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

Picky bastards!

Mine look like pre-K compared all of what I see here on the boards.

These are immaculate.

I'm not brown nosing as I have acquired the original scetch of this one too!

Finish it up! It's taken 2 weeks longer than the rest of em.

Mahalo

McTiki

Watch out! GROG's goin off on a tangent again! Sheesh! :)

I sometimes do tangents on purpose to make a 3D object become lost in a flat non-space environ, example:

The bison skull would be 3D and was popping off the red background before inserting the brown stripe behind the skull. The bottom of the stripe goes right along the bottom edge of the bison skull and also ends at the bison's horn effectively undoing any three dimensionality. The bear skull is also aligned top and bottom with the black stripe. Sometimes I like to make a beautiful thing and then destroy the illusion, just so I can see what happens, and to keep myself from getting too "precious" about my work... Conversely, I took the flat looking NW style bear face and made it appear to have depth by appearing to be dripping in front of and behind the black stripe. F'd up space fer sho'!

Speaking of going off on a TANGENT, Sorry for hijacking your thread with this stuff TSA.

To drown sorrow, where should one jump first and best? "Certainly not water. Water rusts you." -Frank Sinatra

[ Edited by: Sneakytiki 2007-06-04 16:59 ]

Hey cool! Now we're talkin art!
Yep, I noticed the "tednugent" where the girl's flower curves right into the top of her head. Weird how I didn't see it till just now! It jumps out at me now. Thanks fer the pointers!
Here's 2 nites work...

I was working on the cave wall, and the cave flowers. What's strange is I took a flower and used it as ref, and when I painted from that they came out looking totally wrong. I then just painted the others freehand, and they came out looking better. However, now that I look at them, ... er.... these must be the "Exotic Cave Sphincter Flowers of Hawaii" we've all heard about! Sheesh! Hmmm... might alter them a bit more...
Thanks so much everyone!
Aloha from the volcano!

Aloha TC,
Hey everyone, so sorry If I'm not answering everyone's very kind comments. Tiki Shark Inc inc is going through yet another design cycle as we pick up clients for what used to be our "off season". This is good, cause now we can get paid during the half of the year when we used to go hungry. It's also bad, cause we're working like rabid weasels to keep up. And squeezing in painting time is well.. it's everything really! All that and I blame My Space. Anyways, what I mean to say is without all your support, I'm not sure I'd be doing this, at least this well. Thanks.
I know, blah blah blah, here's da painting...

I also had the great pleasure to do some art for the AMAZING Tikiyaki Orchestra. Here's what it will, sort of , look like on the upcoming CD. I wanted to do a full on painting, but we didn't find each other till only a week before the final art deadline. I'm just happy I got to be a small part of such an important and fine Exotica album. ( album? or CD?) I did some original art for the liner notes, but I'm not showing that. I promised the only way folks can see that is by getting the CD.

Big Aloha from the Big Island~

Looking good for the rough draft. A collection of songs is always going to be an album even if it's on CD or MP3 so yeah album!

Thanks Sneakytiki!
Here's the latest. Just work on the "cartoony" moon and the magic sea shell the lobster is holding.

Big Aloha from the erupting volcano!

That Moon looks Great Brad! This whole piece is slowly coming to life!
Is that Wahine wearing any drawers? Sorry about all your other non-art distractions,but you know that old saying...
"No rest for the Talented" :)

Hey Tiki Shark-

This whole painting is a thing of beauty with a lot going on. I'm a sucker too for the way you paint the moon and the stars - I like the whole galactic angle.

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino 2007-06-10 11:21 ]

Tiki Shark,
I've really enjoyed watching the progress of this painting. Every time you show an update I can't believe it actually got better than the last. Will prints be made available when this beauty is finished?

Tiki Shark,

Suddenly I'm realizing what a challenge it is going to be coloring this lastest masterpiece.

On one hand, you don't want it to be too busy. On the other hand, you don't want to lose nary a detail.

I can't wait to see what you do.

On an unrelated note, I believe Pauly had Tony whacked.

Aloha TC,
... and welcome to painting in S L O W M O T I O N! Sorry, I've been hip deep in new clients and towels. but, can't complain, cause it's paying the bills. I just gotta be more like Ken and work AFTER I work.

Started the color, finally!

Da Moon. I actually touched it up with some pearlescent tinting. In some light it looks cool and has a nifty shimmer to it, it other it looks really clunky silver paint. Not sure If I'll leave it. It may get in the way when it's scanned to become a print. Anyone had any experience with pearlescent goo?

WOW WOW WOW HOLY COW! This is shaping up superbly. I started checking this thread occasionally to see what you were gonna do to this as time went by. But like a good movie, I could never tell where you were going with it, but always delightfully surprized!
Brad (too)

Looking fantastic, TSA! Can't wait to see the next installment!

Surf-N-Turf, and Surburbanpagan, Tiki fool, and everyone, thanks!
You know, I'm still not sure about this whole underpainting thing. Here I am trying to build up color washes, but it feels more like I'm just overpainting in color. Perhaps I'm not ready for color washes and layers. Next painting I may not go this route, and go back to direct color. Would be faster!

You can see it the detail that I left a tad of the underpainting on the clouds to show through. Good? Could I have just applied a little burnt umber to a regular painting to get much the same effect? Oh well, it's a learning process as they say.
Aloha from the erupting volcano!

Looking good Brad, it is really coming alive with the color!

Da Moon. I actually touched it up with some pearlescent tinting. In some light it looks cool and has a nifty shimmer to it, it other it looks really clunky silver paint. Not sure If I'll leave it. It may get in the way when it's scanned to become a print. Anyone had any experience with pearlescent goo?

Hey Brad!
Pearlescents,metallics,puff paint,unsmooth paint texture on the canvas-they are all the enemies of fine art prints! Couldn't even tell you how many hours and $$$ went into cleaning off the glare hi-lights and how the shines actually affected the areas of color around it! Now, when i do a print,you shoot it first-then add all the fangdoodles and shiny stuff after you have it recorded.
the cool thing is that you can hand embellish the print to mimic the metallic/pearl/whatever you add to it and it makes the print special! Hope that helps....

You can see it the detail that I left a tad of the underpainting on the clouds to show through. Good? Could I have just applied a little burnt umber to a regular painting to get much the same effect? Oh well, it's a learning process as they say.

There's a consistency and glow you get with the underpainting that is hard to achieve...Brueghel rocked the underpainting.you can even see his sketch lines here and there/Bosch too! It is a learning process and you have to try new stuff/new mediums/new style...That's why a sketchbook and a block of good watercolor paper are essential/do ink studies/try different ways of mixing mediums/flow improvers/etc. But while you're doing that,don't be afraid to try a different way of lighting,a different way to draw a cloud or a figure...What i'm saying to you buddy is PLAY!!!! PLAYPLAYPLAY! Be like a kid and do things that would make the art scholars cringe...and then amaze them by pulling it off!

You know, I'm still not sure about this whole underpainting thing. Here I am trying to build up color washes, but it feels more like I'm just overpainting in color. Perhaps I'm not ready for color washes and layers. Next painting I may not go this route, and go back to direct color. Would be faster!

Well it seems as if you have mastered this technique pretty well...actually very well! If you r next painting is a direct color-really pay attention and see what results you like best for certain things....ie: for skin tones-you could underpaint to give it that glow-but the dense palms in the background could be direct color! I think whatever you do,it has the Brad Magic Touch and will shine far above and beyond! Keep rockin and don't be impatient!

Thanks for rthe wise words Ken!
Yeah, I may go to a direct color on back grounds and then try a layered effect on other areas of more importance. Flesh and tikis perhaps.

Colour! WOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!! :D :D

I LOVE this stage of your paintings man!

Yeah, What Hewey said.

It's like watching it happen all over again. Colour from the heavens, slowly spreading earthwards. A time-lapse of this piece squeezed into 3 minutes of video would be awesome!
The moon and stars look luminous and sharp, even though I know from experience a photo barely tells even half the story. I can only imagine what it looks like in person...

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-06-27 03:18 ]

Aloha tiki shark! Your paintings are really cool my friend. I love to watch all the colors come together to create a Smokin image on canvas, thanks for sharing ,aloha , Mooney

HEWEY, FROSTIKI, AND MOONEYTIKI - Thanks! Yeah, it's nice to finally see some color seeping in.
Paipo - you're such a freakin poet! Thanks, I guess anyone who carves as exquisitely as you do must have poetic mind!
Here's some color starting to ooze into the party at the Zombie Village. I'm gonna get to the fun part of the flames tonight! Yipee!
Ken - What can I say. Your advise is as always, so extremely helpful! Thanks for the supporty art call the other night! You're such a guide post, I keep your photo near my canvas to draw inspiration from... see?

Mahalo from the VOLCANO!

in-flippin'-credible.....

Gorgeous, inspiring work, Shark!!

Take care,

I.

Alii Fire Dance?

Incredible depths of euphoria fodder!

WOW! Your lighting effects are getting better with every brushstroke. Love the flame-hazed grass skirts and the fiery pinwheel!

And it just gets better!

I thought that first pic seemed odd. Like it was daytime or morning and that wasn't the feel of the painting to me. And then, it looks like you took it into a totally different mood and rewrote it with paint.

Was the first pics steps (in purple) necessary for the second pic (dark sky)?

go tiki shark awesome work my friend

What cool stuff Tiki Shark! The fire dance and the "unsuspecting" Moai in the foreground is great!

Aloha!
Mctiki~ Euphoria fodder?! Oh Yeah, I like the sound of that!
big Hodad-dy Reid~ Thanks, let's hope it keeps on getting that way!
Tea Key~ Er, afraid that shot you loved was a shot taken late at night in my studio with poor lighting. It turned it all yellow. The shots where you hate the colors, those are the ones showing the actual look of the painting! :)
SAM! Thanks! Those poor forgotten Moai someone left at the beach, and their almost all lost in the sand...
Ivanchan~Thanks! Let's See how it looks after I get done slapping colored water based goo all over it.

Mahalo from the volcano!

Tiki Shark

http://www.myspace.com/Lotus_Land

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2007-06-30 13:22 ]

Awesome! I love the clamshell in the tiki's eye, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon mug tiki totem is a stroke of genius!

Take care,

I.

Very Nice Brad!
The hidden Moai..The fire sparkin upward...the reflection in the waves lapping on shore!
YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAH! Rock on buddy! You're gaining momentum! :)
Thanks for makin it look sooooooooo easy!

Hidden Moais, there are two of them, saw those from day one

Wait!

So which is the final?

The fiery red fire dance?

Or the more cyan/magenta dance?

I'm easily confused.

The answer is Blue. No, red. No... wait...
(screams and falls into gorge ala Monty Python.)
Ah, it's not done yet! Really! I still gotta color in the whole rest of it!
So, now we are ALL confused. Here's what the painting looks like now - in good lighting.

So, it shows a blue/silver moon and night, with a pink/orange fire in the background.
Clear as mud? Great!
Big Mahalo from the volcano of color!

Hey TC,

I think I found a use for My Space. (other than a big black hole of time sucking) On my MY SPACE page I got a "slide show". I just stuck some in progress shots of Painting Number 11 on it. It's not times lapse but it's kinda cool to see it getting filled in.

Aloha TC,

Here's the "Cannibal Tiki" drawing I did a while back. I got an itch and finished it up.
If you happen to glance over in the marketplace U you might find it up for grabs.

Aloha TC,
Ah Sunday. Got some time off to paint!

Here's the whole sheebang.

And here's a detail of what I worked on. Mostly, just the waves.
Thanks fer watching the paint dry!

Soooo cool! :)

I.

Shark, this painting is turning out to be your best if only for the fact that you are taking more time and care into this one. You can see that there is a ton of detail in the paint alone, meaning all the shades and colors. wHICH THIS HAS TO BE THE LONGEST AMOUNT OF TIME (oPPS CAPS) for you to complete a painting. When all said and done, you should add up all the hours, or is it too much to keep track of already?

As for the background not being as dark, almost black, as that one picture suggested, I don't dislike the colors you have at all. The purple is very moody and works with the rest.

The color is coming along nicely, I can't wait to see more.

Aloha TC,

Ivanchan~Thanks soooooo much!

TeaKey~Well, it's the most complex composition I've tried yet. I'm seeking to improve what I do with each piece. I'm happy cause it feels like I'm getting somewhere. I was adding up the hours, but then we got so busy here at Tiki Shark Inc, that I lost track. I have to admit I have not been working solidly on it. Only after hours, and on week ends. Plus there were times when we had guests, or I was lazy, where the canvas was ignored for a week at a time. But, now it's in the home stretch, and the exciting mojo is building up as it's finished!

Frostiki~Thanks, I can't wait to see what it's gonna look like too!

Here's the latest. Moon light on the tiki.

Have a great 4th everyone! Big Aloha from Ki'auea - the active volcano and biggest fire cracker in the whole world!

Building that mojo up INDEED!
In-freakin-crdible Brad! Patience IS a virtue!
you stuck to your guns,travelled through that "Dark Night of the Soul",
and it's home stretch with the bases loaded!
Can't wait to see the color scheme of the cave....

Thanks Ken!

...And here's more moonlight.

Man I love how these things come to life :D Looking good!