Skate It Your Way

By Tony King

For many skateboarders, self-expression is just as important as rolling away smoothly from a switch tre flip. Skate-artists have been using the bottoms of their boards like canvases for decades—using everything from Sharpies, paint pens and spray paint to stencils and silkscreens—to create their own rolling masterpieces.BoardPusher.com has taken this DIY approach one step further, giving skaters top-quality boards made of 100% Canadian Maple with custom graphics professionally applied to the bottom. BoardPusher offers decks that are comparable to those found in skateboard shops in terms of quality and price, but with your own graphic creation gracing the bottom. The site offers hours of creative fun for skaters and aspiring graphic artists of all ages (of course, younger kids may need a little more help from Mom or Dad).

What You’ll Need:

• A membership at BoardPusher.com
• Large graphics files or photos
• A scanner
• Your imagination

1. Log On
To get started, simply go to BoardPusher.com and set up an account. Enter in your e-mail address and information. BoardPusher will send you a confirmation e-mail, letting you log on to the site, pick your board company name and start designing your deck.

2. Choose a Board
BoardPusher offers a wide array of decks, including a “Mini/Kid” deck. Smaller boards are perfect for street skating, while larger boards are more suited for transitions (ramps and pools). You can also choose from two "cruiser" shapes.

3. Design Your Graphics
Even if you are not a graphic designer, BoardPusher’s graphics generator makes designing your board easy. Choose from different background colors or designs and a wide variety of cool fonts. You can even incorporate your own photos or artwork, using your digital camera or scanner. Large picture files (JPG or PNG format only) with increased DPI dimensions work best. Once you’ve finished designing your board, save it to your user profile. With a standard profile, you can design up to 10 boards.

4. Purchase Your Board
Each board costs $50, plus $10 for shipping and handling. The technicians at BoardPusher do the rest, applying your graphics to a huge sticker which is heat-transferred directly onto the skateboard. The end result is identical to any deck you will find at a skate shop.

5. Set It Up
Your brand new custom-designed board takes 1-2 weeks to arrive at your door. All you need to do is apply the griptape (that sandpaper-like adhesive that goes on top of the board for traction), add the trucks and wheels (available at your local skate shop), and watch your kid shred.

6. Open Shop
For $5 a month, you can design as many boards as you want and sell your creations.

CAUTION: While skateboarding enjoys some mainstream success now, it is still firmly rooted in its punk-rock past. Some designs on BoardPusher may be objectionable, so preview the site before logging on with your child, note any potential trouble spots and steer the kids accordingly.