Quick answer
At deckarts, handmade skateboard wall art means exactly that: every deck is printed by hand in Berlin and packed by hand by the same small team. Add to that a door that stays open to little-known artists, a blog built on interviews, carefully chosen wall mounts, real flexibility with customers and support for social projects such as one in Okhtyrka, Ukraine, and you have the reasons we believe we are number one in skateboard art.
By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin
“Number one” is a big claim, and we know it. We are not going to back it with charts or rankings, because that is not how we measure ourselves. We measure ourselves by how a deck is made, who gets to put their work on it, and how people feel when the parcel arrives. This article is our honest list of the things we do differently, written in our own words. Read it, look at the work, and decide for yourself.
Handmade Is the New Luxury
For a long time luxury meant logos, gloss and scale. We think that has changed. Today the rarest thing you can buy is attention: an object that a person actually touched, checked and cared about before it left the workshop.
That is the first reason we believe we lead in skateboard art. We do everything with our own hands. The printing is done by hand. The packaging is done by hand. Every deck is UV-printed by hand in Berlin by me, Stanislav, on Grade-A 7-ply Canadian maple pressed in Butzbach, Germany, and then it ships from Berlin. Even our blank decks carry that origin: seven plies of maple, pressed in Germany, before a single drop of ink touches them.
What does that change for you?
- Every deck is seen before it goes. There is no anonymous line between the print and the box. The person who printed your deck is the person who checks it.
- Packaging is part of the work. A deck is a long, flat piece of art. We pack it ourselves, because we know what it needs to arrive the way it left.
- Small decisions get made by people, not presets. When something about a file or a colour looks off, we notice and deal with it.
If you want the material side in detail, we wrote about it in how skateboard decks are made and why it matters for wall art.
A Real Chance for Little-Known Artists
The second reason is the one we are proudest of. We work with little-known artists. We give everyone a chance, not only recognised names and established authors, but also young artists who are just starting out.
The process is simple. If an artist and their work fit deckarts, we talk, we agree on terms together, and we put their work on the site, printed on maple and offered next to everything else we sell. For someone at the very beginning, that can matter a lot: a real product, a real page, real people looking at the work.
Very few shops in our niche open the door this way; most stick to famous names or in-house designs. We think that is a missed opportunity, for artists and for collectors, who get to discover a voice before everyone else does.
You can meet some of these artists on the blog, for example in our interview with Delletuefiammeavide about India-ink bestiaries and surreal hybrids, our conversation with Yehor Bread, or the post introducing two new artists, Braviera and Michael David Walrond. If you make art yourself, read how to partner with deckarts as an artist.
A Blog We Write Because We Care
Third: we have a blog, and we believe it is the best in our niche. That is our view, not a statistic, and it comes from one simple rule: we write about themes and ideas that genuinely interest us and move us.
Some posts are practical, such as how to hang a deck or choose a set. Some go deep into the paintings behind our classical decks. And a growing part of the deckarts blog is interviews. We talk to artists, athletes, painters and skateboarders. In practice, that means anyone who writes to us on Instagram or by email with something to say. We find these conversations really interesting, and we think readers do too.
Want to be featured? Write to us on Instagram or by email and tell us what you do. We read every message.
Wall Mounts We Trust
Fourth: we finally reached an agreement with a skateboard wall mount maker in Canada. Now we sell what we consider the best skateboard wall mounts on the market, made in Canada.
A few things are worth knowing, because they save questions later:
- Our decks have nothing on the back. No hangers, no D-rings. They are not ready to hang straight out of the box.
- Wall mounts are sold separately. You choose how you want to display the deck.
- One wall mount per deck. That applies to every mount we offer, including the horizontal one.
- Everything ships from Berlin.
Browse the options in our display accessories collection, or read the complete mounting guide first.
Will we make our own mounts one day? It is in our plans. For now, we don’t yet see how we could make them better. But maybe we will get there.
We Listen, and We Fix Things
Fifth: we listen to our customers, and we meet them halfway. Even when a problem is not our mistake, we still try to fix it and to do what the customer asked for.
A small studio can do this in a way a large retailer often cannot. There is no script and no ticket queue between you and the person who printed your deck. If something is not right, tell us, and we will look for a solution together. On top of the statutory 14-day right of withdrawal, we offer a voluntary 30-day return on standard decks; custom decks are excluded, because they are made for one person only.
Unusual Customs and Small Extras
Sixth: sometimes we take on custom orders that are, honestly, a bit unusual. And sometimes we add something personal to a parcel, like a greeting card. Few shops bother with these extras; for us they are part of what handmade means.
If you have an idea of your own, a photo, a drawing or a logo, start with the custom deck page or our guide to custom skateboard deck printing.
What Comes Next: A Store and Workshops
We are planning an offline store. The idea is a place where you can see how all of this works up close and choose your board in person, instead of only on a screen.
Alongside it we are planning workshops:
- packaging;
- design development;
- printing decks;
- branding;
- logos.
This is coming in the near future. We will announce details on the blog when they are ready.
Social Projects: Okhtyrka
Finally, something that matters to us beyond business: we support social projects. One example is in Ukraine, around Okhtyrka, a small town in the country. We supported artists from this town and printed their photos on skateboards.
The result is our Okhtyrka collection: skateboard art by artists from Okhtyrka, a place where skateboarding, graffiti, music and youth culture have become symbols of resilience and freedom. Right now it holds two pieces. Motherland is a three-deck triptych built from urban imagery. Local 42700, named after the town’s postal code, turns winter street photography from Okhtyrka into a single skateboard wall piece. Both are made for display, not for riding.
An exhibition of these works is coming soon, and we will definitely write about it on the blog. Coming from Ukraine myself, this project is personal. A deck is a simple object, but it can carry a story a long way.
So, Why Number One?
Not because we are the biggest. Because every deck is handmade in Berlin, because we give little-known artists a real chance, because our blog is written out of curiosity, because we choose mounts carefully and are honest about how they work, because we listen and fix things, and because we use what we make to support people who need it. That is our case. The work is on the site, so judge it there.
FAQ
Is deckarts skateboard wall art really handmade?
Yes. Every deck is UV-printed by hand in Berlin by Stanislav, and the packaging is done by hand too. The decks are Grade-A 7-ply Canadian maple pressed in Butzbach, Germany.
Can a little-known artist get their work on deckarts?
Yes. If an artist and their work fit deckarts, we talk, agree on terms and place the work on the site. See our page on how to partner with deckarts as an artist.
How can I be interviewed for the deckarts blog?
Write to us on Instagram or by email. We interview artists, athletes, painters and skateboarders, anyone with something interesting to say.
Do deckarts decks come ready to hang?
No. The decks have nothing on the back. Wall mounts are sold separately, and you need one wall mount per deck.
Where do deckarts orders ship from?
All orders ship from Berlin.
Can I order an unusual custom deck?
Often, yes. We regularly take on unusual custom requests. Start with the custom deck page and tell us what you have in mind. Custom decks are excluded from the voluntary 30-day return.
What is the deckarts Okhtyrka collection?
Skateboard art by artists from Okhtyrka, Ukraine, printed on decks for display: the Motherland triptych and the single deck Local 42700.
Will deckarts have a physical store?
An offline store and workshops on packaging, design, deck printing, branding and logos are planned for the near future. We will announce details on the blog.
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