Davez_tikiz - finally finished one after 7 months!

Thanks, G! I did learn a lot... can't wait to get started on the next one. "next level"... huh? Cool!!!! Thanks for the "cut deeper" advice... when I tried that it really worked!

nice work doub, your hard work has paid off...

DB,

Go look at Pablus' post "Let the drooling begin". I think you'll see that your KU arms and legs are NOT too long and skinny. Once again good show. Your piece is killer. Be proud!

-Gman

Nice Tiki, nice job. That's the Best way to learn, biting off more than you can chew and chewing it. This guy is a great learning experience and you get an awesome tiki out of it too. Congrats.

Doubravsky take one giant step forward and recieve your recognition for the Elevation of your carving style. Huge. Very nice job.

Gman... you're right! looking at the arms from Pablus' pictures did help!

Benz, Palm City.. thanks! I am proud of this one... and learned a lot.

Interestingly, I noticed today a white powdery stuff inside the eyes and mouth.. some kind of mildew I think. I'll post pics tomorrow. Not sure what to do about it... don't want to put bleach on the stain job. Any suggestions?

Try drying it out a bit with a hair drier. I have done that successfully before. Let it dry out in the garage a bit longer.

Thanks, Ben... I dreed it off and put it outside for a few days ...seemed to help.

Here's a pic from the weekend of the growing tiki family and the backyard tropicals:

What a contrast of progessive improvements from the first carve to your latest Ku. This is what I love to see. Kudos to you, Doubravski. Onward and upward!

A-A

DB,

Any progress on the new tiki??? Also, I was hoping you would post some pics of your KU with all the finish applied? I really like the way that piece turned out. Any more mold problems?

-Greg

Big step up Doubravsky and one that I'm sure , makes you Proud as hell. The amazint thing is that you are already think about how to make the next one better yet. You make me Proud!

Very cool stuff, d. I especially like the wall mask with the frame - the design, tones really work well.

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino 2005-11-17 19:36 ]

AA... thanks!

G... not much progress this week... seems like I've been really tired and crash right after I get the girls to bed. I'm hoping for some quality carving this weekend though. I'll take some pics of Ku... the mold did come back. I never sealed it or anything, just one coat of dark Walnut stain. I think I may give it another coat, dry off the mold and add a coat or two of something clear to seal it. I seem to get to a point where I have to finish something and move on.. so nothing quite gets 100% done. A bit of A.D.D. I think. Thanks again for the compliments.. makes me feel good to hear praisefrom such a pro!

Ben.. thanks for the kind words... I am proud of this one. After seeing him some of my friends started asking about buying one. Feels good to hear people like your stuff enough to want to pay for it.

Sam... thanks!

Here's the latest... he's about 5 1/2 ft tall... just needs a coat of varnish. Sorry for the bad exposure, I had to take the pics at night :(

Another great one DB and BIG too!. I love your use of colors. They make the detail really stand out. Keep 'em coming

DB,

You're on roll man! Soon you will have full body tikis everywhere. The sea turtle detail is wicked, and as Ben said, your use of color shows off your details. Nice job! What's next, a Marq or a Maori? Have any of that palm left, or have you cut it all now?

-Gman

Ben.. thanks man! I just lacquered the whole thing, and it took some of the color contrast away. Still, looks good. Pics tomorrow.

G.. thanks! I like the sea turtle too... he turned out good. I still have tons of wood left. Next up, a 6' log I split in half vertically, and I'm gonna do two twin Marqs. Just got it debarked, somewhat sanded and split tonight. Progress pics soon!

Here he is lacquered up and in his place... the lacquer took some of the contrasting colors out... but Iike the lacquer coloring.:)

Here are the twins.... in their place guarding the pool table. They got me my first commission... making a 4' marq. for someone!

They look wonderful...You really did a great job and should be proud! Have a rum drink in celebration :drink:

DB,

Those are SMOKIN'!!! I can't believe how great they look. You da man! It looks like you found some good techniques to deal with the stringy palms too. I bet you are glad you have that auto chisel aye! The twins idea was a really great one. They look great there by the pool table. Congrats!

-Gman

Lookin good Dave!

Hey....somehow I missed your KU....and your marqs are nice
too....looks like the place is well protected. Keep up your
work...super KU.

Loki.. thanks. They did turn out well. I'll take that drink!

Gman... thanks! I struggled with the stringy wood,... ended up doing a series of little cuts to keep it from tearing as I chiseled. It did turn out really well. The power chisel really shined on those two... saved me lots of hours.

tikimecula... thanks Andy!

Conga... thanks. Lots of good mana protecting that room!

Next I'm thinking about a Lono.. gotta study Aarons for a while.

Those guardians of the pool hall look really great. Duplication is a really hard thing to do and you did a good job making both look like the other. And so fast as well.

JP

Here's a new Marq... just finished him today. He's about 4' tall... my first comissioned tiki! Had to finish him quick, as she needed him tomorrow for a Xmas present.

DB,

Bangin' them out, huh? Glad you were able to meet their deadline. Sometimes it's tough to make the magic happen when you are rushed or deadline/delivery dates are looming. It looks good. Did you burn or use a dark stain in the deep areas? Congrats on your first sale.

-Gman

Way Cool, Dave!

Here's the latest... been playing around with several projects - not finishing anything.. but this one is about done. It was done nearly all the way with chisels... no power tools. I only used the arbortech power chisel for the teeth and the stomach "muscles".

He's about 6' tall.. standing by the front door greeting visitors. He's got a little relief-Maori on his head. I ordered some paua shell "veneer" for the eyes.. didn't seem like the one to try real shell inlay. I'll add that when it arrives.

Looks Real Great DB, very well done. Any pictures of the Progress shots you can post?
Bring us more like this guy. Love the staining and the rope adds a lot too as does the maori guy. COOL

Yes, very cool. Lots of different stuff going on with this tiki. I really like all of the different colors & textures, mixing it all up. Nice going, Dave - it's obvious lots of thought and effort and creativity went into this carving.

Aaron, Ben, thanks so much. I did play around with it quite a bit- it changed a lot along the way. Didn't take any progress shots- sorry:(

I agree about the nice mix of textures . I just hope he is safe out front your house. Very nice.

DB..."he's baaaack"...nice job on this guy..lots of styles going on and they work well together...and lots of personality to boot. Somehow working with the chisels gives a intimate feeling with your tiki that power tools cant give...looking forward to the next DB project.

Very cool tiki.

Aloha bruddah!
Nice work cuz! I like the style combo fo'shua! All the little elements add up to a nice work of art! Youre not afraid some moke is gonna steal da kine form your front porch? I did a few Tikis for a garden/pond center and after 3 nights, 2 tikis stay stolen! Now the have only one left and it has a huge hole bored into the bottom with a lock & chain connnected to a fence post! If people only knew how kapu it is to steal some kanaka's tiki! Bad mana, very bad mana!

Keep up the good work bruddah, cant wait to see more!

Looks great. I really like the small head carved in near the top.
JP

Hey D- Great tones and the different textures make him one of a kind. Great work!

Great work and i love the rope.

like what you did doubrovsky...great tones...like the rope....more nice ideas that I can
steal from.....good work!

DB,

The multi-color stain thing looks really great. I like how you worked to incorporate a series of styles into this one piece. Nice job! You better get him off your porch before someone pimps him!

-Gman

Thanks all for the kind words! I am a little worried someone will snag him.. but he is pretty heavy.. probably a good 150 lbs. If I can find a way to anchor him I might do that.

I was concerned about the different styles. I wanted to do something in relief after seeing Marcus' awesome hibiscus on the surfboard, but I didn't want to steal his idea, so I came up with the Maori. By the time I decided on the Maori I had already started the square lines on the head.. or I would've changed to spirals. I like the way it turned out, though.

The MOP veneer arrived yesterday from NZ, so I'll add the eyes tonight and repost.

thanks again! All the great feedback keeps me going and striving to improve!

Here's the next project to finish... a maori from a 2x 8 piece of cherry wood. Working now on the face detail... needs lots of cleanup, stain, and MOP eye inserts. I used it as an intro to the style... with The Art of Maori Carving as a guide.

Went with simple surface details.. used a little of the foredom/ wecheer recip and 3/8" parting tool. It still has a ways to go....

Nice piece...Is that the mask from The Art Of Maori Carving? I was considering that on some smaller pieces of wood I have here, as it fits a good profile as far as finding a wood blank easily in that size. Cool!

Lookin good Dave. That book is a Great reference!

Dave you are really goiung above and beyond with this. The cleanup will be well worth the effort as you have a real gem here. NICE!

BK... it is that piece... works pretty well on a smaller piece... THe surface design was kind of improvised- tried to make it easy... and learn how to do the the diamond design.

tikimecula.. thanks! Great to see you back around!

Ben... thanks for the kind words from the zen master!.. I used this piece to learn how to use chisels and gouges instead of the power stuff.. it was a lot of fun!

Very nice!