L.A.’s ‘cholo Da Vincis’ brought Chicano culture to the boardroom. Now they have a Netflix doc

There was a time in the recent cultural history of Los Angeles when tattoos were strictly the markers of bona fide gangsters, when graffiti was vandalism — little more — and when going downtown at night was considered a definite no-no. Mister Cartoon, who went from outlaw tagger to big-time artist, graphic designer and “tattooist to the stars.” Oriol had grown up on L.A.’s Westside and moved to Hollywood at age 19. Snoop Dogg, who is a prominent presence in “LA Originals,” quips: “There’s only one guy that I let do my tattoos and my kids’ tattoos, the great Cartoon.” Mister Cartoon, seen here in his L.A. warehouse studio in 2009 working on a billboard commissioned by Universal Studios for “Fast & Furious.” In their heyday, Oriol and Mister Cartoon embodied the essence of 1990s West Coast urban culture: graffiti, hip-hop, lowriders and tattoos all merged with them and their creative circles. Mister Cartoon even supplies imagery for the video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.” And they were executive producers on the 2017 feature film “Lowriders,” set in East L.A.’s car scene. “Most of the Chicano art comes from out in the streets, from the revolution, fighting for their place in the community.” Mister Cartoon, center, and Estevan Oriol, right, with Ricardo de Montreuil, director of “Lowriders.” Mister Cartoon and Oriol were executive producers of the 2017 feature film centered around L.A. car culture.