dream Team zine, a collection of illustrations and haikus depicting the 1992 US Olympic Basketball Team. I was nine in 1992, and the marketing behind them elevated all of these guys to a god-like status in my young eyes. Putting together a group like this was like assembling a superhero team: totally unfair to the rest of the world.”

“I was raised watching the WWF in the '80s and early '90s. Watching these strange, insanely strong and athletic men in wild costumes on TV was like bearing witness to demigods or heroes from Greek mythology. There's something very primal about it that touches your lizard brain. This particular drawing is from an upcoming sequel to my zine Dead Wrestlers.”

“I was born and raised in Los Angeles and recently became a father. Despite being such a young city on a global scale, there is such a rich and deep history here. I made this hat with the original name of the pueblo that became L.A. as a tribute to both the gangster rap culture that influenced everyone who grew up here when I did and to the settlers/colonists that set up shop here hundreds of years ago. I hope that it makes some people think about history and consequence on a deeper level.”

“This drawing of Cyclops is my personal favorite from a show I just had at The Secret Headquarters called 'These Charming X-Men,' and as you could have guessed, it was a collection of drawings of the X-Men as filtered through the music of The Smiths and Morrissey.”

“This image is etched into my brain from so many repeat viewings of sensationalized reports of the Heaven's Gate cult mass suicide in 1997. I recently became interested in cults because of the media obsession with them during my adolescence and the aspect of a man being elevated to a figure of worship. The iconography of the Nike Decades paired with the purple blanket is just a gimme.”

“This picture of Evander is another quintessential snapshot. Mike Tyson is a man that I am fascinated with, a man who I think would be regarded as a god in another time and culture. This represents a very dark moment in a complicated man's life.”

“These two images from from a body of work I created for a show at KK Los Angeles called 'Pobody's Nerfect.' I am very interested in subcultures and their signifiers, and skinheads are particularly interesting to me. What stands out most is that they were rooted in Jamaican rudeboy culture and transformed through immigration to the UK, merging with hard mods and creating 2 Tone ska, then being absorbed by the National Front before the Americans adopted the worst of the culture. I'd say that it is one of the most fluid and changing cultures that has managed to aesthetically look pretty much the same throughout its course.”

“These edits of Bo Jackson baseball cards are both a study in iconography through graphic design and existentialism. When the collection is viewed in full, it has an eerie effect.”

“This is from a series of photographs from the late 1800s depicting warriors from Sudan. Each of these men became so captivating to me. I wanted to know their stories, and despite being captured on film for a brief moment of their lives, their stories will most likely never be told. There's something sad about that to me.”

“I love weapons. I draw them all the time. I was asked by the LACMA store to illustrate a book of weapons from their permanent collection. It was a huge honor and some of my favorite work to date.”

“This is from a zine that portrays well-known California-based conceptual artists as skateboarders. It was a lot of fun to draw.”

“Who is more regarded in terms of contemporary sainthood or martyrdom than dead rappers? Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumous career and legend eclipses his incredible talent. A true idol.”

“This illustration of Guns N Roses is from a zine I did called NOPE. It's a guide to bands whose original members will never, ever reunite. It is a stark contrast to my work about unions and the formation of individuals into groups, teams, or cultures.”