Zaya's wood burnings, and a couple of new pictures.

Hello Tiki Central! I'd like to officially introduce myself. My name is Christina, but you can call me Zaya. Officially I come from Greek goddess decent, but I love everything tiki as well. I've been an oberserver of Tiki Central for a little while now. I was introduced to it by my boyfriend. You know him as "Bay Park Buzzy"! His amazing talent inspires me every day, and gives me the desire to be creative myself. I'm intrigued by the Maori tattoo designes. I looked around on e-bay and bought a book called "Moki" The Art and History of Maori Tattoing. It has some great pictures of different tattoo patterns. I've been practicing drawing them, and this is what I have so far....

Markings over bridge of nose.

Nose tattooing

Patterns on noses

Patterns on noses

A tattooed gourd

Over upper lip

Spiral on right cheek

Chin

Patterns

Patterns

Left half of forehead

Buzzy just bought "The Art of Maori Carving", and I'm looking forward to borrowing that, and practicing the designs in there. We saw it mentioned on Davez's thread and he recommended it. I get so much inspiration reading everyone's posts. I see Benzart's amazing maori designs, and am in awe of the precision. I can only dream! I'm also interested in working with bamboo. Buzzy keeps promising to get me that cool woodburner that Benzart has. Come on Buzzy! It will be here before I know it. Otherwise I'll have to take my computer away. Just kidding Buzzy!

I've had the pleasure of meeting quite a few people from Tiki Central over the past couple of months. I worked with Buzzy at Tiki Oasis 6, and also this weekend attended OnaTiki's great party. You can see my pictures from there on his party thread.

What I've learned from my experiences so far.

1. Trying to draw Maori tattoo designs for the first time isn't as easy as it looks.

2. Trying to draw a pattern on one side and then copying it exactly in the opposite on the other side is even harder.

3. Once you start drawing you just can't stop!

4. Being a supporter of tiki is even more fun when you're creating tiki yourself!

5. It's easy to be inspired when you're with someone that truly loves what he does.

That's all for now!

Zaya

[ Edited by: Zaya 2007-07-17 01:01 ]

[ Edited by: Zaya 2008-10-07 12:20 ]

On 2006-07-04 19:05, Zaya wrote:

What I've learned from my experiences so far....

Yes, yes, and yes to all of them :)

Welcome to TC!

Buzzy be a good man and buy her a freakin burner! Then you can carve the tikis and she can tatt them.

Your boy does some kool carvings, and looks like you got a good eye too. Cant wait to see more :)

Go for it Zaya! I'm glad to see you jumping into the Moko art. It is very demanding and hard to put down once you get stung. Maybe that Buxxy character is man enough to buy you your burner and then let you burn a tat on his arm Can we see when you are dome??
Have fun and keep posting your pic's.

On 2006-07-04 20:18, hewey wrote:

Buzzy be a good man and buy her a freakin burner!

On 2006-07-05 05:23, Benzart wrote:
Maybe that Buzzy character is man enough to buy you your burner and then let you burn a tat on his arm

I'm not liking where this thread is heading...

thanks guys!!! And I was going to take a couple of days off...Now I have to go to the ghetto and work in a hot, stinky, classroom to afford the Rolls Royce version of a woodburner...
how much is that damn thing anyway?
Zaya, you have a job, you should buy ME a wood burner. Besides, my woodburner works fine. It was fine for you until you had go on Benzart's thread and see his fancy pants woodburner.

Tattoos? On me?
Alright Benzart!!! That's it, I'm sending her to your place. She can practice on you first. You were the one who had to go and inspire her to do this, so you have to deal with her now...I have to go call in sick, I do not need to buy my girlfriend a woodburner anymore. Thanks Ben, and watch out, Zaya's actually crazy!

Zaya, now that you know how to post, go ahead and take your computer back!!! You'll just have to post my stuff too. Oh yeah, here's my birthday list:
#1 Colwood Super Pro Woodburner kit

Get to work Zaya! You have not posted any work since yesterday!!
Buzzy in the Ghetto today out!!!

Wow, the first post on my own thread, and it's all the way from Down Under! Thanks Hewey! I haven't been to Australia yet, but it's on top of the list of places I must go. Fortunately my day job is in the travel industry, so I have the opportunity to travel quite often. Traveling is contagious, just like tiki! By the way, great idea about having Buzzy carve the tikis and me tatting them. I think we'd make a great team. Of course the tikis would turn out even better if I had that fancy wood burner like Benzart!

Speaking of Benzart, did I ever tell you how brilliant you are? First of all, I feel honored that you took the time to check out this beginner's stuff, and even more excited about your words of encouragement. I could go on and on about your amazing work, and the fact that I read your thread over and over like it's the bible of tiki. As for this idea about me burning a tat on Buzzy's arm, I love it!!!! In fact I can already picture it in my mind right now. We're not talking about some little Moko pattern, but something more on the lines of a full sleeve! What do you think? I know he's man enough to handle it. In fact I bet he's on the Colwood website right now ordering that burner. Just the thought of me coming at him with that $7.00 burner that he has now is a great incentive! Thanks Ben! You'll definitely be the first to see it when it's done. :)

As for Buzzy, you can let me know the Fed Ex tracking number on the burner so we'll know exactly when it's arriving! It's a good thing I'm taking the next couple of weeks off. It will give me plenty of time to design your sleeve!

Honestly I have very little burner experience. In fact I only have one burner experience! One night Buzzy was carving, and I felt like testing out the burner so he found a scrap piece of bamboo and let me have at it. He made a couple of burn marks on the top of the piece to show me how it worked, and then I went down the bamboo from there. I realized that I was kind of getting a pattern going, and wound up free handing this....

At the time I hadn't studied any specific styles or patterns, and it was right after this that I bought my Moko Maori Tattoo book and started drawing. I'm looking forward to creating something other than just drawings, but for now I need to practice. Needless to say, I'm hooked!

Buzzy's my inspiration, and I've learned so much from him. I pay attention to every detail of his work, and everything he has to say about creating it.

Good night for now,

Zaya

Thanks Zaya(you too Buzzy!). I think the full sleeve is a Great idea and Sure, come on down and practice on me, I ve been thinking of getting a tat anyway. IF you haven't got the colwood burner yet, Don't. I have an Old colwood that works fine but even for a single burner it is expensive
I thought it worked wekll until Pyrotiki introduced me to the Optima brand with its superior pens/tips. They get hotter faster and cool faster and best of all they are cheaper. check it out Here
Again I am very happy you have jumped into the Maori art. One word of caution/respect, the Maori people find it very offensive and disrespectable to Copy the Moko of any person, chief, living or dead. That Moko is like that persons signature and in it is contained All his history, showing where he inherited his chiefly powers and authority. It shows his family lineage on both sides of his family and includes personal information such as children, battles and wounds suffered. It is hard to believe all that information is written in the MOko, but it is, so please do not copy directly any Moko. Once you start with a few lines, you will just let it flow around the face. Just maintain the basic structure and have fun, let your design go its own way and be proud that it is Yours, not someone elses.
Keep up the good work and don't let this slow you down.

On 2006-07-06 06:25, Benzart wrote:

One word of caution/respect, the Maori people find it very offensive and disrespectable to Copy the Moko of any person, chief, living or dead. That Moko is like that persons signature and in it is contained All his history, showing where he inherited his chiefly powers and authority. It shows his family lineage on both sides of his family and includes personal information such as children, battles and wounds suffered. It is hard to believe all that information is written in the MOko, but it is, so please do not copy directly any Moko.

The Maori are watching you Zaya!!!
They have a list of violators that they are going to go get after they see one more disrespectful tattoo.
#1 on the list of people the Maori ass kickers will hunt down

#2 is this guy

A bike rider named Clinger. He got these tattoos after he "read a book about Maori...well actually looked at the pictures" He could have at least read the book. He spent $40 on them while on vacation in Argentina

#3 Zaya and Buzzy! Oh no! I copied parts from the same book in my sketchbook a couple of nights ago! C'mon Maori ass kickers...We only copied a sketch that someone else disrespectfully copied. It's like shooting a dead man. If he's already dead, why is it a crime to shoot him again. Cut us some slack. The Moko author is roasting in hell. We can prove in a court of tiki that we are reproducing these drawings in the same legal capacity as the printer of the book has. Are the Maori mad at Simon/Schulster, parent company CBS/Viacom, and all its employees and susidiaries for this infraction too? Looks like Basement Kahuna is about to get an order for 5 million Maori war clubs.

On the serious side, my favorite part of the book is where they mention that the tattoo was drawn as a signature on legal documents and treaties back in the day. It was so distinct for each person that it was recognized as a legal mark. Hey Ben, did you ever see my maori stamp collection? It's over in collecting. Zaya loves it. I'm going to sell it to her and buy myself a wood burner with the money. I'll let her borrow it.
Gonna be Busted Buzzy Out!

:)

Man I can imagine living at your place... Zaya gets the burner on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Buzzy gets it Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Sundays are alternated between the two of you :)

If you ever make it down under to Sydney, Im keen to meet up! Just dont expect any tiki bars... :)

Benzart, thank you so much for the information on the Optima burner! Even better! At that price Buzzy can afford to buy one for each of us! :) Thank you for your words of wisdom about creating Maori art. I have the highest respect for the Maori people, and am in awe of their creations. I feel like I can't learn enough about it. What I would give to be able to sit with a Maori chief, and listen to all his stories. He could tell me all about the details of his life through his Moko. Wouldn't that be great? Although I don't know any chiefs I have the next best thing, you Benzart! You're my chief, and I feel privileged to learn from you.

Buzzy! I can always count on you to make me laugh. That picture of Mike Tyson is still killing me! It reminds me of that girl I saw in line at Subway the other day with the Maori tattoo on her neck. I actually felt sorry for her because she was clueless as to the disrespect she was showing by having that tattoo. She was just some teenager standing there with her beach gear on and her big foamy flip flops. It was way out of place. I loved when you referred to the book talking about the tattoos being drawn as a signature, that was my favorite part too. It made me start thinking about the signature I'm going to create for myself. I'll work on that while I'm on vacation. I'm excited because I know that when you look at it you'll know right away that it's me.

Hewey, actually I think that when Buzzy buys more tools he should just start buying two of everything. None of this sharing business. What do you think? :) Oh, and by the way, don't be surprised if we pop in on you in the near future! I work for a big travel agency in San Diego, and get the opportunity to travel quite a bit. Of course our list of places to go is pretty long, but here's the top two....

1. Port Saint Lucie, Florida
2. Sydney, Australia

Maybe we'll see you early next year when it's your summer! No worries about the tiki bars. Actually what I'd really like to do is hit the beach and take pictures of Buzzy surfing the Great Barrier Reef! Now that's a vacation! Let's see, where's my calendar...

In the mean time I'm leaving early in the morning for a 2 week vacation in Cape Cod. I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do in Tiki Central when I get back, but over the next couple of weeks I hope to relax, do some drawing, spend a lot of time at the beach and have some lobster! Poor Buzzy, what's he going to do without me? Most likely he'll get even more work done! I'll probably get back and the whole house and yard will be filled with tikis again! Lookout, Buzzy's Unleashed!!

Thanks everyone, and I'll talk to you soon.

Zaya

Hi Zaya, I hope your vacation is as much fun as mine is! When will they get phones and internet back there in the Colonies...Hey, did you find any mugs out there, I'm looking for...Here's some Samoan tattoo stamps I found. I do not know if you heard that Benzart is planning on getting a tattoo.

Benzart, time to practice what you preach!
I think the only way you are allowed to get a tattoo is if the guy that does it uses these tools on this stamp and his last name has at least four U's and three O's in it

Let's pretend that is Ben getting the tattoo in the picture. That's Zaya in the picture holding him down. She got him a free ticket through her work. Don't cry Ben, its only a walrus tusk needle! Just think how your poor tikis feel, with you doing far worse to them, with scarier tools too...

I bet he doesn't feel a thing...

Still more room Ben, don't stop now...

I think you should get your hometown across your stomach in Old English and an OG under your bellybutton...then again, I was going to get the Moosehead bottle logo tattooed across my chest when I was 19.(I was looking forward to drinking beer some day mom)How would that look with my Magnum PI chest hair?

Buzzy

Since you find it amusing to disrespect Polynesian Culture. Try some education!!!

What is a Samoan Tattoo?
In Samoa, a Samoan Tattoo is pronounced "Tatau" (Tahtau) and what it is in layman's terms is a tattoo that has been etched on to a human body in the traditional and ancient practice for as long as anyone can remember.

All the various patterns and motifs have great significance and these can be interpreted in detail by the Tafuga to the recipient. Family lineage can be identified from this beautiful and skillful art.

The tattoo starts from the lower back, reaches as high as the ribcage underneath of the armpits.

A samoan tattoo (or Tatau) covers the entire buttocks and sides of the torso and travels directly over the groin area. It patterns itself completely over both thighs until it reaches to the back of the knees and over the front of the knees.

The Tatau when seen in public is always in the same format design with the added motifs by the respective artists or "Tafuga" (Tah-foo-gha) that apply it on their subjects.

The Tatau (Samoan Tattoo) will cover approximately 65 % of the body when completed, in one colour and in one overall design.

In Samoa to have a Tatau is like a statement to family, friends and to the village and more importantly to the culture itself, it is worn with pride, honor and respect.

Even to the world outside of Samoa when viewed by onlookers they recognize that these individuals are proud ambassadors of their homeland and culture.

There is no documented date or written background of how and when the Samoan Tattoo, or Tatau, originated, because of the fact that back in Polynesia well even before the Europeans had arrived, every event was spoken by word of mouth.

There was no form of writing or transcribing, it was all by word of mouth until the missionaries arrived, the first being in the the early 1800's by various denominations,eg - Wesley/Togan missionaries, Tahiti missionaries, etc.

The Samoan Tattoo (or Samoan Tatau was probably the Samoans' first form of cultural art not only expressed in their fine mats but also on themselves.

As the missionaries arrived, so did the displeasure they had for the heathen practices, which they felt, were ungodly. One of these practices was the Tatau. To them it would have looked like the local witch doctors were trying to cast evil spirits from the locals in order to be accepted back into the village mainstream, with the end result an etched signature for their troubles
The missionaries went to great lengths to persuade the converted to cast away these ungodly practices of human mutilation but to no avail. The Tatau had gone, as one would put it "underground" only to resurface when the numbers of recipients were too much a force to be argued with.

The missionaries should have appreciated the beauty the Samoan culture had to offer in relation to what was being offered by themselves.

Even in the new millennium it is still a controversial subject with the churches in Samoa. I believe the two should exist in harmony as I know it does but there shouldn't be any discrimination against those individuals who follow their culture, let them freely do so, it is our birth right as a Samoans.

In the old days only the High chiefs and chiefs who were orators were allowed to have a Samoan Tattoo, or Tatau, along with their sons. These sons were the only males who were allowed to serve and witness meetings amongst the chiefs acting as guards and minders. No-one else was permitted near the chiefs while these men with the Tatau were present.

Today the tradition has somewhat been relaxed. Now any male Samoan can if they dare get a Samoan tattoo, or to that point anyone whom the Tafuga chooses or gives permission.

Regardless of race, colour or religion, if you are willing to have a Samoan tattoo and the Tafuga accepts and he is aware that you know what's involved there shouldn't be much of a problem, but only if he agrees.

Anyone who is serious about getting a Samoan tattoo must understand that this is for life and to back out half way through and not finish is not only an insult to himself and his family but to the Tafuga and his art and expression of that art of the Samoan culture.

When one is adamant that they are serious about getting a Tatau, then they must accept that they are not alone in their quest for their destiny. They have to appreciate that the Tatau will also be a servant for their family or a representative in the family, church or village meetings or gatherings. Its implications become more involved in all matters of cultural concern.

The individual must seek the blessing of their parents and immediate family; they must have their support 100%. This support is vitally crucial in order to comfort and motivate the individual to let them know their love and support will strengthen them through the ordeal and challenge they are about to endure.

At no time should the individual feel compelled to start the process without the permission of their parents, as the implications might cause great discomfort and heartache.

Many Samoan men want to get a Tatau to please their parents. But without their permission, have regretted it. In some cases the father has not got a Tatau and has found out later that their son has just started one, this will insult the father, the father will think his son has no respect for him and his blessing is meaningless. Consequently a proud intention has ended in a painful journey both emotionally and physically.

You must at all costs consult every member of your family for their support whether it is your father, mother, uncle, auntie, wife, older brother and sisters - they must be aware of where your heart is leading you even though they may not, or want to comprehend.

The greater the support, the easier the journey. It's no different to a family member being admitted to hospital for a complicated surgery, when all the family members are aware, they unite together to support and pray that all will go well.

So by all means continue to joke and doodle Polynesian Ancestry...

hey welcome zaya. i think your tatooing is pretty cool and i think its gonna be a big success. good luck

MTKahuna is right, as sometimes we get carried away and overlook the very tradition that inspires us to create traditional old things. I know that my art renderings are bordering on disrespect for the ancient and present traditions and I try very hard not to make light of these things. Just the thought of my getting a tat of one of my carvings doesn't seem quite right because it is Maori inspired. I'm sure no one meant any disrespect. Thanks for reminding us that we really need to take care when we are dealing with strong traditions.

Hi guys! I'm back from vacation, and it's a good thing I'm home so I can finally get some rest! Vacation can do that to you. New England was beautiful! I spent a lot of time in Cape Cod, and also was able to travel through Boston, and spent some time in New Hampshire and Maine as well. I'll be posting some pictures that I took during the trip on a different thread.

Tiki Duddy - Hey, thanks for checking out my drawings! How are things in Manitoba? On my vacation I was only an hour away from Quebec, and would have loved to do a side trip there. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time. I can say that I've been to Canada once though! I spent some time in Vancouver a while back, and loved it. It's a beautiful city, and really fun.

Benzart - I can always count on you! I appreciate everything you say. I would never think that your art is bordering on disrespectful. I'm sure that everyone would agree. They're inspired by the Maori culture, but you make them your own. You have beautiful creations. I was excited to hear about your tattoo! Last night Buzzy and I were watching "Miami Ink" on TLC and I said that you should get your tattoo done there! That way you could be on TV getting it, and all of TC could watch! What do you think of that?

In the mean time I have a couple of drawings that I did while I was away. I really thought I would have all this time to relax and draw. The reality was that we were running around visiting family and sightseeing so there wasn't a lot of time for that. I did these two on the plane going to Boston. They were challenging to do with all the turbulence! It was kind of a test I think. The fun part was that I started out with a simple S on the page and just took it from there. It's like my hand did it on it's own.

Now that I'm caught up with everything at home I'll get back to drawing and post more! Now back to my day job. :)

Zaya

In case you're interested I posted some pictures I took in New England in the Beyond Tiki section of the Forums. Here's the link...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=20429&forum=6&2

Thanks,
Zaya

[ Edited by: Zaya 2006-07-26 14:16 ]

Hey Zaya! Here's some info on Samoan tattooing...
http://www.tattoo-samoan.com/what-is-samoan-tattoo.html
Some of it sounds familiar, but there may be some information here that you didn't know about. I left the link because I didn't want to reprint any of it because that is plagiarism and copyright infringement. Bad Moko!I have great respect for Polynesian culture and would never steal ANYTHING from a culture that I respected. I also wanted to tell you that I enjoy positive, like minded individuals such as yourself. Keep up the great work!
See You at Bongo's Buzzy Out!

Thanks Buzzy!

Hey, check out what I was working on tonight. (The pictures are kind of dark, and not as clear as I'd like. Unfortunately the lighting wasn't very good.) I started off with a small cross section of bamboo that I cut awhile back. I did a simple design to test out the burner on the small area that I had to work with. It measures just under 2 inches.

Next I used another small piece of bamboo, but this time I burned on the outside of the piece. This one measures about 3 inches.

Front

Left side

Right side

Back

These were really fun to work on, and I'm glad I had a little time to play around.

What I learned from my work tonight...

1. Starting a new project at almost 11:00pm isn't always the best idea because you just can't stop, and before you know it it's after 230am!

2. When holding a tiny piece of bamboo and burning tattoos on it with a wood burner
   can get very hot being so close to your fingers!

3. Try not to concentrate so hard and let the smoke get into your eyes!

4. Laying on the floor, listening to music, and tattooing for 2 hours is a lot of fun until you need to get up!

5. I need to create a good workspace for myself.

6. Tiki Central is addictive.

That's all for now!

Zaya

These look fine. You don't need a new woodburner. I think you should get yourself some locking vise grips to hold on to the wood, and I'm not buying that for you, so don't even ask.... I'll show you what i have in mind. Remind me tonight and dress for home depot...Oh, what a night!!!!Bring cash.
I'm selling that black bamboo to you for $2.50 an inch now too. Cost of doing business, my friend. That's a good deal too...
You owe me, like, A hundred bucks or something.
Get to work! If you post before 6 pm, I'm telling your boss. Do you even have a boss?
Time For A Nap Buzzy Out!

Looking cool!

Stop messing around with this little stuff and do some big designs! :)

Better yet steal one of Buzzy's tikis... (dont let him see that!)

Buzzy, you're so romantic! I love it when you take me to Home Depot on a date. My favorite! Locking vise grips are exactly what I need. What's great about them is that they can serve many purposes. I'll show you what I have in mind. My "Going out to Home Depot" outfit is on. Short skirt and high heels, I'm ready! Bring your wallet baby.

Zaya getting some new tools out.

Cool! I found one for $4.

Happy Birthday!

Sunday morning I was inspired to burn some designs on bamboo. I thought I would start with a little warm up.

I cut the bamboo on the joint at both ends, and was happy at how flat I was able to get it.

Surrounded by good company and listening to good music I started working on this little piece. Here's the view from the bottom. I like how the cut came out.

Here's the view from the front. I freehanded the design, and felt like it flowed from my hand to the bamboo.

Here's a couple of side views.

Back

Ta Da!

I had a good day!

Zaya

[ Edited by: Zaya 2006-07-31 23:14 ]

Real funny Buzzy! I do love my new Irwin Quick Grip though. Thanks Buzzy!

Hey Hewey, thanks! You're right, I'm definitely ready to try something bigger. I'll try something with more of a flat surface next. I'd love it if Buzzy carved a tiki for me to tattoo on. Someday, but for now more practice! :)

On 2006-07-31 18:01, Zaya wrote:
My "Going out to Home Depot" outfit is on. Short skirt and high heels, I'm ready! Bring your wallet baby.

Wheres the pics of this? Like Buzzys thread, I want to see pics of the complete process - for educational reasons of course :)

You sound like my girlfriend - she knows how to manipulate us easily distracted males for her own means.

Oh yeh, thats a sweet design for completely freehanding it! Now go big! Even if its just a left over panel or something.

On 2006-08-01 20:18, hewey wrote:

Wheres the pics of this? Like Buzzys thread, I want to see pics of the complete process - for educational reasons of course :)

For educational reasons, of course...

Go girl!!!

On 2006-07-26 23:35, Bay Park Buzzy wrote:
Hey Zaya! Here's some info on Samoan tattooing...
http://www.tattoo-samoan.com/what-is-samoan-tattoo.html
Some of it sounds familiar, but there may be some information here that you didn't know about. I left the link because I didn't want to reprint any of it because that is plagiarism and copyright infringement. Bad Moko!I have great respect for Polynesian culture and would never steal ANYTHING from a culture that I respected. I also wanted to tell you that I enjoy positive, like minded individuals such as yourself. Keep up the great work!
See You at Bongo's Buzzy Out!

BUZZY
I find your previous post somewhat passive/ aggressive... but none the less humorous.

Seriously, I don't care if you draw tattoo designs... Doodle until your heart grows wings. However, to call the drawings a Polynesian tattoo is a slap in the face to Polynesian ancestry.

Zaya: To learn more about traditional tattooing, look up the Anthropologist Tricia Allen. She is an American woman who studied Polynesian Tattooing for many years.

In fact, before she creates a tattooed pattern she researches an individual’s life history. She is a great tattoo artist and very repsectful of Polynesian culture.

So you see, tattoos tell the story of peoples lives... to copy them is the real plagiarism.

No worries! Peace out! Buzzin out! See you at Bongo's!

[ Edited by: MTKahuna 2006-08-10 18:05 ]

Buzzy brought home this little tiki today. I thought he looked plain so I decided this was the perfect chance to test out the new wood burner! Thank goodness Buzzy had a side project and put it down for 5 minutes! Benzart, thanks for distracting him. :)

Here's the before picture...

Now here's a few shots after a little sprucing up!

All I can say is, "I Love The New Wood Burner!" I can't get over how great it is. This is so much fun. Thanks Buzzy!!

P.S Happy Birthday Buzzy! I'll catch up to you in 30 days. :)

Zaya that looks great. it looks like a lot of work. Keep it up. By the way does the burner get really hot ? do you have to stop once in a while to cool it?

Thanks Hiltiki! I still need to finish it up, and will hopefully have time to work on it this weekend. My original intention was to do just a couple of designs to fancy it up for Buzzy to make a sign with, but the next thing you know I got carried away and took too much time on it. I couldn't help myself, I was having too much fun! :) To answer your question, the burner does get pretty hot, but it has this nifty foamy rubber piece over the pen to protect your fingers. It makes where you're holding it just feel warm. You have to make sure your fingers are in the right place, or it will get very hot very fast. You would love this wood burner. It's so fast in comparison to the other one.

Buzzy asked me what I wanted for my birthday next month, and I've decided on my own Optima wood burner! It was either that or a new Jag so I let him off the hook and said the wood burner would be great. This will give him time to save up for the "Deluxe" model Jag next year. :)

hey zaya that woodburning shows some mad skill right there. looks good as always. your work is amazing. i also have a wood burner at home that i use on some of the smaller tikis. it works GREAT and i think we got it at a garage sale for like under 10 bucks so its a real score. it has the temperature knob and when you turn it up all the way it cuts through wood like nothing.

but good GOOD work there

Hi Tiki Duddy! Thanks for the nice compliments! Wow, what a great find getting that burner with a temperature knob for under 10.00. The one I first used only had one setting, and it was hot, but nothing like the new Optima burner Buzzy just got. It would take me hours to do just a small piece. This new fancy burner with all the settings is great! It makes it extra fun to burn, especially when it's almost as fast as if you were drawing on the wood with a pencil. I've been checking out your work too, and you're doing a great job!

Thanks again,
Zaya

Lookit you having All this Fun, and with BayParks Tiki and burner too! You GO Girl!
It doesn't take lont to realize tht there is More fun to this than anyone thinks. Darn, I think you may have let the cat out of the bag, how can I charge big bux for having so much fun. The new one will take some getting used to. Don't run it red hot, The tip should be just hot enough to cut thru the wood you are working on. Some woods are difficult to burn (like palm) and some are easy. Sometimes you want fine small lines and sometimes giant deep ones. Try to make your round lines continuousas if you drew them with a pencil. A Cooler tip makes this easier. You are really doing an Excellent job on that first tiki for the first time using that new burner. I just started myself and can only dream of doing stuff like Pyrotiki. She does scenes that look like Photos. Keep up the good work and let me know when you need to have the Buzz distracted.
No fair having all the fun.

Benzart, shoot, I shouldn't have let the cat out of the bag! I know we have to keep up that "Hard at work" image! :) Thank you for the great tips. Next time I'll experiment with the the level of heat and try out the round lines on the cooler setting. I'm curious to see the difference in drawing them. I can't wait! I wish I had that burner with me right now so I can practice. Also, what a difference it was burning on wood as compared to bamboo. I liked it because the surface wasn't as slick. I have a nice piece of palm that Buzzy cut and sanded down for me. I think I'll try something on that next. I'm looking forward to meeting you in October!

Thanks,
Zaya

I could probably do that jag thing this year after all

Buzzy

Looks great!

thanks for the process pic in the store too :)

Hey Hewey, thanks!

Oh, and as for you Buzzy, REAL funny! :)

Zaya, how long would you say you can burn wood till you have to stop because it is too hot. Can you go on and on and stop when tired?????? Oh and BENZ IF YOU ARE READING THIS WHAT IS A GOOD WOOD TO CHOOSE TO PRACTICE BURNING ON??????

[ Edited by: hiltiki 2006-08-24 07:38 ]

Hi Hiltiki...Well the good thing is that there's a temperature guage on the burner so you can control the heat. On this particular piece I worked on it about two hours. (As compared to that little bamboo cup I worked on that you saw, that took me about 8 hours! So you can see the differences between the two burners just with that.) It did get hot, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. It's definitely more comfortable using this new pen as compared to the other pen you tried. Holding it feels more natural like holding a regular pen. I'm not sure what type of wood this little tiki is made of, but when I watched Buzzy burning that big tiki made from palm it seemed to go very smoothly. Then again, he's such a great artist he makes everything look easy. :)

The Soft woods burn well. If you find some Bass wood it will burn Very easily and fast. Usuallu the craft shops heve it or Pine. You can get boards or various boxes and All kinds of wood stuff to burn. Rag Shop, Michaels, you know, Places like that have tons of stuff. You will find too that the softer woods don't need very much heat to burn so the pen doesn't get very hot.
Have fun.

Thank you Ben.

Guess what Buzzy bought me for my birthday? My OWN Optima 1 wood burner!

I thought I'd break it in by finally getting back to that little tiki I was practicing on way too long ago.

Here was the original "before" picture.

This is where I left off.

And this is how it looks after spending a couple of hours on it tonight.

I mostly worked on shading, but was able to add a couple of patterns too. I'm trying to get a feel for working with the different pen tips, and also testing out the levels of heat. It's amazing how time can pass so quickly when you're doing this. It's like a little vacation getaway without actually going anywhere. Do you think it's bad sign when you can't straighten out your arm after? :) That's what I get for choosing a career that involves working on a computer for the past 17 years. At least that job will get me on a real getaway one of these days! It's worth it though, this is too much fun.

Zaya

Nah, Don't worry 'bout the arm staying bent, thats how you use it mostly anyhow! Cool work with the fire pen. You are doing it right, getting familiar with the tools and heat intensities. Just remember NOT toy use Sandpaper to clean off the carbon build up on the tips.

On 2006-10-18 23:47, Zaya wrote:
At least that job will get me on a real getaway one of these days! It's worth it though, this is too much fun.

So when you coming to visit? :)

Looking good girl!

Benzart, Phew!! The arm straightened out just fine. That was a close one! :) Thanks for the great advice. I'll definitely remember that one. I'm really looking forward to meeting you next weekend!

Hewey, hey check your calendar and let us know what's good! Buzzy and I will hop the next flight down! Really, we'll get down there one of these days for sure.

Awesome burns! Nice flow and definition.

Mahal

McTiki

Hey McTiki, Thanks for checking out my stuff, and for the nice compliments!

I'm really trying to get the feel of this burner. I learn new things each time I use it. I'll get back to doing more and posting soon.

In the mean time we had a great time last night at the Bali Hai Left Coast Oki Oki meet and greet! It was fun putting faces with the names. Of course the highlight of our night was getting to meet Benzart! It felt like I finally got to meet my favorite Rock Star! :) He and Sherry are just jewels and I really enjoyed getting to spend time with them.

Here are a few pictures from our evening.....

Benzart and me!

Buzzy and Benzart

Group shot

We also had fun getting the Al-ii official tour of the Bali Hai! It was great to learn so much about the history of that place. Unfortunately I'm not going to the actual carving seminar this weekend, but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone tonight after for dinner.

Zaya

[ Edited by: Zaya 2006-10-30 22:35 ]

Zaya: Ben told me to tell you that you need to post your work. I know you don't listen to me, so I'm calling you out in public: Post your progress pics. It's been over a week and you are too "busy" to take one picture? You got one extra hour on Saturday night and what did you do with it? You fell asleep, despite the fact that "we" were watching a 3 hour Bukowski documentary
If you do not post your progress pictures, you will not be ignoring me, you will be ignoring him. Just think how broken hearted he will be when he gets home and finds no posts from you.
How rude!

Big Gun Buzzy Out!