Post #365411 by Tiki Shark Art on Fri, Mar 7, 2008 2:59 PM

Happy aloha Friday!

Whew! What a work week! Time for some tiki art!

Tea Key - thanks, he's a crab with an under bite.

Here's the progress on the second wood cut illustration:

It started as a rough. The Idea was a midnight meeting of two young tiki tribe members. Is it a romance? Is he a voyeur? Is she a voo doo queen waiting waiting to drink his soul? Lots of mystery.

Seeking a stronger composition, I switched him to the right. I've been told one of the best compositions is a "Z" shape. As (in the western world) we read left to right, and top to bottom.

Changed the tiki to the far left, so he's the first thing you "read".

I wasn't happy with the girl facing the guy. So to make it more mysterious I had her turned around. Here, she's almost like a ghostly apparition standing before a volcanic vent.

She's looking very "Madam Pele - the volcano goddess" here.

Went back in and got some proper reference "scrap" of a hot rod and the guy. And changed the Tiki. Put it on the board for inking.

Then, I still wasn't sure about the girl being naked. Sort of took away part of the mystery. So I toyed with the idea of putting some clothes back on her.

Finally, I decided it was her pose. Too Pele! So I put her in a bikini and gave her a less "I am the Goddess of the volcano approach at your peril puny human" pose.

Started inking. Hmmmm, lots of positive and negative things to work out. Want it detailed but not so busy you can't tell what the hecks happening. I can tend to go crazy with my inking. Of course, the girl went back to looking like a volcano Goddess. A volcano Goddess in a swanky bikini!

Here's further along. I still gotta tone down some of the plants in front. I think I'll make them darker - just outlines.
Should finish this week end!

Mahalo from the volcano~