Category Archives: surfing comics

Illustration for World Mind-Surfing League

Posted on by under Erwin Dence illustrations, Erwin Dence surf illustrations, mind surfing, old surfers, real surfers, surf culture, surf culture events, surf flyers, surf illustrations, surf satire, surf sessions, surf stories, surf-related comics, surfing, surfing art, surfing comics, surfing drawings, surfing satire, surfing Swamis, Uncategorized, writings of Erwin Dence

I’m going to insert this into the piece, but, since I have enough folks who get a message, psychic or over the mysterious intranet, when I post something new, I’m putting it here first. I’ve got a secret (okay, letting you in on it) plan to get this to the WSL, which I love (and was watching earlier, before the Seahawks game started. Wouldn’t it be great if they did a little skit where…

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…Hey, if you have some contacts… that’d be great. Greater. Also, I wouldn’t have finished the drawing if the surf had just cooperated and followed the forecast.

S(Heart)P Man and Bucky Meet in the Water

Posted on by under Erwin Dence illustrations, SUP surfing, surfing art, surfing comics, surfing illustrations, surfing satire

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I was trying to shuffle my drawing stuff off the table so I could set my dinner down, holding the hot plate in one hand. It was chicken, with a nice sauce. That’s what got on the drawing; hence the black border on the left side. My friend, hydrosexual Stephen Davis, who is working on some illustrations to be posted on this site, and who went to something more like an actual art school than Palomar Junior College, said, when told of the accident, “Oh, that’s what makes art great. It’s like the Dada thing.” “The Dada thing?” “Yeah.” “Well, then, Stephen Davis, If that’s so, my stuff has always been maximum Dada; smudges, hand prints, coffee cup rings, coffee spewed from my mustache.” “Maximum.” “Oh, at least. Oh, and Steve; the last drawing, Trish said, the guy, who looks kind of like my brother Jon, has gorilla hands.” “Oh. Uh huh.”

There is a story developing here (I mean, with the drawings). Trish told me I got the paddle handle wrong; more like a cane. She was, of course, right. She didn’t comment on the hands. Yet. Oh, and Stephen’s drawings, from cellphone photos are approved (by Trish, and, of course, me). Stay tuned.

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BUCKY- Another Character for S(Heart)P MAN

Posted on by under real surfers, SUP surfing, surf illustrations, surf satire, surfing, surfing comics

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I’m getting the S(Heart)P MAN characters together for the non-epic, everyday (unfortunately) battle for a few waves. Bucky has been forced back into the ghetto mentality of seaside city surfing by the most devious of villains, the need to make a living. Where he once developed skills and a reputation, he’s now scrapping on an even-more-crowded playing field where he must compete against surfers with less skill, less wave knowledge, less… it’s debatable, even in Bucky’s mind, if he ever had the proper surfers’ soul, or even what that means. If the thrill is harder to achieve and the fun is fractured by drop-ins and cut-offs and the waves he can’t even go for because some SUP-riding A-hole is…

Well, there’s the drama, huh?

Naming this character Bucky is in homage to my first local surf hero. I hope he’s doing well. I decided to put in the sort-of super hero perspective, partially, in response to the response from Trish, whose comment on the drawing of Rhonda (not really based on anyone on a conscious level) was, “Her hands are kind of big… man hands;” and Stephen Davis, who agreed. I don’t want to go back and redraw Rhonda (again), but do plan on redoing the drawings of S(heart)P MAN and parts the montage, maybe just gluing-in some changes.

S(HEART)P MAN- Origin Story

Posted on by under Erwin Dence illustrations, surf cartoons, surfing comics, surfing drawings

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I am aware that I have a tendency to overwrite. I’ve been discussing doing a surf/centric comic book with Stephen Davis. Both of us went to art school, if I may (because I do) say that taking just about every art class at Palomar Junior College (and not quite one math class and one science short of enough of those sort of non-humanities classes to actually graduate). So, I’ve been thinking; in fact, while listening to a rerun of a “This American Life” show yesterday, the one on Comic Superheroes, I drove past my intended turn.

I googled “Secret Surfer,” caught an image of a Victoria’s Secret model holding an (unwaxed) surfboard. Okay, take another second to consider Victoria’s Secret models and waxing. So, can’t use that title. Googled “SUP Man,” saw some references that led me to believe it is really S’up, Man, or should be. So, S (heart, read it as ‘U’) P Man; that’s what I’m going with.

Here’s the overwriting part: I want SheartP Man to appear to be the hero; clean cut, no doubt rich, went to fancy surf school (no, private lessons by someone who learned from Laird Hamilton)… you can see I’m still fleshing this out.  Please stay tuned.

Yeah, yeah, ‘this is the origin of the story,’ the origin of the characters will follow.