Moondance

First off I would like to thank Palama Tiki, Gman, Benzart, Aaron's Akua & Manokoa for all of your support, guidance and inspiration. Also all of the other tremendous artist here on TC.
Here are some photos of my first five attempts of Tiki Carving:
#1 Moai

#2 Tiki Jim inspired "Tiki Moon"

#3 Moai "Necklace"

Here is my second Moai carving, looks strangely like the first even though I didn't use the first as a reference.

#4 Tiki 3.5" tall

He has a George Thoragood mouthful of teeth!

Halfway done I realized "No Split" in his front 2 teeth.

#5 Tiki 5" tall

Here is a photo of #1 to #4

Thank you again from all who have inspired and helped me. I welcome any and all suggestions or criticism!
Wesley

I'M HOOKED!

The world is good-natured to people who are good natured.

• William Thackeray

[ Edited by: Moondance 2005-11-20 21:53 ]

moondance, thes tikis are wonderful. great work thanks for posting I can wait to see more...

You've gotten a quick start, Moondance. All of these "practice" tikis of yours look like the real thing to me. Keep it rollin'.

Great designs& well done!
That big fellow would also make a nice design for a mug.

Very nice designs and clean cuts indeed. Welcome to TC

Mahalo

Lookin real good Moondance especially for the first bunch.
Keep'em coming.

Really Great stuff, Moondance! what type wood is that?

I dig that tiki moon! Nice stuff!!

i love that, welcome in the world of tiki. Be careful u'll dream tikis all night.

Awesome tikis! If these are just "practice", Im hangin to see the "proper" stuff. Really nice stylin you got happenin

Wow, those are all very cool!! Realy nice, clean lines. Welcome aboard.

Thank you all for the very kind words. Palama these guy are carved out of basswood except the TikiMoon is a pine wedge 22".
Wes

Moondance,

Each and every one of those is incredible! I really like the biggest one. He's BBBBBBBad! Are you sure you haven't done this before? You're pulling our legs right? If not, then you my friend have the carving gene! Go get some big tools and lay into a 6' log brother, I bet you will really surprise yourself!!!!!!! - and all of us. Bring on the pics.....another tiki carving junkie is born!!

-Gman

I didn't think that this last one was finished so I added the tiki behind it that needed out. Is this normal, always thinking about carving Tiki's?? Please help me, I can't stop!!
Wesley

This guy only has an hour on him, so far.

I'll post the finished product very soon as I do Not know how to stop!

There is no cure , dont try to fight it . I always seem to look at my carvings and wonder about re-doing them.

Nice work.

I'm almost done with the 2 Faced Tiki, now the sanding begins. Any suggestions with it would be greatly appreciated.

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[ Edited by: Moondance 2005-09-11 16:49 ]

WOW! That is wicked! Sand it up, stain it up, finish it up, and move on to the next one......

-Gman

This one is so damn cool! Keep it up with that crazy style...

On 2005-09-11 16:48, Moondance wrote:
I'm almost done with the 2 Faced Tiki, now the sanding begins. Any suggestions with it would be greatly appreciated.

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[ Edited by: Moondance 2005-09-11 16:49 ]

Thank you very much for the props.
When I'm finished sanding I think I will add a nose ring to the second side.
Wes

NICE! How did I miss this thread. Great idea, very original. Stain that bad boy up, and let's see it. They're all lookin' good.

I guess I have the nerve to post pictures of my first chainsaw/angle grinder Tiki. I did this about a month ago and was unhappy with the outcome. So I went small to practice. Criticism is welcome please!
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I guess I feel comfortable here to show my junk.
GMAN- I guess those logs will have to wait a little, huh.
Wesley

No way Wes. You're ready.

Just think about what you want to see and make it happen. On the tiki above, it looks like you didn't spend much time on the lips/mouth or different layers. Think of your carving as a series of layers. The more layers the better it will look (within reason). Start with the higher points, like the headdress, eyebrows, nose, eye cups, lips etc. Then carve deeper in for other layers such as the teeth, forehead, and maybe the eye details. It's all experimentation and finding what works for you. It sounds like you have a ton of wood now, so have at it. Be safe and spend some time learning what works for you. I can't wait to see how your style evolves.

Gman

I see what you mean about levels. As I look at this and from what I've learned doing the smaller ones. I'm so obsessed with carving when I speak with coworkers I look at their faces and think how would I go about carving it in wood. Do you think I should go back and fix that one or toss it inthe fireplace??
Wes

moondance...I really like the lines and style of your
two faced tiki...and the first one...it's alright for an
early effort...keep it to show how much you've progressed.
sounds like you've got the bug too...when I'm not selling
cars at work i'm sketching my next carving...everyone
thinks I'm nuts...but they like 'em!

My coworkers think I'm insane because of my obsession of tikis. Yet they all have asked for one.

Cool carvings, Moondance.... Spreading that tiki around!

Yes Moondance, keep up the carving and keep the old ones. They are reminders of how much you have learned and how far you have come. Can't wait til the next ones come out.

Don't..... stop! Don't.. stop! Don't, stop!

DON'T STOP! you're doing great!

Thanks Jeff for your inspiration and also that of the other incredible artists here.

We have a new arrival at our home today and boy are we stoked!! We are proud owners of a GMAN original chainsaw Tiki God.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH GREG FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN ONE OF YOUR FINE PIECES OF ARTWORK
Annie & Wes

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The world is good-natured to people who are good natured.

• William Thackeray

[ Edited by: Moondance 2005-09-16 08:09 ]

Thanks Wes. Glad he survived the trip North. He's a tropical tiki, so keep him warm!

-Gman

I guess I'm done with the two faced Tiki. It seems as if I always find something else to do to it. I'm looking for hair to add to the top, then I'm done.
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Here are a few of a recent Moai-

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Much work to do here, after I get home from work.
Wes

Here's the start of the latest project on the table:
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Wes

Latest creation will A Lot of help from Capotiki!!

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I love your carvings, and that's a great looking moai!
Nice job!

Wes I forgot to ask if your big head is going to be a spitter.If so what will he be spitting into?capo

Wes,

Wikkid job on the cement jobbie there. Looks way cool. I bet it will last for a good long time. Are you going to seal it and paint it, or leave it bare? Either way, fantastic job. I think I see a water tube in one of the shots, is he gonna be a fountain? I imagine that stuff is pretty difficult to work with if not mixed for optimum grip/holding. Looks like fun though!

Have you completed the sanding and varnishing of the palm heads? If so, I would love to see how they came out.

Been busy here....working and carving, carving and working!

-Gman

Capo-
What I was thinking was to have him at ground level and surrounding him with river rock but in front of him I will dig a hole big enough for a 5 gallon container to fit in flush with the ground. then install a pump and cage it to protect it and then fill it with the same river rock. So when he is spitting he will be spitting onto the rock and then recirculate back up to him.
It was something I was thinking of while I was coating him.
(We have small dogs so I don't want them to fall in a pool)
How does that sound??

Tikiwahine-
Thank you very much for the compliment. I'm just a beginner here, but with much practice and all of the priceless help I receive here at TC I hope I become as good as some of the artists here.

MR. GMAN-
I love your recent Shark Tooth Tiki. We have a few megladon teeth in our shark tooth collection. At first I thought Ben was a machine, (still do) but you have reached Cyborg Level yourself.
Thanks for the props. They aren't as easy as I first thought. I couldn't of done it without Capotiki for sure. I totally forgot to take photo's of our bestest Tiki's we have. Will have them tomorrow after work. Busy, busy day off today. In fact our female Yorkie had 5 pups today. My Great Dane is thinking they are snacks though.
Wes

I think the container idea is a great ,no leakage concerns.Waiting for photos.capo

Wes, very nice job on the cement Moai! that's fun to work with, isn't it?

keep up the great multi-media work!

Great work Moon!!! Capotiki.....Your a Grandpah!!!

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Here is a mask I been doing in between painting and refinishing our kitchen cabinets. I need to do a little more before I give it a few coats with Spar.

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Comments or criticism always welcome!
Wes

Dude, that mask is WAY COOL! I'm impressed! How big is it? What type of wood? Neato. I cut a few 6" thick planks out of those cedar trees I took down, and would like to do something similar. When I get around to working on them, you'll have to give me some ideas. What tools did you use?

-Gman

GMAN-
He's 28"long X 6" wide and it's redwood. I used are flat chisels, that's all I have at this point. I tried using Varathan spray (satin). I had to do something in between sanding cabinets.
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I've been busy refinishing our kitchen cabinets before we refi.
How's Ernie feeling?

Wesley

[ Edited by: Moondance 2005-10-07 20:48 ]

Here are photo's of the best chainsaw Tiki's in the Northeast!! After some sanding and 3 coats of Spar Varnish (satin)
In fact these baby's will only go outside in the best weather.

THESE ARE MADE BY GMAN, NOT ME. I'm just showing them off.

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THANK YOU AGAIN GMAN, we love them both equally!
Annie & Wesley

[ Edited by: Moondance 2005-10-07 21:04 ]

Some cool tikis in this thread! Great work.....

Sam-
You are so kind. I hope someday I can reach the artistic talent you and the other artist have here on TC.
Wes