Behind The Design: Björn Hartweger
Slash team rider, Gigi's old friend, fellow Pirate and now Slash Splash kids board designer. Introducing Björn Hartweger, the man behind the design of our newest kids board - Stinky!
Tell us how long you've been illustrating.
Drawing and painting gave me joy since I was a child. At some point I got hooked on painting monsters, which I’ve done since the early 2000s. Starting drawing outlines and filling space with plain acrylics, to then slowly adding highlights and shadows to give my creatures a little more of a plastic look!. Mixing colours is one of my favourite things.
When and where did you and Gigi first meet?
If i remember right, it was at the Junior World Championships back in 1998 in Telluride USA. Later our paths crossed with the "Pirate Movie Production“ project that brought us together again - something I was a part of for 10 years!
What's your day job?
I run a snowboard & ski school together with my brother in my hometown in Kaprun, Austria.
Tell us about the first Slash artwork you made.
After Gigi asked me if I would be interested in making a design for his kids board, the board’s twin tip shape helped me in my I idea for my design. I wanted to design a board that works in both directions, so it’s a kind of two-in-one.
The kids get to decide which monster they prefer to have at the front of the board. That also explains the black and white spiral in the middle. Colour-wise I wanted to go for colours that work for both girls and boys…and me :)! It will be fun to see what side the kids prefer..
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A lot of my inspiration I take from creative people around me. Especially in the times where I was hunting for snow with the Pirates! With creators like Ludschi, Lukas Goller and many more. Beside that, photography inspires me a lot. I keep my eyes open because there is plenty of inspiration out there.
Any final words for the internet?
Keep your mind open and respect that not everyone will think like you.
See you on the mountains!