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I love painting and I also love surfing. So I love to combine the two wherever I can! Read on to learn how to create a cute paper doll with changeable outfits. Paper dolls are so nostalgic of our youth and have a long history. Your doll can be a mini-me or inspired by someone you know, or completely fictitious.  Materials 300gsm watercolour paper or Bristol paper Watercolour, gouache or acrylic paints, coloured pencils or markers Paint brushes Scissors Pencil and eraser Tracing paper (or cheap oven paper) Waterproof fine-liner pen, like Unipin (optional) Light box or a bright window  What clothes and accessories will your paper doll have? 1. Let’s start with the paper doll. If you enjoy drawing, draw a person freehand. You can stylise the body, face and hair. Or if that is stretching your skills too far, take a full length selfie, or snap a pic of your friend. Wear something figure hugging, or even your bikini. Your doll can have her hands by her sides, or strike a pose that you want your doll to hold, such as a hand on hip. 2. View the photo on a tablet or computer screen and zoom it to the size you want your finished doll to be. Then grab your trusty tracing paper, or oven paper, and lay it on your screen. Pressing gently, trace the important lines. Make sure you get the outline, plus simple lines for facial features and hands.  Black and white sketch and the finished doll. Keep facial lines simple. 3. If you like, draw a bikini on your doll, so she is still wearing something when she’s unclothed. When you are happy with your design, go over the pencil lines with the black pen, so it is easier to see. 4. Now that you have the doll, you can use this as a template for drawing the clothes. Tape your tracing paper with the doll to a light box or to a bright window. Carefully tape the edge of the watercolour paper over the top so you can see your doll through it. Now draw an outfit straight onto your watercolour paper, or draw it onto a fresh sheet of tracing paper if you’ll need a few goes to get it right. The outfit can be bigger and wider that the doll but not narrower.  Tracing sketch using a window If your doll has its hand on its hip, you may need to include the hand on each new outfit. Once you finish an outfit, move the watercolour paper to align the doll with an empty spot so you can draw your next outfit. Drawing wetsuits are super easy. You could also draw your fave holiday outfit, swimmers and post surf kit, wintery clothes, and evening wear.  Painting outfits. 5. On each outfit, draw tabs that will fold over and hold the clothes onto the doll. They need to be long enough that they can wrap around. One on each shoulder and a couple near the waist or hips is usually enough. Why not draw some accessories, like your dream surfboard? 
6. Using the window again, trace your doll onto watercolour paper. If your outfits are on tracing paper, transfer those too.
7. Paint the outfits using your preferred supplies. You can even use coloured pencils or markers, or a combination. You may like to ink the important details with the waterproof pen and erase your pencil marks before painting. When painting, wait for one area to dry before painting next to it. This will stop colours bleeding into each other. 8. When everything is dry, cut out your doll and outfits with a pair of small, sharp scissors. Don’t forget to keep the tabs attached! These paper dolls make wonderful gifts or keepsakes from an adventure. When you complete the project, share your paper doll with @mermaidscoin and #surfgirlpaperdolls on instagram.
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 Ekas Bay at low tide. After eight trips to Bali, Lombok was a refreshing adventure. We stayed at Heaven on the Planet near Ekas Bay. After a flight delay, we found ourselves being driven through the darkness along a track that was akin to the road into 3 Mile Camp, Gnaraloo. After our driver negotiated the trees growing in the middle of the road, the 'pot holes' and the rocks, we arrived close to midnight. We were told to keep our shoes inside to avoid the scorpions and to watch out for the monkeys, then wished a good night. The room we had booked for the first night was very rudimentary, with a pipe coming out of the wall for a cold shower. We dearly hoped this wasn't what we were in for for the rest of our stay. Next morning things looked much brighter as we sat down to breakfast and a 270 degree view of the ocean. Drank black tea while watching the first shift of surfers out on the reefbreak. We moved to our actual room and were pleased to have a traditional style Indonesian bungalow with a view of the surf... and an actual shower. It didn't take us long to switch to island time, finish a number of books and countless cups of tea. Getting to the surf was easy with a boat waiting in the bay to take us out whenever we were ready.
I think I came home fitter than when I arrived. As there were 100m of stairs down to the bay that we climbed up and down multiple times each day. One or two surfs, plus snorkelling and SUPing, had us starving for our dinner each night. I made the most of my child-free time. One day I went for a snorkel over the reef break, then swam to shore, climbed the stairs, down the stairs, Sup'd across the bay to the break and back, up and down the stairs, surfed in the bay, then caught the boat our for a final surf at Inside Ekas. With that out of my system, I chilled out a bit over the following days. I didn't see a scorpion the whole trip and the monkeys kept to themselves as they are native here and aren't in the habit of being fed (unlike the unpleasant Monkey Forest near Ubud.)  Our neighbours The wave was pretty great. Relatively soft and gentle even at well overhead. It was forgiving on all tides, although, with the small swell it stopped breaking at high tide. The lefts were super fun, long rides and the right was more abrupt and faster. I enjoyed the isolation of this place. There was no temptation to go shopping (there are none) and I was put off sightseeing the the road we'd have to leave on, so it was wonderful to just stay put, eat, surf, read and relax.  
 Party waves, baby!
 View from the water
I think I appreciated this holiday far more once I returned home and realised just how lucky we'd been with the swell. It's a leap of faith planning a surf trip in advance and it's all luck whether the waves are too big or non-existent. This time, they were just right. If I get the chance to come back, I'll be hoping on a plane.  It has been two years since my last trip to the Chillhouse and it was sorely needed. Just a short, 5 day trip but we crammed a lot in. 
 
This is what greeted us. I took the 5'6 mini simmons and wondered if I'd even catch anything. As it was, we all had some fun rides and the reforms went all the way in to the beach. Managed to do some halfway decent duckdives - haven't done any in months and months as I'm always on the longboard.
So everything changed and this huge rip developed which is was paddling around in for half an hour trying to get in. But I went and had a cup of tea with some guys on the reef and they pointed me in the right direction to get in.
We had our customary BBQ bacon fry-up when we got back to Casa del Escher. We had a fun afternoon surf, did the trip to the shops and I squeezed in some geeky sewing before we walked to the pub. We look like a bunch of bogans (below) but I promise we're not. (They were next door at the house with the "peck deck" out front.
I had a very lovely break in Bali at the end of July/ beginning of August. Surfed every day. Ate loads. Here's a taster - there's more on my instagram or facebook feeds.
This week I will have a stall at the Night Markets as part of the Ignite the Park Festival.
Thursday 28 August 2014
4pm to 9pm
818 Albany Highway in East Victoria Park.
All photos are copyright Hannah Katarski except those reproduced with the permission of Mikala Wilbow Photography.
I had a sleep in til 8 o'clock this morning! We went onto the island last night and watched some locals drumming. Then we were waiting for ever for a dinghy because our crew had all gone to bed. So, nice to have a little lie in. Some of the other girls went out at Cokes this morning, but we watched.
All photos are copyright Hannah Katarski except those reproduced with the permission of Mikala Wilbow Photography.
Session #9 After lunch we had another surf at Ninjas. Saw a ninja turtle in the line up. I have so many itchy-bunkers, but it's been worth the stings. So many good waves again today. Can't wait to check the GoPro when I get home. Plus Mikala was in the water today, so some great shots to show for it.
All photos are copyright Hannah Katarski except those reproduced with the permission of Mikala Wilbow Photography.
Where am I: North Male Atolls Who am I with: Anna, who has joined the boat from another one, a pod of spinner dolphins and a fruit bat.
 They really pound you here. Suck you back when you dive under. Got a bit emotional, but I'm totally fine. Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you. Glad we're moving onto ninjas, which is meant to be much gentler. The size of the waves has been fine, but the sets are just massive. Might just play it really safe and sit out on the elbow at the next place. We were talking about how we were sitting out on the little finger yesterday. So I joined Leeann and Anna out there before heading in.
Spot: Ninjas
Conditions: Smallish and glassy.
I surfed my: longboard
 This was such a great surf. Small enough that there wasn't the fear factor but the sets still felt decent. Only about two bigger waves in a set, which was more manageable.  Best wave: one of my first waves was so long! Nice and wall-y. I tried to tuck and get past this section. I wound up in line with where the Haira was anchored in the channel! So then I ended up standing around the side of the island, on the reef 'having a cuppa' for a few waves, before a lull to head back out. Took the GoPro out today. Caught loads of waves!! Tamara and I were in our element on the longboards. Leeann had some fun ones and felt much more in her comfort zone here. Much more fun when you're trying to catch the set waves instead of the ones in between! Magic Moments: 2 turtles, 2 pods of dolphins and turquoise fish.  Surf Session #8 Spot: Ninjas Conditions: afternoon. Higher tide than the lunch surf. Fatter. I surfed my: longboard We had dolphins out with us for this one! It was crowded initially with quite a few learners out with two guides. I've been trying to flick off the back of the waves before they start to close out but haven't been having much luck. One of the guides saw me and told me I needed to be right on the tail to get this done. We shared a great moment of stoke when I managed to nail this on my next wave. There was fist pumping.
Day 4
 Leeann, Steph and I went onto the island for a wander around. It's Ramadan at the moment so I felt a bit funny about walking around the village when all the women seemed to be inside and people are fasting. We tried to dress respectfully. When we hopped of the launch, there were a few men sitting around, enjoying the breeze near the coast, and that was it. We walked off to try and watch the break from the shore, and wound up at the jail. See, I was thinking that the break was called Jailbreaks because of the tendency to trap people on the inside. Certainly turned out this way for me! But no, there is a jail on the island, end of story.
All photos are copyright Hannah Katarski except those reproduced with the permission of Mikala Wilbow Photography.
Day 3 Where I am: In the ocean. Who I met: Brian, our guide kinda reminds me of a cross between Grey and Uncle Bill. Steph has been sick for a few days so has spent a lot of time sleeping. Hayley is like my sister from another mother. Yesterday she said 'Buh bow!' and then in the line up she said 'uh oh spaghetti-o'. I wonder if her mother is a teacher too... What we did:
What we ate: Nicest paw paw I've ever had. Crepes with coconut and tuna filling. Food has been great! Crepes in the morning, toast, fruit etc. Eggs - scrambled, fried, omelettes...something different each morning. Curries for lunch, or garlic spaghetti. Fish and chips last night with coleslaw. It's all been nice and not too oily or heavy.
Ok. Time to watch the world go by for a bit.
Day 1 began about 2am and became a blur of planes and terminals. We met Leeann in the airport about 5am, told her I was pregnant, and we got on a plane. We had an eight hour stopover in Singapore airport where we walked and walked, considered the two hours and the four hours' sleep Leeann and I had had respectively, and pondered the LSD-inspired carpets. There was a surprising amount of pork. Neither of us being big into shopping, we attempted this lackadaisically. We discovered the city tour, but too late to book in, eventually found the other terminal (with different carpets!) an hour before boarding and were generally overwhelmed by the orchids, butterflies and koi.
 There were only seven of us booked into the trip and seven double rooms, which worked out pretty nicely. We each had our own bathroom and more space than you would expect on a boat. The cabins were all below deck. The next level was the galley and dining room, plus our board racks outside. Next level was an indoor and outdoor lounge area. And finally a sun deck up top, which provided very nice evening wind-downs, enjoying the breeze and the stars.
 Needless to say, I felt pretty dodgy today. Six hours sleep barely made up for the rough day beforehand. Alright. Onto the surf... Session #1: Surf spot: Quarters / Gay Bar / Anantara Conditions: Offshore winds, not glassy, but pretty nice. Deep. Shapely rights. I surfed my: 9'1 Memories: Nervous with our first surf, dropped off in the ocean. Waiting out the back trying to scope conditions. The line-up was full of girls. Little dollar fish jumping out of the water. Long trumpet fish leaping over Leeann's head. Big sets. Definitely bigger than what Leeann and I generally get to surf. Kinda head high+ waves and bigger set waves. 5-7 foot. Not what I was hoping for to ease myself into things! Best wave: My first was pretty cool, but fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants. Managed a hang 5 before I even knew what was going on. I caught two other long, long rides. It was nice to see the wall and have time to cut back. Things I Learnt: I need to work on stepping back to the tail to turn. I am brave. * * * * Day one and were already onto poo talk. Nothing bonds a group better. I think Brian found us quite amusing as the first all-girl charter he's led. We needed the talk about how you can't flush the toilet paper on the boat, which led to unending questions about the whole process. We had chicken curry for lunch before heading out for another surf. Maybe not the best stomach-settling meal you could want. The garlic spaghetti with orange chicken and chips for dinner was pretty rad. Session #2: Surf spot: Quarters / Gay Bar / Anantara Conditions were: Same day. Windy, a bit choppy. Lower tide. I surfed my: 9'1 Memorable Moments: Watching Leeann catch her first decent ride here. Turquoise fish. Mikala with camera, and Alanna almost colliding.  Best Wave: a long right. Good speed. Got in about four turns. Remembered to try and step back. What I Learnt: better wave judgement and paddle angle for the waves. Nice top turn. 
Leeann and I watched the sun go down from the top deck of the boat this arvo. West trade winds blow continuously this time of year so all our breaks will be on the east side of the atolls. Permanent offshore! Had some ballsy bloody waves this morning. Dad would have been proud. A couple of clean up sets were quite alarming :P Just out of nowhere.
It will take me a while to get used to all the fish that keep leaping out of the water. Everyone is really nice on the boat. And as I said the food has been fantastic. We watched the sunset from the roof/star deck.
A little bit of swell around lately and everyone has been getting their share of waves.
This pink cruiser looked so picturesque overlooking the break. Loads of grommets and gromettes out. One guy, about 35, 6'ish, was catching loads on his green mini mal. Instead of sitting right out the back waiting for the one set wave every 30 minutes, he sat on the inside and caught about a dozen waves while I watched. Then he hopped out, climbed the stairs, unlocked the pink cruiser and peddled off up the main strip in his wetsuit. :)
My little man is seven weeks old and I enjoyed a fantastic surf today, thanks to his grandma minding him.
Slowly getting my surfing fitness back. All that baby holding is great for muscles, but not so useful for that burst paddling. My first time back in the water was when Rowan was three weeks old. I didn't catch anything, wrong board on top of everything else, but it is now great to know that I haven't forgotten everything. The turns and balance are still right there. Pop ups just happen and the fitness will come. I'd love to be doing yoga again, but turns out you don't have oodles of spare time with a newborn. Need to find a mums and bubs yoga. I could try do some at home but it just doesn't end up being a priority in the five minutes you have to yourself to race around and try to do 20 things.
Winter wonderland - Leighton
So since four weeks ago i have actually caught some waves. I've been out at Cove a few times, Isos and close out Scarborough.
Today we actually had enough swell for decent waves all along Cott. Even saw a rogue one break at the artificial reef on the way there. At Isos, there were a few peaks to spread out the crowd.
My first wave had some nice wall to it - enough to fit in some roller-coasting - and i rode it all the way to shore! Number 2 was a sneaky set wave that broke south of the usual peak. I was so stoked as i normally misjudge the wave and paddle too far out, then miss it. Or get cleaned up. I was the only one even close and i figured i had to go for it even though it looked a little late. I caught it and it was epic! Decent drop, a big bottom turn - hand in the wall, streaking along the face, cut back, another bt, and a fantastic dismount when the wave closed out onto the approaching backwash haha. Best wave I've ad in Perth for a year at least. I love random lefts at Isos!
Two weeks ago at tiny Cottesloe with my 9'2
Third wave was another sneaky left. Not as big, but bloody fun. Oh waves with walls: It's all a girl wants.
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WELCOME TO MERMAiD'S COiNSurf Artist, Hannah Katarski is based in Fremantle, Western Australia. She creates ocean-inspired art that is bohemian, retro and fun. Categories
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