Rodney Githens is a painter and freelance illustrator based out of Long Beach. He creates inside a world of darkness and his work is usually presented figuratively and with a passion for all things surrealist. His influences include: Dali, Giger, Munch, comic book artists Frank Miller and Mike Mignola, movie directors Tim Burton and David Fincher and music by bands such as Tool, Heaven Shall Burn, Isis and Shadows Fall.

Rodney was born in New Jersey and moved to NYC in 1995. After a two-year sentence at Glassboro State College, he left South Jersey to attend The Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in scenic Dover, New Jersey. After a year at the den of geekness it was off to the School of Visual Arts for night classes and then finally graduating years later from Hunter College in NYC.

He has shown at CB313 Gallery, C-Pop Gallery and was part of the infamous Subculture co-op gallery for two years. Through bi-monthly shows at Subculture, Rodney was able to slowly craft his style amongst a group of like-minded individuals. He was featured in Tattoo Savage magazine in 2001.

In 2003 Rodney created artwork to be featured on three of BC Rich’s body art guitars, created concepts for two other guitars and created t-shirt designs for the world renowned electric guitar company.  His artwork has adorned the t-shirts for such bands as Intronaut, I Am The Ocean, God Forbid, A Thousand Falling Skies and Brand New Sin as well as companies like Tone Deaf Touring and FEA Merch.

In 2009 he launched his own line of shirts under the name Vertebrae33, which was featured in ad space on Metal Sucks as well as a half page ad in Decibel Magazine. Currently, Rodney is working on designs for bands through Imperial Merch and designs for Ring of Honor Wrestling.

Client list:
Intronaut - I Am The Ocean - Her Candane - Rookies At Best - This Moment - La Otracina - Underminded - God Forbid - Brand New Sin - A Thousand Falling Skies - Sons of Tonitiuh - Kylesa- Heaven Shall Burn- Caliban - ROH Wrestling - FEA Merch - Tone Deaf Touring - BC Rich - Metal Hammer - Metal Sucks - Imperial Merch- I The Unlord - Tyler Black (ROH Wrestler) - Sons of Tonatiuh - Giants Among Us

All Content & Images © RODNEY GITHENS