The Lurid low-brow Tiki-Art of Brad (tiki-shark) Parker

My old man took me to see that film in 3D about 30 years ago! I was grooving on the underwater scenes....
It seems to me that horror/monster movies and comics lead one quite naturally into the lowbrow and tiki scene. I went from the classic Marvel and DC titles to SF underground comix and Robert Williams in my teens. I bet there's a ton of TCers that were into a lot of the same stuff as kids. all this talk has made me decide I need to raid my closets and find what's left of my comic collection.

myspace

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-04-11 01:20 ]

Super cool photo! CFTBL was my favorite movie for a years when I was a kid as well as the other Creature flicks (revenge of and walks among us). I'm with Paipo-the underwater scenes were the shiznit! I really dug the 'old sputtering boat through the jungly river scenes' as well.

I recently purchased CFTBL on 8mm film and got a projector to run it on. I'm planning on cutting some underwater scenes out and making a continuous loop to show on the wall of my house for parties. Like a huge, liquid backdrop to kick up the vibe level a bit.

That Creature mug in your sketch is bad-a$$ too--as is the entire sketch!!

Kinny, this is the second painting in the "religious" series and is entitled "Adam and Eve". Now, if you need any MORE explanation than that....

[ Edited by: GROG 2007-04-11 01:13 ]

Great looking sketch! Sweet!

On 2007-04-11 01:01, GROG wrote:
Kinny, this is the second painting in the "religious" series and is entitled "Adam and Eve". Now, if you need any MORE explanation than that....

[ Edited by: GROG 2007-04-11 01:13 ]

If this is true, I'll need the sketch from Sodom and Gomorrah to pair with this one...heh! I'm sure a bunch of partying Tikis would be way out of reach of the imagination (Not). Good one Grog!

McTiki

Hey Brad~ how wonderful to have the autographed photo! It's beyond cool! I would be glad to keep it safe at my house for you, I can say it's mine, my name is Brad...
:wink:
K.

Creature of the Black Lagoon-Marvel Comics-totally nailed it! Jack Kirby/John Buscema/John Romita/Barry Smith/Steve Ditko/Mike Ploog/Ernie Chan and the occassional Berni Wrightson Swamp Thing were the Grand Masters of that genre! Also CC Beck old Captain Marvels!!! I guess a lot of the artists here were inspired by these greats! You've raised the bar with this new one,Brad! And the Bubbles just add to the greatness! You need to get some mugs made,man!
And don't listen to GROG's art interpretations.....or follow his example! All he does is talk-talk-talk about art,critiquing and interpreting without actually producing much art at all! It's such a sad tragic waste of talent.... If only he'd walk the walk instead of just talking the talk..... :)
You my friend,accomplish both and all this great work shows!
GOGOGO!

SneakytikiI should! Ben's a really friendly guy. He e-mailed my mom and calmed her fears about hip surgery when she had hers. (he has hip surgery a few years earlier). I've sent him some beach mats and stuff in the past, but I should send him something now.
Paipo Yeah, I think the Creature is the most "tiki" of the classic monsters. Tropical, hung out in Florida for a while. OH, and Robert Williams! YEAH BABY! the Father of "Low Brow Art"! All hail the king!
SurfnturfThat old boat chugging along the amazon, all those weird "Exotica" bird calls and animal sounds coming from the jungle. "Even me, Lucus, have heard about the tale of the fish man!" Classic! the film loop is a great idea! Let me know if it works. I hope that at the next "Mission Tiki Drive In event, they get some copies of the Creature From the Black Lagoon. That, plus the Ghastly Ones, would ROCK!
Grog Yes! Of course! Thank you Prof. Grog.
HeweyThanks!
MctikiSodom and Gomora is #12 - for sure!
KikekikeWeeellll, if you contact Ben, he still sends out autographed photos ya know. But, I wouldn't take my time about it, as he is the oldest living Universal Monster remaining with us. (God bless ya Ben!)
LLT Wow, once again Obi-wan-tiki your vast knowledge of Pop culture art world reference is shown! Soo, do you subscribe to Juxtapoz? You know, I can't find it on the Big Island anywhere so I just sent away for my subscription. I figured it'd be a good way to stay in touch with the happening art scene.
Still transferring the sketch to the canvas. Had to redraw the girl a few times - had to keep placing her eyes farther apart to get that "otherworldly" sea nymph look I wanted.

We just picked up a new client, so for the next few days I gotta go through the ol' design cycle with 'em. I may not have too much time i front of the old canvas.
Thanks fro watching,
Big Aloha from the erupting volcano!

On 2007-04-11 11:00, little lost tiki wrote:
Creature of the Black Lagoon-Marvel Comics-totally nailed it! Jack Kirby/John Buscema/John Romita/Barry Smith/Steve Ditko/Mike Ploog/Ernie Chan and the occassional Berni Wrightson Swamp Thing were the Grand Masters of that genre! Also CC Beck old Captain Marvels!!!

Don't forget Neil Adams.

And don't listen to GROG's art interpretations.....or follow his example! All he does is talk-talk-talk about art,critiquing and interpreting without actually producing much art at all! It's such a sad tragic waste of talent.... If only he'd walk the walk instead of just talking the talk..... :)

GROG drawing EVERYDAY, just not tiki art, so GROG not post art. Plus, the art GROG doing can't be shown until it airs on TV or at the theaters. You can see the next Bamboo Ben comic strip (in color!) this weekend when Nick has the new issue of Tiki Magazine at the Parking Lot Sale.

You my friend,accomplish both and all this great work shows!
GOGOGO!

Yes, Brad is a machine, damn him.

[ Edited by: GROG 2007-04-11 20:27 ]

Aloha TC~

Still transferring the sketch. Fixing a few things I didn't feel were realized enough in the small sketch. I Have replace my standard tiki eyes with spiral sea shells - more interesting I think. Thanks for watching, and happy Merrie Monarch festival to everyone! WhooHoo!
Good nite from the erupting volcano!

YAY!
Brad's back in full-force!
Those eyes are Hypnotic!
I bet you're itchin to get a brush on there!
I am!

Very sweet, Those eyes, really change the whole look. Pulls you in and spins your head around the picture a few times.

I know a couple people that are master painters(have skills) but have no imagination. I would have to say that you are lucky enough to have both.

Aloha Brad!

This ones gonna be the best yet. I don't know how you manage to top yourself each time, but that seems to be the pattern.

Gotta say I miss the Tiki's "Sneeky eyes" and overbite from the original sketch (my fiancee agrees). Nautilus shell eyes are a great idea but maybe for a different painting. It just changes the mood of the piece too dramatically for me. The original tiki looked potentially dangerous which in turn made me wonder if that sly wahine is offering a welcome drink or some sort of drugged potion! Likewise, Is that party in the background to welcome the viewer as a guest of honor or perhaps they're just happy that dinner has arrived? (...which would explain the hidden pile of human skulls!)

[ Edited by: hodadhank 2007-04-14 09:28 ]

Hank is on the money...I kinda liked the old eyes too. I think the overall mood of the tiki has swung from dark to light with the changes. There are already two spiral shells in the pic (one being the light source), and the original deep eyes with the inset scallops balanced nicely with the other elements. Regardless of my nitpicking, I'm sure this one is gonna be beautiful. You know how much I like the sketch!

Don't change a thing.

The mood of the sketch benefitted from the shading.

The thin canvas lines are just a beginning. I can easily envision the spiral eyes as being more demonic... further down the road.

[ Edited by: TikiFool 2007-04-14 19:39 ]

I preferred the original eyes as well. Now that I see the other people posting I guess I'll take courage and add my comment.

Much love, peace owt,

S T

Looking awesome! These are just getting better and better :D I like the new eyes myself!

I think you should make him cross-eyed....
Or maybe with a Lazy eye..... :)
Do what you do,it'll be great no matter what!
Missed you yesterday at the Farm!

Or maybe with a Lazy eye.....

Bad idea, lazy eye is not an improvement.

Aloha TC,
I was forced into actually doing real work for the past few days so I couldn't get to TC. Thanks for all the input! REALLY HELPS. I knew when I sketched in the new eyes they did change the look of the tiki drastically. I got that the old eyes gave the tiki a sorta darker look. and, your right, it was the major tone of the piece. I put in the spiral eyes, and it changed the tone. I kinda knew it when I did it, I just wasn't sure if it was an improvement or not. The original idea was something a bit mysterious and perhaps dangerous. After getting your feed back, and mulling it over, maybe spiral shell eyes are nice... in the next painting, I think ... I gotta go look at the canvas again!

Thanks so much!
Big Aloha from the Big Island,

TSA, no matter what you end up doing with those eyes, I know it will be incredible! Love your tonal studies! Wow!

Thanks congatiki! That is the coolest thing!

You are a true inspiration to us all Brad!
Great work Congatiki!
Brad needs 1 carving per painting at least! :)

I've been out for a while (the puppy tried to steal my soul) but the sketches look great, and the carving is most impressive too.

Yeah yeah yeah! Da art is lookin' ever so tight as always Tiki Shark! You are layin' down some eye poppin' zazz. I can't wait to see some of it in person when I hit your area code in a couple short weeks!

Chongolio

I always come back to look at that painting, makes me giggle after a few mai tais.
Thanks for slipping me into your thread and thanks LLT and Frostiki for yer compliments.

There will be prints available, right?

Just to throw my .02 cents in, I like how hodadhank explained his preference and I agree. But seeing your other work I know that your execution will determine the mood of the painting so I'm not as concerned with the little parts of the concept.

Putting paint on that canvas will probably show you what's needed and I cannot wait to see it in full color! Hopefully you can get to it soon. Looking forward to it!

Hey TC, I'm back after a very busy work week at the ol Tiki Shark inc offices.
LLTI'm blushing! But Congatiki's carving and photo are way cool! He's da best! And I think he actually carved the tiki faster than I finished that painting!
FrostikiThe puppy painting is safely in the collection of a very nice lady in California. My mom sez she's got it all nicely displayed on a fancy smancy easel with a spot light en all. Knowing that makes me feel all warm and smushy inside (in a good way).
Chongolio~ Allright! The monkey man is coming to the 808! Too fun! Hey, let me know when you get here! Best of luck with the move - I know it can be pretty crazy! Though, all that stuff I thought I needed to bring so badly, well, I'm still going through it and giving it to good will piece by piece! (Shoes? What was I thinking? I haven't worn shoes since I got here!)
Big Hodad-dy Reid~ Yes, that Hodad knows what he's talking about! And thanks, I'm gonna give this one my best effort. So...here we go...

As we can see I agreed with the majority of the TC vote and went back to the semi-evil gaze of the sea god. Thanks, everyone, for reminding me of the original flavor to the sketch!
big aloha from the volcano!

Dude, SEX sells. GROG can't believe GROG have to keep reminding you guys of that.

Sheesh!
Here we go again with Schoolmarm Ernie!
For a Lowest Denominator crowd, Sex does Sell....
but i would think that the talent,inspiration,concept,mood,and execution of a piece of art is what draws the Classy Tiki TC Art crowd to Brad's paintings...You sure think and talk about Sex alot,Ernie! I know a great Sex Therapist you may want to talk to! :)

What's the saying? ... "Those who can, DO ... those who can't, TEACH!" Since Grog seems to be trying to teach TC a lesson, what does that tell us?

Grog is just revealing the enter beauty that was concealed

enter beauty? is that some kind of esoteric art term? I'm Lost.............

On 2007-04-22 10:55, little lost tiki wrote:
I know a great Sex Therapist you may want to talk to! :)

Thanks for the offer Kinny, but GROG not want the number for your favorite hooker. I'm sure she appreciates you referring to her as a "Sex Therapist" to make her sound legit, though.

On 2007-04-22 11:17, JenTiki wrote:
Since Grog seems to be trying to teach TC a lesson, what does that tell us?

That there are a number of TCers that are pretty darned slow learners, right Kirby?

That there are a number of TCers that are pretty darned slow learners

right Ernie? :)
Love, your favorite prop comic :lol:

On 2007-04-23 08:19, little lost tiki wrote:
Love, your favorite prop comic , the slowest learner of them all.

Thanks for agreeing, Kinny.

:lol:

Well, I must be one of the slow ones, cause I think most of this is going over my head! Anywho, here's the sketch all transferred to the canvas a awaiting to become the mono colored under painting.

Thanks fer watching,
Big aloha from the Big Island!

Yay! That's gonna be one swell piece!!!! Especially the bubbles!

I think I want some seafood now.

I got a question about underpainting. I've seen it done a couple of different ways, but each of them are done in similar color throughout the canvas. Most, if not all of that seems to be covered over by the layers of color after.

So I guess the question is does the underpainting only seem covered over the layers of color and actually give a uniformity to the rest or is it more for you to see where you want to head as it develops, or is it something entirely different? Does that make sense? It seems like the first version I may have read or heard about, but I don't really remember.

I've never used underpainting myself, but I also end up reworking areas over and over and getting pretty thick. I don't know if there is a correlation or not, but I'd like to get smoother and maybe a little quicker.

LLt, Thanks! And I owe it all to my tiki-mentor. (to find out who dat is, check the article about my art show in the current issue of Tiki Magazine)
frostiki - I'm hoping to dish up some fishy food with this painting!
Big Ho-daddy Ried~ Really good questions. I know there are real answers to that question, and probably several of the very talented artist on TC know all about it, but instead I'll just give you what I know. And, well I do an under painting cause, er, basically, I read that Todd Schorr does that. And he's my hero. (or at least one of my art heroes) Also, for me, I found that the under painting really helps me get the contrast correct. Color has always been tuff for me - so the mono color under painting helps me get the contrast correct first. Helping the composition. It also helps me sort of Pre-render the objects, and I can work out the tough lighting things. Cause It's less intimidating to screw up on the under painting. Of course the reverse of that is if you NAIL something in the under painting, you are fully given a chance to screw it up when you build up your colors over it. I know that building up layers of color washes has something to do with creating an inner glow to the objects in the painting. I'm not sure if I've gotten to that stage yet. I just try to remember that when you get to the color "over" painting, that darks are to be transparent, and lights are to be opaque. Hope that helps.
So, after a VERY busy week of tee shirt designs and new towel creation, I actually got a little canvas time it today! Yahoo!

Aloha from the active volcano!

Thanks Tiki Shark! That helps a lot. I probably should have phrased the question more like, "What is YOUR thinking on underpainting" instead of making it like you should or could answer for all artists everywhere. But you did much more in explaining that I had hoped. I have really enjoyed seeing the progression of your paintings from sketch to finish and that's what sparked the question.

Not to hi-jack this thread, so I'll try to keep it brief, but I just wanted to add a couple of thoughts:

Todd Schorr- Great! I worked with a guy who went to art school with him. He told me that he and several other classmates worked hard to best Todd's last project only to show up to class and have Todd best them all again!

Layering transparent paints- I'm more familiar with this in airbrushing automotive paints, specifically candy colors. The more layers on top of light or, even better, metallics gives a depth and richness that is best described as "delicious". Candy is a good adjective for those paints!

Robert Williams- Have you ever seen his underpainting? He's done it a couple of different ways but basically dots the entire canvas in red, green, yellow, and maybe blue (can't quite remember). After seeing that and looking at his finished pieces you'll be amazed at how much he lets that remain. I can't quite explain it, but it's in one of his books (mine are all in storage right now so I can't tell you which one, a more recent one for sure).

Greg Hildebrandt- I think I saw you mention him earlier. I'm not too familiar with him, but his brother Tim had about 20 of his paintings in a gallery under my apartment at the time. That was about 11 or 12 years ago, but they were absolutely amazing. Whether or not you like sci-fi/fantasy art his techniques, especially how he rendered light, were remarkable. I'd stop in almost every day just to stare for a while.

Anywhatsis, thanks again and looking forward to more progress pics! Thanks a lot for sharing those as well.

Looking good Brad! Is it just a coincidence that the mug looks like The Creature from the Black Lagoon? Put on your 3D glasses and have a peek...

BTW- I'm sorry I've not returned your PM. We'll chat soon and get some TSA down here in Mission Beach so the barefoot swarms of summer can oogle!

Got the scetch today! Brad, This rocks! Thank You! 110% happy!

nice start on it, man- that moon is already jumping out and throwing light about. looking foreward to seeing it grow.

Aloha TC,
Big Hodad-dy Reid~ Hey that's one Robert Williams book I don't have either! Must be the new one. I'm thinking on how to leave more under painting show through.
Hodadhank~ Yeah Baby! Thanks for posting the cool Creature 3-D pic! Awesome!
Mctiki~You are soooooo welcome!
Here's 2 nights work...

Whoah, it's late even for a tiki artist... I gotta hit the Hawaiian hay!
aloha and good nite!