Episode 36 – Donta Santistevan // Illustrator. Designer.

"The homie Donta has fulfilled the dream. He grew up in California, obsessed over the worlds of skateboarding and art, eventually went to art school, and after years of hard work has found himself at the intersection of art and skate heaven, working as an in-house Illustrator and Designer for The Mag aka The Bible aka Thrasher Magazine. He’s got styles for miles, talent for days, and a warm and friendly heart to boot. Donta’s illustrations are sick as fuck, full of color, and the dude is just such a nice guy. Needless to say, I’m a fan.

In this episode of BEDROOM™, Donta shares a pivotal moment in his creative life, how he found himself in a bit of a rut in his late 20s, spending his time working at a cafe and freelancing on the side. After some self-reflection, he decided he wanted to shoot his shot and follow his dreams to make it in the world of skateboarding and get some official board graphics made. After all, you miss all the shots you don’t take, and my G was shooting full-court shots - eventually, he started making them! He tells the story of how he landed his first board graphic series for Ed Templeton’s iconic company: Toy Machine. From there, he talks about making board graphics for enjoi, Chico Brenes’ Central, and the Crail Camp’s own, Chocolate Skateboards. Donta then shares how he got the job at Thrasher and what it is he actually does over there. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in the art department at Thrasher, listen up, because Donta dishes game.

From there, we switch topics and Donta shares about his new art book, “Something Cheeky”, a collection of illustrations that capture the admiration of every curve, crease, and wiggle of the human body. It’s an illustrated book full of joyful and intimate moments, all turned into art. It’s 104 pages, hardcover, and if you want to snag a copy, it’s currently available at DONTASMA.COM. Use code BEDROOM to get 0% off. Come on, y’all. Support my dude!!!

We also tap into a few listener-submitted questions, one from Michelle Fernandez Villalba, one from Steve Corona, and one from Andrew Snarr.

Finally, we wrap things up with a round of BEDROOM BANTER™, where Arshia and I rapid-fire some classic BEDROOM™ questions and Donta gives the fans what they want. Big shoutout to Donta Santistevan for coming on the pod. Welcome to the BEDROOM™, y’all. WORLDWIDE PEACE.” – PSG

Donta's Socials & Websites
Donta's Instagram: @dontasma
Donta's Website: www.dontasma.com

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EP.036 - Donta Santistevan // Thrasher Magazine's Illustrator & Designer