Post #603538 by Robb Hamel on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 5:55 AM

YOU'S GUYS ARE THE GREATEST. I WANNA GIVE A 2,000 MILE GROUP HUG!

Ken - I still haven't seen the interview!

Here is a piece I did specifically for Tiki Magazine:

I've been working on this design off and on for about 10 years. It features a character I conceived and my wife named called Sugar Rush. She is meant to be an action movie character in films combining badass 1970's characters in pulp magazine adventures. I even have a sketch for a movie poster!

I took reference pics of my wife standing in for the character, these are in the foreground. The small sketch the large one is based on is on the easel. The most critical part of this piece is the full-size design sketch. This piece is ALL ABOUT DESIGN.

I use reference materials like a 1970's Sears catalog and watch 1970's blaxploitation films to get the details right...

Details like this Makarov pistol.

I LOVE badass women with big afros. The face is meant to be mostly in shadow, partly so she looks more badass, and partly cause I don't have a model for her face.

I wanted Sugar to have a smaller bust so she'd seem more capable of action scenes, but something about her seemed wrong, so I added a Pam Grier chest and everthing came together!!

The Tiki is small, and being used as an ashtray, so that is probably why Tiki Magazine didn't use this piece.

I would need several masks to do the ball chair. Here I'm beginning to trace one.

The figure is lit by only one light, so it's gotta look realistic.

Imitating real lighting on her skin - WITHOUT REFERENCE PICS! - is a challenge, but the surprise is HOW LONG THIS DAMN KNIT BIKINI TOP TOOK!

Here's some masking being done. Masks on velvet can be Hell on Earth!

I'll try to wrap this up soon, time is short right now - thanks for looking.