Post #330287 by hewey on Tue, Sep 4, 2007 9:47 PM

Get on Amazon, purchase the Book Of Tiki, and purchase some general books on Oceanic Art to get inspired. This is a must if you're going to call yourself a tiki carver. Get down to the molecular scale of tiki, the ancient Oceanic Art. The embryo from which this all grew. Take it higher and learn the traditions. Polynesia is the wellspring that you want to draw from. Now-there's a million tikis out there stuck in "faceville". You don't want to get stuck there. They're a dime a dozen, twenty guys in every coastal town doing them for a fast buck. A million takes on takes of takes of takes, if you get my drift.Half of them will be in the landfill in 15 years. It's merely the surface of what's out there, and whilst a good way to practice or get the feel of carving, you -really- need to imperatively attempt the most intimidating thing you're willing to tackle right off the bat. Push, Push, Push. You want your carvings to stand out. Plan the most over-the-top thing you can think of, buy your materials, draw it out, and go for it. You know if you can carve, one can clearly see that if you're getting the right results after a couple of trys. Don't be timid, don't stick to faces, learn Oceanic art, and don't hold back on trying anything.

Thanks for the thread BK! Would you mind posting an example of the "face" tikis you are talking about?

Most carvers start out just doing basic tiki heads for their first carves. I’ll use my carvings to demonstrate. I’m still very much a new carver, nowhere near the league of these other guys, but have done enough to show some progression.

Here’s a perfect example of a beginner style tiki that I did. It’s very simple, not very exciting is it? Very generic…

Here’s another ‘faceville’ tiki, but a better one. A bit more traditional, a bit more style to him, and finished off better. But ultimately still a fairly simple design, not something that will stop you in your tracks.

Now, compare my simple tikis to these tikis:

Very traditional maori influenced tiki by Gman (left) and very tiki pop culture tiki by Marcus (right)

Both have full rounded bodies, awesome detail, and an amazing level of finish to them. I know I would much rather prefer one of these last two!

Listen to these guys with the experience! They've done the hard yards, a lot by trial and error. Us new guys dont realise how easy we have it, just jump on here and ask a question and someone will help you out (just look at how many guys have already posted here). Push your boundaries with each new carving. That can be more detail, a deeper carve, a more technical body shape, or even a finer quality of finish. Sometimes I find putting a ‘finished’ tiki to the side for a little helps. Eyeball it for a while, and you’ll see all the bits that you want to improve. Most of all have FUN :D