Post #689975 by Tiki Shark Art on Mon, Aug 12, 2013 11:59 PM

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

I'm working on a canvas called "The Red Tiki Lounge".

I needed to stop and really make sure I had the design of the "RED TIKI" just right- or as good as I could get it. For me, a good tiki has to kick me in the gut, give me that thrill I got from seeing my first tiki. It can't be too goofy, or too historical, it's gotta scream "Tiki-Culture" and this one has to sit out side a Tiki Lounge... so needs to have that kinda feel. Also, it never hurts to think "hmmm, wonder if this would make a cool mug?".

So, I stopped and got out the super-duper cool thick raw paper sketch book (boy I love this thing, and have not seen another like it since I bought it. I should have bought every one they had, I'm down to my last precious pages of this beautiful thick, raw stock.

What started as a pencil sketch, turned into a ink study... now, it's a full-on "Ink & Acrylic illustration". I even did some acrylic techniques of layering in red over blue under-painting..and this thick paper took it with no problem! Love it! Anyways it's done, I dig this design, and I feel this sez "THE Red Tiki" for me - and will look cool in the painting. I really dig that little bit of red vs purple-blue I worked out on the highlights and shadows. I'm gonna pump that up more in the painting, use it to greater areas... That will help me pick out what lighting will go where in the painting so I can keep that effect.
SO, now that I got my Tiki Design, instead of letting this just sit in a forgotten sketch book like I used to, I dig selling my studies to folks , so they can go up in their home-tiki-bars, or galleries. Make a cool lower priced original piece of art, that can have a print of the final painting along side it - great conversation starters at tiki cocktail parties (I imagine)... "Oh that print? Yeah that's cool, and here's an original study Brad did of the tiki in the painting..." Swanky. Very Swanky! so It's for SALE! My agent suggest $500.00. Wow, sure the prices of my work has , finally , been steadily going up, so yeah, a gallery would sell it for that easy. But, here on TC, I'm not a gallery. You got a direct line to my Art studio, so I'll just take off the 50% a gallery (well, some galleries put on 60%) would stick on the piece for sale. So let's say $250.00. What do you think? I have no plans to make this into a edition of prints, Limited or not - this is the only one. It may get used in a book. A book of my art, along with a tiki-noir mystery being written by S.P. Grogan (author of Captain cooked -a neat little mystery that all takes place on the big island - and uses my art on the cover.) Anyway, that might tell you why this tiki design is so important.

• the books title is "Atomic Dreams in the Red Tiki Lounge", and centers around the theft of a 300 lb Tiki from out side a Tiki Lounge right at the end of WWII. A seamingly impossible crime.. with many unforeseen reprocussions as the story unfolds. There's the birth of Tiki-Culture, mystery, action, romance, and even a bit of supernatural events in the story so far - plus ALL my art. Gonna be something different than just an art book. Anyways, There is only one Red Tiki Study - it can be yours... Hey, imagine this... that same tiki-cocktail party; you might be looking at the print of the painting, & the Tiki study... then, you pull out a copy of the BOOK! Ultra-Swanky! Personal message me. First come first serve. Thank you so much for all the support and Aloha!
  
  "The Red Tiki"
  (study for painting)
  "Ink & Acrylic illustration" on heavy paper,
  9" x 12"
  $250.00

• I take pay Pal. Personal message me.

Ultra-Swanky Aloha!
Brad (tiki-shark) Parker

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-08-13 00:43 ]