Keeping velvet tiki art alive...? TWO PIECES ARE WRAPPED! YEAH!

hewey - mucho thanks. I've gotta be in the mood to do the detail.

MadDog - you're living up to your rep as a mad dog! And the funniest guy on TC.

K-Dog - hell yeah.

Robb you just blow me away. The pastels are amazing and I am in love with that velvet with the red glow.

Suzanne

my god, Robb!
your work is just OUTstanding
LOVE that powerful blue- captures the storm SO well!
it really reminds me of Daredevil's vision off the real life movie-Daredevil
cheesey reference but i couldnt think to explain it any other way :lol: :P

incredible stuff,Robb

Hey Robb, this one is AWESOME!!! Another great job!!

The details are so good and the idea and theme of this one really hits you! I love the chief up front as well!! Great! And the rain blowing in the wind over the rocks. You almost feel their angst and desperation.
The color is frickin nice as well.
Cool man cool!!

Love seeing your progress!
Keep em coming.
TabooDan

(Edited because I can't spelll)

[ Edited by: TabooDan 2009-02-13 19:15 ]

Whoa

Robb!

Big props on that tiki! The stormy sea pic. is really classical AND tiki, dig!

Robb approached the plate...
He takes his pastels/paper/and magnifying glass
He starts
and BAM!!!!!!!!!
HE HITS IT OUTTA THE PARK!
THE CROWD IS GOING CRAZY!
ANOTHER MASTERPIECE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

great scale on those lil guys...
rad beyond belief!
i can feel the rocking and the scurrying
and the heavy oppressive blue and black!
will they make it?!!!!

You forgot the UFO. Now it's complete.

Thanks everybody, they're nicer words than my stuff deserves, but much appreciated.

I've got some commission-type stuff cookin' but managed these two little sketches:

"Jungle Pastel 1" - 9x12".

To me this looks like an old animation background.

"Jungle Pastel 2" - 9x12".

This guy I'd started before but left sitting around while I did other stuff. It was rough when we last saw it, especially the waterfall, which looked like a perfect ribbon hanging down - this is more like it.

I'm happy with the touch of brownish water on the right. It makes the water look more like something real.

Ok Robb, Jungle #1 is my new favorite. Definitely looks liek a high quality animation BG or matte painting. I love the use of color on the tree trunks. Spectacular, my friend.

total Golden Age of Animation-style backgrounds there,Robb!
i would rather see them in the forefront
because they're so perfect!
Great COLOR AND MYSTERY on both-especially the first one with the tree..
awesome pastels there!

Velvet is the New Black. All Hail Velvet!
http://www.kenruzic.com
http://www.myspace.com/kenruzicdotcom

[ Edited by: little lost tiki 2009-02-26 07:42 ]

Phenomenal work! I can almost see Kong passing through the
background of Jungle Pastel #1.

[ Edited by: Iokona Ki'i 2009-02-24 10:34 ]

Robb- Jungle Pastel 1 is just GREAT!
Damn, your work is fun to look at!

and you're right, it looks like an old computer game graphic!
...anyone remember LodeRunner?

In-friggin-credible Robb.

The mood that "Monsoon Nightmare" is amazing.

The detail work... the colors... the animation...

All excellent.

Nice work, sir.

And the new pastels 'ain't too shabby either. :wink:

GROG agree. Your stuff looks great. The jungle pastel definitely looks like an animation BKG or developement art for animation.

You're hired.

Excellent piece there Robb. You're right about the vintage bckgrd look.

Wow man! That jungle scene is awesome! Very nice work :D

those are quite good drawings you have there.....but without one of your solemn little tikis hiding out in the foliage, it's just a very nice looking landscape drawing....you have the skills, man...no question about that.....now get back on track and feed us a steady diet of those wonderful tiki velvets you do......we're gettin hungry out here!!

...and i don't care if you are tired of painting them...do it anyway!! :)

Mr PuPu - I can't believe you like a pastel more than my velvets. Thanks!

LLT - the key is "Golden Age" cause that's when it really rocked. Has anyone seen the eyeball-exploding Disney Blu rays? Damn nice.

Iokanna I'i - Kong (1933 one) is the reason I do all this stuff. Part of my subconscious eternally lives on Skull Island....

Duddy - massive thanks, the word FUN is good to hear in connection with my work.

Lake Surfer - humungo big thanks. If I didn't know better, I'd say you liked 'em!

Grog - It's great to hear that from someone who really knows animation.

Mr. Gambino - it is a rare and special privilege to hear from you. And thanks.

hewey - very big thanks, glad you liked 'em.

Tipsy - thanks for the push, I need it! I have new velvets in the pipeline.

Hey Robb! Outstanding work as always!

Now can you please fall down a flight of stairs and break both of your arms (or at least your art makin' arm) and give the rest of us (ok, just me) a chance to catch up with your incredible skill level?

You could get daily sponge-baths from a sexy nurse!

tobunga - I'll do all that you ask if YOU give me the spongebath. Deal?

And mondo thanks by the way.

Last year's Hukilau was worth the trip just for the pics I got of the local plants. My wife suggested I take a pic of a Hibiscus plant, and I thought "yeah, yeah - like I'm ever going to paint one of those." And here we go - my first tropical flower velvet.

This is the closeup I picked.

I did this test to see if I had the chops to do flowers.

Here is the cropped print I'm painting from.

I did several prints so I could occasionally get a different view.

I do a couple of petals to get a feel for an unfamiliar subject.

Put those PETALS to the METAL,Robb! :lol:

Looking great so far!
but can he still capture that dark mood and mystery
that hallmarks a Hamel velvet?

bet you can!
:)

Ken - thanks my Main Man - mystery is not a problem, but making the flowers look beautiful is the tough part. Like author John Turner says, velvet paintings always somehow look like old-time funeral art, even if most of us don't remember what that is. But I'm givin' it my best.

Here's a little more:

Agreeing with everyone this work of art is wonderful!

Another Hamel masterpiece :D And I agree with PuPu, I prefer your pastels to your velvet work!

beautiful...

you've really captured the light AND the texture of the petal - all on velvet too

Thanks for the staged photos.

Crap! This little painting don't deserve no such kind words, but THANKS!

The shot or two of me sketching were NOT faked... now leave me alone, Wahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Sorry but commissions stopped me from finishing this one till now:

"Velvet Hibiscus" - 11"x14" - black velvet & oils.

I'm skipping the progress shots 'cause I think they'll just be a waste of everybody's time.

I can not believe you weren't sure if you had the "chops" to do this flower painting.

Its fabulous!

That flower looks so real. Now paint some more! Try a Bird of Paradise flower at some point, I would love to see that.

Beautiful work as always.

Robb,

I've been watching your work from afar, and now have to comment, that hibiscus is INCREDIBLE!!! Outstanding work, keep it up. My wife and I love velvet tropical art, we have 7 or 8 paintings by John DePonce in our house that we picked up in Hawai'i and they just take you right to a place and set a mood more than any other medium could.

Aloha

Paul

Robb, those petals look just like a real hibiscus; kinda "velvety" :) Nice work.

Very subtle and beautiful Robbbbbbbbbbbb!

the flower is amazing Robb! really subtle and dimensional!

also, i need to apologize again for taking so G.D. long with your green girl!!

mad respect

bT

Great 'Quiet Village' podcast, Robb. I only now just heard it. I liked your comparison of black velvet painting to studio photography, (and the universe, itself), in that in both cases you introduce light into a dark beginning.

I learned something new about podcasts, too. I had no idea it was possible to access a running slide show of artwork to accompany the audio.

Most Excellent!

you nailed that hibiscus,robb!
and the colors evoke a nice sense of mood AND space!
Rad!

Nice work on the new piece, Robb!

The flower just jumps right off the page.

I also caught the DigiTiki podcast with you on it and it was wonderful insight into your art and how you approach it.

Thanks for sharing , both on my Ipod and here on TC!

Beautiful work Robb!

That not look anything like an orchid. Nice try, though.

Rob~
Gasp.
Very three dee indeed!
B~

You guys are too nice - I wish I had time to respond individually, but there were so many....

I think it turned out pretty okay, so:

I'M GOING TO PUT IT ON EBAY AND THE MARKETPLACE!

Thanks for the confidence-building comments, pals!!!

Oh yeah - thanks to everyone who listened to my interview!

It was great to work with Digitiki on that, he is honestly one hell of a guy. I bet the Squid interview rocks!

Robb, I am in such awe of your work. I can't stand how fantastic these new pieces are!

Suzanne

i just went trhu this hole thread, wow! I specially like the ones with lost Tikis in the middle of the jungle, great mood on all your work, congrats!

Aloha Robb!!!

I have had my head burried in paint for Months and not on here nearly enough..just saw the latest. BEAUTIFUL my friend!! The Hibiscus is is truly magical!! I need to get back to velvet soon too!! I have several in my head and need to get them off the interior walls of my cranium and onto the velvet!! Stay healthy and keep that lure of the velour a goin'!

Hey Robb, your really tearing it up lately. Keep it coming!

Moonlit bloom :)

Thanks Suzanne, glad you like the new stuff - i was worried they might be too simple.

Clarita - I LOVE lost deep jungle Tikis too! Most of my new designs have been SEVERLY FOCUSED on improving my work in that area.

Thor - my head is about to explode with different approaches I want to try also, but having a full-time job, house, etc. means the pace will be slow. Come back to the velvet fold soon.

Babalu - it's always good to hear from a great sculptor on this 2D thread!!