In the firm belief that it is never too early to share my carving enthusiasm with you fine folk, allow me to take the lead with this season's NBP thread! What's your new ride this year? Who's got great graphics? Come on, we all love the shiny stuff :D
My contribution is fresh off the press... well, my press. Just finished making my own topsheet last night, and emailed it to Boardmaster Bruce. The board should come to life in about two weeks, and I cannot wait to ride it. It'll be a 177cm Nirvana, almost identical to a Coiler demo that I rode at ECES last year. Specs are as follows: 177cm, 20cm waist, 12-14m SCR, 16mm taper, and the stiffness just right of course. She'll look something like this:
The theme is zen, which is where I often am while riding. The open circle is a common Buddhist symbol that suggests the imperfection of the human experience. The text is Chinese, because it looks great and reflects the origins of Buddhism. It says 'be the experience', which reminds me to be one with the snow. It's all pretty deep stuff, but not to be taken too seriously. The important thing is that it will help me get to my favorite headspace when I strap it on my feet!
I used GIMP to lay it out, and the circle and leaf were freebies online. Everything was brought up to 600dpi using vectors, other than the 'Coiler' text which was done in GIMP along with the red drop shadow(s). The grey board outline and scaled bindings helped me get a feel for what might be covered up or cut off, but nothing has to work out exactly. Doing this sure taught me a lot about graphic work, and I'd highly recommend making your own topsheet as a fun way to pass the summer:cool:.
Best wishes to everyone for a kick-ass season... may you all experience your own form of Nirvana! :D Snowily yours,
Ian MacKenzie