Wesley (Wes) Humpston, AKA BullDog,
has been the driving force behind skateboard art and graphics for well over
the past quarter century. From his early days growing up surfing, skating,
drawing, and hanging in Santa Monica, CA through today - still in a beachside
community south of Dogtown - as owner and artist of BullDog
Skates, Wes continues to wield his stylus and pen killer designs which
are being produced into quality decks, wheels, and soft goods. Kick that
deck over on to the gripped side and take a look! Before Wes hit the scene,
the extent of the graphic was only a Sims, Logan, or maybe a Bahne logo,
which ain't sayin' much holmes! During class - between skate sessions -
or on the way to the next pool, Wes started drawing (sometimes, admittedly,
under the influence of a little of that hemp derivative cultivated way north
of Santa Monica…) on the bottom of his friends' skateboards. The rest is,
as they say, history. One story goes that Wes asked a visitor to his home
what stood out to him in a photo of a skater - the guy described in great
detail all aspects of the picture…the real answer Wes was looking for: the
bottom of the deck, dude! Things seem to have come full circle for Wes -
the first deck off the production line bearing BullDog art, which in addition
single handedly revolutionized the industry with production of both wider
and 'pig' shaped decks, was the PC (Paul Constantinou) Tail Tap model (Dogtown
Skates, circa 1978). Flash forward 25 years and the latest deck, in a full
line of old school designs under the BullDog Skates (BDS) banner - the PC
Tail Tap II, is in production! Bearing OG HC BullDog art, no less. The more
things change - the more they stay the same…
Gas head....guess who?
Still going strong after all these years... the 2002 release of Tail Tap 2!
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