Birds of the Pacific - TC Art Swap!!!! Its on again!

It'a AWESOME! I'm still trying to figure out if I can get the pattern to work right so I've started looking at a different subject. The problem is I can't make the bird small enough without losing detail. I'll keep slogging along though. Maybe you could incorporate that resin - there are some great pearly colors you can add to make it look like MOP - you may be able to paint it on without it "dripping" off.

On 2010-07-14 21:59, amybean wrote:
Looking great. I'd feel honored to win this!

Thanks! Very kind of you! Hope you feel the same way after you see the changes....still a bit to go on it though!

Wow, everything looks so great so far! I hope I can actually get something made in time to participate in this trade since I missed the last one. It's just kinda hard with all the preparations for our first baby that's due the week of August 20th. But, I've got a great idea for a Witco-style PNG bird...

On 2010-07-17 21:30, Tiki Lee's wrote:

preparations for our first baby

Well that's some wonderful news!! Congratulations Lee!!

Another Tikiphile in training! Congratulations! You'll find you have a little less time for your arts but you gain a new perspective that contributes to your creativity! I became far more sarcastic and snarky after having a child which eventually led me to Tiki Central! Looking forward to a picture in the near future :)

SWEET! ZeroStreet

CONGRATS! Tiki Lee :drink:

HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that the hornbill is mostly closely related to the kingfisher?
Started work on Hornbill #3. Made a egg shaped plaster form out of a Nerf football and I'm goin' to town,

Hopefully my sculpting skills are better than my sketching skills, this looks like the missing evolutionary link between the Hornbill and the Dodo! :lol:

Also working up an idea for Hornbill #4 as long as I have this egg shaped form. Hint: he will be much younger :D

Zerostreet...
The changes are nice....lookin' good!!

Mike....
You are definately mad!
Diggin' the hornbills!!

Wow Mike! How many are you gonna make? Enough to share with the entire class?! Hmmm?! LOL

On 2010-07-18 18:52, Meheadhunter wrote:
Mike....
You are definately mad!

Thank you :D

On 2010-07-18 20:01, beadtiki wrote:
Wow Mike! How many are you gonna make? Enough to share with the entire class?! Hmmm?! LOL

I just might! :lol:

HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that the hump on the hornbill's beak, called a casque, acts as a resonating chamber to make the hornbill's call louder?

A little progress tonight. Next to make a big hollow pinch pot head and some wings. I'm shooting for a whimsical look on this one.

Just finished my painting for the swap!

Acrylic on masonite (10x8 inches)

zero -

Beautiful, man! G

Thanks Greg!

Looks beautiful ZS, I think you get the award for first done. Those blues and greens would go just perfect in my tropical inspired bedroom. Plus my wife would like this in the bedroom much better than a shrunken head! :lol:

HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that the female hornbill walls herself up in her nest for up to 4 months while raising her chicks?

Making some progress on Hornbill #3

He needs some wings, texturing, and lots of clean-up before drying

Sorry to correct MDM above but - first done award already belongs to Melekelikimaka's painting (fifteen days ago/Page 4) - sorry zero!!

MDM - Gawd! DUDE!! Pretty freakin awesome sculpt there...I like Hornbill #3(as is) but of course want to see its wings and texturing and finished. Great stuff :) G

Greg, thanks for the props and for the correction :D

Sorry Melekelikimaka, I wasn't trying to steal your thunder

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2010-07-21 15:46 ]

Yeah, I didn't think I was the first! Thanks for the compliments MDM! If it does end up in your bedroom, I certainly wouldn't mind one of those hornbills!

Thanks ZeroStreet.

HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that hornbills are a symbol of purity, luck, and fidelity in many cultures?

Sometimes I amuse myself :D

Hornbill #3 is about done with the sculpting phase. Turns out it doesn't need much texturing - most of the body will be covered in opaque black glaze that would hide any texturing. I added some to the tail, feet, and chest. As it slowly dries I will continue to clean it up a little. Should be ready for the first firing by next week.

Here's a sketch of Hornbill #4 :lol: :D :lol:

Same egg shaped form as Hornbill #3. I don't want to gross anyone out (well, maybe I do) but the little birdie's head will serve as a straw - you'll have to suck on his beak to drink :evil laugh: :D

MDM, can't wait to see that freshly hatched hornbill!

Ok, I don't want to be a pain about this but I made a few changes to the painting...but this is IT! It is done now!

Yellow Lava River!!!!

**HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that the Papuan Hornbill is found in Melanesia, including Papua New Guinea and as far East as the Solomon Islands **

Speaking of Papua New Guinea hornbills, I was chasing the wrong hornbill! I thought it was the Wreathed Hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus) that was the Pacific Bird - turns out it's the Papauan or Blyth's Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus). No biggie, same body and nose shape, different coloring :)

I started today on Hornbill #4

That is NOT a fuse for a hornbill Molotov cocktail! It will burn out during firing to leave a straw channel :D The egg will be dry by tomorrow night but the chick head is thick and will take a while.

I love the egg - reminded me of one my favorite dragons I've collected:

But you can't drink out of this guy!

Thank you Regan.

Hey, maybe we can get Chicklet to play in our Pacific Bird Swap. Here is his(?) entry in the Keep A Breast project for Tiki Oasis 10 :)

HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that the San Diego Zoo has hatched more than 520 hornbill chicks in it's breeding program?

OK slackers, I know we've got 'til September 20th but there's no need to PROCRASTINATE :lol:

Hornbill #3 (the cartoon looking mug) is cooling in the kiln right now with lots of bright colors. If all goes well I will post finished pictures tomorrow morning.

Started Hornbill #5 today, the pitcher. I've never done anything this big before but I'm having fun. I am desperately trying make sure it will fit in my kiln for the bisque firing :D Since my kiln is wider than it is tall, I plan to lay it down to bisque fire it but I won't be able to glaze fire it - I'll have to cajole Babalu into doing that for me.

The hornbill beak (pouring spout) will stick out of the top of the knot hole, the rest of the knot hole will be a wall of "sticks" and "mud"

HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that hornbills live to be 35-50 years old?

Hornbill #3 is finished!

11L x 5W x 8T, about 18 ounces

KILLER! Hornbill #3 turned out beautiful and very desirable.

MDM - I'm stoked for you! Great swap piece, isn't it folks? G

Birdielicious!!

Your HB is SOOOOO cute! I love the little jaunt of his head!

On 2010-07-26 07:42, MadDogMike wrote:
HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that hornbills live to be 35-50 years old?

Hornbill #3 is finished!

11L x 5W x 8T, about 18 ounces

Nice!

Thank you all kindly, I'm happy with the way he turned out :D

Hornbill #4 is bisque firing in the kiln right now and I'm making progress on #5 - HOWEVER no more pics for you until someone else posts something new! :lol:

Aloha! All art swap peeps...just a little tease of my contribution to the "Birds of the Pacific" swap. Click on the link below and check it out if you dare :wink:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=446395&l=7cafca7c24&id=100000151681492

The other half of my contribution will be linked here soon. Enjoy! (its all in fun, folks!) G

:lol: :up: I love it!

Made MY day!

I told my wife "Babe, just look at the characters I have to put up with on TC" and I showed her Greg's "Bird" painting. She laughed and said I deserved everything I got. Great interpretation TikiG! :lol: (and a well done painting too)

HORNBILL FACTS - Did you know that hornbill's first 2 neck vertebrae are fused to support the weight of their large bill

Here's my progress:
Hornbill #4 - "Happy Birthday!" is almost done. On my next trip to the big city I'll pick up some black "dimension" glaze and make some raised black bumps for emerging feathers (Edit- done and new pic posted). The egg has a satin glaze and looks quite real. There is a clear vinyl tube attached to the inside on the birdie's head and leading down into the egg. Just wrap your lips around the beak and SUCK - no straw needed :lol:

Hornbill #5 - tentatively titled "The Things I Do For My Ungrateful Children" Pitcher is slowly drying. The mama hornbill is sealed up in her hollow tree for the next several weeks with a wall of mud and sticks, only her nose can stick out through the hole where her deadbeat husband will hopefully feed her. The pitcher fits in the kiln with only fractions of an inch to spare :D

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2010-08-20 13:56 ]

MDM, you are on fire. Bravo!

I better get started on those fairy terns.

Mike - DUDE!! You're so far ahead of the pack we're all left standing in your dust cloud scratching our heads...

(((Smokin' execution but better yet, smokin' imagination!!!)))

Cheers! to those ballsy enough to step up to this plate! G

Wow! A lot of great masterpieces have transpired since I last looked! What an awesome bunch of goodies!

by the way, Tiki G is my roommate. Not that I don't LOVE his painting, but I'm thinking that if we were matched for the swap it wouldn't be as exciting for either of us.

Unless he objects, can I request a re-draw if it should end up we're matched?

You know what I'm sayin, right?

Thank you Amy and Greg. This is not part of the art swap but was inspired by this "Birds of the Pacific" thread so I'll post it here:

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare your eyes for a transformation! From a common mundane $2 WalMart dove decoy to a rare and beautiful I'iwi Hawaiian Honeycreeper :lol:

A little polymer clay and epoxy glue for the beak, a spritz of red Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastic, and some acrylic accent color paint.

Do you suppose that the "creator" did the same thing Mike?! LOL Had this perfectly boring critter and, perhaps under the influence of some cosmic drug, decided to glue new parts to it? I believe that is how MOST of the critters in Australia came to be! Come on - look at the duck-billed platypus!

You may be right Regan - according the the Genesis account, God created all the plants first and didn't create the animals until 2 days later giving Him plenty of time to experiment with the herbs He created. Plus, He made the animals on the 5th day (Friday), I'm thinking He did Australia last and made the platypus about 5 o'clock in the afternoon :lol:

All of your pieces look amazing. I have been slacking on my skate toucan. I think it's going to be a LOT more detailed until September! Hopefully I can get some work done tonight. I'll post pics if I do!

This is actually my first mug! Which might explain why everyone in the studio keeps calling it a Totem, asking me if it's from Washington or Alaska. Sigh. Still, pretty happy with it. It is currently drying out and will hopefully survive the first firing. Think I'll glaze it a nice simple/classic dark green or red.

I keep breaking beads half-way through the project and have to start over each time! I think I have it now - switched to the lightest line (1 pound test fishing line) and it's skimming through the beads like a hot knife through butter! If I have to start over AGAIN I'm gonna bag it and submit something I made a long time ago.

Weitz - I like your mug - amazing for a first time.

"Something, something, something, Dark Side, something, something."

[ Edited by: beadtiki 2010-08-02 23:44 ]

I suggest.. to call this topic... Maddogsmike wonderland... :) you are a killer!! We are all in big pressure now! THANKS!!! :wink:

You're funny Bai :blush: I'm just trying to catch up with you and Babalu and I know that will never happen.

Smile and keep at it Regan, remember - "That which does not kill us merely postpones the inevitable" :lol:

Great job Weitz, welcome to the Swap!

Edit - I put the Hornbill Nest pitcher in the kiln this morning, I'll know by tomorrow morning if it survived

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2010-08-03 08:03 ]

Can we have a moment of silence for Hornbill #5? :(

Didn't make it out of the kiln even though I fired it slowly. It seemed like it was dry but I guess it probably wasn't, it was pretty thick near the handle where it blew out.

I'm not sure I will have the time (or the will) to make the pitcher over again, but I've got other Swap-worthy projects so I'm not worried. I must say I'm running out of hornbill ideas. I'm working on a Hornbill #6 but it's nothing spectacular, just something to keep me busy while I wait for a good hornbill inspiration :D

Edit - on a positive note, I turned my I'iwi Honeycreeper loose on the Lanai and he attracted a friend. This is especially exciting since the Mamo Honeycreeper is extinct and was last seen in Hawaii in 1898 :lol:

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2010-08-04 08:02 ]

Moment of silence...duly noted.

Keep on!

bummer about your kiln fatality Mike.

Bummer! But I am mighty surprised that you were able to raise the dead, so to speak! And I am continuing with my bead project - all is well this time - so far!

so here is my bird for the swap.
need to find a black straw... unless you'll like the mc donald's straw :D
Baï

[ Edited by: Tiki Baï 2010-08-05 05:36 ]