Tiki in the raw...

Okay, I've been needing to practice my Illustrator skills lately so, I found a scan of the old Tropicana in Fresno, Ca. I chose it because I was born outside of Fresno (Parlier) in 1966. The family was moved to TX in the early 70's so I never knew it existed until I saw the scan in a book...Book of Tiki I think it was. Bare in mind that this is just an early version, as I plan to add more details, textures and better colors in the future. I also tweeked it here and there for better appearance. So what do you think of it so far?

Before:

After:

[ Edited by: surfalaia 2009-11-10 15:13 ]

On 2009-10-23 22:31, surfalaia wrote:
Um.....if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Indeed - it looks like you ran it through 'The Buffettiser'.

Trader Woody

I think it looks great, so far! What a fantastic way to build your Illustrator skills!

On 2009-10-23 23:37, Trader Woody wrote:

On 2009-10-23 22:31, surfalaia wrote:
Um.....if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Indeed - it looks like you ran it through 'The Buffettiser'.

Trader Woody

Tim did say he did this to "practice his illustrator skills" and also: "Bare in mind that this is just an early version, as I plan to add more details, textures and better colors in the future." So although it looks bland, it's still an early incarnation.

And Tim, you're not going to find many people on Tiki Central who will compliment your illustration skills if it's a copy of something else, practice or not. Even if it's just for fun, many folks take offense when original tiki art is copied. Perhaps if you use the original image as a starting point for creating something different...but still inspired by the original.

Just a suggestion...I'm no illustrator.

First of all, I gotta reiterate that this rendering is among my ten favorite images in Tikidom. The fact that it survived being on a throw-away paper placemat makes it that much more precious. The juxtaposition of the mid-century modern Googie architecture and signage by Armet & Davis with Milan Guanko's Tikis is what Tiki style is all about for me.

It is hard to imagine my joy when I found it in the Oceanic Arts files, because back then it was (still is) so unique and perfect. Since then, talented artists like Doug Horne have successfully used this concept, and nowadays one almost takes it for granted.

I understand why it makes a good template for Tiki exercises, because the expert line art is as tempting as a coloring book for a kid. By now Tim must have noticed that a lot of Tiki Centralites enjoy the quality of vintage graphics and would never replace them with computer work. But I find it interesting and noteworthy that this post might be an indicator that future generations do not view computer-generated graphics as artificial and fake feeling, but embrace the style as their own way of seeing/portraying the past.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-10-25 13:28 ]

Looks like a good start Tim. Of course, it will never replace the original but copying materpieces is a time-honored technique for improving your skills and you picked a great masterpiece.

'The Buffettiser' - I have to admit that's funny :lol:

Thanks for the pros and cons. I knew I might offend the "purists", but like I said, I'm just practicing my Illustrator skill, and anyone who has ever used Adobe Illustrator knows that you just cannot jump in with the pen tool and start drawing original artwork. I'm working my way there. I'll have to start watching my P's and Q's so as not to offend any "take's life too seriously" folks...but I know that there is no one like that here, after all, we are all Tikiphiles and lovers of the laid back island life style!

Mahalo!

Hasn't Fresno suffered enough humiliation.....

On 2009-10-24 13:18, Tim-in-TX wrote:
I'll have to start watching my P's and Q's so as not to offend any "take's life too seriously" folks...but I know that there is no one like that here, after all, we are all Tikiphiles and lovers of the laid back island life style!

This is a fun subject here in these parts :D
I see it like this: Tiki is a game we play -but we play it seriously. And "laid back island life style" is a Jimmy Buffet concept. :)

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-10-26 07:25 ]

I see no problem with this, but perhaps your thread should be posted in (moved to) the Creating Tiki forum. I see it as Tim practicing his craft by copying from the masters. Not a bad strategy as many art students can attest to.

Good luck and great start.

On 2009-10-23 21:52, Tim-in-TX wrote:
Okay, I've been needing to practice my Illustrator skills lately so, I found a scan of the old Tropicana in Fresno, Ca.

Excellent start!

Do you have, or have you tried, one of the pen tablets? To me it seems a more natural way to use Illustrator, and while my AI skills basically suck, I can see the power inherent the interface.

I would also add that you should look critically at your original sample.... much of the texture, especially in the Tiki's, is more lines and less any kind of fill. Its a bunch more work to do it that way... you did say your practicing so more work mean more practice no?

As others before me have said... Looks nice for starters but to me a little to computer.
Keep on tryin!!!!!

This is a fun subject here in these parts :D
I see it like this: Tiki is a game we play -but we play it seriously. And "laid back island life style" is a Jimmy Buffet concept. :)

I kinda think that the "laid back island lifestyle" might have been around before JB
I'm thinkin it might have had something to do with a little "Mutiny" that made some history.:)

[ Edited by: Beach Bum Scott 2009-10-26 12:34 ]

Please don't take any of the following comments as pretending to be an authority, but here are some constructively-intended observations...

• Might wanna try for more of a consistent perspective effect on the sign lettering - if you look closely at the original you'll see the difference. This shows you how the original artist wasn't just sketching, but drafting.

• Since the two tikis are a big part of the identity, take another look at their shapes and mass. The roundness of the tongue and where it meets the chest, the shape of the breastplate and chest cavity, the curvature at the bottom corner of the mouth, the size and shape of noseholes, the curves on the legs, and the subtle jaunty angle that the tiki bases have in the original.

• The empty space under the roofline between the two rock walls is a key part of the googie look.

• The roof on the far right building seems to have less overhang than the original, especially as rendered in the corner pointing toward the viewer. That corner of the building seems to be positioned different in the original.

• Nice job on the Tropicana lettering. Might make the C just a teeny bit more concave at the points.

BTW, I'd agree this makes sense in Creating.

-Randy

I hate photoshop and illustrator (mostly because I suck at them :) ), so I applaud anyone who is willing to spend the time to teach themselves how to use these programs. You picked a challenging image, and that to me says that you are motivated to learn, so please don't take my suggestions as anything more than me passing on what little information I may be able to help you with. I may not know about the computer programs, but I do know a little about carving and have used these exact tikis as inspiration for some of my work.
Take a closer look at the eyes in the original drawing and you'll see that the eye is a complete teardrop shape (not a circle in your rendition) that extends from the nose all the way down the side of the mouth. Also, the legs in the tiki that is holding his legs against his body look a little to blocky and like sticks, but you said that you were adding texture and more stuff, so you will probably end up fixing that anyway.
The original illustrator did a fantastic job of making those tikis look like they are 2d renditions of carved tikis (possibly from a 4x4), which will not be an easy act to follow. With practice, you'll get there!

Your computer rendition is looking good and I look forward to see what you end up with!

PS - "laid back island lifestyle" does sound a little JB-ey, Caribbean-y (which is fine), but I like to think I'm on "Hawaiian time".

Here in the Indian Ocean I like my laid back island lifestyle!

I think this illustrator art is a good start and I'm happy to read others constructive criticism on this piece as it gives me things to look for in arhcitecture.