Don Pendleton

Don Pendleton is an American artist, designer and illustrator currently living in Kettering, OH. He was born and raised in Ravenswood, WV where, while being influenced by his father's art, he started drawing at the age of 9 and began skateboarding at the age of 14. After securing some sponsors, he went through the amateur ranks of skateboarding, competing and doing demos. An ankle injury in 1992 shifted his focus back to artwork and he completed a bachelor's degree in Graphic Arts at Marshall University in the spring of 2004. Pendleton took all the art jobs he could find in an effort to build his portfolio and worked at several newspapers and publications, focusing on copy editing, layout, design and illustration during the mid-90s where much of his current style was developed. Combining his first loves, he took the position of graphic artist for Alien Workshop skateboards in April, 1998, where he spent the better part of a decade manning the board graphics, designing catalogs, clothing and websites. In 2005, he accepted an offer to help direct the graphics at Element Skateboards. He did so from his home base in Ohio while making regular trips to CA for art and development meetings. During his tenure at Element, Pendleton continued to participate in live painting projects, traveling through much of the U.S. and Europe for exhibits and art shows. He is currently a freelance and fine artist focusing select commercial work and painting. In addition to Alien Workshop and Element Skateboards, he has done projects for Zero Skateboards, Mountain Dew, Heroin Skateboards, Oakley, Nike 6.0, Gravis, Burton, K2, DVS Shoes and Etnies, among others. His art has been exhibited across the globe in various exhibits and shows and has been featured in Slap Magazine, The Skateboard Mag, Transworld, Color, Streetwear Today, Lodown Magazine and other various print and online publications. In 2008, Don was featured in a documentary from Bob Kronbauer entitled, 'Little Giants.' The film, distributed by Mumble Magazine, explored Pendleton's work and life.