Saturday, March 30, 2013

Paris blues

It's the weekend! Time for leisure, in theory. While I don't have much time for that nowadays, I do like to think of the things I would do and places I would go if I led a more freewheeling life. A life in Paris, for instance. My, those few weeks I spent there were some of the most leisurely ones I've ever had. Fresh croissants and madeleines and creamy whole milk (I don't think skim milk exists in France) in the morning, lunch on the benches of Place des Vogues, fist-sized macarons devoured as snacks.... 

Le sigh. 

Q

"Paris, Je T'aime"
 

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Growler

From time to time, I'll think of Killington, VT, where I first learned how to ski. Oh how I miss it! My favorite trail there is Growler -- it's so fun to dodge trees, make sharp jumps/turns, skim over rocks, and sometimes float, sometimes plummet downhill. 

Here's one in honor of good 'ole GROWLER! 

-Q

"Growling"
 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Warped

Purple...stripes...swirls...some of my favorite elements mushed into an end-of-the-world-ish graphic!

Q
"Apocalyptic"

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Splatters, stripes

This one's pretty straightforward -- I'm becoming steadily obsessed with the splatter effect! Also, I've been wearing lots of stripe-y clothes recently. 

Q

"Walk the Line"

Monday, March 25, 2013

Seeing yellow

It was beautiful and sunny out today! Too bad I was mostly stuck inside a windowless workroom. The weak, yellow, and aggressively fake indoor lighting didn't help either. 

Thankfully, daylight savings means that I still get to glimpse the sun when I head on home. :) I can't wait for the weather to warm up!

-Q
"Sunburst"

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Life Aquatic

I love the look of large bodies of water, but I hate being on them (e.g. sailing, going on cruises) and being in them (e.g. swimming, scuba diving) and being unnaturally surrounded by them (i.e. any aquarium). I also occasionally get freaked out by the thought of all those creepy dark shapes roaming the floor of the ocean, hungry and malicious. Disney's "Under the Sea" is a beloved song of mine that can only sometimes dispel these misgivings.

Despite all this, the oceans and seas and lakes and ponds are a wonderful source of inspiration, and water is probably a theme I'll be revisiting again and again.

Cheers,
-Q

"Life Aquatic"

K2 makeover

Ok, maybe I feel kind of bad for being so negative about my skis -- they have, after all, carried me a long way, and despite all my attempts to destroy them, have remained pretty intact (grrr). Plus, they were a gift, and I don't want to seem too ungrateful. 

Still, the design on my skis is something I'd be attracted to if I were still 12 years old (back then, I had a clear backpack and a giant pink binder covered in garish roses). So if I had the chance to rework the design while staying true to the skis' essential girly-ness, I would focus in on those pink hues that sort of drive me crazy. And that's what I did. 

Finally, in a gesture of appreciation and the tiniest bit of emasculation, I've named the new version of my Tru Luvs as.... drumroll... "TONI"! :)

-Q
L: K2 Tru Luvs                                                                                                                   R: "Toni"

Saturday, March 23, 2013

And it begins!

Here's the first of my new designs, inspired by cities seen from afar:

Enjoy,
-Q
"Skyline"

Greetings


Hi, thanks for visiting my blog! 

I'm excited to be sharing these ski designs with you, and I look forward to expanding this little pet project of mine. Some brief background -- I really got into the idea of designing skis (fake ones, but still!) when I learned of the Epic Pass Club + Folsom Skis Design Contest. Ever since I started skiing, I've been wanting and wanting a pair of skis with some awesomely unique graphics on them, especially since in reality I have these ratty, Barbie-worthy pair of K2 Tru Luv skis that I inherited from some dope. The contest was my chance to finally be rid of these flimsy gray/pink skis, as the winner was to be awarded a real set of skis adorned with his/her design!

I slaved away at my first two designs (shown below) for a week or so, only to discover about half a month later that neither of my designs had been chosen. Balls. I moped about the possibility being stuck with my ugly Tru Luvs for 10 more years, at least. Add to insult the fact that I now live in North Carolina and thus don't even get to ski that much anymore. A few days passed. Months. Then, overwhelmed by mundane schoolwork and sad to be so far from good skiing, my mind drifted off. I suddenly brightened up and thought something along the lines of, "Hell, if I can't have real skis that I like, I can at least amass a collection of fake, really pretty ones that I love!" 

And so here I am, churning out the imaginary skis.that will tide me over until the day the perfect pair comes along. 

I hope you stay tuned for lots more to come! :)

-Q

On L:  "Little Joys"                      On R:  "Off-Piste"