tiki room tiki, palm tiki page 15 5/3

Here's some 12" diameter fish float lights for some tiki bar somewhere...

Those blue balls are huge...I should really do something about that.

Tanks for peepin'!

did you use leds? i know someone was asking about them. i hope i pointed him in the right direction.

Those look great. You've got making them down. How much are you asking for them?

On 2006-03-20 15:15, Polynesiac wrote:
Here's some 12" diameter fish float lights for some tiki bar somewhere...

Those blue balls are huge...I should really do something about that.

Tanks for peepin'!

Nice Blue Balls ( and the other colors too)!!!

Can you give us a clue to where they are going?

wow! Those are excellent! You make kick butt float lights!

Pdrake - (I think I said this ina PM...but I forgot) - You can use LEDS, but I use regular lights. It gives them a more "vintage" glow

Ona - thanks, bro. 12" diameter globes go for $90, smaller diameters for less. I'll have some on hand at Oasis

Ben - thank you, but 'tis FORBIDDEN for me to say...Arrrr....

Exotica - thank you!

POLYNESIAC - putting the 'F' back in ART

[ Edited by: polynesiac 2006-07-10 21:12 ]

Okay, my fellow carving peeps I have a favor to ask of you. I was called to do a commission of a "hot rod tiki" for one of my palm suppliers a while back. Seeing as how I offered to do it gratis, I pushed it to the back burner a long time ago. Well, I need to finish this guy up (supplier stopped calling me about palm wood) and I've run into an unexpected road block. He wanted the tiki to have a cigar in his mouth. I actually forgot about the cigar until after I carved him (and remembered while I was staining him), but my idea of what the cigar would look like in my mind is much different than how it actually came out.

Here's the tiki (keep in mind he's not finished):

This is a style I'm very unfamiliar with, so I studied the "hot rod tiki" thread for inspiration. Man, you guys are good that carve these things. Originally I was going to add flames n' shit, but I figured a little go-tee was enough (he's going to be holding some wrenches too 'cause this guy is a real car nut).

The cigar came out looking...well...like a painted piece of bamboo (or a brown steel pipe, as the wife put it). I don't smoke cigars, so I don't have any examples to look at around the house and images from the internet are helpful, but don't let you feel the texture. So, heres my question for 'yall. Is there a material I can use that resembles what a cigar is wrapped in, but is durable enough to survive outside? I'm thinking I'll just wrap the bamboo and repaint it.

Here's a closeup of the bamboo cigar:

Thanks in advance!

The carving looks great and I love the idea about the wrenches.
As for the cigar maybe you could wrap a piece of dowel or bamboo in some dried palm leaf and modpoge it and apply a coat of poly. Burn the end off so it looks like it was a lit cigar too. I done smoke either but I am sure what ever you change will be for the best.
Cant wait to see it done.

hey dude. I would take some kind of palm frond or sum kind of braud faced tropical plant leaf, and either use the bamboo or carve a scrap piece of wood in a semi oblong shape then wrap the wood in the leaf. you could even burn the end. then poly coat it and put it in his mouth ...

dude rodeo.. you beat me to it while i wasnt looking...

All credit to Kirby , I just type fast than him.

And with the exchange rate factored in , his idea is about 20% better than mine.

[ Edited by: rodeotiki 2006-04-24 19:39 ]

Go to the gag store and get one of those giant foot long Real Cigars and use that. Urethane it all up and shove it in the hole and paint the end red and you got it done.

Rodeo/Kirb - thats a great idea with the palm frond and modge podge. I think I might just try that. I just have to make sure it ends up looking like a cigar and not a giant spliff.

And with the exchange rate factored in , his idea is about 20% better than mine.

HA! too funny, rodeo! But at least yours is more colorful! :)

Ben - You're a man of the same cloth, brother. I wish I had thought of that before I drilled the damn hole. I am all about making it E-Z (especially when it's free). I might check the party stores anyway and see what I find.

this is why I love TC, being able to bounce ideas around a little. Thank you!

POLYNESIAC - putting the 'F' back in ART

[ Edited by: Polynesiac 2006-04-24 20:30 ]

Hell... I don't think the bamboo one looks all that bad... afterall you're the artist and it is free... :wink:

I stress all the time about things like this after I went ahead and did them...

Then I ask my wife.

She sets me straight and I realize I was thinking too hard about it.

Whatever you decide it looks killer!

Polynesiac,

I like it!!
If you were up here, it would be smoking something else.
This one is definitely kind of a Surf Style tiki, if you know what I mean.
We'll have to hang out next time I'm in San Pedro.
Good luck at Tiki Oasis.

Will

I'd smooth that thing and deliver it. Ben's idea about the big cigar is a good one, too...I think you'd have something by being able to say it had a "real cigar". I know how you feel about those kinds of commissions...I have a bad lip-biting reverse polarity problem when I've had to stray too far off the islands. But name is name, and it gets yours out there every time someone buys one of your tikis. And your quality is good.

THank you so much for your comments, I haven't had time to finish this guy up just yet (Oasis in 1 week!!!), but I'll let you know what I decide.

Lake, BK - I know exactly what you guys mean. WHen you're used to carving a certain way we know what we are capable of doing and it usually "just happens" without any issue. It's when you deviate from a style that you're familiar with you become overly critical (and we are our worst critics) and tend to get stumped. Plus, I want to put as much aloha in all my carvings (even the free ones) that if I didn't just stop carving, none of them would ever be done! Thanks for the comments!

SC - Bro, mi casa es su casa. I don't think this guy would care if the cigar did look like something else!

A few points from me. I approached this as if someone gave me that tiki and said give it a hot rod makeover. This is what I would do, hope some of it helps.

• Carve the teeth around the cigar a little more, so it looks like he is biting it, not just he has a hole drilled in between his teeth. Hard to explain but curve them around the cigar.
• Fill in the end of the cigar and paint all of the end red. When was the last time you saw a cigar with a hollow end? Maybe try sponging on 2 different shades of red to give it a "burning" texture.
• 8 Balls for pupils!
• Tatts! Paint or carve into arms. Even just some simple flames would suffice.

Mate, very cool tiki though! I love it, Im sure he will :)

thanks hewey, you got some great ideas for hot rod tikis!

Here's a new one I did for oasis...but now it's sold! Come on by casa de Kirby and Polynesiac to check it out before it goes to it's new home. This one was inspired by the tikis that come out of the tangaroa tree at the tiki room. He's carved from a 4x4 redwood piece. The photos are by my friend Cathy:

Here's a new 3 (ish) foot palm tiki. He'll be at oasis too. (Lousy) pictures by me:

that's my carvin' buddy with the tiki

backside

more stuff to come, but got to get back to work...oasis is only a day away!!!!
thanks for looking!

SWEEEEEEEEEET!

Very, very cool. So animated. I love the colors on the little guy!

Best of luck this weekend... you've got some great work.

Polynesiac,

Very nice indeed.
I agree with Lake that the little guy's animated style and color make it killer.
Good luck at Tiki Oasis, maybe one year I'll make it down there.
Was your client who got the cigar tiki stoked?
I would have been.

Enjoy the south swell,
Will

Nice style. Smooth lines and definition. Me thinks ya been sandbaggin on us.

Aloha, my friends, thank you very much for the comps

Lake - these little guys only spend a short amount of time out of the tree at the beginning to the ride that we only ever get a teaser of how cool they are....and I always forget to bring my camera...then one popped up on ebay! I wasn't sure about the colors at first on the redwood, but after I put it on, I thought it was pretty cool. thanks!

will - Swell? damn...I work at the beach and I didn't even SEE the beach today. Stupid meetings. Cigar tiki is still in my possesion. Client hasn't picked it up yet. (didn't change much on it, I'll post pics later)

Mc - me thinks I need to see your backyard one day. Thanks for the comps

1 mask, 20 pendants, 12 lights and 20 hours to go until oasis...stressed? nah....

Darn Poly, I wish I was going to Oasis, I would Love so much to see all your stuff. I Love this painted guy, you Always seem do blow me away. Nice Stuff!

I am inspired to try carving one and painting it with color now. Very cool stuff. Have a great time at Oasis.

Had you considered one of those giant novelty cigars? you could shellac it or whatever. Seems like a cigar would make the best, um, cigar!
Just a thought.

Looking good, Jim! Will look even better tomorrow in SD. Yeah, Baby!!
Remember that drink? Stop by our room on the crawl. If you're not in the crawl, stop by anyway.

Cheers!

A-A

love 'em Polynesiac...that little one is sooooper doooper....really like the style and colors...
i'm gonna think about that one for a long time!

Hot dog, man! Those are mighty fine... mighty fine indeed!

Nice,
I'm sure you'll do well at Oasis.
JP