thor's tiki concept sketches & pirate gecko's drawing final painting sneak preview for TC page 2!

HEY ALL!!

Quick share here... These are a few fun sketches of tiki's. These are just what I call"stream of consciousness" (..sounds like a great drink name by the way) sketches. These doodles are really just part of my design process and I am usually the only one to see these. They lead to other things in my paintings or mug designs. Anyway..have fun viewing these. They actually begin to "talk" if you view these for 30 seconds, take in 3 shots of fine 151 rum and stand on one leg (peg legs go to the head of the line...so we can watch!).

P.S. I was just asked here if these are available... These were sold to a collector interested in my concept art a few weeks ago.

Thought I would add this drawing too since I accidentally uploaded it to firefly with the others. This is the line drawing of another painting to be in my "gecko" series of paintings. People in Hawaii can't seem to get enough of this series so I am doing a couple more, then taking a break from this subject for a few months. Kinna Gecko'ed out!

This one is titled..(Thanks to Max at the STOR's endless wit after a Few Pacifica's) "Purple Projectiles off the Port side" I got this idea after consuming a pineapple fruit boat for lunch at Tiki's Restaurant in Waikiki. I picked up my chopstix, a few napkins and some leftover grapes and constructed this Pirate ship out of the stuff on my table(to the dismay of the waitress who evil eyed me for "playing with my food"). I took a fast snapshot to remind me of the idea and then drew this picture of Hawaiian gecko's amidst a sea battle in miniature..plastic spoon cannon, captain waiving his plastic cocktail sword with a leaf hat and twister tie cumber bun. Anyway...this one will go to paint shortly. Hope it brings a few smiles. If interested, you can see the entire gecko series on my website.

Mahalo!!! ~~THOR

[ Edited by: THOR's 2007-03-24 08:23 ]

Bastard...

Your quick "concept" sketches blow away any art Ive ever managed to make...

:)

They pastels? (looks like em). I gotta break out the pastels a little more.

Ditto! It's very annoying,yet great to see.

Well don't be annoyed!! DRAW !!!! The medium here is colored pencils on scrap, colored matte board. I also add a few highlights at times with some white acrylic or guache(opaque waterolor). It's fun to draw on a toned paper because it makes you think in terms of light and how light will lay on simple forms. Mess around with it!! You can see my layin lines in most of these where I started lighly sketching in simple forms..then added detail and a "light source". I know other artists who do this sort of thing digitally on the computer.

There are a lot of things you can do like this in "photoshop". You can fast sketch on a wacom tablet, lay a tone layer over it or isolate the lines in another layer and use the eraser tool to chisel out the light forms... Pastel may work too but gets pretty messy for me. I have a hard enough time keeping paint off my clothes and finger nails. When I have worked in pastel in the past, I get so much on hands and face I often walk away looking like a clown who tried to put on his makeup after a cheap bottle of Scotch.

GROG like.

Ditto!
Grog sid it best! A lot of the old masters did pen& ink on colored grounds with just white hi-lights (Durer-Brueghal etc.) same kinda twilight cool vibe! Thor,your paintings and drawings are definetely superhuman!Coupled with a vivid imagination and great colors....you rule man! Those tikis definetely come to life! Thanks for sharing those great pieces!

wow thats cool. i havent really seen anything like that before. i like it. show us more

Im gonna have to have a go at this style. Ive seen some really good portraits done like this too...

And I have multiple colours of paper for this at home too...

I love em. Thank you Thor

Those are some very stylish renderings. Thanks for sharing all of those. I like the Pirrate boat. I could see a children's book featuring them critters.

Chongolio

THOR!

those are sketches?!?!?! wow. I'm always floored by you painters/drawers. you have amazing talent, I love the tiki sketches.

I can't wait to see the gecko pirate boat! that sketch treatment is totally AWESOME!!!! You should play with your food more often, if this is the kind of creativeness that comes from it.

Good to see you back on the board and posting your amazing stuff!!!!

I need to take a vacation and come check your new store out.

True fine art provokes meaningful and philosophical discourse in its purveyors...

How do you steer a pineapple? Who are the Geckos attacking? What did Geckos use for cannons before the invention of plastic? Why is the captain so angry? Was he neglected as a child?...

:) :) :)

HEWEY!!!
YOU, my friend have been inhaling too much pastel dust this eve!!! HAAaa But GOOD questions!! I have to do the story write up on this one and you give me FOOD for thought!!!!

Who are they fighting??? Hmmm I would say it's either the "Cherry Flickin Frog Squad" or the "Olive Lobbin' Lizard Brigade", frankly...though all it would take is one well aimed banana torpedo hittin' the starboard side to make this boat into pineapple rings to die for!!

~~ THOR

On 2006-07-12 04:27, THOR's wrote:
HEY ALL!!

Hey THOR!

On 2006-07-12 04:27, THOR's wrote:
This one is titled..(Thanks to Max at the STOR's endless wit after a Few Pacifica's) "Purple Projectiles off the Port side" I got this idea after consuming a pineapple fruit boat for lunch at Tiki's Restaurant in Waikiki. I picked up my chopstix, a few napkins and some leftover grapes and constructed this Pirate ship out of the stuff on my table(to the dismay of the waitress who evil eyed me for "playing with my food"). I took a fast snapshot to remind me of the idea and then drew this picture of Hawaiian gecko's amidst a sea battle in miniature..plastic spoon cannon, captain waiving his plastic cocktail sword with a leaf hat and twister tie cumber bun. Anyway...this one will go to paint shortly. Hope it brings a few smiles. If interested, you can see the entire gecko series on my website.
Mahalo!!! ~~THOR

I'd like to see the original photo, with the pencil sketches of the Geckos photoshopped in.

Well Freddie...
I can't do that, but CAN show you the one photo I did not erase from the camera from that day. This was when I tried a Banana leaf on the chopsticks mast. Shortly after, I did a few cocktail napkins but like I mentioned, these pictures were just to remind me of the idea.. In the actual sketch here I drew it making up everything at a different angle and cutting the shape of the pineapple to look a little more Galleon shaped... To photoshop the Gecko's I would have had to draw them at a different angle. Anyway..note the "happy family" in the table behind!! I am sure I was REALLY a bad example for that poor kid watching the "bad man" play with his food across from them!

People often ask me, "What things inspire you to paint a subject"? Well..here is how it happens. It can come from anywhere!!

...Well as long as I was asked to explain about the fruit boat inspiration at the table at Tiki's, might as well show this one too. This is a painting inspired from this same day but I used the idea of a Banana leaf instead of napkins and made a romantic Banana outrigger for two love sick Hawaiian gecko's The Guy steerin it is minding his own business and uses a drink swizzle stick to navigate... This is just a fast snapshot taken of the painting..the painting was just sold but there will be prints available soon at the Thor Stor.

Aloha.. ~~THOR

That's some great work, man.
Lots of imagination.

Day-O, Daayyy-O. Daylight come an' I wanna go home.
(Oops! Sorry. Wrong banana boat)

Awesome escapes Thor!

Thor, It's nice to see in real life how everyday things can end up on the canvas looking totally different while retaining the original objects. Excellent story!

Thor!
Love that banana boat! You are right about inspiration coming from everywhere!Part of the fun of being an artist is the way they look at things! Show 500 different artists an object or a scene,and you would end up with countless interpretations! Your mind should be a national treasure!
Thanks for all the inspiration and for letting us in your brain for awhile!

that is simply amazing! what did you use to paint? i want to start painting as soon as i can afford it. good job

I love hearing stories like this. The photo is cool too... :)

I regularly get up at like 1:00 am when I have a cool idea to sketch it out before I lose it :)

One thing I miss at times painting so many hours alone is stuff like this...other artist and creative minds. I think this is what I am really appreciating most here on TC. Not only are there so many GREAT artist but also those who are the types that like to search for fun and adventure in everyday things... Inspiration, ya, it comes from many places. Hey, GREAT job on the finished carving Benz by the way!!!

Tiki Duddy..GET TO PAINTIN'!!!! I used all acrylics on this last one, but also paint in oil for variety. Painting is like any other "tool" that requires a little practice and lots of "bad paintings" till one gets past that part of the learning curve. I have taught a good deal of student to paint when I was teaching part time at Art Center in Pasadena. I always compared painting to learning to play a piano or instrument. First you learn to create chords and then practice to copy the songs others have written. Then, after a while, something "clicks" and you find you are no longer focusing as much on the tool or skill and more on just expressing what's in you heart and mind! That's when it really gets rewarding!! So Jump in there Tiki Duddy!! I am happy to answer any questions you have and can't wait to see what you start coming up with!!

Have a great weekend!!! ~~THOR

[ Edited by: THOR's 2006-07-16 08:02 ]

Aloha all!!

Well, I have been juggling a lot of different pieces this year and at times, some are put on back burner while commissions or other priority projects are completed. I got the painted version of this done this week. See beginning of this thread if you want to see the history of what inspired this crazy painting.

Here is the finished piece to add to my "Gecko series" which is really popular seller it seems. We think we will call it.." Purple Projectiles off port side". It features these little Hawaiian Geckos on a half pineapple pirate ship...sails are cocktail napkins, chopstick masts and they are flinging grapes with a plastic spoon at their foe!!

Their enemy is shooting maraschino cherries that are kerplunking into the water near by..one went through the "sail" as a near miss!! I will do a second painting that shows who they are fighting. My idea is a half coconut husk with nut or sand castle fort lead by a Captain Hawaiian cane Toad and a bunch of tropical frogs. They use a plastic fork to thread the stem of the cherries through, pull back and fling at the Gecko pirates...Quite a fruit fight!!!!!

Hope you enjoy. This original will be scanned for publication and sent to the Thor Stor.

Looking forward to seeing some of you at Tiki Farm Parking lot sale, Hukilau and Tiki Oasis. I will be in the THOR STOR booth..please come say hi!

Have a great weekend!!! ~~THOR

[ Edited by: THOR's 2007-03-24 08:25 ]

Awesome as always - but I have one criticism... The projected trajectory of the grape being loaded onto the plastic spoon does not align with the overflying cherries! The guy at the bow is looking in the right direction though :D

"...The projected trajectory of the grape being loaded onto the plastic spoon does not align with the overflying cherries! The guy at the bow is looking in the right direction though."

Obviously the grape is being launched at another ship, most likely the first ship to attack (or be attacked). There are three points in the water where cherries from that ship have landed. The cherries in the air (including the one that pierced the sail) are coming from a ship which either just fired as it came into range or was not given notice in the chaos of the first attack. The "guy at the bow" has his eye on this ship.

These kind of details, which might escape the frivolous eye, are what makes art such as Thor's so much fun. They're like old illustrations from great books which allowed for hours of contemplation in the centuries before movies and TV robbed the world of much of its imagination.

HAAAAAAa Well... I have to say... You are both correct!!! What I always try to do is leave a bit of "story" missing from the viewer to fill in...to make it their own. Both Of you did this!!

You have no idea how many times I find ..as an artist that I may have a story to tell myself..but there are many many others that are just as magical..or even more so that are told by people I meet that see my stuff.

Thanks for the comments. I am not sure if I should paint the other piece to complete the story..or leave it a grand mystery! Fantasy is a reality itself..backed by the truest form of human spirit..our own imaginations.

Good night! THOR

In a running battle at sea ships are constantly on the move. The ship that fired could very well have it's bow going the opposite direction of the bow of this ship and they could be preparing to fire as it sails on in that direction. We have no idea where the other ship is other than nearby, it could be firing from the bow, astern or the rear.

Trajectory of cherries?!? All I know is those geckos are soooo really freaking darned cute! Great sense of lighting and color, Thor. Fantastic work! U ROCK!

True Sneaky!!! Many Senarios... The enemy could be at 11:00 and the Captain is shouting the orders to "load the guns" before they turn a few degrees starboard for true aim. This is the fun of it!!

Hey Tiki Shark!! You plan to fly to the mainland to hukilau or Tiki Oasis??? Let's make it a Hawaii to mainland party plane!! LOVE your stuff as always!! Look forwqard to meeting you!! I need to make a trip to Kona soon to see my cousins...I will have to look you up!!!

Aloha!! ~~ Thor

Thor! Still not sure if I'm going to Tiki Oasis yet. It's all about money at da moment. Of course a chance to party with the Hawaiian God of thunder? Cool! Thanks fer asking. Look forward to meeting you when u get over to the Big Island, though I may get over to Oahu in the next few months - I'm determined to get to the Thor Stor so I can drool over the beeeeutiful giclees!! It's all good! Aloha!