Surf Lessons Comics

It's a gloomy day on Santa Cruz but honestly I kind of love it. Here's my sketch of Natural Bridges from last year.

I dropped off copies of my new zine to the Free Little Art Gallery near 251 32nd Ave in Santa Cruz, and also to the Free Little Library behind the Cat and Cloud on Portola.

Hi! It’s been a bit! I’m working on getting this comic out as a zine. The format is a bit rough because I rearranged the zine layout so it’s easier to read on tumblr. I’ll post a pic of the physical zine when it’s done.

My zine started as a way to play with ideas in a fast, simple way, so naturally it has gotten more and more complex and intricate 😂. I just can’t help it.

I have a zine about an octopus squishing into cowboy boots and trying to ride a horse, and I thought, “that’s actually a great combo of characters.” My surf comic is morphing I think, into a more narrative form. I’m taking some time off work next week to develop storylines. I’m nervous because it’s new and it will take a lot of effort but I’m also excited because I really want to write stories.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Hiya!

I was reading through my notes and ideas to get rolling on comics again and found this list of things I've learned about art by teaching it. I thought you Tumblr-ites might appreciate it because I know a lot of you are young artists or creatives who want to get better at what you love to do. Some of these may seem obvious, but almost all the students I've ever taught struggled with these things:

Practice is everything.

EVERYONE can improve, see number one.

Fear is not productive or necessary.

Nobody is judging you as harshly as you judge yourself (So stop. No really, please stop, you'll feel so much better).

Art is hard to master, but you don't have to master it to enjoy making it.

Excuses are annoying and you're only cheating yourself.

Humility is the only way to grow.

The best teachers don't try to make their students into copies of themselves. Look for mentors who push you to be a better version of you.

WHEN you get frustrated, take a break and reset (you will get frustrated).

Practice should be something you enjoy but some days will be harder than others.

Happy Saturday my ocean lovers. I need to come up with something to call my followers like the influencers do. Lately I'm obsessed with Greedy Peasant and he calls everyone Peasants but I dunno what works for my niche. Suggestions are welcome if you're nice .

But anyway, I promise I'm going to make more comics. In the meantime, I made this silly card for my friend who's about to have a baby girl! I'm so stoked for her! She's a surfing buddy so a little cute shark family felt appropriate.

Meet Roberta! My fabulous new board custom shaped for me by Bob Pearson. Both my boards were made by legendary Roberts. My other board, Bobby, is by Robert August of Endless Summer fame.

I didn't want to settle on a name until we experienced the water together and I was pleased to discover this lovely lady is absolutely pulsing with gorgeous feminine energy. Don't ask me how I know, she just is! She's lightweight, effortless to paddle and FAST! Instant BFFs.

Hi friends. I’ve fallen behind my comics schedule for several reasons, but the biggest one this week is due to some dramatic stuff going on in my house.

My housemate has terminal lung cancer and on Monday his illness took a dramatic turn for the worse. I won’t go into specifics but it has been a tough week and events have brought up a lot of traumatic memories from my dad’s battle with cancer when I was a kid.

I have a strong support system, but it’s very stressful having a dying person in your home (he’s in the hospital for now and at least he’s safe and comfortable).

It's my 1 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳