Day #2: Wednesday, March 21:
Today we focused mostly on sanding our boards and working on graphics. While I was busy helping other kids with their designs, I did manage to drill holes into my board for the trucks and wheels that I hope to attach tomorrow. I also FINALLY figured out what I want to do for my own graphics and helmet design. I definitely picked up some tips from watching and helping the other kids out with the wood stains and spray paints that I hope to use tomorrow on my board.
I am also really blown away by the level of creativity and dedication everyone is putting into their boards. Despite the fact that many claimed to not be artistic, they have definitely done incredibly well with their designs. Everyone has such unique and different concepts/ideas that it has created a cool atmosphere where we are all building off of everyone else’s creativity.
I hope tomorrow I actually complete my own graphics and helmet, so I can attach my trucks/wheels and finally learn how to ride! I’m pretty excited...
Day #3: Thursday, March 22:
This morning I was extremely focused on getting my board graphics done, finishing silk-screening course t-shirts with Erin, and working on my helmet. I managed to do all of that! For my board, I chose to use painter’s tape to make crisp, clean lines, and then chose to use a high-gloss (primer) black spray-paint. I really loved how sharp the black looked contrasted against the natural wood. Then, we sprayed it with polyurethane to seal the paint and keep its shine. Then came the hard part: silk-screening my graphic onto the board. Because the board is curved, it was a two-person job to print the graphic as we had to roll the screen as we squeegeed paint across it. It was challenging, but we managed to do it with only a few blemishes and messy spots! I then used black acrylic paint and cleaned up the bad spots by hand. Then, we sprayed it with polyurethane again, and voila! A SWEET, striped and printed board. Erin’s will hopefully end up looking as good--we are planning to screen it tomorrow so fingers crossed!
Today I also picked out my wheels and trucks, and assembled them with help from Wayne and Mr. Lavigne. I chose black wheels and purple trucks. The purple should really stand out against all the black on my board. Tomorrow I have to do my grip tape and then actually attach my wheels. Then, I hope I will be able to ride my creation!
Day #4: Friday, March 23:
Today was a fantastic day. Not only did we have gorgeous weather, but I actually finished my board and my helmet! The board looks awesome--the paint job is clean and the black wheels and hardware with the purple accents is sweet. It is almost too pretty to use!
Today we focused mostly on sanding our boards and working on graphics. While I was busy helping other kids with their designs, I did manage to drill holes into my board for the trucks and wheels that I hope to attach tomorrow. I also FINALLY figured out what I want to do for my own graphics and helmet design. I definitely picked up some tips from watching and helping the other kids out with the wood stains and spray paints that I hope to use tomorrow on my board.
I am also really blown away by the level of creativity and dedication everyone is putting into their boards. Despite the fact that many claimed to not be artistic, they have definitely done incredibly well with their designs. Everyone has such unique and different concepts/ideas that it has created a cool atmosphere where we are all building off of everyone else’s creativity.
I hope tomorrow I actually complete my own graphics and helmet, so I can attach my trucks/wheels and finally learn how to ride! I’m pretty excited...
This morning I was extremely focused on getting my board graphics done, finishing silk-screening course t-shirts with Erin, and working on my helmet. I managed to do all of that! For my board, I chose to use painter’s tape to make crisp, clean lines, and then chose to use a high-gloss (primer) black spray-paint. I really loved how sharp the black looked contrasted against the natural wood. Then, we sprayed it with polyurethane to seal the paint and keep its shine. Then came the hard part: silk-screening my graphic onto the board. Because the board is curved, it was a two-person job to print the graphic as we had to roll the screen as we squeegeed paint across it. It was challenging, but we managed to do it with only a few blemishes and messy spots! I then used black acrylic paint and cleaned up the bad spots by hand. Then, we sprayed it with polyurethane again, and voila! A SWEET, striped and printed board. Erin’s will hopefully end up looking as good--we are planning to screen it tomorrow so fingers crossed!
Today I also picked out my wheels and trucks, and assembled them with help from Wayne and Mr. Lavigne. I chose black wheels and purple trucks. The purple should really stand out against all the black on my board. Tomorrow I have to do my grip tape and then actually attach my wheels. Then, I hope I will be able to ride my creation!
Today was a fantastic day. Not only did we have gorgeous weather, but I actually finished my board and my helmet! The board looks awesome--the paint job is clean and the black wheels and hardware with the purple accents is sweet. It is almost too pretty to use!
I even got the chance to try out some of my longboarding skills (of which, in reality, I have NONE). Erin gave me some lessons though--she’s a great teacher--and soon I was gliding down some hills (some very, very, very SMALL hills). Regardless, I can happily report that I am a new lover of longboarding, which is something I never thought I would be! This March Intensive has introduced me to an entirely new world of art and sports, given me a few cuts and bruises (battle wounds, really), and has educated me in carpentry (by building the boards) and healthcare (from the seriously affecting lecture we had today on concussions). So, I’d say it was a week pretty well spent, and feel incredibly lucky to have been apart of this!
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