As a lull approaches in surf opportunities over the summer as the swells get fewer and farther between, the surf community looks forward to September and the return of more consistent waves. My two great passions in life are art and wave riding and when the summer season is upon us, although I get more time to spend making art, creating designs and sketching all over the North Cornwall coastline, I do always miss the swells. This summer we have even more to be patient for, as this September the UK bodysurfing Championship 2021 hits the shores of Cornwall for their forth event in five years and I have had the great pleasure of being asked to design their posters again, as I have for every one of their events so far.
What Is Bodysurfing?
Bodysurfing is the art of riding waves without the aid of a surfboard or bodyboard and is said by some anthropologists to date back over 4000 years. Recorded history however dates bodysurfing to the late 18th century in Polynesia which contains islands such as Hawaii and Tahiti and is considered by many to be the spiritual home of surfing. Bodysurfing gained popularity in the 1920s in the US and was further hyped by high profile sportsmen turned bodysurfers of the time, such as olympic swimmer Wally O’Connor and college football player Marion Morrison, who would, after a body surfing accident, go on to act in Hollywood under the name John Wayne, yes that one!! By the late 19th century bodysurfing had spread to all corners of the wave riding community and became a common sight at surf spots across the globe. Bodysurfers propel themselves using fins or flippers to catch a wave allowing it to pick them up and push them along the face of the unbroken water. Some body surfers use hand planes which is a small piece of wood or fibreglass attached to the leading hand and used to help enhance buoyancy and speed.
UK Bodysurfing Championship
The UK bodysurfing championship is run by the UK Bodysurfing Association which was set up in 2016 to encourage bodysurfing in Britain as well as creating a hub for bodysurfers in the UK to improve their techniques as well as forming new connections in the surf and bodysurf communities. If you want to find out more about the UK Bodysurfing Association then you can check out their website here.
For the past five years this amazing organisation has run this awesome competition every September at the fabulous Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall. Fistral is one of the best surf beaches in the country and has been the host of multiple World Surf League events as well as the location for countless surf edits. As with a lot of the stunning North Cornwall coastline, Fistral is also a beautiful location to draw, paint and to get inspiration for fabulous new Neilsdesigns ideas.
One of my favourite cushion cover designs in the Neilsdesigns collection is my rendition of waves breaking across Fistral beach that I sketched one beautiful day that I spent making art and watching waves in Newquay. These striking pieces of art and design are perfect as an accompaniment to any of my other surf inspired cushion cover designs or as a statement piece for your sofa or your van.
As with all of my luxurious cushion covers, the Newquay Cushion Cover is handmade and stitched in North Cornwall using the best possible materials and is of course a unique design created in my distinctive graphic style!
You can check out all of my surf inspired cushion cover designs here>
UK bodysurfing Championship 2021 Poster Design
As with nearly all of my designs I started off by sketching various parts of Newquay until I was happy with a basic design. After this I create line drawings which are then filled with blocks of colour which is at the heart of my distinctive style. This project along with all the previous iterations of it has been an absolute pleasure and one that combines my two favourite things, surfing and creating art. If you’d like a statement piece of surf inspired art for your very own, why not have a look at my renditions of some of the best surf spots that North Cornwall has to offer. These Cornish coastal creations are available as beautiful, ready to hang, hand stretched canvas prints. From beautiful Bossiney to wonderful Widemouth, there’s a wide selection of designs to suit practically any space.
It’s an immense feeling being asked to produce the poster designs for this super cool surf competition again and I cannot thank UK Bodysurf enough.
Browse My Beautiful Range Of Hand Stretched North Cornwall Inspired Canvases Here>