Alex Ives is a skater and artist from Leicester England
I’m a dad and I work in a call centre. A lot of the time I draw what’s in my head like the pop culture and hip-hop culture that I’ve grown up. I make comics inspired by people that I’ve known and ideas I’ve had.
Skateboarding is something I wanted to do since I was a teenager. I was never very confident when I was younger and I talked myself into thinking I couldn’t draw and I was scared to go out and skate and try and get to know people.
It wasn’t really until last year when I was 37 that I just said fuck it and bought a cheap board. I have got a paved area at the back of my house and I just started doing it. I would tell myself that Rodney Mullen started in a garage…but there is clearly a big skill gap between me and him.
There a lot of skate experiences I haven’t had at all but I still love it. Skateboarding has such a DIY approach is always really inspiring. And for me the fact that art and music play such a big part in the videos. I find a lot of the classic videos are amazing maybe more as I’m discovering them only now.
My creative process happens during my two breaks and lunch at work. I sit at my desk and draw as much as I can between calls without being fired but on my breaks I can focus. When I’m commuting I think up stories and ideas for comics and things to draw.
The Gonz is really inspiring. I think when you can do something well the next step is to be creative with it. Skating, DJing, music or drawing. I think the Gonz embodies that.
Palace Skateboards‘ Palasonic and anything with Leo Valls inspire me right now. I like the raw street stuff as well. Fighting with police and security, crack heads. That sort of thing. I have issues with authority even now.
The No Comply Network is a great thing. It gives people an opportunity to express themselves and be proud of being creative.
I’ve been posting a comic about a former road man who is getting drawn back into his old life. That’s what I’m enjoying doing.
