My longest ongoing project has just come to an end. I Finally finished my longboard! About a year ago, I went to home depot and picked out a 1x4 piece of pine wood and used the band saw in out engineering workshop to cut out my pin-tail board design. Little did i know that soft woods are not the best to be used for long-boarding...
By the time I learned about the many weaknesses of softwood, I had already put the love and effort into every stroke of sandpaper and shaped my deck perfectly. Was I going to start fresh now? nope. Honestly, I managed to finish sanding my board in two after-school sessions, but that is beside the point. Next came the graphics. I wanted something that was 100% original to me and spoke to who I was as a person. I am from the islands, and so the ocean has always played a role in my life. When im sad or worried, a tip to the beach always helped flip my mood. My second source of happiness? nature and flower.
I have yet to explain this to anyone, but I love flowers so much because their beauty is unquestionable. Regardless of what flower you give the title of favorite, it can be agreed that there is beauty in ever shade and species. Much like people. I like flowers because they seem to depend on the earth and surroundings to ensure longevity and beauty. Also like humans. We become so concerned with our day to day we often forget that our very existence depends on the fragile balance of molecules in the air and around us. Ive always love playing with and taking care of flowers as a child because they help keep me grounded.
Enough Background. These two loves let me to design my longboard similar to the design of an old fashion surfboard, with the addition of some of my favorite tropical flowers (Hibiscus and Plumeria). I didn't bother drawing all of the flowers at once... or even designing the entire deck base in one sitting. The painting took me months. But that's because Id add a flower once in a while. weeks could pass with no progress on the base, and in 2 days i add 12 flowers. I tried to let myself view it as a process and enjoy the painting so each flower would be carefully painted and unique to the last. when that was done, two of the last things to be added were my quotes and pink ombre quote bubbles. The quotes :
Anaïs Nin -“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”
You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”― Jonathan Safran Foer
My wheels I ordered online on amazon with clear grip-tape . I didn't want the grip-tape to cover my top design, so I created a grip design.
By the time I learned about the many weaknesses of softwood, I had already put the love and effort into every stroke of sandpaper and shaped my deck perfectly. Was I going to start fresh now? nope. Honestly, I managed to finish sanding my board in two after-school sessions, but that is beside the point. Next came the graphics. I wanted something that was 100% original to me and spoke to who I was as a person. I am from the islands, and so the ocean has always played a role in my life. When im sad or worried, a tip to the beach always helped flip my mood. My second source of happiness? nature and flower.
I have yet to explain this to anyone, but I love flowers so much because their beauty is unquestionable. Regardless of what flower you give the title of favorite, it can be agreed that there is beauty in ever shade and species. Much like people. I like flowers because they seem to depend on the earth and surroundings to ensure longevity and beauty. Also like humans. We become so concerned with our day to day we often forget that our very existence depends on the fragile balance of molecules in the air and around us. Ive always love playing with and taking care of flowers as a child because they help keep me grounded.
Enough Background. These two loves let me to design my longboard similar to the design of an old fashion surfboard, with the addition of some of my favorite tropical flowers (Hibiscus and Plumeria). I didn't bother drawing all of the flowers at once... or even designing the entire deck base in one sitting. The painting took me months. But that's because Id add a flower once in a while. weeks could pass with no progress on the base, and in 2 days i add 12 flowers. I tried to let myself view it as a process and enjoy the painting so each flower would be carefully painted and unique to the last. when that was done, two of the last things to be added were my quotes and pink ombre quote bubbles. The quotes :
Anaïs Nin -“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”
You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”― Jonathan Safran Foer
My wheels I ordered online on amazon with clear grip-tape . I didn't want the grip-tape to cover my top design, so I created a grip design.