Post #708662 by Tiki Shark Art on Wed, Feb 19, 2014 4:05 AM

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
So as I was talking story with ya' I was telling ya' about how to get your dream job and your dreams together, by working with one of the largest Hawaiian souvenir companies in the islands. KC Hawaii.
They are some really nice folks and just brimming with "ALOHA"!
They make almost every single Tiki Souvenir you can buy in Hawaii at a Tourist gift shop.
One Job I am working on right now is designing some Beach Towels based on the paintings of my Tiki-Art.
Great Idea! Glad David Lopan came up with it. I love it, and I get to work on it! I'm really excited.
Problem, or as we like to say in the "Art Business", one "Challenge-and-learning-opertunity" is how do I
fit the painting that Mr. David Lopan likes on to a beach towel? They are different aspect ratios. Ones a long rectangle, and the other one's more square.

So, David Lopan wants...

..."The Moon of Manakoora": This Painting is named after an old Martin Denny tune, and is an acrylic painting on canvas, that's 24" x 30". However a beach towel is 30" x 60". Hmmm. Learning experience.
Idea one: Mirror the Art to make more so it's longer and fits the aspect ratio of the Towel.

This thought came to me when I saw how my gallery likes to have giclees "Gallery Wrapped" - meaning wrapped around a wooden frame, with image in the sides so it can be hung with out having to have it framed.

Okay, but this makes for a unusual beach towel design, and needs to look a little more like it's supposed to fit on a Beach Towel.

In the computer program photoshop I darken the mirrored areas to take emphasis off the repeated image.

Then I put on a big piece of Text. Tourists love Words that describe their vacations. "Aloha" is a good one, very well known, and well liked. Plus, it's not the name of One island, letting you sell the same towels on all the islands.

Then I wanted it to have a more customized look, than a "Right out of Photoshop" look, so I pick a more interesting font, and add my own hand made text on top of the other darkened area.

Then I create a "Window" out of the Big ol' word "ALOHA" to show some more Art on the Towel - this wave is from another painting I did.

Then I turn the thing side ways to check how the Painting is looking. The towel seems to work pretty much OK, on it's side or on it's end. Good. I then add in some Pin-striping to tie the elements together. Lucky (again) for me: the people who dig Tiki often also dig Hot-Rods and thus, pin-striping is something they might like on their beach towel.

Then I spice up the hand Done "Tiki-Shark" text at the top with a few line running across them to give it more color, and have both ends of the towel seem equally interesting.

Taa-Daa!
finished. Maybe. Now we have to wait to find out what David Lopan thinks of it after he LOOKS at it.

Okay. lesson is over.
See ya next time on how to "Do what you love, and Love what you do".

Mahalo!