Art by finkdaddy (#8 restarted, this one's a biter)

great design daddy....like the turtle too!
we won't tell your boss....as long as you
keep carving and posting!

finkdaddy, your passion shows in your work. Nice job. Keep it up braddah!

I agree with everyone else. The turtle looks great.
Such clean crisp lines. I would love to try carving with some knives but I like my fingers too much.

I'm gonna tell your boss you have been wasting his time carving those tiki things! Not! Fink, this one is really turning out great. The turtle was a great idea. looks like you are outdoing yourself with every new carving. Keep it up man.

AHHHH! Tiki Envy! Everytime you release a new pic of a tiki, they look better and better!

Love that turtle action! Don't think that needs any more, sometimes less is more!

I'm also a fan of the turtle. It fits perfectly natural with the design.

i KNEW i should have bought one of your earlier carvings.... now i'll never be able to afford one! beautiful work!

Finkdaddy,

I'm very impressed by your recent tiki's. They are super cool and animated looking, just how I like them. Keep up the fine art, it seems like every one is getting better and better. Pretty soon they will start becoming alive at the rate your going. I'm jelous, I wish I could carve a detailed, mini tiki like that, but they don't make chainsaws that small.

Will

FD, I've studied your last pic for awhile, and I can really appreciate the way you've exagerated the extremities of the curves (nostrils, mouth) and points (bridge of the nose, teeth). That stretching of the features makes for a very cool design. It really looks like you planned/sketched it out, yet you carved it very pragmatically feature by feature. The turtle was a nice touch too, simple and clean. You are developing your own style for sure. At this rate, I can see that will be some unique and masterful tikis in your future.

Take your time, they're all coming out great.

Aaron

It's been a long time since I was here. Damn, Finkdaddy! I remember your first two carvings, not so very long ago. They were real good, but you're in a different class altogether now. You've been hang'in out with some of these other carvers now haven't ya? Huh? That baby looks great! Get down an' get back up again!

[ Edited by: foamy on 2005-05-25 04:50 ]

Thank you!! Sam, Conga, JT, Rodeo, Ben, Hewey, Raffer, Palama, SCTikiShack, Aaron, Foamy, I know I've said this before but honestly, I wouldn't do this if it weren't for you. You're too kind! :blush: Each and every one of the people I just mentioned are incredible artists that I strive to match. Thanks for sharing YOUR art with me because that's where the inspiration comes from. Mahalo!

My thoughts were so loud I couldn't hear my mouth...

[ Edited by: finkdaddy on 2005-05-25 11:10 ]

All he needs is a couple coats of clear. This guy was carved from a real-life piece of Benzart wood, so special thanks to him!

Finky, WOW, he looks SO Great. Your work is Really advancing to the point you are going to have to spend more time carving to make up the orders you will get for your pieces. Excellent.
How was the wood to carve overall? Did it make the carving any easier? Can't wait till the next one.

Great work Finkdaddy!!!

Thanks Sperm Whale, thanks Ben. Over all I liked the wood a lot. It was soft, easy to carve, has a unique grain, and has a great feel in your hand. I also liked the way it took the stain. I know you complained that it didn't hold much detail, but it was way better than I'm used to. My only complaint was that the grain was so pronounced that sometimes it was hard for me to see what I was doing. I'm going to try the cherry wood next. I'm saving that little piece of zebra wood you sent me to make one for myself to wear to Exotica. I'm even going to try carving a tiny pair of moai earings for my wahine to wear there too.

Ben, I was staring at the pictures of the Lono you carved and I swear I saw it move. Unreal my friend, unreal.

My thoughts were so loud I couldn't hear my mouth...

[ Edited by: finkdaddy on 2005-05-25 08:39 ]

Looks Great. I love the eyes. How did you like carving the Mahagony?

Fink,

I noticed the eyes first. Super cool how they are recessed. The turtle and the tapa decor are truly cool. Super clean work.

How big is this piece?

That is it...put me on the list..A real thing of beauty..

On 2005-05-25 08:46, Monkeyman wrote:
Fink,

I noticed the eyes first. Super cool how they are recessed. The turtle and the tapa decor are truly cool. Super clean work.

How big is this piece?

Thanks Monkeyman and Aloha station. He's a bit larger than I meant him to be, just under 5". I liked the mahagony very much, soft yet it has some weight. Mahalo.

Fink, looking good braddah! When can I order a full sized tiki???

On 2005-05-24 19:05, Palama Tiki wrote:
i KNEW i should have bought one of your earlier carvings.... now i'll never be able to afford one! beautiful work!

Don't worry Palama, they're still cheep and I will always trade for mugs! :lol: Thank you!

Simply awesome. Cant wait to see what comes next.

That little bit of detail in the last pics just really sets that off! Awesome work - keep em comin

Fink this one is AMAZING! that turtle and tapa cloth are super clean and fit the tiki perfectly. You have quite a talent for removing the non-tiki excess wood. Every part of this tiki is excellent.

Thanks for sharing your creations and giving us the updated pictures.

WOW...still amazed...

Sooooooo Cool. My son adores turtles, would you mind if I try one like it for him?

On 2005-05-25 19:41, tikitammy wrote:
Sooooooo Cool. My son adores turtles, would you mind if I try one like it for him?

Of course you can make one! Turtles are for everybody. :) Just show everyone the pics.

Thanks again everyone, you've all been terrific.

I'm carving cherry wood for the first time. I like it. It's a bit harder than the mohagany that I just used, but my knives are sharp and it carves up well.

Here is the beginging of a tiki I'm making for Polynesian Pop. He wants one in the style of my #3. I'm curious to find out how detailed I can go with the cherry.

The mysterious black shadow you see is the tail of one of my cats. He wouldn't leave me alone this morning.

Cool Fink. THat tiki just above looks good just like that. But keep going anyways.

Hey Fink, another great start. You will find why cherry is considered among the premier carving woods. You will be able to put as fine of detail as you wish, it is Hard carving but very precise and should fit your carving style perfectly. Have fun!

go finky go! very cool beginning - it kinda looks like a tiki version of the alien from "Alien"

i agree with teaky. it looks cool with just the teeth, can i get one with just the teeth and a signature...kirby

Another great start. I'm working with a piece of cherry right now as well. The wood carves great and holds a lot of detail. Ill post post pics soon.

Freakin great work there... Lovin' your tiki style. :)

And the Mahogany- Would look RICH on a shelf with many leather bound books.

[ Edited by: Capt'n Skully on 2005-06-03 15:00 ]

I see another gret tiki forming. Do you always start with the mouth and go from there? I think that the mouth kinda sets the tone for the rest.
Cant wait to see more.

cherry cherry...she got the way to move you!
I guess Neil Diamond isn't great tiki...
but your new carving sure is. good job.

Yee-Haw!!! Damn, I love it already! Lookin' Cherry!!!

ooooh, nice. Another masterpiece in the making

Interesting style. Almost completing the mouth first, before moving to the rest. should be great!

Wow, thanks everybody! :blush: I'm finding the cherry very nice to work with. I do like to start with the mouth first and then work upwards. I've been reading that I probably shouldn't do that (see Swanky's new carving thread, there's a lot of great carving tips there!), but it just sort of seemed natural to me.

Thanks again for all the support. I'll post more when I'm further along.

It's OK Finky, as long as you get away with it, but one day it will catch up to you and you will find yourself having to move that beautiful mouth over or down or up or somewhere to make it fit right. I have done things like that in the past and have been bitten hard as a result. Don't let it bother you, just keep working on the piece at hand. Where are the update pic's. Not posting those is worse than Anything else?? HA

My guys are always slow in the making. After this week they should come along a lot quicker.

I'm crossing my fingers that this one comes out ok. I'm going to bring the headdress all the way down the back of the head this time. And I'm going to try and go real deep with the eyes. We'll see.

that is one mean tiki. I like what you did to the jaw. Very life like.

there are two types of carving. Carve a face onto the wood, or make the wood a face, which you have done.

YOWZA! Hot diggity-dawg that's coming out NICE! Looking good Fink!

Looking fine, finkdaddy. The scowl is perfect.

Thanks guys, it means a lot to get feedback from great artists like yourselves.

This one is already full of life and has devoloped a taste for blood! Bit me pretty good. I guess I have to get used to the harder wood. It's not as forgiving as I'm used to.

Yep Yep Yep, looking just plain Mean. I love the way he is unfolding. You are keeping us in suspense here already. cna't wait can't wait hurry hurry hurry!

Mean looking bugger. Cool stuff man

Wow, i cant believe the clean lines you guys get on these small carvings. Very cool . Cant wait to see more.