Post #137480 by ManoKoa on Wed, Jan 26, 2005 9:53 AM

With the shorter days and dropping temps, I have migrated my projects indoors. I also have some 2-d projects in the works and will post pics as progress is made.

I got to experiment more with different mold material and casting resins. It was a learning phase but here are some of the better ones that didn't get tossed into the quasi tiki graveyard. Also got to try different tint and dye additives. Yes, that's silver. I wanted to see what a mettalic tiki looked like.

This is a cast of my most recent carving in different colors. I tried to give more definition to the limbs. Then, I had to see what a blue moai looked like.

These are what's available at The Tiki Terrace and soon the Barefoot Hawaiian shop.

(End update 11/15)

You've seen the carvings. Now I've cloned them with the help of some modern chemicals and processes to produce an army of tikis.

more castings.

The last pull from tonight.

There are actually a lot more that were cast wrong and I've messed up a lot of molds and casts as I am still learning how to perfect my own process but I feel bad throwing the wasted ones away. They still look like tikis but are from a bad pull.

[ Edited by: ManoKoa 2005-10-12 20:53 ]

I didn't like the way the left one turned out so I made more. I like the one on the right the best but I real scared that I may put the mouth on and it won't fit right.

Side view. Hope this helps any future moai carvers to see the proportions.

Progress on the tiki family that I've been working on for a project.

End update

[ Edited by: ManoKoa 2005-08-30 20:44 ]

(Edit to update 8/14)

This is one I made for Kalani from the Barefoot Hawaiian, who helped me w/ art supplies. Real nice guy. (right) Signing on the back as Mano. If I end up joining the crew, that will be my "stage" name.

Family of mini tikis for a special project I'm working on.

Finally mustering up not only the courage but the supplies to go bigger. This mystery wood, rescued from my son's summer camp's firewood pile is soft like pine but has a reddish core. It stands a little over 10" tall.
Props to the local Woodcraft store for supplying my chisels and teaching me to strop.

After months of calling all the sawmills and lumberyards in the whole Chicagoland area, I finally found someone willing to part with a few logs for me to experiment on. I only had to drive over an hour to some bumblejunk town that had more tattoo's than teeth. After realizing that the borrowed chainsaw had to be returned in 2 days, I decided to make my first log be my first moai too. It turned out better than I thought.

Got myself a grinder w/ carving wheel to smooth it out a bit. The cracks on the bottom and some overzealous cuts have me a bit disappointed but I think I'm still gonna follow through with it and display it in the garden somewhere among the ferns.

End update

[ Edited by: ManoKoa 2005-08-14 17:46 ]

Edit to update with recent works:

^ Something I started a few months ago. (Stalled) ^ Manokoa's "reloy" version 1.0 for the keiki to wear for Exotica.

^ "Reloy" ManoKoa version 2.0. ^ Revived a stalled project for the Exotica 05 event.

^ Exotica tiki stained. I gave this one to Gwen from The Barefoot Hawaiian. ^ A trio I started from a section of 2x4, stalled til I fix whatever about it is bothering me.

^ The Keiki and I rockin the tats and tikis before Exotica.

[ Edited by: ManoKoa 2005-07-11 18:17 ]

Aloha Ka'kou - - -

I already posted in the Introduction thread but I wanted to come here directly with the other creators and share images of some of my carvings since I couldn't wait to interact with you all.

I carved my first tiki for my girlfriend 14 years ago out of pine. We are now married and since then I have carved close to 2 dozen, all for friends and family for different occasions, and none of which I have sold. I have never taken any pictures or taken any requests up until last year when I thought it would be a good idea to at least take pictures because I wanted to see how I was progressing as an artist.

These are a few that were made for friends last year. I like the one on the far left (oops) the best, so I ended up keeping it and that's the one I sport around my neck on occasion. It's the smallest one in the image and is 1 3/4". Apologies about the focus/resolution. I wasn't very particular since I was considering using the photo as source material for a painting.

Here's the one again along with my most recent developments. I use xacto and scalpel blades on oak. The smallest one here is 1".

I'm excited to share with this community and am truly inspired to no end by everyones contributions here.

[ Edited by: ManoKoa on 2005-01-26 10:30 ]
[ Edited by: Manokoa 2005-11-15 07:15 ]

[ Edited by: Manokoa 2005-11-15 14:00 ]

[ Edited by: Manokoa 2005-11-15 14:57 ]