Tiki Central / Other Crafts

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

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C Clarita Member BA Arg Joined: Sep 26, 2006 Posts: 1301	C Clarita Posted posted on Sun, Apr 11, 2010 11:55 AM How about 'a nap in the jungle' for a title :) Beautiful painting!
IK Iokona Ki'i Member SoCal Joined: Nov 14, 2008 Posts: 816	IK Iokona Ki'i Posted posted on Mon, Apr 12, 2010 12:42 PM Loving that 30% done piece. It is 100% awesome!
RH Robb Hamel Member Ohio Joined: Mar 07, 2008 Posts: 1013	RH Robb Hamel Posted posted on Sun, May 9, 2010 7:33 AM The new piece mesmerized me! The way interplay of shapes, textures, and colors is fantastic, and the way it seems like parts of it are reversed-out, but aren't, and the way it occasionally goes into rough brushwork makes me want to OWN THIS MUTHA!! I WANTS IT ON MY WALL.
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Mon, May 10, 2010 8:24 AM Ack! Thanks guys... but you DON'T even want to know how that piece ended up... i shoulda left it.... but SUCH is the price of taking that jump i just wish it had happened to another piece.... i may repaint it and won't reveal it to the end so as not to jinx it.... :) Thanks y'alls for the encouragement now where's that noose?
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Sat, May 15, 2010 8:41 PM Aloha Friends! and Aloha Other crafts! It's been awhile... Well, here's a painting in progress that I've been working on here and there every once in awhile.. two sessions about 6 hours in.. Here was the challenge for this one... How would a shrunken head turn out if i painted it in pretty colors? like Easter Colors! pinks and purples and greens... that kinda look.. Would it capture that old Monsters of Filmland feel? Would it make it more appealing to the female viewers? Would it turn off the male viewers? Does any of this even matter to anyone but neurotic kenny? probably not...but such is the path chosen for this one.... May i present to you......in progress.... "the Lonely Head" 16x20 cel vinyl and acrylic on masonite I'm also attempting to mix realism and slight abstraction (for effect) to blur the reality of the piece to let it live in two worlds.. Here's a close-up showing the beginnings of breaking up parts of the painting and allowing for transparency We'll see how that goes and if it succeeds or not... Here's a close up of the layering I've been doing on the face... and here's a detail of the half-rendered forehead and hair (there will be some branch/head transparency here as well... We'll see how it goes.... That's all i got Tiki-wise for this week.. Hope your week is fantastic! :)
D danlovestikis Grand Member (8 years) Joined: Jun 17, 2002 Posts: 9082	D danlovestikis Posted posted on Sat, May 15, 2010 10:26 PM Life is always fun when art is in the picture! I like him. Wendy
T TikiDaye Tiki Socialite Florida, USA Joined: Mar 26, 2010 Posts: 154	T TikiDaye Posted posted on Sat, May 15, 2010 11:47 PM Looking good, my friend! Can't wait to see how you complete the 'two worlds' concept. Are you going to leave the background less defined as it is now? Like the camera lense is focused in on the head? Great stuff, as always... Peace- Jason
M MadDogMike Grand Member (8 years) The Anvil of the Sun Joined: Mar 30, 2008 Posts: 10861	M MadDogMike Posted posted on Sun, May 16, 2010 10:57 AM I'm a sucker for bright colors and shiny objects :D
M Meheadhunter Grand Member (1 year) Wichita KS, Joined: Sep 27, 2007 Posts: 383	M Meheadhunter Posted posted on Mon, May 24, 2010 4:21 PM Very cool....totally love me a shrunken head!!
T TIKIVILLE Member Edmonton Alberta Canada Joined: Sep 22, 2008 Posts: 637	T TIKIVILLE Posted posted on Tue, May 25, 2010 1:34 PM yup, gotta say you have a way with just about anything to put down, and even colorful studies of dark subjects seem to leap off the imagination with ease.... Thanks for all the sharing !
TSA Tiki Shark Art Member Joined: Aug 31, 2006 Posts: 3978	TSA Tiki Shark Art Posted posted on Tue, May 25, 2010 2:34 PM I dig it! Purple and Green - my favorite color combo! Most of the great comic book villians had green and purple costumes: The Green Goblin, Mysterio, the Joker...
KVT Kiki von Tiki Member Irvine, CA Joined: Mar 01, 2008 Posts: 758	KVT Kiki von Tiki Posted posted on Thu, May 27, 2010 1:09 PM Nope! I still don't like shrunken heads. Sorry!
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Sat, May 29, 2010 11:30 PM Aw Kiki! Someday..... Maybe a cute little baby shrunken head... or a puppyshrunken head! Yipes! Wendy-Glad you like him and art is essential to life... Jason-You'll have a chance to see where the landscape wandered to below MDM-i figured you'd be attracted to the "lower and more baser" elements of the piece..Something for everybody! :) Meheadhunter!Right on! Scroll down and see! Hope you like! Tikiville-my pleasure! Sharing is always better than mumblimh to oneself.... Brad! I think your proclivity for intense colors has rubbed off a bit! They're so fun and especially in the case of your pieces they dazzle the eye! MYSTERIO! i like Mysterio's Smoke rendered by both Steve Ditko and John Romita! Well,Thank you all for the kindness and warmth and entusiasm and cheerleading and wonderful insights you bring to this post! Not much step-by-step more like a one-more-step-and-then-like-magic-it's -done kind of thing... Sorry,i twas in thee groove couldn't stop! Here's the last in progress shot before the unveiling... And here it is done.. The foreground started to become overgrown as the poor lonely head spent its humid days and dark nights in the abandoned village I wanted to capture some of the dark lushness of the jungle i even put a few plants inside the hut! "the Lonely Head" acrylic and cel vinyl on masonite Also finished a piece for the "Beyond the Reef" exhibition which y'all will have a chance to see if you're at Oasis this year Anyways... Here's the first step 1)Recieve an incredible wooden crab bowl from Squid 2) Let it sit on a shelf for about a year 3) Call Squid on occasion and apologize for the tardiness 4) Get the call for the "Beyond the Reef: Tiki Magazine Anniversary show 5)DING! the bulb goes off 6) PAint the inside of the bowl blue and stew on it... sketching a few ideas in the sketchbook but being too lazy to get a shot of it.... Note the insane Christmas Card of our very own MadDogMike... What is wrong with him? 7) Finish painting it and decide to woodburn the outer bowl 8) do some Maori-inspired studies and decide on some to go with.... 9) Woodburn away and enjoy the campfire smell until a slight headache develops Smile and ponder the next piece "the Doomed Crew" acrylic and cel vinyl on woodburned crab bowl from Squid Anyways.... I really like the Comic-Tragedy Story and feel of this Piece I could've given it a Happier title/story but that would ruin the dark humorous sad but comical feeling i wanted.. I mean...they're really gonna get munched and that poor orongo advisor that reluctantly decided to accompany them... Doomed! Dooooooomed! Plus the Crab Bowl... kind of like the lil Maori Monkeys will be Crab food on the Ocean Floor.... sad... Maybe a Cautionary Tale to Foolhardy Voyagers... Also finished a Battle of the Fish painting but that'll be on my FaceBook cause it ain'ts Tiki... Well anywhoooo Thanks for Visiting! :) http://www.kenruzic.com http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=19904&forum=18&start=0&2449 http://www.facebook.com/ken.ruzic [ Edited by: little lost tiki 2010-05-29 23:33 ]
B Babalu Tiki Socialite Lemon Grove Joined: Nov 19, 2006 Posts: 2518	B Babalu Posted posted on Mon, May 31, 2010 5:35 PM I really like the found crab bowlie and the Doomed Crew painting on it boss...your getting to be quite the hand with that burner there. YAY LLT!!
T TikiDaye Tiki Socialite Florida, USA Joined: Mar 26, 2010 Posts: 154	T TikiDaye Posted posted on Mon, May 31, 2010 7:00 PM Nice...! love where you ended up with the shrunken head... and the crab bowl is awesome! I've been experimenting a bit with wood burning (the smell CAN get the head aching though)... great maori lines on the wood burning. love how this whole piece ties together. Monica and I are looking into making it out for Tiki Oasis so maybe we will get to see it in person... (fingers-crossed) peace, brother... Jason <
M Meheadhunter Grand Member (1 year) Wichita KS, Joined: Sep 27, 2007 Posts: 383	M Meheadhunter Posted posted on Thu, Jun 3, 2010 5:20 PM OK Tough Guy... First of all....I love The Lonely Head...message me with info on making this mine!!! Second...The Doomed Crew is awesome....has a cool vibe to it!! Third....you make me sick with your fancy talents!! :) Have a great day!!!
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Sun, Jun 6, 2010 12:20 PM Hello friends and Ohana! Got some great step-by-steps a lil lower down a bit... Decided to take a recent village piece and... Expand upon it... But you'll see.... first.... Sai-baba! Woodburning is a blast! But like jason mentioned...the headaches can bug!) I liked the idea of the comic-tragedy and hoped to capture that...Thanks again for the visit. I am forever in awe of the creations coming out of your clayboy mansion! Jason-Yeah... the Lost Head just kind of wandered in and out of different styles.. a dreamlike landscape and a stark more "real" kind of head... Glad you like it! Hopefully you and Monica can make it to Oasis and the "Beyond the Reef" Tiki Magazine show at the Freaky Boutiki! MeHeadhunter-Sorry about your nausea...I would prefer that my humble efforts would elicit more positive results like inspiration and motivation and smiles.. Fancy talents,as you call them are the result of YEARS of doing it of remaining dedicated of making sacrifice of doing research of reading,learning,and listening to artists of the past and peers and friends of the present.. If you want something you gotta put in the time and earn it... The Doomed Crew is pretty funny...You should see it in person! Will PM you in a few days about the Lonely head but right now i wanna post this step-by-step then gets my bootio to the studio y'unnerstand... :) Thanks to all y'alls that come by fer a spell... It's fun and inspiring to hear your thoughts on these i only gots one brain and the more quality brains in the soup the more delicious! Remember this piece? "the Mid-Day Hut" cel vinyl and acrylic on masonite private collection Well, i had a great Bamboo Ben frame/wood construction that was leftover from my "Paint for BooBen's Garage Sale" pile and deserved something special... Well, i decided to create a WHOLE VILLAGE and give it a bit more atmosphere! Ah! The joys of developing a theme/concept! So.... first thing needing to get done is to gesso the wood let it dry and give it a light sanding and another coat (this was to fill in any dings and dents on the wood...) Have a babywipe/wet paper towel/old t-shirt at hand in case any gesso gets on the bamboo After all that prep-work just went for it! sketching the huts out and seeing where it would lead.... Used a water-soluble pencil for the initial sketching that way you can wipe off lines you don't like... It helps to refer to some hut photographs as well as previous successful hut paintings and studies... but sometimes it's also a good thing to let them soak in and then put them away and let your inner-style translate it.. Would've photographed those stages but the lines wouldn't of showed up in the photo and a white gessoed piece of wood with a bamboo frame ain't too exciting... so we skip that step and progress to the next... Light washes of acrylic and cel-vinyl filling in the hut,palms,sky,etc.. the front of the big hut the front of the meeting house a lil basic background hut (to establish this as a village There had to be a community,common and ceremonial dwelling in this one... to represent the social structure,kind of... So concludes DAY ONE a 10-hour jam with an unnecessary painting whilst neglecting a giant David and Goliath and a few other commissions and stuff... Gotta strike when the iron's hot,i guess.... DAY TWO....the 14-hour day! After getting all that filled in it was time to start some of the rough shading to give the structures weight and to start getting a topography around the village put it INTO a world,so to speak... also took some time with the masks and carvings and palms Used the watered-down turquoise to make some shadows in the huts on the ground/to create a sense of thatching being layered and whatnot Also used washes of mustard and browns and ochres to create the depth on the front of this.. and finally....the RAW UMBERRRRRRRRRRRRRR! This is the step where the "blackline" of these pieces is done as well as washes of said same color to achieve/reinforce the shadows... Also, you may notice some mountains in the background... This was starting to have that "Hey ken! You might need to really UUMPH this one.it's got that feel" so, by creating more distance, the world became bigger,more encompassing YAY. Here's some of the front of the meeting house... a close-up just for YOU! the ceremonial house...again playing with the transparency/wonky feel of these pieces almost like dreams are piercing thru into that world like breaking down the physical and spirit worlds who knows? Here's a close-up of the landscape being developed and part of the porch on the meeting house.... GET OFFA MAH HEAD! :lol: Here's a last and parting detail until next time! Gotta go! It's almost 12:30 and i need to get to STUDIO! BAYH NOW! and thank you again for visiting and leaving notes and simply looking.... BUT WAIT! THERE's MORE!!! After a good 10 hours today at the studio Here is some more progress on the thatched roof and vegematation! and some hours later... lines/shadow/repeat.... Adding washes of Raw umber thickens up some shadows Also note some of the progress in the background very subtle don't wanna steal emphasis on the huts,mind you... and another close-up just to show y'all how,despite the initial roughness it's coming together to my surprise! Now... this is IT until next time! Ciaoloha! http://www.kenruzic.com http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=19904&forum=18&start=0&2449 http://www.facebook.com/ken.ruzic I also got a myspace,but who goes there anymore? [ Edited by: little lost tiki 2010-06-07 08:05 ]
M mp Member Nor Cal Joined: Mar 12, 2009 Posts: 459	M mp Posted posted on Sun, Jun 6, 2010 2:08 PM I HEART HUTS! YER KILLING ME. LUV IT
B BigAndyB Member Liverpool, UK Joined: May 10, 2010 Posts: 54	B BigAndyB Posted posted on Sun, Jun 6, 2010 2:37 PM i love your workkK!!! great huts picture :D and couldn't agree more, woodburning is the beeznizz! i try and integrate woodburning into most of my projects :) :) atm i just have a standard soldering iron, but might upgrade to a pyrography pen with some selection of diff tips. anyway yeah, great stuff, i will have to pop back and keep an eye on what your making :D
S Sophista-tiki Tiki Socialite Seattle WA Joined: Sep 13, 2005 Posts: 1899	S Sophista-tiki Posted posted on Sun, Jun 6, 2010 6:42 PM neato
M Meheadhunter Grand Member (1 year) Wichita KS, Joined: Sep 27, 2007 Posts: 383	M Meheadhunter Posted posted on Sun, Jun 6, 2010 7:49 PM Love the worlds you create.. Lookin great!
B BigToe Tiki Socialite Southern California Joined: Nov 07, 2006 Posts: 758	B BigToe Posted posted on Mon, Jun 7, 2010 8:53 AM Looking awesome mr Ruznic! i am totally getting lost in the spacial play of palm forest and huts. It's a depth of field of which Mr Picasso would be proud.
S sleestak Member san diego Joined: Aug 11, 2006 Posts: 526	S sleestak Posted posted on Mon, Jun 7, 2010 9:15 AM awesome! im lurking in there! c me?
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Wed, Jun 9, 2010 8:49 AM empee! Haunted HotRods Bro! Coming up! Stoked i could stoke a fellow artist broseph! :lol: BigAndyB- a good friend sent me a Colwood burner with a temperature dial and a bunch of different tips! If the tip is hot enough,it's like drawing underwater smooth deliberate,with just a little bit more resistance than paper or canvas! Have you started a thread on TC to share your creations with the Ohana? Always a pleasure to see all those creative creations from folks! Thanks for the visit,glad it could make things interesting for a spell! :) Dawn-bandito! :) miss you gurl! Wess! Big 300 posts! Somedays i feel like Willy Wonka, creating worlds for all my friends to play in! Due to copyright and licensing I will have to change the moniker to Willy Wanker! :lol: Toe! Picasso would probably spit on these amateurish attempts but i someday hope to make him smile! In the meantime i have a large Ohana and Art Brotherhood to egg on the painting production! Thanks for the goad,Toe-d! :) Dave! So you're the guy who's been cleaning out the wet bar!:lol: Monday Night progress... Thatching Thatching! look! Is that sleestak in there? Tip of the hut to ya! Close-up to see the thatching and the background vegetation Reduced the landscape down to their bare bones! Last night's progress the finish line is in sight! Been thinking more and more how this village seems to be on the edge of the land of the Spirits....The title may eventually reflect that! Ceremonial Hut and Villager's hut starting to formulate and appear! Walking thru the village... still a lil bit more lighting here and there... PALMS! GET OFFA MAH HEAD! That's it for now! Pretty pleased with this so far! Hope y'alls like it! not bad for less than a week's worth of work! TONIGHT! AFTER WORK! The Finish Line! See y'alls then! Mahalos for visiting!
P pennjones Tiki Centralite Bay Area, CA Joined: May 27, 2010 Posts: 77	P pennjones Posted posted on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 1:52 PM Wow, your work is absolutely stunning!
RH Robb Hamel Member Ohio Joined: Mar 07, 2008 Posts: 1013	RH Robb Hamel Posted posted on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 5:34 AM Ken, "the Mid-Day hut" really tickles my "There's something super-cool going on here, but I can't describe it" spot. More Maestro-pieces from the master. Hell yeah.
M MadDogMike Grand Member (8 years) The Anvil of the Sun Joined: Mar 30, 2008 Posts: 10861	M MadDogMike Posted posted on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 7:52 AM "Note the insane Christmas Card of our very own MadDogMike... What is wrong with him?" You will never fully understand :lol: BUT - I'm working on an idea for next year's card :D Looks great Ken, sooooo much detail. The transparency issues give it a M.C. Escher "impossible construction" vibe, it plays with my little brain.
M Meheadhunter Grand Member (1 year) Wichita KS, Joined: Sep 27, 2007 Posts: 383	M Meheadhunter Posted posted on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 10:14 PM Looking really good... But, the captions you have written... Made me laugh out loud!! :lol: I'm not so sure you really want to be branded as Willy Wanker, but if you insist, I'm sure we can make the name stick!! :) Another great world!! [ Edited by: Meheadhunter 2010-06-11 22:19 ]
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Sun, Jun 13, 2010 11:29 PM Hello Ohana! What an exciting weekend! Seeing dear friends Jason and Dannelle exchanging vows and getin to schmooze at the Laguna beach Art museum with Mr and Mrs BambooBen and assorted art-tards! And i started renovating the studio for maximum efficiency! Final Step by Step of "Village of the Spirits" But first..... pennjones-Thanks sooo much! Welcome to Tiki Central! You'll find a bunch of geniusbrains who carve,chip,bead,sculpt,assemble paint,grind,pound and construct things that'll blow your mind! There's enough creativity on here to fuel a Starship! Welcome again and happy Hunting! :) Robb-Mahalos art-brother! It's always fun to get that "There's something super-cool going on here, but I can't describe it" feel when painting... You know the deal.. it's a kind of magic feeling when it all starts to come together but it don't feel like your brain or hand is doin it... ArtoPilot! :lol: Mad Dog-i dread each Christmas now..... I was getting the WOGGLYS painting all that thatching and overlaps and shadows sometimes you get so down in the detail that ya get lost! "impossible construction" Piranesi had that goin on too! Chegg im out! Wess, yeah, i try not to edit responses too much and write like i talk in an attempt to let the normals peek into a crazyartistbrain for a spell... I think I'd prefer Silly as opposed to Willy for a first name! Scroll down below to view the finished WORLD for this one! And again.... Thank you ALL for visits it is a pleasure to swerve you.... Now may i present.... "Village of the Spirits" That's the title for now but i know i kin do better so it may change... (i got til November to give it a proper nomenclature) acrylic and cel vinyl on wood with Bamboo Ben frame i added more raw umber and did some washes as well as adding highlights and such with a lightened Naples Yellow and other colors to POP certain elements... the Ceremonial Hut the background village hut showing the full texture of the wood underneath... also note the grass and rolling terrain... :) Here on the Community Hut facade the highlighting and shading helped to bring the porch out and flesh out the masks This shows how the thatching pops off the surface a bit... And here's the rolling hills and jungle in the distance i tried to apply soft washes of umber to achieve this Also did the same to the palms... and,of course.. one last GET OFFA MAH HEAD! This one was quite a fun adventure! Until the next jag i bid y'alls a fond Aloha! :)
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 7:48 AM No art step-by-steps for a spell... Been working on my art studio getting it more organized,dialed,and spiffied! Not totally Tiki,but there;s some Tikis here and there.... Won't hog space here But if you're interested.... you can visit it at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=1135244&id=1451540979&fbid=1453550746043 I'll start something amazing Tiki step-by-step piece soon keep yer britches on! :)
Z zerostreet Tiki Socialite http://www.zerostreet.com Joined: Feb 06, 2010 Posts: 2411	Z zerostreet Posted posted on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 8:23 AM Wow! Amazing studio space! Gonna kick mine in the shins when I get home! I sent you a FB friend request! Would love to see step by steps. I have some as well on my FB in addition to TC. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1135244&id=1451540979&fbid=1453550746043#!/pages/Zerostreet-Illustration/173648555732
IK Iokona Ki'i Member SoCal Joined: Nov 14, 2008 Posts: 816	IK Iokona Ki'i Posted posted on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 4:50 PM Village of the spirits rocks! Love the textures in that piece special K!
C Clarita Member BA Arg Joined: Sep 26, 2006 Posts: 1301	C Clarita Posted posted on Sat, Jul 10, 2010 2:45 PM Talking about magical people, here you are, to me, an endless fount of happiness, thanks, thanks, thanks for the bottom of my heart :)
B beadtiki Tiki Socialite Bothell, Washington Joined: Aug 24, 2007 Posts: 930	B beadtiki Posted posted on Sat, Jul 10, 2010 3:53 PM Fun and fantastic as usual, but I was wondering if you make your own frames as well or do you have them made? Just curious.
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 1:09 AM yawn! rip van llt here arisen from a grave-like sleep and ready to cater to your demands... if you need a drink or a snack or need to go doodles please do so now 'cause you will be SPELLBOUND by the Magical mysteries that await you! !!! but first... zerostreet-Ah! yes, the step-by-steps are the best it's a great way to help the terribly shy or deformed or deranged or bed-ridden artist Ohana and i fully support any endeavor to inspire and inform our brethren. 'cause thas what it's all about Mutual Inspiration Pact! Keep on exploring and creating and sharing myself and the ohana appreciate it! Jason-special K... do you sit around musing on these nicknames? cause you sure have a lot of them... i would rather you took that mental energy and channeled it straight into a few more luscious velvets of yours! i see you like the texture.... i imagine you do too seeing as i want to caress them when i see them! :) Clarita-te amo art sister! you are so sweet and full of inspiration and energy all wrapped into a beautiful creative creature that you are! Thank YOU for returning all those happys with art and heartfelt postings like yours... :) hey beady! Happy birthday agin! That frame,and many others are pure bona-fide authentic... get this... BAMBOO BEN frames! if it's a good one! (i DO sometimes use inferior shoddy ones maybe shoddy is too harsh sub-par might be a better word) but this one was the gem out of the last batch from him so i had to do something that i would consider worthy of his handiwork 2)transcended mere Tiki Art into a fine art realm 3)captured that pure raw primitive nature of not only the jungle but of the man who built the frame... a manly man named Ben! but i digress.... Thanks for the visit but i got a lot to type..... The following step-by-step is a record of HOW THE COVER OF A CD RECORD ALBUM THINGY IS MADE! I speak of this more conceptually because this one was all about the narrative and i loves me some narratives! Don't you? Well, here's the album http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=37084&forum=11&start=0&15 or here! http://www.tikijoesocean.com Tiki Joe's Ocean "Under the Midnight Sun" So, if you want the story behind the album...go there you're obviously more aural than visual and that would clear up some space for the more visual folks...Thank you... You're always welcome back later... Oh! and buy something when you're there! Anyways.... Andy wrote me a few chapters of things to ponder as well as sent an example of a painting he liked (that was the style i was to emulate for this piece...) "Night and the Village" so i pondered all that (i have a special thinkin log that i sit on and think about things and stuff...) and made up some things on my own and gelled em together with him via telephone/talking wires thru delightful conversation calm and courteous duologue and joyful banter.... sigh! Andy sent me a few skeletal tunes still in the works to get a vibe... After that it was hit the sketchemebooks and do some SKETCHES real quick-like to get an impression of atmosphere What would a Midnight Sun be doing? How would it affect the surrounding environment? Would everyone be asleep or would someone be able to share in this miracle? Will i be able to fit the 25 things he wants in here and still when shrunk down not have it look muddy or too dark or too busy.... Kenny, you got yourself into another PICKLE! Check out the Pufferfish Moon! How KOOKY is that!?!?!? Sometimes i just slap colors down and damn the consequences! as shown below with this crazy sun! Distance! How to achieve distance in a style that is mercilessly flat? PICKLE! PICKLE! PICKLE! We need a temple/meeting house an A-frame some Tikis a river with a bridge Pineapple fields it's gotta be lush and also a village and some catamarans and a curly swirly sun and stars maybe a volcano if i can fit one in (but not with smoke like the example painting) and... PICKLE!PICKLE!PICKLE! oh yeah... where to fit the band and title? P-P-PICKLE! before i forget make it readable ken! without a microscope,i ask? but seriously folks.. and here's some sketches for a floating rowerboy that got axed he woulda cluttered the sky.... if you must pry... doodles! Well, after pitching the story of the single little Moai while everyone was asleep who happens to awake and row out to get closer to this celestial performance it was agreed we were both on the same page and ready to proceed to the.... final Sketchy phase! this is where i use fancy inks and watercolors and actually draw it in proportion to the measurements given... all professional-like and such.... plus as an added bonus you can sell em later! :) First sketch... good start but where's the type gonna go? sheesh.... ha-rumph! also it doesn't have those solid almost pareau-ish Chinese papercut lookin shapes that was a Hallmark of the piece that Andy liked ... So, in a way that sketch had the right elements but it was deceiving those shapes needed to be represented to get a true example and confirm my suspicions that it would be too dark and heavy for such a widdle CD cover.... suspicions confirmed... p-i-c-k-l-e think Ruzic Think! What are you gonna do!?!? He ain't gonna budge and then in my lowest moment as i wept in the streets gnashed my teeth and babbled incessantly DING! (insert timer sound here) why not make that color lighter? You see here... all that indigo looks good on a 3x3 footer but 4.75 by 4.75? Come ON! So lighter it is.... Andy likes having the original art of each of his albums so i wanted to give him something that him and Debbie and Joey and Sam Sam would have in their home to enjoy and wonder at... being to their home and thinking of that style.... gave me another... DING! Why not do it on Wood? this piece came to mind... "the Lost Hut" i had done some acrylic washes over the wood and got some nice tinting as well as allowing the beautiful texture of the wood to show thru.... Hmmmmmm? (insert Yoda or Jar-jar voice here....) Ladies and gentlemens we have a winnah! intermission Okay! Now it's time for the step-by-step! off camera i scanned the final art and gridded it out so i could keep the elements in the right general areas i also scootched the sun down and lifted the hut and A-frame up a bit to allow for type... 2x2 foot wood $40 already cutting into my profits... at least Toe was nice enough to spare me the Aggrocrowdophobia of dealing with regular folks at the Art Supply Warehouse 'cause he's cool like dat! Buy BigToe art! NOW! or you'll get a.... PICK-UL! Sketched it gingerly in pencil onto the wood... i used a grid usually don't but this is professional-like! not flight of fancy seat-of-your-pants kinny Art mind you.... close-ups color in the base "ground" the grass under those shapey things.. by doing washes I not only lost 6 precious hours of life in the HEAD-ZONE but also succeeded in giving it a magical depth! See? Instead of the harsh indigo (as shown in those above examples...if you've been PAYING ATTENTION) i decided to use a kinda Hunter green/Dark Olive which is a few shades lighter than the indigo only a few shades,Ken? ain't it still gonna be too dark and heavy and busy? Huh PickleBoy? Huh? i just smile knowing it was just a disembodied voice 2)or one o them figments 3)or that "divine discontent" that Miro speaks of i already done thought up a solution... but you'll have to wait.... More of them pareaublahblahblah shapey things Note how distance is cleverly represented by scale SCALE! by making things smaller they look farther away! it's a parlour trick we artists use when painted into a corner plus it makes sense i mean look around you.... the clever tangled shapes seem almost to taunt me as well... PickleBoy!?!? Well, I'll show THEM! now onto the PALMS... initial coloring.. Okay... back to the heavy dark shape dilemna as you see i have added a lighter olive to the shapes giving them more form and lightening them a bit more... until later.... started on the A-frame gettin the shadows going (note: the original intention was to do the huts and tikis and everything in that curly swirly style which would require abstracting that object into suitable chunks....NAH! i just made a decision and went with it! Andeebedarned! i was doing it for the greater good and i felt good enough an arteesto to make a judgment call and pray he likes it...well he did! YAY!) Oh! I'm so rude! Here's a picture of the cel-vinyl i use the acrylic is hi-quality Winsor-Newton(not pictured) there's the gridded printout and sketches i refer to.... color overload! about 12 hours of coloring and shading later.... fleshing out stuff establishing lighting and texture.... doing washes over the grain to give it a semi transparent look in places especially nearer to shore.. after getting the thatching done i began to concentrate on the pufferfish and the light he'd be projecting.. a view from on top of the temple/meeting hut smaller=farther away! the notorious pillar boys start to take shape.... as you can see the curly shapes have been further subdued by festooning it with grass and flowers! festoon! betcha ain't heared that in a while! the miraculous midnight Sun.. i kept the center raw to capture the furious roiling of a sun...even a midnight Sun! if you've noticed i had added a purple color to the cloud outlines as well as filled in the sky with a painstaking technique of wet washes now remember, this is raw wood that SOAKS up liquid... or bleeds out so it was a challenge to get the right amount on the brush PICkLE! but worth the effort... added an orangey brown to make it warmer also started hi-lighting things with colors tonally lighter cause it just makes sense... the village started coming to life... pufferboy is gettin brighter... here's a view of that pineapple field Andy relinquished the river and bridge but would not budge on the pineapple fields they were a lil bit challenging because i wanted to simplify them but still have them make sense in this strange world.... also not e the catamarans! Approaching the finish line! more layering in washes adding hi-lights and such... like the clouds... it helps pop them off the sky and become fluffier! that's right i said it.. fluffier! got the expression the reflection the boat texture pretty nailed plus he's gonna be about .05 inches tall or so so optical blending will be key.. you can't imagine the time spent staring at this from a distance of about 7 feet chain smoking and squinting at this thing all in order to ensure proper optical blending... you can't imagine... :) washes of yellow washes of white finally it's looking brighter! the shore the pineapples the moon and burping volcano all coming together... gave the Midnight sun some shadowing and hi-lights to make it wiggle amongst the stars more.... the notorious pillar brothers are almost....ALIVE! This last step is top secret where i light incense say a silent prayer punch a kid smoke a cig and work with a fine-toothed comb scanning the horizon for defects... and then... another 9 hours later (about 47 total) it's DONE! and ready for sending to Andy to have his personal designer prettify it for public consumption! Pretty as a... you guessed it! a PICKLE! "Under the Midnight Sun" acrylic and cel-vinyl on wood private collection a worthy challenge from a true friend and we are both pleased with the end result we hope you are too!SIMPLY SMASHING! in fact.... You should BE at Andy's CD Release Party here at the Tonga Hut August 13th to help us celebrate TikiJoe'sPop's THIRD ALBUM! http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=37299&forum=17&0 It's a little past my birthday but you can bring me presents i really won't mind you being late about it and all.... it's cool.... or purchase a 12x12 print of this lovely piece of art they're signed and numbered by me limited edition of 25 only 25 will be on this PLANET! it should be on the endangered list,this print should be! and i bet Andy would sign it too and they'll only be $20 Thanks so much for wading thru all the babble and learning the process that goes on in the batcave... 1:00 time for a bath and bed.... Goodnight Ohana! and mahalos for visiting it's always a pleasure to hang out!
R ravenne Member Joined: Jul 07, 2005 Posts: 1015	R ravenne Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 2:14 AM HOLY PICKLES BATMAN!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Thank you for making the insomnia worth it, lmao very entertaining! :D YER TOPS!
JT jab tiki Member San Diego, CA Joined: Jun 23, 2008 Posts: 123	JT jab tiki Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 3:36 AM Hey Kenny, As always, Loving your stuff!! -Johnny B.
A amybean Member Alameda, CA Joined: Nov 22, 2009 Posts: 434	A amybean Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 7:48 AM Those pillar bros are tops!
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 7:59 AM notorious pillar brothers,mind you! NOTORIOUS! Thank you all for visiting and takin a peek! pickles! :) [ Edited by: little lost tiki 2010-07-27 08:03 ]
TJP Tiki Joe's Pop Member Seattle Joined: Jun 01, 2006 Posts: 523	TJP Tiki Joe's Pop Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 10:12 AM I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention, could you repeat all that? :lol: Lovely story, Kenny & a gorgeous piece. But that commissioner sounds like a demanding character! You won outright!!!
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 10:31 AM Thank you children! and Andy ol' buddy The commissioner wasn't half as bad as the inner-commissioner those art filter police upstairs in me head! What a Smashing Success!
B beadtiki Tiki Socialite Bothell, Washington Joined: Aug 24, 2007 Posts: 930	B beadtiki Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 10:45 AM Winner! Winner! Of course when ISN'T your work a winner?! I love the little pineapple field - too cute! OH! And if you don't sell out the prints at the TikiJoe'sPop release party I would LOVE one. [ Edited by: beadtiki 2010-07-27 11:41 ]
M MadDogMike Grand Member (8 years) The Anvil of the Sun Joined: Mar 30, 2008 Posts: 10861	M MadDogMike Posted posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 9:33 PM HOLY COW!!!! That looks very interesting but way to much for me to digest in one sitting. I love the rare chances like this when we get a glimse into your evil genius mind. The result is as FANTASTIC as the process is mind-boggling!
IK Iokona Ki'i Member SoCal Joined: Nov 14, 2008 Posts: 816	IK Iokona Ki'i Posted posted on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 12:28 AM Smashing success! Could not ask for a better CD cover. Congrats to you both!
S Sophista-tiki Tiki Socialite Seattle WA Joined: Sep 13, 2005 Posts: 1899	S Sophista-tiki Posted posted on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 7:58 AM On 2010-07-27 10:12, Tiki Joe's Pop wrote: I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention, could you repeat all that? : hahahaha I too wasnt paying attention but facebook prompted me with the "anal" comment ooOOOooo really great. but whats new. and my ne favorite word , cause i too suffer from agrocrowdophobia
M MadDogMike Grand Member (8 years) The Anvil of the Sun Joined: Mar 30, 2008 Posts: 10861	M MadDogMike Posted posted on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 8:24 AM OK, first of all I would have never been able to get an Alaska image out of my mind "There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold" I don't have any art training so I was intrigued by the diagonals in your grid, is that better? Great job of giving a night-time feel while the sun is shining brightly. BRAVO! PS Can you tell Ravenne to PLEASE make those cats stop licking each other!!!! :o EDIT - looks like you Pickled the Beast! I couldn't find that clip on YouTube so here is my favorite clip from that movie instead - Wendy Peffercorn [ Edited by: MadDogMike 2010-07-28 08:51 ]
RH Robb Hamel Member Ohio Joined: Mar 07, 2008 Posts: 1013	RH Robb Hamel Posted posted on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 4:38 PM FRIG! What a wonderful essperience watching your sketches/ideas develope! Really, that was super-cool to see happen, Ken. I've never seen your concept sketches like this before (naturally they have the same messy-maestro genius as the rest of your output). SHAZAM!
LLT little lost tiki Tiki Socialite Orange,CA-right near the Circle! Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 7763	LLT little lost tiki Posted posted on Tue, Aug 3, 2010 9:04 PM got a short step-by-step of a new piece "the Sunshower" but first.... regan-thank you! The pineapple fields turned out nicely and I'm glad you think so too!We'll have to have a picnic there sometime! I will begin offering prints up next week at the TJO CD release party exclusively They will be 12x12 on a nice hearty matte stock and they will be signed and numbered in a limited edition of 25 and i think i'm gonna be offering them for $20 apiece... After the CD Release i will begin to offer them to the "general public" (ie: here and Facebook) Remember kids.... I don't offer up prints too often but if this small run does well then i will contact Mr. Wickedly about doing another small run of somethin... I would like these to not only provide you all with years of enjoyment but also would like you all to have the chance to get "in" on a small run of prints and the potential value it may accrue... You guys don't know how many artist friends of mine have told me to do more than 25 prints (50 they say!) to charge more for them.... Fergit that! You have all been so wonderful and supportive and inspirational I couldn't see fleecing y'all like that! maybe those other guys want your money for the least amount of product but not me,LLT! I respect and love you all too much! :) Mike-Thank you for reading and plodding thru my creative journey under the Midnight Sun! Jason-YAY! i think it's about time you tackled a CD cover for someone,eh? Dawn!AGGROCROWDOPHOBIA FOREVER! you need to bust out some step-by-steps,my girl! Robb-yeah,those concept sketches are fast and furious more about ideas and feelings than actual content... Sometimes they shoot thru my head so fast it's hard to jot them down! Not even Kraken Rum can slow it down (and i can attest to that,just finishing a drunken birthday weekend!) Glad to see you're up to tackling another painting.... That Moai of yours has a real grand feeling to it so far!.SHAZAYAM! alrightio! Last weekend when we was all artjammin Carolyn,Stacy,and Hinano "huggybear" Paul popped by the studio with monkeypods,space needle ashtrays,and a Bamboo Ben piece they wanted me to embellish.... it looked like this! not wanting to obliterate ben's work completely i grabbed some gesso and painted in Flowers,palms.and a Sun! i kinda winged it,but when you wing these kind of pieces they usually don't disappoint! After the gesso was dry, i addded some blue shadows to begin developing some depth. From there ,i began to lay in washes of other colors to their prospective objects (ie: red for the Hibiscus,etc.) Close-ups! after all of that,i added some olive motifs to Ben's background and after all those washes...began some black for the outlines.... And here it is..... Finished! "Sunshower" acrylic and cel vinyl on wooden Bamboo Ben framed creation Thanks for the visit!