WizardSkull wins Secret Walls art battle against Dew Tour partner artist Cooper

The artist known as WizardSkull won the head-to-head Secret Walls art battle on Friday night at Dew Tour on the Green. His winning piece featured distorted versions of popular animated characters including Bart and Homer Simpson, Mickey Mouse, and Snoopy, all hand-drawn in black marker.

“I like to have fun, I want to make images that make people happy and make me remember my childhood,” WizardSkull said after taking the fan-judged win. “The Secret Walls battle format was fun for me. I grew up skateboarding: I like being in action, doing something. I don’t like sitting around thinking about what to do and planning everything out too much. Secret Walls is real quick and real straightforward: just go up there and do what you’re going to do.”

His opponent Cooper, the Dew Tour partner artist responsible for the whimsical wildflower designs on the Street and Park courses and the overall look of Dew Tour Long Beach 2019, went for an over-ambitious abstract flower design and ran out of time to complete his vision within the constraints of the 60-minute contest.

With the battle behind him, WizardSkull shared props for his competitor.

“Cooper is very dedicated. I admire anyone who’s really dedicated to their art: you can tell he’s really captured his own style by all the art around Dew Tour. That’s something I really respect.”

Secret Walls, founded in 2006, has been bringing live art battles to events around the world, arming artists only with black markers and black acrylic paint for pure side-by-side art competition in its most stripped-down form.

The artwork by WizardSkull and Cooper from the Secret Walls battle will be on display all weekend at Dew Tour on the Green, part of the Dew Tour Experience fan zone.