2 of my New Wacky Packages paintings for Series 9, 2012. p. 103

Once again...nice work!

Just as good in B&W as it is in color. Good stuff Sam. Is it time for T-Shirts yet?

Actually Sam you know what you should do is take these and do a hawaiian shirt, the SAM GAMBINO HEADHUNTER SHIRT! I want mine in 3X!

Thanks a lot for the comps, foamy, Barnett and Tiki-Toa. You guys really think that these would make cool shirts? But if they didn't go over well, I could lose my shirt on the deal. (Sorry, I know that was terribly bad, but I couldn't resist!) If the response pointed that way, I would look into having some shirts done. Forty years from now, maybe they'd sell for an unearthly amount on "Ebay2040.com."

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2004-08-10 08:03 ]

Sam I tried to do a lil digging, Toes on the Noes does custom I believe these are the guys that did the Disney Shag shirts
http://www.toesonthenose.com/custom.html bad thing about them is that they say a minimum of 1200. So what was the deal with the Shag's then?

http://www.ripleyshirts.com/index.html also does custom.

This is a shirt that I think would be a good template for a design with your heads, but you do good enough on your own so...you may be able to come up with something better.

hey sam g,

am i mistaken thinking those heads have an influence from basil wolverton's drawings for the vintage MAD magazine?

[ Edited by: Johnny Dollar on 2004-08-10 09:01 ]

Woah Sam, these are getting WaywayWAAY WaYY WAYWay way Cooolll. I think your new tshirt should feature all your shrunken heads. We're gonna start calling you "Witch Doctor Sam" weather you like it or not.
Nice heads Witch Doctor Sam

Tiki-Toa, thanks for the shirt links. I will get into them and check out the costs. You are a wealth of info!

Thanks Ben. Lately, maybe "Sloppy Witch Doctor Sam"! :)

J$, I see what you mean about Basil Wolverton. Basil Wolverton's work seems to have some Ed Roth sprinkled in with it, or the other way around. I'm not sure who started first.

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2004-08-10 10:32 ]

Yo Sloppy,
Those lil headlets are nice and fugly. I like the loose style, the second one is my favorite, diggin the look of them rubbery lips. Quite a different feel than the super tight line work you have been posting. All of it very well done.
I too have been wanting to do some inkin' since Donnie's post, now your post has me plottin a trip back down to the art store. You mentioned Bristol Plate is that a smooth paper or does it have a tooth?. Also, I have always had trouble with pen and ink trying to get a crisp line that doesnt bleed and get fuzzy. I have been using a sketch pad and fine line sharpies. but always end up with art that looks heavy and overdone. Would you mind sharing what kind of pen and ink you use?

Keep up the good work. If you have any t-shirt questions I will be more than happy to share any info that I have with you.

Thanks for the kind words. I wouldn't mind at all, Chongo. I used a Windsor and Newton short bristled brush (I'm not near it now, but I'll give you the size number later- I think it's a zero) and the same brand ink. It seems to cover better with more consistency than Higgins ink. The only pen I used was for my signature: A Koh-i-noor Rapidograph with a #2 tip. I have a rough time with those dip pens because I can only go in one direction with them, and I'm sloppy with them (appropriate for my recent nickname!) The bristol plate I use comes in a pad and is very smooth and white. I'd like to try Illustration board too, but never have. Thanks again!

hey Sam,
i am all for getting a shirt or two, i used to work for a screenprinting company,
you can get some shirts done relatively cheap, if you keep the amount of colors simple-ex....
some black and whites of your shrunken heads maybe add some pinstripe.....
detail doesnt=$$$
the amount of colors does though.
for each color you will need to have a separate screen made which always includes a screen charge approx $50.00 a color plus the cost of the shirt [ hanes beefy t are approx $2.50-$5.00 bux depending on color and quantity]
plus the cost of printing a shirt which can vary alot [depends on color/quantity etc...]
and you may have to pay an art charge for the company to take your artwork and get it to a usable form for printing
so for a gross-144pc of black shirts]=$500
a one color screen [ say white shrunken heads with some pinstripe/logo around them]=$50.00
some art fee=$50.00
and the cost of printing say $3.00-$5.00each}=$500.00
i figure you could get em done for about a grand----half of that if on white shirts.....
now im not quoting you a price im just trying to give you an idea what would be involved and approximate cost, if you found a company willing to work with you it would cost about that much but could easily be double if they were treating you like a retail type customer
muti color prints or four color process can skyrocket the cost
usually the art fee and screen charge are one time deals after that you just pay for shirts and printing..
try and get some shirts from a wholesaler like Broder Bros or alpha shirt company or the like you can get all their stuff ready to print for cheap, including hats etc......
so if you got a 144 shirts printed and were able to sell em for $10.00 a peice youd still be a head of the game!
and most people sell em for 15-20 bux! and if it worked and you reordered and got say 500 pc or 1,000 pcs the cost would get lower still on the shirts and the printing with no set up charge the second time around...
just dont give em all away to your friends at tiki central!! well maybe just a few----------dozen!
id be happy to share any info you need in this dept..

Thanks a bunch, cabinguy. I had never checked in to pricing shirts to have printed but that gives me a good idea of the cost, since I've often considered it. I also appreciate the tips on the companies to buy from. I am crazy busy now, but you and others have given me a good place to start, and I will be looking into it as soon as I can devote enough time to it. Thanks again!

Here's some commissioned tiki art for Witch Doctor Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York. Their site is http://www.witchdoctorrecording.com.

and some other art...

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2004-10-22 09:32 ]

WOW..I love it. did you do the art for the website as well? I was wondering what you thought about stripping a actual carving. I was thinking of laying some lines on my next project. Should I just use oneshot and then clear it. I am not sure how it will hold against wood.
Look foward to seeing more..

Thanks, rodeotiki. If you put 1-Shot on bare wood, the wood will keep soaking up the paint and the color won't look consistent. It should be sealed, varnished or polyurethaned first, not just stained. I would not recommend clearing or putting anything over the top of 1-Shot. It really doesn't need it. Also, make sure it's degreased before striping, and turn loose on it.

Sam I Love your Wuitch Doctor. I Wanna Be a WitchDoctor. Glad to see you pourin out more good stuff

As always, good stuff!

Thanks, Ben and foamy. I've been swamped with all kinds of projects, but the hurricane interrupted everything, so now I have to get back into the swing of things!

By the way, FG, I couldn't resist putting the guitar in... (inside joke) :)

http://www.samgambino.com

Yeah Sam! I bet the jungle doctors of sound are stoked on that art. The tube amp tiki is out-o-sight. Sweet hollow body Guitar too! Did you creat the font also?
You have got right back in step after that hurricane upheaval, good work!
Chongolio

Thanks for the kind words, Chongo. I did create the "Witch Doctor" font. However, I recreated the little tube tiki from a logo they had, using different colors. Also, I'm a real sucker for those beautiful, hollow-bodied guitars. I've always wanted one, but never really owned the kind I'd really like.

Looks terrific! Your lettering always looks so precise. very, very cool. Glad to see your ok after the recent disasters.

Thanks a bunch, finkdaddy. I guess a touch of that OCD is showing through the lettering :)

dang, that's sweet! Excellent work as always.

Makes me wanna finally build my basement studio (since we moved, it's still in pieces)

I love the inspiration this place creates... it lights a fire underyourass when needed.

-Z

Thanks for the kind words, FZ. It's nice to know that the art inspires in some way.

Well thanks to sams incredible work, I have lost a hour of my life i'll never get back. I went out to the garage, grab a mack10 brush and tried to stripe some tiki. Needless to say it failed by comparison.( think i will stick to flames and fairly simple lines for now) Just kidding sam. Could you maybe take some shots of a painting in progress. I would love to see where you start off at.

Thanks, rodeotiki. I just sent you a long, rambling PM. I hope you can decipher it! :)

Here's one more reason why your art rocks!
love the design and layout.

not being a guitar guy, I thought your tube tiki was infact a space tiki inside of a stylized george jetson mobile. Cool deal.

That font is beautiful. your art is very inspirational, thanks for sharing with us!

Thank you, Polynesiac. It's great to know that my art inspires. Again, I can't take credit for the little tube guy - I just recreated him with colors to fit my artwork. That is a cool concept you came up with, though...tiki meets George Jetson!

Sam,
Great stuff, man! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Josh

Yo Mr. Sloppy Doctor Sam, (i think thats what it is right now) Your work is amazing.
I also think T-shirts would sell.
And how in the hell do you keep such clean lines? Sloppy is not the term i'd be using!
Are those highlights on the lettering airbrushed or ?
Fantasic as always............

Thanks so much, H-Kat and Mr. Dale. I really appreciate your kind words! This Witch Doctor piece is a vector illustration. I usually do these when the art is to be easily changed or manipulated for the web, printing or t-shirts.

http://www.samgambino.com

Here's the Mondo Lounge 2004 postcard design. It is somewhat of a collaboration between me and our own Futura Girl who is organizing the whole event:

...and here's the latest painting, "Mishap While Flossing." The lesson here is to be really careful when flossing because this guy ended up on fire and accidentally stitched his mouth shut. :)

Oct. 4 UPDATE: I'm renaming this painting "Bacon" thanks to Chongolio. It really does have that "Open Pit Bar-B-Q" look. Thanks, Chongo!

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2004-10-04 23:43 ]

Sam love all the new stuff! WOW. The postcard is very cool and another head, man those get better and better.

Cool head, and really nice curves on those flames. It agrees entirely (not that it matters) with my idea of a flame shape. Nice job on the postcard collaboration as well.

Sam,

Your work is excellent, hip, & most of all fun. I'm really enjoying this post.

A-A

Thanks for the kind words, TT, foamy and Aaron's Akua.
TT, I never get tired of a shrunken head - I mean, they're ugly, offensive and tiny - what's not to like?
Foamy, thanks for the compliments on the flames. If they're too short, they look like crab claws, and if they're too elongated, they look like seaweed, I try to get them somewhere in between!
Aaron's Akua, I'm glad you like the post. I get a kick out of posting my art here on TC.

Once again completly awesome..
Thanks for the advice Sam, still looking forward to seeing progress pics. It would be fun to watch one of these beauties take form.

Thanks, rodeotiki. I'll try to do that during the next painting.

Maybe he should of used waxed floss. We can all learn from his mistake. And I agree, that's exactly how flames should be executed. Sweeet.

Thanks Raffertiki. I think that his whole problem was that he didn't carefully think out the whole process prior to attempting to floss. It just goes to show that carelessness can sometimes breed unnecessary, and even tragic consequences. By the way, I saw your finished fish tiki on GCFM, and it looks great. Carving is something I've always wanted to try.

http://www.samgambino.com

Keepin' busy and obviously luvin' it. Those are both sizzlin, Sam! Maybe too hot for poor lil crispy head though. I thought I smelled bacon when I opened this thread.

Chongolio

-- I believe that our Heavenly Father invented the monkey because he was disappointed in man."
... Mark Twain

Come explore http://www.lost-isle.com

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2004-09-29 19:22 ]

Thanks, Chongo! Your post got me thinking - maybe I'll go raid the fridge - It's been a while since I've had a BLT... :)

http://www.samgambino.com

"Crispy", Thats a new description for a painting. Love it, especially after seeing the picture. I've missed too much in just a few days.
More Sam...

Here's a new illustration for VooDoo Daddy Records in Brooklyn which is a branch of Witchdoctor Recording Studio. Hope you like...

http://www.samgambino.com

Voodoo Daddy's got a groove, and some Brooklyn attitude. Nice stuff.

Once again , I sit here and stare in wonder. Thanks for posting such amazing artwork.

Great painting! I love the teeth on the witchdoctor. Do you paint digitally? Or is that acrylics?

Thanks for the kind words, Raffertiki and rodeotiki. It's not exactly a tiki piece, but I thought I'd go ahead and post it since it's kind of tribal.