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Skart. A hideous term for something beautiful. No relation to shart, which is, by definition “gas followed by mass.” A hideous term for something hideous.

The above photo, which is thankfully shartless, contains many of my favorite things to see: Kenny Anderson’s smooth style, Chocolate’s on-point art direction, and visually interesting, unique skate spots. It’s a trifecta of all that’s good in skateboarding.

While speaking of Chocolate’s art direction, one would be remiss in failing to mention the frustratingly skilled Evan Hecox, the artist behind many of Chocolate’s best graphics. Like the mouthwatering Soda Bottle Series:

Chocolate’s Soda Bottle Series by Evan Hecox

He also did this brilliant set of boards released way back in 1997, during Chocolate’s first round of glory days. For any outsiders who maybe thought skateboarding graphics were just about skulls and bad parodies, um, go fuck yourself — but also check out these bad boys before you do (or after you do for that matter, I don’t really care):

Chocolate’s City Series by Evan Hecox - photo via bobshirt.com

Now there are some boards with serious wall presence. His line work is incredibly crisp, clean, and fuck the onomatopoeia but… classic. A truly inspiring illustrator. Skateboarding is lucky to have him wasting his considerable talents on a product that’s designed to be destroyed within a couple weeks.

Anyway, who should I bill for all this free advertising?