corwin schrader, cousin of vader

Recently I've been looking at a lot of old Ralph McQuarrie conceptual sketches and paintings from the original Star Wars trilogy. Probably my favorite art of all time. Didn't know this before...he was born in Gary, Indiana. A few miles from where I'm from.

Double D Surf School in Bali

I want to put up a few good words on the world wide web about the surf school in Seminyak, Bali, locally owned and operated by my good friends, Dedik and Deduk. Its called Double D, as in Dedik and Deduk. If anyone out there wandering the web is looking for somewhere to learn to surf in Bali, check out: http://surfschoolbali.com/

There are many surf schools in Bali, and almost all of them are owned by foreigners. Double D however is owned by these two Balinese twin brothers, born and raised in the same town that their surf school is in, Seminyak. Its close by Kuta, just to the north. Everyone working at the school is local. And the instruction and attention you will get is top notch. Deduk and Dedik have been surfing their whole lives at this beach, and they absolutely rip. Everyone at the school speaks excellent English as well. And the equipment and surfboards are excellent too. Not too mention they are all a friendly and welcoming bunch.

You can often find one of Indonesia's best young female surfers, Dia, hanging out at the school, too, or surfing out front. She's a cousin of Deduk and Dedik, and she's been winning competition after competition here in Bali recently. I remember being out in the water three years ago watching Dedik teaching her how to surf on a longboard, pushing her into waves.

If you are visiting Bali, the school is located right on 66 Beach, also known as Double Six Beach. Where Jalan 66 meets the beach, its right there, a quaint two story blue building with a thatched roof. When you contact the school, you will likely be corresponding with Ayu, Dedik's lovely girlfriend who coordinates scheduling and helps direct business at the school daily.

The school offers very personalized lessons, unlike say, the Australian owned major surfing brand school just down the beach where they seem to put 50 students out in the water at once. You can also rent boards at Double D.

So if you come to Bali and are going to take surf lessons, try out this local surf school. You will leave smiling! The photo above is a shot I took of Deduk three years ago paddling out at Turtle Island.

2B

The gal at the sandwich shop forgot about the sandwich I ordered, so I had some extra time to draw at lunch today. Didn't bother me. My friend George and I have been drawing a lot during lunch breaks recently. Kinda feels like back in the art school days. George is one of these cats who if the option of a bigger table is available, will always choose to sit diagonally across the table. The killer crossover. Heads down, scribbling away before and after the food, a few words diagonally tossed back and forth. George is on a mission, and I'm trying to keep up. I've been quick sketching with pens a lot, because you can't second guess with a pen, once a line is down, its there for good. And so that helps me draw quickly.

Decided to switch things up today so I loaded my pencil up with some good ol 2B lead. This started as a quick sketch at lunch, then morphed into a train sketch, then I added to it some more at home after work. Here's what it looks like so far. You ever just stop and stare at your city? Namor in Atlantis.

teeth

A closer look at the jaws.

pillar