Shakas, Tattoo Illustrations, & My Adventures As An Amateur Surfer

[ Shaka X-mas Illustration. ©Amy Hood ]

I've been doing a lot of sketching lately for various projects. It's been fun dusting off the old pen and pad! Here's one I really want to rework and smooth the wrinkles on. It's a rough sketch for a Holiday Guide Jen and I are designing for LOCALE magazine. We were trying to think of clever ideas to depict just how unique Christmas in SoCal is since it's sunny and people are surfing instead of scraping ice off their frozen windshields. After watching the Billabong Pro Tahiti all this week, I thought it might be fun to draw a hand throwing up a shaka with tattoos spelling out our title. 

By the way, working while watching LIVE surf competitions is great. I've always been intrigued by surfing. I grew up in "Surf City" Huntington Beach (well there's a debate on that isn't there?) as well as San Clemente, so a lot of my dear friends take part in the pasttime frequently -  and to much enjoyment. I even got thrown into the industry a tiny bit through a friend who brought me on for design work on a couple projects for some action-sports-centric companies. But I was always very confused on it all still: The names of the moves, the lingo, where to go, how to do it, how it's judged professionally. It was all shrouded in a thick cloud of mystery.

I learned all the rules and nooks and crannies of basketball by listening to commentators call the game and now I plan to do the same for surfing. After listening to some of the LIVE webcasts for this years World Tour I'm finally starting to get my footing. Not literally of course. I got my surfboard out of the garage the other day and took it down to Riviera Beach in San Clemente with my friend (and great surfer) Katie Hanten; I can hardly say I had my footing out there that day, but it was the first of many trips. Watching the Billabong Pro Tahiti may help though. After watching the likes of Josh Kerr, Jeremy Flores, Kelly Slater and Owen Wright tear it up  at "Chopes" (what they call Teahupoo apparently - see I'm picking up the lingo too!), not to mention the mini-clips in dedication to the late great Andy Irons and his fearlessness AND the crazy tow-in session (woah), maybe inspiration will strike out in the water for me next time and it'll all just click. Even if it doesn't, I'm gonna keep on trying because it just looks like a blast and even though I'm terrible, I'm already having so much fun just being out there. The only downside: I feel like I may be growing pectorals. From all the paddling. I really don't want pectorals.

- Amy
Listening to: "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid Soundtrack. Disney music is really good to work to actually! 

Elvis Costello Look-A-Likes, Dive Bars, & The Inspiring Mickey Smith

I was chit chatting with this hilarious New Yorker who looked like Elvis Costellos' long lost twin (horn rimmed glasses, hair, teeth and all) the other night at this local dive bar I like to frequent. We were talking with this other couple, who were also sharp-tongued New Yorkers, about Ireland and England and how beautiful they are. Then somehow the conversation jumped randomly (as typical incoherent, hard-to-follow bar conversations often do) to surfing. It reminded me of a video my friend had posted a while back from Cornish surf photographer, Mickey Smith called Darkside of The Lens. [Finders fee to the talented Chris Steblay.] I was raving to these New Yorkers about how beautiful this short film was and how they had to go home and google it. I was only one heffeweizen in, but Elvis was on his 3rd Merlot and the lovebirds were each on their 4th Lemon Drop, so whether or not they followed my eager recommendation I will never know. But I am here telling you dear readers now - who I assume are sober, reasoning adults/tweens/chillun' - that you should watch the below video. It has passion, beauty, danger, and the deep reveries of an artist recited in a thick Cornish accent. All the elements that make for inspiration.

Be inspired. 

-Amy
Listening to: The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York"

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

Bodacious Babes, Epic Breaks, and Brahs

TODAYS INSPIRATION: Morgan Maassen, Photographer

Morgan Maassen is an Aussie photographer of bodacious babes, epic breaks, brahs and boards. His photography embodies the beauty of the surf culture and it's breathtaking oceanic playground. Did I mention he's only 20? When I think back to four years ago and my body of work, I had nowhere near the impressive portfolio this guy has already amassed. I mean not even close! He's worked for Billabong, Quicksilver, Volcom, Nike, Swell, Verizon, Corona, and the list goes on and on. I am now a proud follower of his blog, humorously named bogustard.blogspot.com. Here are a few of my favorite pics from his blog and website. 

- Amy

Listening to: The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?"

the smiths - how soon is now..