Surfboard Art: How I Painted My Latest Unique Canvas

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 decorated surfboard with artwork is held up by a woman
Surfboard painting and I have a love/hate (although mostly love) relationship. I can't stop myself from the thrill of plotting a new design on a pristine and virgin canvas. Then a few days later...
A decorative surfboard sits in grass
I find myself sweating and aching, hunched over my 9 foot long canvas on the floor of my studio, wondering why I had to create such a complicated and never ending design in the first place ;)
But alas, it is always worth it in the end. So here is a little bit about the process...
pencil sketching on surfboard
The journey began with extra fine sandpaper and making sure the surfboard surface was matte so the art would stay on better. Feeling fresh and new, I began with a loose idea of a "floral/ocean medley" (as I call them) and started sketching a composition in pencil. 
a pencil sketch of flowers on a surfboard
The major flower and leaf elements began appearing, connected by swirling and swooping lines, and I soon realized the complexity of the composition I was creating. But somehow the details just kept drawing me in, begging me to add more intricate lines. 
artwork painting on surfboard florals
Next, I tested my huge supply of trusty Posca paint pens that have been sitting in my closet for a little while (to see which ones had survived losing their caps). I then began adding areas of color and blending colors with a wet paintbrush. 
floral painting on surfboard progress steps
Days later, I kept filling in more leaves, more flowers and more shapes and lines. Was it getting too crazy?!
a hand painting a floral design on a surfboard
In a swirling chaos of color and shapes, I decided I needed to jump ahead to the black outline stage to rein it in and get a little more direction. 
An in progress floral painting on a surfboard
Whoops, I realized that a big purple orchid shape on the tail wasn't working at all with the flow of the design. So I had to completely remove it with acetone and sanding. 
floral painting being made on a surfboard
I got to work replacing that section with a looser, more fluid watery design that reminded me of waves and tides. 
A surfboard decorated with handmade floral art
Sweet relief! It worked out and I felt super happy with the flow of the art at the bottom (tail). I then turned my attention to how I was going to finish the border of the design at the top left. I had kept wanting to keep climbing up towards the nose with the design and I had to (literally) draw the line somewhere. I ended up begrudgingly removing a few excess leaf shapes at the top. 
A girl painting tropical floral artwork on a surfboard
Now reaching the final stage of my design (finalizing the black outlines), I felt relief from the composition stage confusion and began to feel a sense of accomplishment. Putting in those clean bold lines is so satisfying!
A girl painting tropical floral artwork on a surfboard
BTW if you are wondering why I am not painting on a table, I can't answer you, except that this works out way better for me and I have been painting surfboard designs on and off for 15 years now (sorry, neck). 
And finally, I had almost forgotten that I needed to cover over the H.I.C. logo towards the nose (no offense to them, I just wanted it all to match). So I added a little hibiscus flower on top of it. 
A surfboard longboard with a tropical floral design
The time had come- after 25? 30? hours of work, it was time to spray this baby with UV acrylic gloss coat to protect the design and make it water safe. That's the best part about painting surfboards- you can actually physically use your art and take it with you!
After all that (and writing this blog) it is time for this toddler mom to take a nap :) Thanks for stopping by and reading about my latest surfboard art design. Please feel free to check out my regular canvas paintings and latest art products and accessories here. Until next time!
Aloha,
Colleen 



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