It’s always our pleasure to introduce to you to new artists. We dig skateboarding and obviously we dig women. When you put the two together as Australian artist Rhys McDonald does with his custom illustrated decks, it’s instant brohood. YUHMM readers, meet our new pal Rhys.

Give us the low down on how you got started as an illustrator.

I wasn’t one of those lucky people that was born drawing. I was in my late teens before I started really getting into art and probably 21 before I even touched a Wacom. I went to study art but only lasted a year. Where I was studying didn’t offer much by way of digital arts which was where I was leaning too heavily so I just dropped out and decided to teach myself. Not sure I would recommend that technique to everyone, but the DIY approach has been good to me so far. I just kind of started and I’ve been lucky enough to get away with it.

Who or what helped shaped your style?

Probably comic books the most… and girls. A lot of how I learned Photoshop came from sitting down with a comic book and staring at it trying to figure out how certain techniques and finishes were achieved which is still something I do when I see something cool. I instantly want to dissect it and figure out how I can do it. When I cracked open a Grrl Scouts comic for the first time it was one of those light bulb moments that really hooked me, and when I read Twentieth Century Eightball for the first time I was pretty much hooked for life and it snowballed from there. Those two books, for totally different reasons, are the two biggest influences I’ve had.

You seem to have the same tastes in women as we do. You’ve illustrated delicious women like Wren the White Trash Princess and Ashlee Adams who we’ve also featured. Tell us what type of girl makes for a good Rhys McDonald illustration.

You clearly have excellent taste then. Usually, I’ll surf over to GodsGirls and see something and think, “oh man that would rock if…x y z” you know? I don’t have a checklist or anything like that but sometimes when I see someone’s photo, I’ll get excited by an idea and start sketching. It’s a pretty fun way to work. It also helps when you find out the girls like Wren and Ashlee are awesome people. Other times I’ll extend a random doodle and wind up with something cool I wasn’t expecting which is pleasantly surprising when it happens. Having said that, I’m a sucker for pretty girls, so pretty much any type of girl…is my type of girl.

Have you had the pleasure of meeting many of these girls and having them pose for you in the flesh?

Unfortunately, I live in a tiny tiny town on the east coast of Australia (kindly refereed to as a giant retirement home with beaches everywhere). I’m kind of geographically retarded, so I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting ANY of the girls I’ve drawn which really blows. Thanks for reminding me I live in the middle of nowhere! But, if the YUHMM Gods could hook something up, call me.

When we meet up with Ashlee later this month, we’ll tell her you say hello. How’s that? If you could ask the YUHMM Gods to drop the perfect woman on your doorstep, who would it be and why?

Nigella Lawson. No shit. Have you see that woman? When she does that thing where she looks RIGHT at the camera and acts all flirty. Just get out. AND, she can cook which is something I cannot do. Plus, she’d probably be a cougar too right? Three thumbs up from me.

You have three thumbs? She is hot for a chef. We could sense something was odd about you. You also have your own autobio webcomic. What’s the premise?

Me, pretty much. It’s where I attempt to make something resembling a comic. I started it a few years ago with the idea of making dick and fart jokes… but, I ran out of steam for that and it eventually evolved into a journal strip that I’m still getting into the swing of - and trying to find a style I’m happy with. I’d like to put together a collection of strips one day. It’s kind of my baby and I hope it doesn’t come off as too shitty.

Within your blogroll, we see some of our favorite artists like Jim Mahfood and Nicolas Rix. Are there any other contemporary artists that you’re digging right now?

Nicolas is the man, straight up. I love his work. I got to oogle some of his high res art when he sent me a piece for my new book. Guys like Jim Mahfood, Chris Wahl, Stephen Silver and Lauren Montgomery are a constant inspiration to me. Lately, I can’t get enough of Nate Powell & Dean Haspiel. They both have line quality that I lust over, and who doesn’t love the work of Andrew Jones & Cheeks. A little closer to home, I’m always digging Mike ‘bigfatrobot’ Hepburn and the colours of Dylan McCrae.

You have an on-line store hosted by Zazzle. First off, can you send me an Andy San Dimas’ mousepad? Second, tell us what type of products you have for sale and how can we buy them.

Just for you, I’ve added an Andy San Dimas’ mousepad.

That’s mighty nice of you. Thanks.

Besides mousepads I have a range of skateboard decks, snowboard decks, longboards, messenger bags, artist journals, posters, profile cards & glicee prints. My main focus right now is coming up with a great range of deck designs, but it just happens those designs work on many different items. Everything is available online through www.theplasticage.deckpeck.com and www.zazzle.com/ThePlasticAge and I can vouch for the awesome quality of these items

Tell us what other projects you have going on this year that we should be on the look out for.

Well my new pinup art book Last Call for Sin is for sale on my website so you should all be on the look out for that bad boy. I spent about 7 months working on that book and really stoked it’s finally up for sale. If you like pinup girls, you should enjoy this collection. Besides getting some awareness happening for that, I’m planning on reinvesting in my web comic. I’ve started a new sequential project that as yet is unnamed and I have no clue where I’m going to put it, but it’s shaping up to be fun. I’d like to get into vinyl toy customization. I’ve started painting a Munny recently. And decks… lots more deck designs on the way. Oh yeah, and more freelance work as well I hope. So I can afford to eat, pay my bills, and all that fun stuff.

Taste it:
www.the-plastic-age.com