A Little Color

Cool Color

Jim got 2 new boards this week and wanted his patented red bottom and rails, along with some kind of green on the deck. I thought that they might end up a little too Christmasy so I threw in a fade and a purple band on one. The round tail is a 6'1" quad for punchy Ocean Beach style beach breaks. The squash tail is a 5'11" dumpster diver inspired design for the mushy stuff.

Stars & Stripes

Black on white. Tons of tape, a couple of razor blades, a can or two of stinky black acrylic paint and a good face mask with new filters. Simple designs that pop.

Rasta's New Ride

Though the van is pretty cool, the 5'11" quad fish Dave Rastovich is holding is even cooler. The quad fin project I've been working on with Thomas Campbell has been bearing some sweet fruit. Thomas has been fired up on these quads and knowing that Dave was going to be passing through town, Thomas had me make one up so he could get it to Dave as he headed to the East Coast to chase hurricane swells and then on to France for a gig there. In Maine, Dave hooked up with Dug and the boys at "Get in the Van". They've got a good pulse on the East Coast surf scene and put out a nice blog with some great images of their capers. For more photos of Dave's run, go to Get in the Van / the Chase Channel and click on the (hurricane) Earl button. After we got back the images and feedback from Dave, I told Thomas that if we can make a surfboard that will inspire you to surf, play music, and make art then we've made the world a better place.

Double Mint

Jon's 5'10" double wing Egg measures out at a 15 7/8" nose, 20 3/4" midpoint, 15 7/8" tail and is 2 5/8" thick. Heaps of float but low rails in the nose and tail.Tri or quad fin options make the board extremely versatile. From the beaches to the point breaks, Jon's got it covered.

All Smiles

Dave got the green light to get a new surfboard, with the condition that his daughter be in charge with coming up with the color design. With smiles like these I'd say everyone was happy with how things turned out.

Modern Art II

Another batch of boards for the folks at Del Cabo. Very simple but colorful spray jobs.

King Neptune Says Surf

Toby had one of Neptune's favorite sons, Dave Gardner, do some of his wacky surf themed art on his new board. If you've cruised through the lower Westside neighborhoods or along the North Coast just outside of town, chances are you've seen Dave's artwork hanging from telephone poles or tucked obscurely along the train tracks. And any sidewalk surfer who has ventured the highline along the tiles at the Santa Cruz Skate Park will know Dave's work well. Choosing to work with materials on hand and a lover of all things organic, Dave is the ultimate underground artist. And when you have a resume that includes teacher, farmer, and ultra smooth wave slider you have a lot of humus to draw from.This surfboard's artwork is witty, simple and fun, and is filled with little treasures of Oceania mixed with what a spirited sailor would dream of while out at sea.

Modern Art

Seems like every time you open a surf mag all you see are super human surf stuntmen chucking their boards above the lip line. As one commentator at the recent WQS contest said, "the air reverse is the new cutback." Interesting. The other thing you may notice is that most of the artwork is done on the deck of the board, and particularly in the back 2/3 of the board. Reason? Well, admittedly we're all followers of fashion in a sense, and what the pros ride is what the kids want. But there is also a bit of function to the direction of color design. One, the fresh white canvas of the nose area allows the sponsor's logos to be seen clearly (important, because they are paying the bills). Two, all that color between the surfer's feet flashes brightly as they go through one of their tail chucking turns. Judges like that and the big turns get rewarded accordingly (also important, because good results mean the sponsors keep wanting to pay the bills). Where is this going? Let's get back down to earth. The folks at Del Cabo Surf Shop asked me to do a batch of shortboards and were wondering if I would do the color work too. "What would you like?" was my question. "Something the kids like" was the reply. Hmm. I might have an idea. The one thing about the youth movement is that anything goes. And that's what made doing these loose and simple sprays so fun. This batch will also have the WCS logo offset to the right side so the kids can put all their cool stickers up on the nose.Post script: Stress TestThe most stressful part of my week is loading up freshly shaped and airbrushed boards and driving them to the glass shop. It's similar to running an "egg in a spoon" race across a prairie dog town - land mines everywhere. Traffic and road construction is all part of running the gauntlet. Not until after the boards are all safely lined up with work cards and decals can I take a deep breath and relax. Now let's go surfing.

Easter Egg Hunt

Damon hops up and takes the high line on his backhand. Like all creative people, Damon not only puts a lot of positive input into his boards, he also designs his own color jobs. For more on his work, check out www.PitchedMedia.com.The one thing you might not find is where this photo was taken. But that's what surfing is all about, going out on a hunt to find little treats that await us tucked away in the coves and along the beaches.

Bold is How We Roll

Lou at SenaReider Advertising decided to stoke out his client by getting a surfboard done with the product logo. We got together and laid out a board to the customer's specs and Jerry Anderson at Headline Graphics provided the stunning images that we laminated into the board. Though it doesn't look like it, this is a massive board. It's a big boy performance shape coming in at 7'6" x 23 1/2 x 3 1/4. Jeff at US Blanks was kind enough to cut a custom EPS blank for the job. It's what really made the whole project happen. It's my guess when the client rocks up to his local surf spot sporting a board looking this cool, bold is how he will have to roll.

Gionni's Green Machine

This big boy quad is the second generation in Gionni's quest for a floaty yet maneuverable short board. He got a good 5 years out of his last one so he was due. This time around we added some tail rocker to give it a tighter turning radius. We also used the Simon Anderson quad fins for more grip and drive and, in Gionni's words, "I'm loving the new board. It turns great and can still move down the line when I want it to. Stoked!"

Rock Candy

Even Willy Wonka would be hard pressed to come up with tastier treats then these three longboards fresh from the factory. Tim wanted a racy performance longboard for chasing the overhead waves that sweep the lineup at Pleasure Point and outlying areas. We used my favorite Phil Edwards' template, gave it a crisper edge along the tail, and made it a tri fin. With a color job like this, Tim will have no worries about getting fired up to charge the set waves. Bill wanted an all around Cruzer that would trim and nose ride well. He also wanted something beefy that would handle the open waters off Ocean Beach. The triple stringer pin tail was a natural choice. For Drew, we copied one of his favorite boards. This time around we added a double barrel concave through the back third of board for extra speed and drive and we also beefed up the glass job. Three longboards with three different designs and intended uses, but they all say "hail" to the beauty of a glossed and polished surfboard.

Easy Rider in Puerto Rico

Allyn got a warm welcome in PR, scoring some great surf. Here he slides into a nice windswept wall. In his words, "the board worked great at Wildo, just as planned. Smooth and stable on the big drops."He then asks, "can you make me another one for here. Identical. Same yellow bottom, plain white top, all the rest the same?"Well the answer is yes, but I may have to personally deliver this one.

Easy Rider

Allyn makes his annual migration to the warm waters of Puerto Rico and wanted a serious Fun Gun for cruising the bigger waves at places like Wilderness. We set it up with 5 boxes so he could try it as a quad and also gave it a heavy glass job to deal with the strong winds and bump that come with bigger waves in PR.

Gremlin in the Shop

These little devils start showing up at the shop when I'm on a big push to get a bunch of boards done. This time of year things get cranking and long days and late nights become the rule. So sometimes it's nice to have a little company and an extra set of eyes to keep me focused on the job at hand.

Fall Colors

With a crispness in the air, nights and mornings have had a chill that makes Mother Nature take notice and bring out her fall colors. Tuned in surfers also take note and oranges and rich reds are always popular this time of year. Thanks to all the colorful people who share the stoke and make this whole adventure happen. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Old Napkin Trick

A firm believer that great ideas are often written on napkins, Robert whipped out the design for his 2 new boards right on the spot over lunch. The curves and a good flow really show the fullness in the outlines of his everyday board and the step up board he'll use in the upcoming season. Waiter, another napkin please!