When you talk with Alexander Wight, aka Skully Vibes, you’ll quickly notice that it’s not lost on him how his artwork has caught on like wildfire and attracted online and commercial admiration. After all, the character created by Wight, Skully Vibes, was created in back in high school. The signature style of Skully Vibes has been a work in progress with everyone from musicians to local brands asking for branded artwork. We talked with the chill-vibes illustrator about cannabis, cartoons and his original intention of becoming a dentist.

How did you start as an artist? Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

I’ve been drawing my entire life and have always loved cartoons. It started with Arthur, Johnny Test, and Looney Tunes, then later evolved into The Simpsons, Futurama, and Family Guy. Art was always a hobby—I took as many art classes as I could in high school and was constantly doodling in my sketchbook. Originally, I went to college for biology, planning to become a dentist, but in 2016, I decided I’d rather move to Colorado to ski and work in the cannabis industry. I spent six years as the GM of Oasis Cannabis Superstore on Evans. Over time, I covered the office in my cartoons, and people who came in loved them. That inspired me to think bigger. On a whim, I created Smoking Skulls, an NFT collection of 710 digital skull drawings that I made by hand and released over a year and a half. The response to that, along with the artwork I was creating for cannabis brands at the time, gave me the confidence to set out on my own and see where my art could take me.

Where does the name “Skully Vibes” come from?

I’ve been drawing the character—or at least a version of it—since high school and calling it Skully. I added “Vibes” because I wanted to bring good vibes to people through my art. My goal is to make you smile.

Your cartoonish, illustrative style blends together in a great way. How would you describe your style?

I’d say it’s Saturday morning cartoons meets scientific textbook illustrations. I was always fascinated by the hand-drawn scientific illustrations in textbooks and old National Geographic magazines. I spent a lot of time (poorly) copying images from National Geographic and Game Informer as a kid, and my style kind of evolved from there.

Where do you draw inspiration for your work?

A lot of my inspiration comes from everyday life—memorable moments with friends, experiences from my time in the cannabis industry, and just things that make me laugh. I also consume a lot of content… maybe too much. Sometimes I see something I like and want to try it, or I’ll get an idea from a random lyric in a song. I also study the work of other artists I admire, and that constantly fuels my creativity.

How does one become part of the Skully Gang?

The Skully Gang originally started as the name of the Discord server I created for fans of the NFT collection. Over time, it became a catch-all phrase for anyone who enjoys my work. If you’re a fan of Skully, you’re already part of the Skully Gang! All are welcome.

What’s next for you in terms of projects and taking your art to the next level?

My main goal this year is to create the best artwork I’ve ever made. I want to include more characters on a grander scale than ever before and really push myself across multiple mediums. Right now, I mainly work with acrylic paint and digital illustration, but I’m also teaching myself 3D modeling and animation to expand the world of Skully even further.

What artists are you constantly looking up to for inspiration?

Some of my favorites are Takashi Murakami, Kaws, Brian Blomerth, and Steven Harrington. I’d say my style and current body of work are probably most inspired by them, but I love drawing inspiration from all kinds of artists. I also really look up to some of the bigger names in the cannabis space right now, like Killer Acid, Aaron Brooks, and Chris Dyer—artists who are pushing the boundaries and showing how large and diverse this community really is.

Shameless plug: 

Be on the lookout for my first solo show, Lost In The Woods, coming sometime this summer! I’m also about to release some awesome prints with Aaron Brooks, who I was super lucky to meet and collaborate with at the Rooster ArtFest. I’ll be popping up at as many local events as possible throughout the coming season—make sure to follow me on Instagram @skully.vibes or TikTok @skullyvibes to get the details on where I’ll be next.