Aloha from me!

Greetings to all my fellow tikiheads out there!

I've been collecting tiki for quite a few years now, and creating it for only a few less than that. Been looking forward to getting to know some of you folks and getting some input on what I've been doing for all these years. So, without further ado, I just grabbed the closest tiki to me, snapped a pic, and here it is.

It's just a scrap piece of 2x4 that was easy for me to carry around and carve on when I had a chance.

BIG TIKI D!!! welcome!!! love the 2x4 tiki!!!! hes awsome!! and i love the use of an ordinary material!!! i too will carve almost anything!! nice lines and smooth finish!! letts see more!!! cheerz!!

Thanks much. But, the more I look around here, I get the feeling like I may be lacking in the talent department. Still, I enjoy it, so why not, eh?

So, here's one that I made for the door of my locker at work.

The face is a piece of some old shelving, the eyes are from a circuit board from an old VCR, the canes grew in my front yard, and the ties are from a section of old phone cable.

BIG TIKI D!! u def have creative genes!!! and for talent just keep carvin it will come each piece will teach u somthin new but u gotta keep goin!!! so lets see some more!!! cheerz!! p.s. u already have talent also that is obvious!! and if u enjoy it like me..... just go and go and go hell yeah!!!! lol!!

[ Edited by: BIG tiki scott 2010-02-04 18:15 ]

This is a stick that fell from one of the maple trees behind my house. Well, actually, now it's a tiki that's about 10" long and not quite 1" wide.

Hello big tiki D.

I understand how you feel about being out of place amongst the talent on this site. I had only visited here maybe a half dozen times before I posted some photos on an impulse. The more I came back, the more I felt like I was in over my head. But, here is what I have gained. The advice you get here is second to none. It is rare to find folks that will share their hard won knowledge with you. Not only have I learned many new techniques, I have begun to go outside my comfort zone and I am happier with my carving. That's the key. If you are having fun, you know your doing it right. I believe every person on this forum can relate to that. Carve on and :D

Nice beginning carvings BigTiki...and I second everything that Amate said!
You can do research on a lot of individual threads and see a tremendous
progression from "early tikis" (if pictures still exist) to more recent
works. I think the most important things are to have fun and at least
make some strides to build upon your strong points and get better. One
thing that's obvious is that you are gonna be able to carve cool tikis.

I like the stick alot!
What they said...

bad ass stick tiki!!! see now thats talent!!!! cheerz!!

I love the 2x4 TIKI I can't believe that I never thought of that before. What kind of tools are you using?

I love the 2x4 TIKI I can't believe that I never thought of that before. What kind of tools are you using?

I love the 2x4 TIKI I can't believe that I never thought of that before. What kind of tools are you using?

Using 2x4s is a good solution for needing something that's inexpensive to practice your carving techniques on. Screw one up badly, you just cut yourself another section and try again. I think I carved this one with a nice vintage set of Craftsman carving tools that I picked up a flea market. They're not chip carving knives, but they're not your standard chisel set either. On top of that, the quality is a step above some of the small carving sets that are out there.

I'm a big fan of recycled art, so I dig your door locker plaque. The other tikis are cool too, especially that 2x4, that couldn't have been easy as I'm sure the wood wanted to chi away from you. Post whenever you complete something, and keep checking in on the other artists. I think sometimes I just learn new things from osmosis! Welcome.

Cool sticks'n stuff! don't Ever worry that you're lacking in the Creativity Department you're Not and you have proof.
cool stuff.

Many thanks to all for the kind comments!

Here's another one I've had hanging around for a while. This was done with a piece of lumber salvaged from a shed I tore down for my in-laws. It measures 38" tall, 9" wide, and 1.5" thick.

I like the last one! Cool stuff!

J.

Here's another maple stick carving, all sanded and ready to be stained...or not. I may be donating this one to a charity auction.

I had fun playing with the lines in this one and over abstracting the eyes.

Here's a 3/4 side view to give you a better idea of the face.

Here's one made out of some square oak stock and copied from the design of a pendant I picked up at Ha Noku.

Lookin' good big D. I especially like the maple.