TOWING INTO GIANTS – MEET THE TEAM BEHIND THE XTRATUF JETSKI

Over 20 years ago I spent most of my 20s surfing in the North Sea, England, it was either big, cold, rough, choppy or just too small, but occasionally a perfect 6ft+ clean day would roll around, and this would cast a spell on me, forever being a ‘surfer’ never an ex-surfer.

I’m a graphic designer by trade, I have worked with global brands and those in niches. It has mainly been brand design that I have done, but my forté ended up being “big stuff”, whilst I did web and digital it is the bigger physical stuff that always captured my attention. I am also an artist, using my pen to create artwork, which often involves unusual surfaces rather than paper. Combining these three elements, my passion for surfing, sticker printing and art, I was lucky enough to create the XTRATUF jetski for Louis.

It is with Andrew Cotton that I somehow got into big wave surfing scene, originally in Ireland, which is where I first met him at a tech-meets-surf event. Gradually I developed into a kind of ‘sticker man’ for Cotty, producing his jetski wraps for a number of years. Through Cotty, I was introduced to Louis who, whilst from further up the coast than I, still knows the bitter North Sea like I used to.

Louis was Captain of the Team GB Junior Surf team when he was 18, he has competed in the World Championships in California and has been surfing since he was 6 years old. More recently though he has traded the small local waves for the monsters of Nazare, where he surfed a 60ft wave in the Gigantes de Nazare event. So there was little hesitation in taking the call to wrap the ski of a fellow North Sea Surfer.

To create the XTRATUF jetski, I wanted to try to get to understand the XTRATUF brand, I researched the history and read about the product and the bond that XTRATUF wearers have with their boots. One of the stories that stood out to me was how a couple used the XTRATUF boots as table flower holders at their wedding, such was their love for this iconic boot.

After collecting all the references I needed, I started by printing out the jetski template at full size. I also created some paint mask templates for logos and icons that XTRATUF wanted to include. Then once I had positioned these on the sheet I got my Sharpies out and started to draw. I won’t labour this comparison too much but I often find when I get into the drawing phase, that I drop into the zone, each line and motion being a starting point for the next. This zone or state of flow is not entirely different to what I would experience when surfing those perfect 6ft+ clean waves.

Once the artwork was fully complete after about 20 hours of drawing, I scanned the artwork into the computer, made any edits I needed to, and then printed the design out onto self-adhesive wrap material. Louis arrived with the jetski, we cleaned and prepped it, applied the wrap then stood back and admired the work. From a distance the wrap creates a curiosity that makes you want to look closer, and hidden amongst the lines are the stories and references to XTRATUF’s past, and present.

I often joke that I get to live vicariously through my stickers, so it is great to see the jetski out in Nazare living the life I’d secretly like to live, but most of all I’m just proud to think “I did that”.

https://mr.dogtooth.co.uk/

Follow Rick – https://www.instagram.com/mrdogtooth

Follow Louis - https://www.instagram.com/louisthomashudson/

Watch the Video - https://youtu.be/PMU-JfIrVvw