Australia on a farm for a year was my biggest inspiration for this skateboard. I remember sitting on the porch and drawing birds, specifically crows. The image of a crow makes me think of farm life. When you look at a crow from far away its not so exciting. But when you look at a crow close up, you see that there is more then just black feathers. When reflected in the light, crow feathers hold many colours. Lots of
blues, greens and purples. Before I make judgments of something, I like to learn more about it what I'm looking at. Most people think of crows as a pest and a symbol of the devil. I think of crows as a symbol of inner beauty.
To make this board, I pressed a pintail shape out of 7 veneers. Then I made a template and jigged out the shape. I wood burned the details and painted it with watered down acrylic. It was a time consuming process but it was definitely worth it. The elements and principles of design I used include texture, both
physical (created by the wood burner) and implied (created by my painting technique). I also used value to create highlights and shading to make it look
more three-dimensional.
Trying a new technique has inspired me for my next board. I want to use the painting technique I used on this board with different characters and themes.
Overall I think the board turned out quite well.
