Can I commission you to create a custom design for my windsurfing board? He asked.

 

You certainly can, I responded, and I had the perfect concept already in mind that had been waiting a few years for the perfect place to implement it. The Dazzleboard is a play on the dazzle camouflage used historically to disguise the class of naval ship and confuse prying enemy eyes, but with a colourful twist.

 

As it happens, once the board was finished I discovered that research into repelling sharks has proven that strikingly similar patterns can protect ocean-goers from shark attacks, not that this is a particular issue for the owner of this board.

 

This project was not only a good excuse to implement a pattern concept that I’d been considering for a while but also a valuable lesson in paint mixing. The primer used initially reacted with the resins used to repair the board (which is what the justification with repainting the board surrounded in the first place) and it took a while to find a primer that wouldn’t react, and then the right combination of aerosols to use over the top. Furthermore, the two-part marine lacquer used to seal the artwork and protect it from the elements then reacted with the paint used for the final design, causing further complications. The lesson? Solvent and two-part paints are worth the extra hassle when it comes to safety, compatibility, equipment and washing down.

 

Would I take on another similar project in the future? Absolutely. Realising concepts in a hands-on fashion away from the computer screen is always a winner in my eyes.