TikiMango's Carvings- P31, Bone Hawaiian Tapa Hook

Awesome sequence and story.

That is so cool.

His first is better than my 30th

True story.

You have some fantastic designs and finish work going on there TikiMango! Glad to see you training a new tiki carver too! :wink: Looks like he's doing great!

History in the making!

Tell Clark that TikiG loves his tiki carving..Clark has the best teacher around.
Wish my dad taught me something tiki-ish at age 6.
Keep up the chops, Thanks for posting Ray.

Ah jeeez, how coool is that...Whatever!! 8) Mango!!! :D

Very cool! I like the face and mouth.

Thanks everybody! It's cool that everyone appreciates this, I was a little apprehensive about posting this. It WAS really fun, especially seeing how his thought process worked and seeing the look of confusion on his face change to one of excitement as the tiki took shape and came to life. "Oh dad, now I see what we're doing. That's his eye!" I'm still not sure why he named it Whatever Tiki, as he couldn't give me a reason for it... and that's one of the cool things working with kids, they teach you that sometimes you don't need a reason as long as you're having fun. We forget that sometimes as goal oriented adults.

I always try to expose my kids to new and different things, even if I'm not that interested (like fishing, next on his list), and I hardly ever will say "No" to something they want to try. I figure sooner or later they'll find something they really enjoy and it will stick, and it beats the heck out of watching TV (though we our fair share of that too, crazy Flapjack). I can remember drawing at the coffee table as a kid and my dad saying, "Why are you always drawing? Why don't you go cut the grass or something else more constructive." He never got it, and I'm not sure if he ever will.

"Why are you always drawing? Why don't you go cut the grass or something else more constructive."

Whatever!!

Glad you drew instead of cutting the grass. Now you get to make beautiful art out of bone to share with us.......forgettabout the grass.......

G

Great way to carve a tiki and Excellent having your son do all the work. You should keep him around for the summer, by then he will be A Great helper or he will make YOU the helper :o :lol: Nice stuff Mango! When is he going home?

Great project with your son Mango.
My kids are a little to young to wield a mallet and chisel but I do a lot of drawing with my 5 year old daughter. My dad was the same as yours but it never stopped me.
Keep having fun.

Wow, I had a blast at Tiki Oasis this year. I got to meet some old friends, make a few new ones, and finally put a face to many of the handles I see here on TC and Facebook. Last year after Oasis I had tiki overload and didn't/couldn't touch anything tiki related for a few months. This year it's been different, in a good way.

I had started this guy a few months ago, but couldn't work on him when my son was visiting, or finish it before Tiki Oasis. I had a lot of fun working on this Blue Whale. I really wanted to capture the barnacle build-up on the flukes and nose, but I just couldn't get it to look right. I guess this will be a Baby Blue Whale pendant in bone then.

Lighting from the bottom.

Lighting from the top.

For scale, he's about 3.5" x 2" tall.

Ray, nice art as usual. I like the whale and I know you had to carve one - but - this isn't pushing the envelope either. MORE PLEASE!!

PM me what's left of your TO9 stock today will ya'? G

I love weekends, so much free time to do what needs to get done. So during Tiki Oasis this year I was sitting across the sidewalk from 4WDtiki in Artist Alley. All his excellent and crazy tikis where staring me down... it was a bit unsettling. Their influences must have rubbed off on me because I sketched one of them, and realized it in bone. So thanks Bill for the inspiration!

I lightly stained this one with tea.

I was also a stone's throw away from Ken and his insanely awesome paintings, and must have been influences by them as well. I figured it was time that a Rapa Nui Birdman got represented. Thanks Mr. Ruzic, and thanks for not throwing any squirrels my way.

I stained this in India Ink, hoping to give it a stone look but might have lost the bone qualities in the process.

My hand, especially my right thumb, is numb due to the vibrating Dremel all weekend. But it feels so good...

Uh, I just saw the whale.

SWEET!! :o :o :o

Such good carves...I'm living vicariously through your carvins'!

Man! the whale is awsome AND i really like the birdman!
uhh..what Cant you do?

Nice! I recognized the influence before I even read the caption. :D I remember seeing that sketch.
That birdman is great! I love the background texture, and the tea stain brings it out, and gives the piece an antique look.
And the whale...it simply looks alive. Great capture of motion!

Birdman is GO,Mango!
the world needs more Tangata manus!
lovely carve!

Birdman YES!! Freakin nice Ray :)
Is this a pendant or a pocket talisman? I ask only because I don't see a cord.

Thanks for the positive comments everyone! And a big thanks for letting me borrow from your creative energies.

The Birdman (Tangata Manu... learn something new everyday) is a pendant, I just haven't done the cord yet.

I have a very good friend of 25yrs with a birthday today. She wanted me to create a bone pendant for her, but she didn't want a hook or tiki. She really enjoyed my squid and blue whale pieces and requested that I make something similar. I must be a glutton for punishment because I decided to make her a sea horse. Never volunteer to do something when you know nothing about the subject matter! I just finished this tonight, missed her birthday by THAT much.

Sea horse, roughly 2"x.75"

Luckily for me sea horses come in all shapes and sizes, and that allowed me a bit of artistic license.

I wish I didn't have to give it to her right away, I think this could have been a resin contender.

WOW, What a Neat piece Ray, So many little parts to shape and fit and make look right. WOW Excellent job Can't wait to see it

Actually, the sea horse is a new bone masterpiece! Like the blue whale, awesome realistic... But my favorite is still the tangata manu, nice and tough look!

Keep up the good work!

J.

That is SHARP!

Thank you for the comments. I'll tell ya what, that sea horse was a pain in the arse! It was challenging and I am happy that it turned out so well.

I had a couple of other pieces in the works, some started before others. They seem to finish themselves at their own pace. First up is a Medicine Tiki. You may have seen small tikis that are worn upside down? If so, that was a medicine tiki. They are upsidedown so the wearer can view it right-side up! These pendants were usually created to ward off certain ailments like stomach problems, headaches, etc. Here is what I am calling the Kapu Kava pendant, based on a palm tiki I did a few months ago. He will ward off sickeningly-sweet tropical drinks and prevent your system from violently rejecting pink or orange Mai Tais.

*Do not adjust your monitor! He is supposed to be upside down. His mouth is opened-up through his body so your gag reflex will be passed through him.

*You'll notice that he is not looking directly forward, but has a slight (intended) off-center appearance. He is turning away terrible drinks for your protection.

*He's extra large to ward off those extra nasty drinks that some encounter when they are not drinking at the Tiki Ti or their own home bars.

Next up is a canoe pendant full of itty-bitty tikis. I had tried to carve a larger version of this in a pine plank back on page 3, but didn't have much success. That one actually cracked as I was trying to add a few more details, and I lost 2 of the warriors. I had seen the canoes that Queen K did, and that inspired me to try it again in bone.

The hull designs are a tribute to the Leroy Schmaltz canoe that was shown in the In Search of Tiki exhibit at Forest Lawn. I didn't add any spears or paddles as I was afraid that whatever material I used (bone or wood) would be too thin at this scale and would break off. These brave sailors are letting the currents take them where they need to go.

I stained the upper half in tea to help bring out the details on their tiny faces. The scrimshaw on the hull was a terrible idea, but I tried to make it work as best as possible. Bone can vary so greatly from piece to piece. You'll notice the dark areas around the black ink work right of my thumb, that is where the ink penetrated the bone. I guess that can be attributed to the soft/porous variations in natural mediums. This will probably be my last foray into the India ink for awhile.

*a braided stunt cord was used on the Medicine Tiki pendant. I'm still trying to figure out that 4-strand braiding.

Pupule Tiki!

[ Edited by: TikiMango 2009-08-27 16:07 ]

Hey Ray, Cool stuff you have there and they all look Better in person than in the photos. Thanks for the vizit today I really enjoyed having you here. Lets do it again.
I Love that canoe...and the Whale,,,and the Upside down medicine tiki and the Seahorse too, they are All Awesome.!

Thanks Ben! I've been tying knots all evening... I mean I've been practicing that 4-strand braiding for the cord. I made an 18" cord with a toggle for the Tangata Manu pendant, but it's like a choker on my thick neck. I don't have the energy (or feeling in my finger tips) to make a longer cord tonight... maybe tomorrow. Thanks for showing me that braiding again, sooner or later it will stick. Thanks also for all the neat-o wood pieces-parts and other oddities.

Howz you like that fake tooth toggle? Made from a scrap of bone.

Presents well I think.

So I think I finally have the 4-strand braid down. Thanks again Benzart for hammering it into my brain.

So I've been a braiding fool today. If someone told me a few months ago that I would be braiding my own cords (or carving fake toggle tootheses) I would have thought they were crazy.

The cord on the left I doubled-up the cord thickness. Compare that to the one on the far right, and you can see that the right one might be a tad too thin. The middle cord I added a stand of black to tie-in with the black scrimshaw work.

I still have a world to learn about traditional lashings and stuff...

Mango, great stuff, I love the medicine man! really nice!

Amy

T-Man, I See BIG Improvement in those cords, Tighten'em up a bit more (I'm gonna Always tell you that!) and don't be afraid to make the loop just big enough for the toggle to slide through. These really look great and the black strand is a nice touch. Love the toothie toggles too.
As fro the carvings, again after seeing them in person I can assure the rest of you they are all quite excellent. T-Man will become a famous carver I think.

On 2009-08-25 19:03, TikiMango wrote:

Sea horse, roughly 2"x.75"

Wow! Your work just keeps getting better and better, Ray! They're all great pieces. The seahorse is my favorite.

PS Nice jammies at Oasis!

Bowie

Queen K, thanks. I'm probably going to do a few more (but different) versions of the Medicine Tiki, it's fun to describe their purpose.

Benzart, Wow, you are too kind with such kind words. Thank you! The Sensei says tighter cords, so it shall be.

Bowana, thanks for the compliments on the seahorse and the PJ's. I got lucky on both.

I get asked a lot on how long it takes me to carve a bone pendant. I'm always wishy-washy with an answer because I don't really track my time. I work until my Dremel gets too hot to handle, then I drape it over a box fan and take a break. When I come back it's cool and can carve for another 45-60 minutes. Some of you that know me well know that I' a bit ambidextrous, so here's one secret I'll share...

Just having fun with the camera. I couldn't do that, I'd have to hold the part with me feet and... oh, hmm.

Next piece in the works. I don't think I've seen a Manaia figure done in a round shape yet.

Now THAT'S the way to work, I gotta See that with my Own 2 eyes! cool new pendant in the workz.

Great new pieces! very very neat work

Clarita, thank you! Your candles are pretty neat too.

So I've been using a magnifying headset, took some time to get used to it. A few times I almost sent a burr through my finger. It took even more time to get over the fact that it shows EVERY little blemish, mark, and scratch. Here's my latest Manaia figure. I finally got the hang of the double spiral. I apologize now for the crappy macro shots. Seems my camera decides when it want to take a decent picture.

I got some paua shell inlay for the eye. I figure that is a must for Manaias.

Those spirals were "fun" to do.

:)

Congrat man! Another awesome piece completed with a perfect "tighten" cord work! :o Cord work is still a mystery to me...

J.

Nice cords and even nicer pendants. I too like the seahorse. Awesome job!

GMAN, Laojia, TheBigT, thank you for the nice comments.

So I was going through my "pieces-parts" bone pile and spied a chunk I thought would be big enough to make something with. I guess all bone carvers have to do one sooner or later... I present the obligatory Whale Tail. I poured over several hundred photos on Google trying to decide exactly what species of whale I would try. I think the Sperm tail is a little too triangular while the Humpback was a bit too swoopy. Orca tail would have been cool, but wouldn't fit the scrap I was working with. I decided on a mash-up. You gotta love artist's liberty.

The lashing around the cord and bone was a real killer for me. I struggled with that.

The piece of bone I used had a nice shape. I hope the piece did not come out too dynamic or static.

Thanks for looking.

Some killer work there! I like very much.

TikiMango, I was looking over your recent bone work a few days ago and I think it's amazing!!! I 'm trying my hand at some bone carving and made a list of some ideas. I had a seahorse in my list but quickly realized it was way beyond my current capabilities :) But you have pulled it off beautifully!!!

Love the Tail and the Cords still impress!

I haven't posted a comment in a while but man..trust that its ALL GOOD. DIGGIN' EVERY NEW PIECE!!!

To much Smokin art TikiMango, I can't hardly handle it!!!! You'r a very talented artist!!! Aloha , Mooney

Seeksurf, thank you!

MadDogMike, just keep pushing your boundaries, and I'm sure the seahorse will be a walk in the park one day. Well, maybe a 5k run...

Benzart, thanks! When I braid a cord I curse your name (in a good way) at every plait cross-over.

TikiG, thank you for the positive vibes.

MooneyTiki, thank you for the kind words. One day I want to grow up and be like you... or Kenny.

I had some family in town for the past week, so I wasn't able to get anything done. This time around it was my oldest son, his girlfriend and my grandson dragging me all over Florida for sight seeing. Don't these people realize that I have art to get out of my system? Here is my first attempt at an Arawa-style face mask. I don't think I'll be doing any bone portraits any time soon.

Perhaps the moko needs to be a tad deeper?

Ready for a cord, I just need to braid it.

While sort of big, my hand kept cramping up trying to hold it while I carved.

Included with the touristy sight-seeing we did last week was able to visit "Jungle Adventures" near Christmas, FL. This is your typical alligator-infested, mosquito-filled, eco-friendly nature park that you'll find in various areas of Florida. It should have been called "Swamp Adventures". At this particular place they had a mock-up of a Seminole Indian village, and I got a chance to talk with the host since we were the only people in the park that day. Bone carvings came up and he gave me something to carve, though I am not sure I'll be able to do anything with it. Any guess as to what it is?

This one is big, but they can be much smaller.

It's full of holes, porous, and has a ridge.

Did I mention it's very, very porous!

Ok, times up!

This is called an alligator scute. Every dorsal ridge on a gator has one of these under it, and it is porous to allow the blood to regulate heat. Some types of turtle also have these skeletal features. Don't ever say you never did learnt nuthin' from me. Thanks for looking.

Nice work Mango!!! I can't figure out why, but I really like the whale tale. Dude, all of your stuff is incredible!!

Mango!

"Don't ever say you never did learnt nuthin" from me" (that's a song title if I ever heard one)

I read, I looked, I learnt..I learn something from you every time you post, man! Gator 101 this morning.

and, oh yeah, your first attempt at the Arawa-style mask taught me something too...your paraphrasing genius manifests into sheer joy...whatever you attempt brings delight to me and countless others.

Rock-on my friend..positive vibes always from the left-coast.

Interesting, that alligator scute looks like bleached coral. It'll be interesting to see what you can turn that into.

On 2009-09-15 08:41, TikiMango wrote:

While sort of big, my hand kept cramping up trying to hold it while I carved.

Gives you a vise swiveling to solve this problem with cramps.

In any case good work on the arawa mask, and like BigT, I'm interested to see what you can made with the gator scute...

J.