The recipe for a snowboard "Dreamland," starts with an idea, inspiration from a few favorite artist like Masse, and Escher, and a few days in front of Photoshop, to conceptualize the idea.
Original Graphic Design and Painting by Brian Bolan NOV 2013- 2008 Photoshop Elements
Once the design is finalized, an outline is rendered, and scale image was traced onto transfer paper - time to get to work!
I grabbed an old snowboard. I chose a 2009 Ride Kink, the board had a smooth non-textured topsheet, and the factory graphics were just flaking off anyway. I sanded the topsheet just enough to remove the factory graphics, and then sealed and primed the board white.
Section by section the transfer paper was pulled away and the board was painted using an Iwata Eclipse airbrush, using transparent and opaque, water based paints. All texture was created with fine line low flow airbrush techniques, and no paint brushes, pens, or sponges were used.
Work in Progress - The above photo was compiled from photos taken throughout the project to form a complete view. Edited together in Photoshop 2020
The final piece was color sanded with 4000 grit sandpaper, wiped with tack cloth and a mild degreaser, and then sprayed with 4 coats of high gloss enamel clear finish. Each coat was wet sanded with 2000 grit sandpaper to gain a completely smooth clear surface. The final coat was fully cured and then brought to a high shine with buffing compound and a lambs wool wheel.
Proud of my finished piece, I decided to take it to the local snowboard shop to show off my creativity, as well as to get a core shot repaired.
For those of you wondering.... the banner reads; "We will never know out full potential, unless we find it. It's this self discovery that inevitably takes us to the wildest places on Earth.
This project was for myself, and I did take the board out and ride it for the remainder of the season!
