I saw this fantastic documentary called Skategoat on my flight from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong a week ago. It was so good that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
This morning while walking down the steep incline on Shan Kwong Road after parking at the HK Jockey Club, I took this photo on my iPhone knowing it was something I’d love to draw over. Drawing on photos wherever I travel has been a habit of mine for well over 15 years (perhaps I should put a compilation together at some point).
Anyway, back to this illustration. This piece is an homage to Leandre Sanders, the skater featured in Skategoat (directed by Van Alpert). As I was going through a half-dozen photos I’d casually snapped on my iPhone, I found this particular shot down Shan Kwong Road to be the most interesting. It showcases Hong Kong’s unmistakable, claustrophobia-inducing landscape with a touch of lush vegetation and the ubiquitous red taxis set on a steep, sloping road.
It didn’t take long before I settled on a concept. I sketched Leandre Sanders bombing down the road on top of two red Hong Kong cabbies. The idea immediately made me smile.
I created this image in Procreate on my iPad, taking 1 hour and 24 minutes. I had so much fun creating this piece, just imagining how Leandre would weave in and out of Hong Kong traffic on his board.
Here’s my process: