Little lost Tiki's Art Chronicles and Stuffs! Page 70!A brief Return,BUT! Some new pieces to Delight YOU!!!

WOWZ! Sorry for neglecting this thread for so long..
Been too busy making em and not enough time documenting the steps involved and such..
Again,i apologize....
Here are a bunch of the finished paintings
that didn't get step-by-steps in this thread

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=35616&forum=21&start=225&242

Mojave Oasis Goin Primitive was Such a THRILL to attend AND to vend at!

Especially this round
because i discovered a Vendor's Dream!
Camouflage Netting!
But more on that later....

It was so great seeing so many friends i rarely get to see
and meeting new ones and sharing laughs and chit-chats!
Thank you to the multitude that visited the Little Lost Tiki Hut of Magical Merriment
and a great big hug to those of you who adopted art and helped to clear a big spot on the studio walls that i can fill up with new artwork!
Mojave Oasis is the event to attend! Where else can you
read HP Lovecraft's "the Colour Out of Space"
sippin a rum drink
sittin in the shade
and having folks come over
and be able to offer them a drink or a glass of ice water out of your swanky trailer
have some often intriguing conversation
give you money for stuff you do anyways
and they hug you
and leave
and some other folks pop by
for 6 hours

and then you slowly pack up and tear down
and you're ready for grub at the Wreck bar and a night of frolicking frivolities!

Mojave Oasis
mellow by day
ragin by dark!
the place is truly magical
and i think that Amy's original philosophy...
to be able to host a party with 100 friends
establishes the vibe
and fills the park with a THICK air of Ohana...
perfection!
thank you Amy and Ray
and Rory for hosting one heckuva party!

Before i share some vending tips
i SHOULD answer all your replies....

On 2011-09-12 04:54, tigertail777 wrote:
I love how your color palette perfectly fits the mood and tone of each piece. I really dig the browns and burnt umber in this volcano one. :) Beats me how can do these so quickly and so well executed.

MAhalo tigertail!
it comes from years of just looking at other artists
and designers
and cartoons
and old paperbacks
etc...
noticing the good ones/locking them in the cerebral reference files
and spitting em out later...loves me that burnt umber!

On 2011-09-12 07:25, davidleslie wrote:
Kinny, it is true....you are magic.

Thanks David!
i believe that all artists have an inner world that they populate with
random scenes
vegetation
buildings
characters
animals
atmosphere
kind of like a chain of islands
each with a different theme...
a lot of these appear in dreams
(for example...classic Roman columns supporting the clouds,
and chains extending from these clouds to the ground..
a powerful recurring dreamscape that was utilized in a series of work...)
That's where the magic is
and all artists have a little world in there.
so you see, we simply just try our best to record and share that world with folks!

On 2011-09-16 20:35, mp wrote:
Excellent work here! Its like Little Tiki Birthday & Christmas presents to gaze
at every few days! We are indebted to you Kin!

Empee!
Love you Man! Thanks for artjammin with Toe and I a few weeks back!
Always a treat to talk to art-brothers and realize we ALL share the same
joys and challenges that this calling has gifted us with!
i am indebted to YOU,Sir!
and to all the artists and friends
who knowingly or unknowingly
inspire me everyday...

On 2011-09-16 21:00, hiltiki wrote:
Ken I love all your recent pieces with the Bamboo Ben frames. Keep them coming cause they are fun. I loved the Mystery Bowl piece.

Gracias beautiful! I still have a few BooBen frames just waiting for tackling! and they're bigger too,so i can cram more in there! Mystery Bowl is my favorite out of the bunch as well... i hope to be able to reach that level of everything falling into place on these next big ones! Hug!

On 2011-09-16 21:19, danlovestikis wrote:
You are the Picasso of tiki, Wendy

Such a compliment! Thanks Love!
I could never reach the accomplishments of Picasso
his passion and mind was constantly afire!
whereas i have a 4 day a week job
that cuts the continual flow of inspiration he felt and relayed to us all
i always strive to become a Master
but still have a good 30-40 years to go
so we'll see...
HUGs to you,Wendy
You always inspire me
not only with your talent,creativity,and drive
but the main ingredient..you sweet and loving nature!

Alrighty!
this isn't as much a step-by-step
than it is a VENDING TIPS post...
i had such a great experience at Mojave Oasis
and finally discovered VENDING ZEN!
and i owe it all to camouflage netting!

the problem with vending is that you usually only have a 10x10 foot amount of space
everything SHOULD fit into that area..
For years i used a table and 2 pegboards and an easy up
I'd use my empty containers to put drawings of folders on
and it was ghetto fabulous...

this was fine for years,low key
but heavy and clunky and i had to keep a lot of the bigger pieces at hoe
or lean them against something...

then came Tiki Highway
and mp "lent me some of his netting
from the side of his booth
and the Horne always kindly offers up his sturdy outside wall
whenever we're vending side by side
'cause he's a friendly giant!

Well...the seed had been planted
and Mojave oasis was the place to give this netting idea a whirl..
and it worked!
it let the wind in
kept the heat out
and gave me inside and outside booth walls to display my work
(got a bunch of "S" hooks that were originally used on the pegboard
and worked perfectly hanging the pieces!
the trick is to clamp or wire the netting along the top and sides
so it's semi-taunt...
Well, enough of this babbling
lemme show ya!
(special shout out to ravenne-official photographer of the starz!)

here's the booth from the outside
(i brought 2 easels for the BIGGER pieces)

there's grass surrounding the trailer
so it was nice and cool to just sit on during the slow times..
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah....

the netting was arranged over one side and then a lil around the corner
which gave the inside an intimate gallery vibe.....kinda

i LOVE being able to have SO much "wall" space!

Here's the inside,you can see that ugly pegboard
think i'm gonna toss that very soon
as i can fir those smaller pieces on the wall
or on the table..

having a trailer right there was GREAT!
Barkeep! Drink Please!

here's my humble table with 3-d work and smaller pieces and folders of drawings

PIGGY! and my biznazz card box!

Anyways,i hope this may have given you some tips and insights into the vending experience... a lot of it is Tetris-style packing and sweating during set-up
but well worth it!
Thanks for visiting!!!!

More painting stuff SOON!
:)

Hi Kenny, Mr. Saggerbee would make a great mug. It's time to get Holden back to working with you. So many spots in your paintings would make great mugs or bowls and should be produced. I love that you have a secret project going, I do too and I'm not posting photos until I've made the mold and we start pouring, maybe by spring. Anyway knock on Holden's door your mugs on our shelves are lonely for your next project. Love, love, love back at ya! Wendy

Wow! Look at all that tiki goodness in one booth!! Go Ken Ruzic!!

I like how you combine your Art with your first Gulf War flashbacks, Kinny!

Very creative use of that netting Kinny. Plus now you'll have it to hide from the contrails during the Apocalypse

When you said "net" I thought you meant fishnet, to you know go with the Tiki theme. This netting looks like you are entering the heart of darkness...appropriate I suppose if you were reading HP Lovecraft. :lol:

Awesome pics Ken! Thanks for sharing these! I love looking at artists set-ups almost as much as the studio shots!

You pay so much attention to detail to spin your magic that I love your closeups where I can marvel at the work. I can take a whole trip just looking at one painting. You are so talented.

Have a great day and don't forget to paint! Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2011-10-20 09:08 ]

Hello Kids!

it's official! I'll be bringing my camouflage netting to Tiki Wonderland at the Tonga Hut this year!
YAY!

lemme do some replies real quick ,and then i got a fun little guy to share with you!

On 2011-10-19 10:29, danlovestikis wrote:
Hi Kenny, Mr. Staggerbee would make a great mug. It's time to get Holden back to working with you. So many spots in your paintings would make great mugs or bowls and should be produced. I love that you have a secret project going, I do too and I'm not posting photos until I've made the mold and we start pouring, maybe by spring. Anyway knock on Holden's door your mugs on our shelves are lonely for your next project. Love, love, love back at ya! Wendy

Hey Wendy!
i DO hope you're feeling better after that surgery!
and i hope Tiki Central is warming your heart as you recover!
Let's hear it for Secret Projects!
Mine got shifted to the Christmas to New Years break...
so expect an LLT Blackout during the Holidays...
i'll still be thinking of you,tho....

I'm with you on Mr. Staggerbee!
I sent Holden a sneak-peek of about 5 out of the 70-some concepts
but he's a busy boy with movin and all..
i AM working on a cool project with him that I'm almost finished with and ready to turn in
but that will have to wait as well.....
if Holden doesn't dig the staggerbee,maybe you and i could collaborate! :)

and in the meantime,i'll just be content to paint them in scenes
and wait for some talented sculptors to help me make them reals!
Feel better darling!

On 2011-10-19 10:42, Swamp Fire wrote:
Wow! Look at all that tiki goodness in one booth!! Go Ken Ruzic!!

My Giant! Now i don't have to mooch off your outside walls anymore!
and Artjam this Thursday night! BE THERE!

On 2011-10-19 11:34, Chuck Tatum is Tiki wrote:
I like how you combine your Art with your first Gulf War flashbacks, Kinny!

Shows how much YOU know,CTIT! My tour of duty lasted from 1982 to 1986....
good try tho...

On 2011-10-19 12:42, MadDogMike wrote:
Very creative use of that netting Kinny. Plus now you'll have it to hide from the contrails during the Apocalypse

hahaha... What is this....Comedy AMATEUR Hour?
Chew on this awhile,my dear friend.....
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=219256

On 2011-10-19 15:00, tigertail777 wrote:
When you said "net" I thought you meant fishnet, to you know go with the Tiki theme. This netting looks like you are entering the heart of darkness...appropriate I suppose if you were reading HP Lovecraft. :lol:

Hey tigertail!
Fishnet tears too easy....ask Chuck and MadDog! :lol:
I was reading "the Colour Out of Space" which was cool with the ever shifting light from the netting on the sand and grass.....

On 2011-10-19 15:33, zerostreet wrote:
Awesome pics Ken! Thanks for sharing these! I love looking at artists set-ups almost as much as the studio shots!

Aloha zerostreet! Vending is a sore spot with me...BUT!!!!With the new easy up
(instead of the "Chinese-zee-up model Dibroc gave to me years ago that was a royal-pain to set up!i think John got a kick out of the fact that i actually tolerated it for so long! :lol:) and netting,i don't even need the pegboard anymore! Now at least,all the hard work goes into the art,where it belongs......Glad you enjoyed my humble Hut of Tropical Goodies!

On 2011-10-20 09:07, danlovestikis wrote:
You pay so much attention to detail to spin your magic that I love your closeups where I can marvel at the work. I can take a whole trip just looking at one painting. You are so talented.
Have a great day and don't forget to paint! Wendy

Wendy Darling! I got some more close-ups for yooooooou! :)
Haven't painted since MOasis....been drawing a bit and warming up...vroooom!

Well....here's another woodburn/tinted wood piece..

"Six-Armed Cannibal"
wood-burn and tinting on wood

Here's some close-ups.... i use a Colwood wood-burner and lemme tell you.. i am spoiled!
it's almost like drawing when that tip is red hot!
and then between the graphic lines of the burn and the washes of tinting
a nice depth and graphic mix for the shading develops....

but i blabber....
here's the deets!

flappin tongue!

resting a skull on his belly!

"them's my feets,Jack!"

detail of the skull corner flourishes

Well;better go to bed soon!
have to work tomorrow!
G'night Ohana!
:)

Aloha Little Lost Tiki,

I just want to add my kudos for your magnificent paintings! Love them and the camo netting! :) Very entertaining and insightful!

Mahalo,
Linda

Kinny, I think your ChemTrail friend is full-tilt Bozo! Anyone who professes a deep love for paving machines...

But I love the cannibal Shiva, nice woodburning man!

Quote:

On 2011-10-19 11:34, Chuck Tatum is Tiki wrote:
I like how you combine your Art with your first Gulf War flashbacks, Kinny!

Shows how much YOU know,CTIT! My tour of duty lasted from 1982 to 1986....
good try tho...

So you spent a week in Grenada?
(Urgent Fury (1983) — US invasion of Grenada) this is what gives you the cold sweats at night?
fuels your "Dark Passenger" that creates the images for your Art?

NEWP!
Didn't see ANY action during my 4 year tour...
i think i was born with this Artistic malady....

Aloha,my finely tanned Islanders!
Finally Recovered from Mojave Oasis
AND TWO ART JAMS this week!
One of em was with BigToe and DoRr,the Duke L'Orange!
(Toe and i are tryin to get him to share some MORE of his Tiki-wackiness with y'alls on here,so be patient)

Here's his meager offerings so far...
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=37340&forum=21&start=0&26

His work ethic,offbeat angle,and sheer talented output
will blow your straw hat off!!!

Well....got a LOT on the wooden platter to do these days
secret project with Holden
secret project over Christmas/new Year's Break
a commission from the stepkid
a 4-panel commission i need to get back on
a group show dealing with the Krampus theme

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=211688935557563

a couple of side projects
updating the website and learning
the inner-machinations
of how to upload and update it...
it's like Witchcraft to me!
AND some vending at the Tiki Wonderland this year!!!
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=41446&forum=17&start=0&25

Anyways...
After finally feeling well-rested enough
this old boy needs what i refer to as a "warm-up"
A warm-up is a couple of things...
1)it's an avoidance of all the pressing projects and time to relax,play,and blow off steam and get back into the saddle
after not being able to cut loose with the brush!
2)it's a warm up,a plunging back into
the whirlpool of art that awaits....
different styles and themes which will be a Toiling Vortex
if one's emotional and physical state
is taxed and they can't be managed...
3) a last hoorah before the serious stuff

So needless to say,this next offering
is what i call a WARM-UP PIECE
and it will actually have some stages and step-by-steps

But first,let's chat!

On 2011-10-24 10:07, umeone wrote:
Aloha Little Lost Tiki,
I just want to add my kudos for your magnificent paintings! Love them and the camo netting! :) Very entertaining and insightful!
Mahalo,
Linda

Mahalo Linda!
I'm so glad that NOT ONLY the paintings make you smile
but that a $79.99 camouflage netting
can elicit just as much Joy and excitement! :)
Makes me have some hope in us humans!
Please visit often,i will try not to disappoint!
:)

On 2011-10-24 13:31, MadDogMike wrote:
Kinny, I think your ChemTrail friend is full-tilt Bozo! Anyone who professes a deep love for paving machines...
But I love the cannibal Shiva, nice woodburning man!

Hey Mike!
Thought you'd get a kick out of that... the Truth is OUT THERE!
OCCUPY TIKI CENTRAL! :lol:
That Shiva concept was a'borne when i spent an evening developing and fleshing out some characters for that kid's Book
i'll never finish! I just figured with evolution,that a large-mouthed bipedal creature with a ravenous appetite would need
more arms than most.... :)You'll have to come by for a woodburn jam sometime!

and of course,i addressed Mr. Tatum in the previous post..
:)

Now it's time to show y'alls some vittles!

"Straw for the Pufferfish"
acrylic and cel-vinyl on wood
with a thick substantial Bamboo Ben frame

First i started with a vertical composition
Seeing all the beautiful overhead lamps at the Mermaid Lounge at Mojave Oasis again sparked my love of colored lights!

but it was kinda wonky
and i couldn't fit in as many "characters as i wanted
without having to throw the table plane upward
which would be a challenge of
forced perspective
nailing the placement and angle just right
WITHOUT jumbling up the lamps
too many things to nail just right...
and after a lil bit of half-hearted struggling,
i figgered another vertical genre scene like this
needed some more consideration at a later date....

I did try to take my dream bowl of Mai-Kai cannibals and added a volcano in this sketch
which turned out not as impactful as the original sketchbook idea..

Has anyone else created a Bowl with the mai Kai cannibals?
I would love to see them!
Then i went thru some of my sketchbook mug studies from last year and chose some characters...

and it all melded into place
like that jello with the carrot pieces in it!

Here's the initial color washes
i merely penciled it in and applied dark turquoise washes to the raw wood before filling in actual colors
Raw wood is tricky-it soaks up the pigment very fast
until you can block that with a thin layer of paint
so it's kinda like a watercolor and ya gotta work fast!

Here's a close-up of three of the fellars..

as you can see
the pufferfish is finally getting his well-deserved straw and drink,making Dopey Gope grin a lil....
the Omni Hut inspired mug on the right
is just crackin me up!
added some ears to Mopey the Moai mug
i dig his stripped down features..

Here's a close-up to show you some of the wood texture as well as some initial shadowing and lighting and very initial texturing on the rocks...

Here's a close-up of the O-Wrong-O Bowl
i shrunk the heads on the birdmen to cut the edge on the cuteness factor,so it wouldn't overwhelm....
Almost like the Orongo Bowl and Mopey aren't too happy
about the fact that puffy's sippins
will lessen the total amount
of tropical drinks to share
amongst the whole....
hmmmm.... :lol:

Anyways... Here's the cute O-Wrong-O Bowl that i prefer more
if i ever decided to make one....
i think it was nailed perfectly in
"the Cannibal King's Dinner" here...

and here's some of the initial shading
and wood-graining on the table tops...

After a few more late night hours into it
i added some of the raw umber outlines
to establish where the objects are at
and to begin to find invisible arcs and lines
to assemble the pieces
so to speak...

Here's the left side
and a little more of the sun shield and spears on the stone wall

a close-up of the O-Wrong-O bowl gettin tightened up!

the Sun Shield and a bit more bit of blue wash to the rocks
to make the left side darker
and let the light come from the lamps

the Omni Hut chap and Dopey Gope sharing a laugh
while awaiting the completion of the table....

and puffyfish all content and sipping away
patiently dreaming of the day when he will be finished,solid,and well-painted!
:)

That's all i have for now
been nice chattin with y'alls on this Saturday afternoon!
Mahalo and Aloha!

oh that goofy Puffy fish! Always drinking and dreaming!
BEE-u-teefull piece!

Ken, I love that the Puffer finally got some liquid nourishment! He is usually just hangin'! Great work, mon ami!

Kinny, next time I'm up there I'll bring some mud so you can BREAK FREE from 2D!

BREAK FREE from 2D!
BREAK FREE from 2D!
BREAK FREE from 2D!

Beautiful as always LLT. Puffy finally got a drink! Hilarious. :)

On 2011-10-29 12:47, Tiki Shark Art wrote:
oh that goofy Puffy fish! Always drinking and dreaming!
BEE-u-teefull piece!

MAhalo Brad!
i hope you're finding each painting easier and more joyous! That Betty Boop?nod to Fleischer piece is STRIKING so far!
i want those Tikis in my home! :)

On 2011-10-29 15:22, davidleslie wrote:
Ken, I love that the Puffer finally got some liquid nourishment! He is usually just hangin'! Great work, mon ami!

Thanks David!the poor guy!
This whole series he's been straining for just a sip.
Figured it was time to reward him for his patience....

On 2011-10-29 20:11, MadDogMike wrote:
Kinny, next time I'm up there I'll bring some mud so you can BREAK FREE from 2D!
BREAK FREE from 2D!
BREAK FREE from 2D!
BREAK FREE from 2D!

Hey Mike!
Have you ever seen my clay work....One word....WEETAWDED! :lol:
I'm a much better drawerer and paint guy...
of course,I'd love to work with somebody to get these produced....

On 2011-10-30 11:38, tigertail777 wrote:
Beautiful as always LLT. Puffy finally got a drink! Hilarious. :)

Aloha Tigertail! Glad you like it so far...
Finally jammed and got it done and the pufferfish is finally brought into the land of the real and can enjoy his long-awaited drink! :)

Thanks for visitin,all you leave comments and all you who just like to peek in and leave with a smile!
Here is the third session and the final piece with close-ups....

as you can see,that raw umber darkens and adds depth as well as gives it a nice warmth,especially in washes over the darker turquoise...

Here's the right side of the painting,showing more work on the grains of the table,and the netting above and some fleshing out of the leaves and some flowers dribbled in there...
i alternated between washes of raw umber and turquoise on the mugs,separating them from the table's texture and appearance....

Slowly building up the sun shield and the stone wall and the O-Wrong-O Bowl...

Here's a close-up of the turquoise,grey,and raw umber for the rocks and the washy shield and inviting drink.

Here's a shot showing the flat vs dimensional lighting of the glass float balls,and the backlighting of the stone wall
exaggerated for dramatic intensity,of course....

Here's a shot to see the pufferfish so far... and the buildup and radiating depth of the lighting...

Here's a zoom-in of Dopey Gope and the Omni Hut-ish guy...note the blue in the shadows on parts of him....it looks real good in person
and the eye optically blends in in person
in a most delightful way! :)

Mopey still needs a little more texturing and that umbrella needs a lil work....

a little more work on the Bowl,but still not enough....

FAST FORWARD to tonight...
It's DONE!

May i introduce...

"Straw for the Pufferfish"
acrylic and cel-vinyl on wood
with a thick-ass Bamboo Ben frame
private collection

just the painting part...

DETAILS! DETAILS!

Here is our little friend,the anti-hero of this series...
the pufferfish!

as you can see,i've finished the flowers and added more richness to the lighting,even including a white glowing center for giggles! :)

Here's the finished O-Wrong-O Bowl
with an added wood texture and more work on the flowers and drink
and a deepening of the shadows...

Warrior Boy is quite happy at how he turned out...
i just realized...he doesn't even have a straw in him!
What a non-conformist!

Here's Mopey all finished with his umbrella,a little more texture
and some additional lighting on the right...

Dopey Gope turned out better than i had expected...
i really like his expression and the wooden roughness of this mug...

and here's little sun shield
bidding you a warm and sleep-filled evening!
Thanks for visiting!
:)

Website is slowly coming together.. slowly!
in the meantime....I'm on FaceBook Too! look for me!
Categorized and Classified!
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=35616&forum=21&start=0&173

[ Edited by: little lost tiki 2011-11-08 07:23 ]

Absolutely love your Art! Not only makes me smile, happy and a warm a fuzzy feeling too! Someday "when my ship comes in" one of your incredible paintings will hang out on my wall. :lol: Love them!

Kinny you were my 51,500 post on my crafts thread. Thank you for your words which go straight to my heart. I'm sending you love hugs on the spooky day, Wendy

I like your new Masterpiece. I really love your use of colors !! Always, candy to my eyes and it tastes so good that I wanna cry !!!

Aloha!
a quickie posting before work for ya!

On 2011-10-31 07:34, umeone wrote:
Absolutely love your Art! Not only makes me smile, happy and a warm a fuzzy feeling too! Someday "when my ship comes in" one of your incredible paintings will hang out on my wall. :lol: Love them!

Muchos mahalos umeone!
Glad i could make your heart glow and smile....
Really,that's the main thing with art....making the viewer feel
Eagerly awaiting the day one of my babies hangs on the wall of your hut....
you're too kind! :)

On 2011-10-31 10:39, danlovestikis wrote:
Kinny you were my 51,500 post on my crafts thread. Thank you for your words which go straight to my heart. I'm sending you love hugs on the spooky day, Wendy

Boo Baby! You'll soon hit 100,000 on here...Your work is too rich to not have everyone enjoy it!
Halloween Hugs to you,my dear! :)

On 2011-10-31 10:53, The Sperm Whale wrote:
I like your new Masterpiece. I really love your use of colors !!
Always, candy to my eyes and it tastes so good that I wanna cry !!!

Scott!!!! Mahalo Man! Speaking of colors,enjoy your trip to the islands!
take some lovely pictures of paradise because that's my kinda eye-candy!
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
:)

Well...did some hut studies from a bunch of different sources
in anticipation of a Village painting that will come to life at a future date...
i should have been working on other,more pressing art matters
but when the fever hits,you learn to run with it...
because it may not be there tomorrow...
Here they are...for your viewing pleasure!
Enjoy!

That's it!
Now i gotta put that millstone around my neck for 8 hours
and then back to studioland!
have a great one!

Top left corner, it that proof that very tall flaming headed alien beings helped construct Polynesia?

Great group of sketches, I'm sure they will pop up in paintings here soon.

Very cool huts in the rough :wink: what references did you use out of curiosity? Always nifty to see your new works in progress.

Why thankyaverymuch tigertail!
Always fun to share the process with fellow travelers!
Usually when i do research /studies on a VISUAL subject
(as opposed to reading and note-taking style research)
i saunter over to the studio library
and just grab about 10 books that should provide that stimuli
(after poring over and reading most of em,I've come to recognize
mostly what's inside so it makes for fast choosins...
After that i grab sketchbook and pen with my right hand
and flip thru each book very fast,stopping and making a quick sketch
before turning to the next one..
The reason for doing it so fast is to allow instinct and personal likes/tastes
to dominate over the cerebral...
After a few hours of that,i return the books to the library
and move to the next phase....
Here's an invaluable book if you're into architecture,from simple huts to grand temples...
Pepin Press has one of these that covers costumes of all cultures and time periods as well.
they are THICK and worth every cent!

Here's the first shelf of my tropical/Tiki books
the two on the outside were a big help in these studies
as well as the "Art of the Pacific"and"the Voyages of Captain Cook"

For this shelf,i grabbed "the Hawaii Book" "Pacific Encounters" "arts of the Pacific Islands" "Voyage""Perilous Paradise" and "Voyages to Paradise"

and from this bottom shelf..."Tiki Modern" "the Book of Tiki" "Hawaiiana""Hula Dancers and Tiki Gods" "Yesterday in Hawaii" and "Leis,Luaus,and Alohas"

i also gleaned thru old sketchbooks and previous paintings and printed them out for reference.....

the trick is to sketch em fast and reflect upon them later....

Well, after one false start (that i may share sometime,but not today)
i finally hit on the right LUSHNESS i wanted... The first study turned out more like an amusement park...too open...i wanted a village that was brimming with life
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE!!!!

so i quickly looked at the the sketches,grabbed a big ol' sheet of watercolor paper and
a brush pen...
and came up with this...

you have my permission to print this out and make your kids color it!
Keeps em BUSY for Hours! You can Thank me later!

This pic makes me want to do another Coloring Book! :)

Anyways,was in such a flurry,wanting to get this done,so i could get a few hours of sleep before helping bigToe hang the Krampus show,and a 40th b-day party Saturday evening.
So...no step-by-steps...Flurry-mode doesn't allow for that...
but i did shoot plenty of details and stuff.....

Well, here is the study for the painting,all finished..
tho the final piece could change dramatically...
one never knows...

Anyways,here it is....
"Hidden Village"
ink and cel-vinyl(watered-down) on watercolor paper

Managed to cram Seven huts in there

the color is a bit off....my apologies
in person it is POP!!!!in
the red/pinks and a bit more muted in the browns and greens....

Contemplating putting some real birds in the trees
and maybe....just maybe...some globe lamps hanging from the treetops.
if not this piece,maybe the next one.....

Kept the details and textural qualities simple on this one...
it is a study y'know....
the colors a little bit closer to the original on some of these close-ups....

Decided to throw a few skulls around to create an air of mystery...

Here's a closer view of the Tiki carved from the tree
and the hut built INTO the tree next to it...

Decide to have some carved Birds on the main beam of the huts in this one...

Threw this hut down here with an overhead view to denote a dip in the terrain...
the fun part of these pieces is that they don't have to correctly conform
to the laws of distance and plane and proportion too much
just enough to make sense to the viewer
so they can climb around and explore the world within...

Here's my favorite view of two of them perching carved birds..

a closer view of the background structure with torches on the right..
i may move that tree over just a tad to capitalize on the torch light
as this may become a night scene....

Here's a view of the treetops
and the background perching bird

May try to get a start on this piece early this Sunday morn.....
COFFEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Have a Great Day!
Aloha Ohana!

Straw for the pufferfish
Umber for the sun
Paddler in the sky who made the rain come
Cannibals steal your head away
'Cuz while the drinkers drink, Ruzic paints
Oh Lord, how he paints and paints
For that happy day, for that happy day

(Sorry Ken, I had an 70s flashback :D Now we'll get pablus to record it and add it as a bonus track to the Crazed Mugs "Find Forbidden Island" CD)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghoS6iJTrYc

Thanks for sharing LLT, more books for me to look up and try to find. :wink:

After looking at your black and white drawing and the final painting, I am wondering is this your process of how you do all of your paintings, and if so do you somehow trace your black and white drawing for the painting, or is that done by hand as well?

I ask because I recently got an overhead projector at goodwill to try to do tracings of my first sketches to make things faster. The re-sketching onto the final canvas/panel is what is always so time consuming for me because in transferring I tend to mess up proportions from my original and it drives me crazy.

And I have ran out of adjectives for how insanely creative and beautiful your paintings are, but as usual your latest work is wonderful. :)

Hey Mike!

i think it's a toss-up
Cat Stevens or Pablus!
i think Pablus would be cheaper to hire....

Thanks for that lift in my morning,buddy!
:)

tigertail-
Books are my salvation and enemy
Sometimes i'm reading when i should be painting
but ain't curiosity a BIG part of it?
That drive to learn and research and explore is a LARGE part of the art on this end...

As for process...there's many approaches

a colored ground and lightly drawn (in water-soluble pencil) before painting
the usual gesso,pencil drawing,and build-up of washes
gesso drawing acrylic then paintpen
there's a number of approaches depending on the medium
mood
and what i want to convey...

for that study for the hidden Village
i just used a Copic brush pen and freehanded it
(and hoped for the best...-Confidence is a good trait to have during this stage)
and then layed cel-vinyl over the outlines in washes
not my usual approach,but i wanted a nice blackline to photograph
so that was the route i took........

i'll explain this current piece more below....

I have an opaque projector that i use ONLY when transferring a sketch to a bigger size...because most artists are comfortable with about 3 "scales" of drawing
3 sizes that they're comfortable with
that their hands and body language responds to the best....
All the other sizes...go with the opaque...
i usually trace the projected image and trace it out with a water-soluble pencil
that way i can wipe it clean before applying the acrylic and then there's no
underpainting showing thru....tho i do let the underpainting show on some pieces i approach differently...like Bruegel,if you look closely at his pieces...

Most of it,for me,is just experiment,and keep what works...

As for this new one
i took an unlikely approach because of necessity

i started sketching on the wood (lightly sanded)
but the pencil was waaaaaay too light to get a feel for the image as a whole
so i just started freehanding with an indigo paintpen..
Here's what i came up with....

and a close-up

After that was done,i began laying in washes of acrylic and cel-vinyl
i can already see the problems this will cause
as the paint is opaque at times and musses up the clean outline
but i'll cross that bridge when i get to it....
Hopefully ,by applying indigo washes i can alleviate that later
but we'll see.....
i may just paint over the whole dern thing
if it gets too troublesome....

Here it is with the initial red-orange-pink wash
and some turquoise
and some med olive

and a close-up so you can see the corner I've painted myself into...

More trials and tribulations later
but so far the disadvantages of painting it this way
are manageable...
So we'll see...
Fortune favors those who DARE,eh?
:)

WOW! Like this a lot Ken!

Chris
WestADad

Thanks for the walk through your processes it really helps me in how to do my own stuff better and faster. I can't wait to get back to painting, but it will have to wait for a bit. Right now the play I am a stagehand in is taking up a lot of time.

I really like your paint pen approach if I do anything more graphic and less painterly I will have to try that. I am in awe that you free handed that sucker. I also want to try out that cel vinyl sometime, I think the only colors I currently have left are black, white, and yellow. When you paint on the monkeypod wood dishes do you need to sand them down or anything? Is there any food grade paint you think you could use on those? Fantastic work as always. Eagerly watching the progress.

goooooooooooood Mornin!
made a bit more progress last night
into the wee hours
so i thought i'd share a bit
before heading off to work!

WestADad-Thanks for visiting,buddy!
Right now the piece just looks pathetic to me
but i think the reason is because
i can kinda see how it's GOING TO look finished..
and lemme tell you...
YOU are in for a TREAT!
:)

tigertail-Glad these walk-thrushelp to inspire and inform
my fellow Art Brothers and Sisters here on TC
Bring a sketchbook with you during these upcoming stagehand days
Because NOW is the time to let your Artist brain play
and accumulate inspiration....
never let a minute go to waste...
Art is our mission!

the paintpen DOES make a piece that is less painterly and more graphic
plus it's a bit faster because one can always draw faster than they can paint..
But that's not to say that one can't still make a piece look painterly in this style.....you'll see!

when i first approached this i did do a tiny amount of pencil sketching,but only to indicate where the huts would go
and to get a little bit of a sense of the space in the jungle...
so it wasn't totally freehand...just 93% of it....
Cel vinyl is a Blast to work with AND you can mix them with acrylics....and water them down or apply them opaque...
i think you'll enjoy them.....

as for the monkeypods
i used to mix gouache with gesso to get a colored ground and then go with gouache over it
light sanding is okay,but as long as you SEAL the heck out of it
it doesn't matter what you apply on there! as for food grade paint.....dunno......i just seal the livin HECK out of em!
Thanks again for the visit! :)

Well, here it is with most of the basic color fills blocked in

and some close-ups

This stage is mostly to establish the color blocking before i start adding the details....You can see how the paint covers the paintpen outlines a tad... Later ,when i apply the blue shadowing,that won't be as noticeable
but for now
it's going thru a messy phase......
please pardon our mess during construction!
:)

Here's the skull torches and a carved bird on a beam.....

and here's a view of one of the huts in a little valley/dip in the jungle floor...Have y'all noticed that not only are there carved birds in this piece
but real ones as well?
fun! fun!

Oh well!
it's time to get to work....
Talk atcha soon Ohana!
:)
Aloha!

If the devil is in the details, then your work is THICK with old Lucifer Kinny!

Beautiful Ken! Love the layering of those tree leaves!

You deserve the 363,737 posts because the art should be looked at and enjoyed over and over again. You pull so much fun stuff out of your brain and put it perfectly onto paper. Wow this is full of fun and creativity. Hugs, Wendy

awesome work i love it

Aloha Kanes and Wahines!
Got a final shot of the Hidden Village with some details
but no progress shots-i was in a ZONE and plum dern forgot!

but first....

On 2011-11-10 08:52, MadDogMike wrote:
If the devil is in the details, then your work is THICK with old Lucifer Kinny!

Thanks Mike!
i would hope that details are also where the beauty of creation lies
the variety in each plant and construction...i think the detail part of the work
is to
1)give the viewer plenty of places to explore each visit
2) life...real life has so much detail,
a story in every brush of the wind and smell of leaves...
by putting so much into the world on the canvas
it becomes a world...ain't no devil in dat! :)

On 2011-11-10 16:11, zerostreet wrote:
Beautiful Ken! Love the layering of those tree leaves!

That's zerostreet!
i hope the final piece will delight you even further
with it's many layers...

On 2011-11-11 08:13, danlovestikis wrote:
You deserve the 363,737 posts because the art should be looked at and enjoyed over and over again. You pull so much fun stuff out of your brain and put it perfectly onto paper. Wow this is full of fun and creativity. Hugs, Wendy

a big Mahalo and HUG to you Wendy!
You deserve just as many posts,as your creativity and natural inclination towards teaching and experimentation and play are Heroic to say the least....Lovin YOU! :)
Scroll down... i got a surprise for you... a finished PAINTING! :)

On 2011-11-11 13:35, tiki beat by marcus thorn wrote:
awesome work i love it

Thank you Marcus...it's really appreciated from a carver of your caliber.
Scroll down! i got's goodies for all my Ohana! :)

Here it is ,in all it's garish glory!
a real eye popper!

"the hidden Village"
acrylic,cel-vinyl and paintpen on wood
with a legendary frame by Bamboo Ben!

i think it's around 2x3 feet...
kind of big,but with plenty of huts to visit
and sights to see!

Here's just the painting,by isself...

a lot of it was nailing the undershadows and lighting
with acrylic
before applying layersof different color paintpens to
the grassy surface
the straw of the huts
highlights on leaves and such...

Let's look at some details and i'll explain further....

if you look on the rooftops of the huts
you'll see that
after applying the yellow
i went in there with some of the vibrant pinky orange acrylic
for the shadowing...
then ,after that was dry,i went back over the huts with the yellow and
not only made some straw for the roof
but broke up the dark indigo shadow...a TWOFER!
:)

Enough of the technicalities
let's discuss the narrative..the story of this piece

Well...i think this piece is mostly about MYSTERY
it's a Hidden Village and ,by the looks of it
no human occupants
just a huge tiki carved into the monolithic tree
and skulls lying about...
and birds!
Not only the carved wooden birds perched on the crossbeams of various huts
but REAL birds,scattered silently around the landscape...
hmmmmmm....

Here's my favorite part of the piece...
If you will indulge me,i'll tell you why....

the moon's reflection in the pool
the rocks and plants around it
How the three huts are positioned
so the inhabitants can have easy morning access to a quick dip!
the wooden bird
despite being a sculpture
seems to be looking down at the reflection
almost as if the moon;s light is animating him!
i also LOVE the fact that the grass leads all the way up to the rocks and pool
that way i don't have to wear flip-flops when visitin!

Here's a better view of the giant carved tiki tree...
i had used layers of acrylic and then went over that with some yellow paint pen
to catch some of the various light sources
wandering about the village...
thicker outlines of the indigo were used to emphasize the shadows
to give it that "Indian miniature " depth of field that delights me so....
you can see this especially
high up in the trees
where the moon and night sky meet...
Look! there's some Boids in the trees!

Here's a shot to show you another bird
hiding out in the treetops!
also,note the 3/4 view shield on the tree
i love how it's in front of AND behind that hut!

People have asked me (mostly artists)
about the depth of field and different planes in these pieces
is it intentional?
where does it come from?
HOW is it still navigatable?
is that a word?
Anyways...these are glimpses into the perspective i often experience in dreams
that rolling sinuos landscape
unfolding new wonders at every undulation of the topography
Go figger..
and the Huge trees also relate back to early dream imagery
except they were pillars chained to clouds
supporting them....
this easily transitioned into the trees (and the puffy treetops to boot!)

Here's an example
"When the Saints go Marching In"

Back to our normal programming....

Here's another amusing observation....
the carved bird on top
appears to be checking out the bird on the bottom
but how is that so when the bird positioned higher in the picture
is actually BEHIND the lower bird in the foreground?
Ah! the joy of the crazy landscape!

here's aupper treetop peek at a skull shelf,and two birds checking out each other
as well as a carved fellow in their midsts....

a nice lil porch...
and a humongous tree root growing right next to it!

Here's a fun play on perspective and depth...
especially with the hut on the right
that appears to be in a deep valley
and the hut in the foreground
with the hill sloping downward to it's right
and LOOK! a bird!

Here's a nice closeup of the hut in the right foreground....
it's got a tree growin out the middle of it!

and here's a final shot
a closeup of the night sky
for it is late
and i have work tomorrow...
Sleep tight dear Ohana!
and thanks for all the visits and comments!
:)

Aloha little lost tiki,

I want to live in the Hidden Village! What a beautiful whimsical place! :) I love the way you take us there too! Incredible work! :)

D...A...M...N That turned out FREAKING AWESOME! I could almost picture this being a black-light painting because of those bright colors you used. :wink:

The thought you put into this is really interesting and incredible to "see" your reasoning behind the placement and artistic choices. Thanks for sharing. :)

Those impossible constructions make you the M. C. Escher of the jungle.

Das Nutz LLT!! Very cool the detail, coloring, EVERYTHING... Your amazing brada..

Aloha

Hey Kids!!!
Thanks for all the visits and comments
they always bring a smile to my heart
and stoke those creative fires even more!

umeone-Aloha and Mahalo for the happy thoughts!
i always like to draw places that peep into my dreams
places i would love to live...hence all the detail
the more i paint it,the more i'm THERE...and that's a BLAST!
Come visit anytime!

tigertail-have yet to throw a blacklight on this thing...i'll save it for a special evening and report back....i painted a few pieces and embellished them with glow in the dark puff paint...that was a TRIP!!!
All truly good paintings require an intense concentration..a battle of wills with the surface....transforming it from a flat plane into a PLACE...i imagine all artists feel this to some extent...Thanks for the fellow artist chitchat!

Mad Dog!!!M.C. Escher of the Jungle? i think Rousseau nailed that title..I'm just playin around with paint! mahalo for the visit!

BeachBumz-Aw Shucks!
We aims to please over here!
:)

Anyways..Sorry i haven't done any step-by-steps lately...
Actually, it's been a month...YIKES!
Not that i haven't been painting
as you can see here...
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=35616&forum=21&start=240&255

Anyways...still no step-by-step,but i thought i'd share some details of me latest here!

"the Hungry Cannibal"
acrylic and cel-vinyl on wood
with a beautiful bamboo Ben frame!
(got 19 of em a few weeks back and they're INCREDIBLE!)

here's a close-up of one of the skulleyes tied into place...

Here's two more skulls placed into little nooks in his face..

Here's a bone club this fellar's wielding!

Here's two little orongo birds,flanking the brows of the hungry Cannibal Idol

Here's the other guy!

This little tiki is resting in his chin area!
How Crazy is that?!?!?

His other hand with a rib to munch on...

and a final close-up of his eye-nose-mouth area!

That's it for today! Time for Dreamland!
G'night Ohana!
:)

Beautiful! Quite the cannibal series you got going!

19 bamboo frames - that should keep you busy for a week or so :D I think that guy under his chin is a tiki remora.

Awesome !

Awesome Frames!
:)

Kenny, here's to stoking the creative fires. Your art makes me very happy. I smile when I look at each piece. You are just wonderful and its a joy to behold your art. Wendy

Your latest is so cute....yet so disturbing.

Are you Tim Burton? :wink: