Keeping velvet tiki art alive...? TWO PIECES ARE WRAPPED! YEAH!

Come back Robb! Sorry your thread got de-railed!

Hello and thanks everyone.

I am so thrilled this thread took on a life of its own while I'm recovering... Thanks Ken and everyone! I've read 'em all but I'm sorry I don't have the energy to comment on them all.

This next one IS a montster velvet - 3'x4' - and is for Harold Golen's Kaiju art show in Miami. There is meaning behind the image, but it would bore most people and I have to rest every chance I get so I have the energy to show up for work every day - this disease has been a real challenge!

"1952: Tsurubaya's Original Vision" - 48"x36"

Like the last one, the image size here makes it impossible to capture the scale of a painting that is 12 feet square!!!

I almost forgot something. While I've been sick I haven't had the strength to even stretch velvet, but I have been able to prop up on the couch to use a medium that I haven't seen anyone use before for Tiki artwork. I'm sure it's been done, but it's new to me!

Next up I'll have some non-velvet, non-oil work that has been very fun to do.

Thanks again - TC'ers are the absolute best!

:lol:
the clowns rock
Robb-this new one is gonna be Epic~!
lets see some moore

Wikipedia taught me that Kaiju was Japanese for "strange beast" or "monster". This painting definitely fits that description! Looks awesome Robb! Hope you're feeling better soon

Aloha! These are some improv pastel sketches I did for fun recently. They could end up being paintings somewhere down the road. It was a major blast to escape from the black fuzz for a bit.

I'd been wanting to do this sunrise/lava image for awhile, but didn't know what kind of tiki to use, so I borrowed the idea of using a moai from Thor's cool velvet work - thanks Thor, I hope it isn't plagarism but I couldn't come up with another style of tiki!

This one I strictly made up as I went and is my fave.

This dark image is meant to be the darkest, most lifeless area possibe above ground. The tiki is screwey.

On 2008-12-11 15:17, Robb Hamel wrote:

Awesome Robb!!

Looks amazing, Robb

Wow. Step out for a while and there's a new master in the house when ya come back. Really, really like your work. The mood is everything.

Bitchin pastelles Robb!!!!

I hope you are feeling better soon!

ST

Duddy, foamy, Sneaky: thanks guys, I'm thrilled you like 'em. I forgot to mention that they are all 8x10. I sold one last night at the Daddy Katz Xmas party to the wonderful Michelle and Eric!

I describe this new shop in Gen Tiki if anybody wants another reason to believe Tiki may have a healthy future.

Sneaktiki, thanks for the concern. I'm feeling much better now, just a little exhausted.

http://www.robbhamel.com

Black velvet Tiki art for those who are
tired of those pesky acrylic paintings!

[ Edited by: Robb Hamel 2008-12-15 06:32 ]

Wow man, I LOVE the tiki in the jungle! Very nice! I would really like to see some progress shots of the pastels

Robb, These pastels are just something else! When I look at that center one :up: I swear I can smell the jungle...I can hear the bugs and the birds all around.

DYAMN FINE WORK SIR!

*On 2008-12-14 08:18, Robb Hamel wrote:
*I sold one last night at the Daddy Katz Xmas party to the wonderful Michele and her fiancee Eric!

Michelle was just struck by it ... it's an incredible piece Robb, not to mention our first piece of original artwork. I'm looking forward to chatting again soon.

[ Edited by: jfrancis 2008-12-18 20:30 ]

Hey Robb,

I did a few pastelles of Lei-Ladies a couple years back.
Here is a detail of one:
.

I'm stoked you are feeling better!

ST

double post
double post

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[ Edited by: sneakytiki 2008-12-17 14:41 ]

Mucho thanks everyone. I'm glad people like my little sketches.

jfrancis - they're all pastel on 8x10 black paper, nothin' else.

sneakytiki - nice pastel, you definitely captured a good feminine quality. You should do more of 'em.

Looks like you grabbed another medium and nailed it! My fave,as you know,is the bottom one-in the dark ravine....silent and still....
aaaaaah!
I'm with Babs...i can hear the bugs and smell the vegetation too!
Great job! Your playfulness and looseness are giving birth to some great drawings! Robb's BACK!

[ Edited by: jfrancis 2008-12-18 20:30 ]

I'm feelin' the pastel vibe and have decided to FREAK!

I'm going to work on 4-5 11x14" pastels at the same time and post progress shots. I'm shooting for fun and spontaneity and wicked ATMOSPHERE. It's gonna get chaotic here... Hell Yeah.

These are all 11x14 pastel on black paper. Hope you like 'em.

As usual, I don't have the time to make pretty thumbnails, just enough to get rollin'. I've wanted to do a canoe dealing with a wicked storm for awhile.

I think one of the sexiest looks ever for women is the lollipop afro-wearing toughgirl: smart, capable, independent, and TOO DAMN FINE! If anybody out there thinks this awesome style is RACIST or SEXEST: BITE ME HARD! It isn't, and I miss it terribly.

The itsy-bitsy sketch of two cycadish palms second from bottom right is my starting point. Will it have a Tiki? Hell if I know, or care. This pic kinda gives away that I've already gotten started.

I start rough with pastels and clean it up later. FUN first, refinement later.

http://www.robbhamel.com

Black velvet Tiki art for those who are
tired of those sticky acrylic paintings!

[ Edited by: Robb Hamel 2008-12-29 14:19 ]

Looking good Robb! There is a lot of energy and movement in this one. What with all the diagonals and the stormy seas it is sure to be a feast for the eyes.

Yehhh! Im loving that stormy seas pic mate, she's looking awesome! Hmm, maybe I should whip the pastels back out again :lol:

Robb
gogoGadjet!
nice mood on this one..
dark and terrible and foreboding..
the tension is mind-blowing...
is that a boat?

Pam Grier and Cleopatra Jones,my bruthah!

Thanks all my bruddahs. We'll have to see if any of these turn out to be canary paper in the end.

Here is an X-mas present that I never expected:

It's the ultimate Tiki mug: Ken Ruzics Pupule!!!

Does it look awesome on my shelf or what?

Aloha Rob!!

I have not been on here nearly enough. Great stuff!!! I did a thread a few years ago on pastels...though not a lot of Tiki subjects at that time. Hewey was experimenting then too. I have a bunch since that are more Tiki oriented..but my problem was always the best way to frame and preserve them. I asked a bunch of established pastel artists who do these all the time and predictably, they recommended not spray fixing ANY pastels because it destroyed the subtle aspects of the medium . Also, floated mounts where there is a museum glass protecting the art yet never touching it is the class A way to preserve and display these gems. GREAT stuff!! Happy New Year my friend!!

It's ALIVE!! Great composition Rob! You are sooo the man!

Aloha!

I've really enjoyed your thread. Great work!
Got my eye on a few pieces and would like
to inquire about purchasing one.
Please email info (what's available,payment,etc...)
to [email protected]

Mahalo!

http://www.fluffshop.com

Thor - thanks for the advice, as always.

Babalu - thanks, but I've seen your mugs: YOU ARE DA MAN!

Iokona Ki'i - thanks trunkloads. The info is on the way.

Mahalo to all and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It makes me nervous to show how crude my roughed-in work looks, so please don't judge these yet!

I added a tinsy bit to this one, but the whole thing is still scary crude.

The jungle scene is started with just a blob.

You can at least see where things'll be, but these could still be cacti!

At least this looks like a sketch.

I feel like I'm showing my improve process from TOO EARLY A STAGE! This whole thing makes me have performance anxiety!!!

Be safe and happy in your New Year partying!

On 2008-12-31 17:57, Robb Hamel wrote:
I feel like I'm showing my improve process from TOO EARLY A STAGE! This whole thing makes me have performance anxiety!!!

Well its much appreciated mate :D Loving it

thanks for sharing your secret process Robb!
Now where can we order the Hamel brain and hands
to pull this awesome stuff off?
:)

Cleopatra Jones!
Shelly winters is a Lesbian Criminal Queenpin in it!
:)

MO' FROS!

Oh boy, Robb! Can't wait to see your pastels completed... if they're anything like your other pastels, they'll pretty much kick ass!

Hewey, LLT, Tobunga: thanks guys, you encourage me in my hour of need!

I'm trying to get back to creating, but my dad just had a heart attack and I was in a car wreck!!! The New Year has to get better than this!

Dang Rob,

Real sorry to hear about your Pop...I hope he's jumping back in the fray now. Just keep painting...buy a bigger car...protect thy self!

The sketches are looking great man...you really have a great eye for compostion.

Take care!

Thanks very much Babalu. He needs a little more work but he'll be okay.

I've done a little bit of work on these two:

I did a little work here, at least her face looks okay and the Tiki is starting to take form.

I put some light on the hull of the ship and punched up the contrast in the foreground waves.

That's one fierce looking storm! Does the canoe get warriors or is it adrift?

I recommend about a '68 Dodge Powerwagon, those are practically indistructable

Sorry about your bad news mate! I had a similar crappy start to last year, but it definitely ended on a high :D

The art is looking sweeeet my man! LOVING the stormy sea scene! Im thinking it needs just one solo warrior paddling out - why is he out here in this weather, what possesed him to do such a thing? To me black velvet and pastels like this are ALL about mood and atmosphere, and this one has it in SPADES already :D

that boat pastel is totally coming to life!
that wave breaking in the back
just adds to the tension and power!
the mark of a true artist...

and that hot afro mama
needs to be a black light poster!
on velvet,of course!

TOP SHELF,Robb!
:)

diggin the progress pics. I know everyone says that, but really its informative AND entertaining. thanks for sharing the process of how you build a piece. so simple with such a great impact. The positive/negative space and the obvious direction of light source is easily discernible when dealing with the all green or all blue pieces. Its just the kind of explaining my brain can digest.

MadDogMike - the Dodge joke hurt my chest from laughing! I think it's gonna be a good-sized ship, it'll have a mast and scurrying sailors. I can't add those now 'cause I'd blur 'em in the process.

hewey - thanks a ton. The idea is that these guys are being blown towards an unknown island by a storm that kicked up while they were exploring - otherwise they'd have to be a bunch of drongos!

LLT - you are in the groove with me, and what a groove it is!

I got back to this Super Deep Jungle pastel and decided it was gonna have a Tiki.

I want the little guy to mostly be suggested. Like hewey says: ATMOSPHERE.

The plants get some attention. The ref pics I took at the outstanding Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati.

The bigass tree in the back really anchors the composition, I think.

Nice misty jungle vibe there Robb!
Glad you added a Tiki
adds to the mystery
and ATMOSPHERE!

Keep that hothouse going on the inside
and snow fallin on the outside!

here's those albums i was tellin you about a few days ago...

werd...

I love the first track of maggot brain--psychedelic baybee!!!
Nice vibe in the jungle pastel Robb!

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

[ Edited by: Sneakytiki 2009-01-16 18:29 ]

oooooooooo love it robb! crazy dimensionality

On 2009-01-14 11:37, Robb Hamel wrote:
The bigass tree in the back really anchors the composition, I think.

Yup, and it works well with the negative space of the silhouette of the fern in the forgreound - very nice! And yup, tonnes of atmosphere :D

Damn Rob, all this work is just kicking major ass!

Love the Deep Jungle! So misty, lush and chock full of humidity!

Tiki is the only thing keeping us sane here in the frozen Midwest!

Keep up the tropical vibe and before we know it June will be here!

Again, nice work!!!!!

I just want to be a kid and go on a cool adventure inside your latest painting. Ok, I'm a dork.

....but seriously...I'm a dork.

Ken - thanks for the album pics, we're gonna give 'em a listen Sunday. We watched Cleopatra Jones and it was BADASS! I was into it and my wife shook her head the whole time at the sillines, but we both got a kick out of it.

Sneakytiki - mondo thanks

Big Toe - the dimensionality is my favorite part next to the mood.

hewey - you've got as good an eye as Wildsville Man, and that's sayin' a lot since he sees stuff in my work I only saw subconciously.

Lake Surfer - yes: HUMIDITY! If you can feel it, I've may've hit my version of a bullseye! Yes, it is frozen here on the North Coast, but we've gotta protect our nation from the Northern Threat (sorry Canucks, just pulling legs here)

Mr. Pupu - that's how I feel about your bar!

I want to thank the late, great Mario Larrinaga, my Master in spirit. He is The reason I seriously dig jungle scenes. His work on the 1933 King Kong changed my life. I will never match him, but I'm honored to have a chance to try to do exactly that!

I've jumped the gun with this series and finished one early!

"Pastel Tiki 4 - Deepest Jungle" - 11x14 pastel on black paper.