Mieko's Tikis - spirit hook done page 5

Mieko
Could I be lucky enough to win that octopus?
Wana come paint?
Will

Ok, I've been slacking with the updates, but I have been busy. :)

Here's a bigger guy that I finished a few months ago, he's a bit bigger than most of my guys at 5 inches tall.

I made some resins out of him, and some into (big!) pendants.

I also did a santa tiki for xmas:

Looks better in resin and painted, but painting these guys took me FOREVER!

More in my next post.

I did this big head guy, but I think he looks kinda silly:

Right before the swap I started looking into Maori designs and started this:

Detail is done with a woodburner, which comes though on the resins just great once I get them painted up.
Here's the dark ones I like:

and the light ones I'm not as happy with:

After that I did the swap piece which has pictures here http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=27113&forum=7&start=90, and I'm working on a piece with Doug Horne with one of his designs that I'll post soon.

On 2008-04-06 12:20, mieko wrote:
I did this big head guy, but I think he looks kinda silly:

I think he's adorable. If you cast it, Kate will shop.

Mieko, the progression in your work is really amazing.... it just keeps getting more intricate and more crisp.

very very nice

Skills are definitely improving. I really like your swap pieces as well. Let's see more!!

boy and i thought you just made great wasubi!
great tikis

Each piece is looking better and better. Diggin the lono pendant, Aloha Mooney

Mieko, I Really Love watching your carving skills improve so much with every new piece. Your Maori inspired pieces are great.

On 2008-04-06 12:12, mieko wrote:

I also did a santa tiki for xmas:

Looks better in resin and painted, but painting these guys took me FOREVER!**

Kia ora Mieko - I just found out the groovy lil Santa-Tiki pendant I received as a gift a day or two back, was created by none other than yourself! I had assumed it was a mass-produced product for some reason (no offence; more of a compliment on its professional/made-for-mass-appeal quality) and am thrilled to now find out that its handmade and to see the original carve! Sorry I missed its posting..

**One of the first things I thought to myself was how incredibly well painted the red hat is and even mused that the 'worker' must really love their job. See; the care shines through and your efforts are noticed and appreciated! Ditto with your photos too - nice job!

Merry Christmas! (Don)Ho Ho Ho...

Tama :)

Thanks Tama! PM sent :)

I really need more time to read and post on TC, thanks everyone for the compliments, it really inspires me.

Here's my latest, I'm really enjoying my wood burner and the Maori designs. I'm not too sure if he's done yet. Any input is appreciated.

Here's an in progress shot from the visiting artist's day at Buzzy's (Thanks Dave!)

looks killer! thats the one you started at the mainlanders show right? cant wait to buy one!

that guy looks really cool,i'm glad i got to see him progress

Mieko, you are Really doing some Incredible Stuff! Love your latest Maori and no he's Not done yet, if you ask then you know he needs more. His eyes need some definition. I read somewhere that the Maori Tattoo guy thought the face was his canvas and he had to use up ALL the space because it was his do do so if he wanted.

Thanks Ben! I really thought his eyes needed more, but was afraid to mess it up. Thanks for the push - I'm happy with how he turned out now. Here's some pictures, he's currently being molded so I can have resins for Hukilau.

Here's a picture from a few days ago of my next piece. I dunno if it's recognizable to anyone...

Well you Sure should be Proud of him Mieko as he Really did turn out great. Save one of him for me and I'll see you in a few weeks. Will you be able to visit my shop while you are here? Hope so!

On 2008-05-25 20:23, mieko wrote:
Thanks Ben! I really thought his eyes needed more, but was afraid to mess it up..

Kia ora Mieko - love this guy, youve done a great job of the lips/beak, nose and brow. Those eyes are tricky, Im still going through experimentation with those very features myself; the eyes are often just surface decoration on a strangely-angled-'back' plane. Keep studying piccies of the old works & keep up the good work!

Tama :)

mieko - great job on this little guy. THat Moko is excellent - spot on!

save a casting for me, please! I can't make it to the hukilau...

Great job Mieko!

Jen

Great moko face! the tongue's all twirly!
You do such great work!
That new one ,i would venture...is PNG
but specific style eludes me.....
give us a clue!

On 2008-05-25 20:23, mieko wrote:
I dunno if it's recognizable to anyone...

My guess is the first one on the left. The rest are for "inspiration":

Buzzy Out!

Good Job Buzzy!
I actually used the pictures of the Mai Kai piece that that piece came from. wplugger and Aloha Station have pictures of it here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=26630&forum=1

More definition:

and more

starting eyes and detail work:

Really nice stuff! I'm liking the wood burner moko's. Great job!

That guy does look familiar. How did you manage to carve a portrait of Will? :) That spirit hook is really looking great. Wait till you see it in person! The color of the wood really gives it a special quality. Whats really interesting is that most of the picture listed - I have seen. The molds from the Mai Kai include almost all of the images shown. I wish there were some color photos to help with the painting. Anyone?

Great job on these little guys. I'M loving the
burn job on the face fantastic!

Aloha Mieko!!! You have a bunch of nice carvings goin here. I really like the Maori you should be proud of that one it turned out very sweet! Aloha Mooney

Thanks Ben! I hope to visit, but my days are getting pretty booked, and it sounds like you're a bit of a drive, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. :) I'll save one for you no matter what. :)

Tama: Thanks! I'm just starting to find some books on Maori moko's and carving, there's some amazing stuff out there! I'm saving some pictures of your work too!

Polynesiac: I'll be sure to save one for you!

Skinny Dog: Thanks! See you in June!

LLT: Great Guess - finished picture in this post. :) See you @ Hukilau!

surfintiki: Thanks! the wood burner is a blast.

AS: I got that book recently, but haven't read it yet, I'll see if I can get more information out of it. Lemme know what you think of the finished one.

seeksurf: Thanks! I might need to start putting a ruler in my pics, I'm not sure if it's possible to tell the size on these guys

MooneyTiki: I am pretty proud of myself - which is a pretty fun feeling to have. Hope to meet you at Hukilau and see some of your Lono's up close. :)

And here's the hook all done:

I'm having problems casting good copies of him, and I think he's awfully funny looking - but then again, so are the sources I used. :) Feedback appreciated!!!

Very well done on the hook. Yes more penny's by the side.
Nice work the detail with all the little thing going
on looks great.

Oh great new ones! love the Maori one! Congrats!

On 2008-05-28 15:54, mieko wrote:
I'm having problems casting good copies of him, and I think he's awfully funny looking - but then again, so are the sources I used. :) Feedback appreciated!!!

He's fabulous! Keep trying. What parts are giving you problems with the casting? What colors of resin are you using?

meiko, i've done a few like this. what you need to do is make a casting of the wood that's totally enclosed in silicone. hold him up with a small bit of clay or playdough. when that cures cut it out. don't worry about the mold, that's not what you're after.

the resin piece you just made will become your new master. sand off any odd bits and fill in any bubbles or indentations with a 2 part epoxy putty. you can get it at any good hobby store.

once you've made him all clean take the 2 part putty and make what's called a button in jewelry term. it's a little piece that comes off the top or the bottom that creates the hole where you'll pour the resin in. you'll have to cut this off of each piece and clean it up.

put this end firmly on a flat surface (i use double face tape to hold it down) and build your mold form around it. pour in your silicone. once it cures cut it out very carfully (don't worry too much about the master) but don't cut your mold completely apart.

when i take my form off i save it and use it to hold the mold together when i cast. just wrap it around the mold and hold it together with rubber bands.

hope that helps a little. just shoot me a PM if you have any questions.

p

Hey Mieko!
Your new pieces look awesome! The Spirit Hook is great!

Thanks Eric! The people at the Mai Kai really liked the spirit hook too, so I'm working on putting their logo on the back so they could sell them at their store. :)

Hey Perry, I managed to remake the original mold just using the button idea and it worked really good without having to make a new master. :)