THOR's Experiments in black velvet.. "Molten Moai" FINISHED! page 4

Aloha All!

I decided to just start farting around with this medium of darkness. I have done a few in the past...but I really want to get this down, eventually and have fun!! Thanks to some other artists like Heather Watts and Robb Hamel and their velvet passion. It is too much fun to not jump in to. Here are the first experiments I have done at the end of the day this week after painting the regular stuff for the Gallery.

I just painted stuff that was fun..intending them to be learning experiences so that I could really do some more "serious" paintings next. Subject matter is inspired by this time of year.... I am learning TONS by jumping in and experimenting!! I love thinking with light..and darkness is the perfect background for the magic of light to dance upon... Questions and suggestions welcome!!

Special thanks to Robb for encouraging all TC artists to add to the "blood" of velvet painting revival.

![](http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8ce04b3127ccec527210bc33500000040O08AcNWjdo0atge3nwM/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/)  
this was on "velveteen"...a little too much luster to the velvet....but those seeing this test in person said the swore there was light "inside' the painting! So contrast is starting to work!  Test smudges above...in oil and acrylic tests.

![](http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8ce04b3127ccec526f390e38b00000040O08AcNWjdo0atge3nwM/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/)  
I set  plastic early 60's devil head that used to hold candy for kids.  It was the same design that inspired the Twilight Zone episode with the fortune teller napkin dispenser in the diner.  Anyways..just looked at it and free painted..making up the light.  I am not thrilled with it...  It needed better design of light and core shadows...  Diamond eye was fairly effective as painted.  This as on velveteen too...  So...not the ideal surface.

![](http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8ce04b3127ccec5277507c31300000040O08AcNWjdo0atge3nwM/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D720/ry%3D480/)  
Beginning of test on better velvet I got downtown.  Upholstery grade velvet.  
Lot's of dust specks.  You can see my chalk sketch in some areas.  this one will have a gecko that's tongue is stuck to a lunar moth orbiting the candle.

I am learning more..but feel this is over worked a bit. my goal is to get a fresh, effortless feel to the brushstrokes and surface.  This will take doing more and getting the feel down more and more.

That's all...more to come in weeks to come....







[ Edited by: THOR's  2008-11-09 21:29 ]

Looks cool Thor, way to jump in with both feet!!! Wish I had some insightful constructive criticism to add but I'm clueless, they look great to me.

EDIT - Double post (how did that happen?)

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2008-10-26 10:38 ]

...any Shrunken Heads??

Great work Thor! If those are posted in succession, then you can already see the progress in your technique. A little masking tape will get rid of all that dust you are complaining about.

[ Edited by: TikiMango 2008-10-26 13:44 ]

Wow, for a test, the devil looks damn good! :)

Your Fortune: I see black velvet masterpieces in stor for you.

Thanks for the supportall!! No shrunken heads yet Ben! But I am gunna some that will curl your rafia soon! Just figuring out this medium here first!!

right on Thor!!!!

these are looking great...one could say...ahem...SCARY good!

alohas, t

Dang THORs!
Looks like you're taking to velvet and velveteen quite splendidly so far!
If these are your firsts,then i can't even imagine what time will produce!!!!
Is that velveteen anything like velveeta cheese?
No wonder it gave you some trouble!
:lol:

I like that you've kept your recognizable style rather than letting the velvet take the reigns. Fun stuff.

Incredible, your talent never ceases to amaze, first your paintings, then your rum series, the shrunken heads, and now the velvets.

It already looks like you have been working with the velveteen for years.

Please keep painting in this medium, I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Thanks for the encouragement!

I definitely don't recommend the velveteen..only because it has too much luster for me. I studied a lot of realists when I was learning classic painting in school. Some of my first paying jobs in school were painting extremely tight still life paintings for a ladies home. She was an editor for Bon Appetit Magazine..excuse my French. Every oak cabinet had different foods and thngs based on what cookbooks she had inside them...intricate stuff..and she got it for a steal! Anyways, I read a lot about the effects of light and the science behind what makes a painting "glow" other than just contrast. There is a lot of science in it as much as skill or developing an eye. I can see Robb takes this approach as well. It gets really fun when you combine the intellectual with the artful!

Basically what we all are fascinated by when we see a velvet painting is one basic illusion. When light falls upon paint, it bounces back into our eye and reflects it's source. The more opaque a color is..the more light it bounces back at us. Velvet..especial quality black velvet absorbs it's light source. So..it REALLY exaggerates the surface that is covered in the paint, which is reflecting the source. It almost looks like the painting has light inside it if done well. Canvas, even if painted dark, still reflects more light that the velvet will. Anyways...enough science.

I have been asked for years to do more velvets and I think now is the time. I really love the fact that the others doing velvets all have their own styles and so we can all explore together and help this lost medium take on a new interest and appreciation. Ok..the sun is about down..I am going to go experiment!!

Wow! I liked the science lesson. That was interesting. Thanks! And cool paintings too. Keep us posted. :)

Thor, Its awesome to see you diving into velvet. I see big things coming about. My wife and I will be heading over to the island fairly soon, I've got a visit to your store towards the top of my list...Thanks for sharing your progress. Keep up the exceptional work!

I did this the other night... Getting the hang of this and really enjoying the medium. I paint in the dark with one light over my shoulder... I looked at an actual skull I have that I got when I was taking pre-med classes before I decided to make a career as an artist...lol. Most of the light was invented, but I did put a flashlight on the skull from the warm side. This is oil on velvet.

I sketched it roughly first with a piece of chalk. Lots of lint and stuff..I will clean the painting of all that when dry. Studies like these help me to understand the medium. Then , when things are totally invented, I can predict the outcome and know how to design the negative areas..etc. Like I mentioned before, I think with light immediately when I paint, so this medium comes very naturally to me. This is soo fun at this time of year!! I can feel Halloween around the corner!! I will get to the Tiki stuff soon....lol...just starting with this dark side stuff. I am going to tackle a shrunken head next.

closer detail...lots of velvet left unpainted..which makes painting go quickly!

Anyways...more to come soon! Ideas are really starting to fly!!

[ Edited by: THOR's 2008-10-29 18:14 ]

master work!

Beautiful work!

Boy Tom, is there anything you can't do? :wink:

These are great! It doesn't even look like a new medium for you... looks like you've been doing them all along.

Keep up the good work! Look forward to seeing the new pieces!

I wish I could paint... I have to settle for carving wood.

Yea!!!

Can't wait to see the shrunken head!!!

Hi Tom -

Looks wicked cool man, can't wait to see Thor shrunken head velvets too!

In my minds eye I can picture a Thor style jungle scene; huge boiling kettle over a log fire, thatched huts, prisoners hanging upside down suspended from vine traps, savage natives dancing under moonlight etc...I know you already have thought of this before I have :)

HAaaaa Tiki G!

You just described my studio!! I gotta push the envelope a wee more man..otherwise it would just feel like home!

Oh, Ya forgot the scantily clad Tahitian virgins that have bartender licenses and keep my brushes clean.

[ Edited by: THOR's 2008-10-31 18:33 ]

Oh, Ya forgot the scantily clad tahitian virgins that have bartender licensees and keep my brushes clean.

What Art Supply Store stocks those? :)

You're totally in the groove!
The candle/Skull study is a piece of art in itself!
It's gonna be mind-blowing once you throw
ALL of your technical finesse and knowledge!
Can't Wait!

that skull and candle are a beauty. reminds me a lot of old aurora model kit model cover art.

Thanks Lil' Lost!! OceaOtica..That's one of the best complements I could have! I had a painting instructor at Art Center named Jack Lynwood. He was one of the main illustrators for the boxes of the Aurora models and he was incredible. He used to teach about knowing light and color and perspective out of the head..with nothing to look at at times. He would get a platic model and have to make it look like it was a real thing in a real setting...with all the drama and lighting invented. He also had a saying that relates to velvet in this case more than ever. He used to say...The sign of a great painter is that they can look at something or imagine something and understand that what seperates an amature from a pro is not WHAT to paint...but what NOT to paint in a subject. The viewers eye fills in things more than we realize if you hit the right notes and punches...even if loose. Velvet cries for this..the more black, raw velvet exposed in the shadows and negative areas..the fresher and more impacting the image becomes I am discovering.

Happy Halloween!

Thor, frickin cool painting teacher to have! ya, if you look at that box art, specially the kits they had that were like extra parts kits, you know the old tree with the skull and the vulture and such, those covers looked like velvets. really works of art, really great stuff. i think you really tapped into something here. gives me new thoughts on my experiments with velvet painting. right on, look forward to seeing more of your work.

Wow man, thats just awesome work! :D Love reading your thoughts and insights into your art, as well as your art itself too mate! :lol:

Amazing, you just keep getting better and better

Well.. I did this fella into the wee hours last night .... I have learned a LOT and will improve the next shrunken head.... Happy Halloween!

These are not the best photos...the background is much more subtle...

The feeling here is a head on a stake...lit from a nearby fire and the moonlight at it's back....sort of a magik night....

~~T

Amazing work!

"Show us what you got at the THOR STOR, sweetie."

Brad!! You are a hoot!! lol Thanks! I will be in Maui from the 9th of Dec. till the 12th..then in Waikiki from then till the 21st I think..doing signings at teh various galleries including the Thor Gallery. If you are over at that time..lemme know! Your newest piece is looking awesome by the way!!!

Warm Aloha's!!

The skull is major fun! Again, your technique comes through, which is a definite good thing.

I've told people what kind of velvet I use...are you game also?

Shrunken head is waaaaay too cool!

Aloha Robb!

Thanks for the feedback...I am glad my style comes through... I think what would be great is if we could get a group of artists to do a show soon and it be all about velvet painting. It would be simply magic to see all the styles come through this medium.

I am not velvet educated yet as far as the best velvet to use. However, I have three velvets I have tried. One turn out to be velveteen and I don't use that anymore. The latest is what you recommended, actually. I went downtown to the fabric district in LA and asked for upholstery velvet. I found a bolt of it in a place that specialized in scraps of fabric from furniture makers left overs. I also ordered a sample from the guy you recommended and it looks and feels absolutely identical. Tests on it with paint proved same.

Can't wait to see more of your gems too!! I feel like I have acquired a brother in Velvet here!! Viva La Velveteers!!! One thing for sure I am discovering is that being a Velveteer requires a lot of patience!! lol Keep up the magic, Robb.

~~Tom

Tom, I think getting us Velveteers together is a GREAT idea. I'd like to avoid an atmosphere of competition and instead create an atmoshere of inspiration.

It would be easy to see each of us grabbing for a piece of the velvet pie, but there isn't really a velvet pie right now, I find. We might just be able to build momentum we all can benefit from by creating a new, improved velvet movement.

Let's go for it!

We are SOOOO on the same page!!! I am all about learning from each other and celebrating the styles and beauty and darkness and mystery of this lost medium. I am also wanting to introduce this to the Gallery in Hawaii and I will be honest, they are a little nervous!! lol We need to reintroduce the reputation of this and open up the minds of people as to black velvet paintings.

The days of pink panthers, matadore's and poorly painted Elvis' or is it ("Elvi") are gone. Leeteg was one of the pioneers showing how the medium could be brought to new levels. Let's try to carry the torch a bit here and see where it goes with some of us newer artists.

Can you imagine what an incredible show could be done if we had 3-5 velvet artists exhibit?? The show would be dark and rich..mysterious and sensual.... Makes me want to go out and buy a vintage velvet Jacket and duke it up good!!

Anyways..I am getting too into this and need to take a chill pill.

Thanks again, Robb...I still say you are the Velvis of the Velveteers!!

~~

[ Edited by: THOR's 2008-11-03 14:59 ]

shrunken head is awsome keep up the good work

This is in progress...about 60% done. I will paint a phosphorus waterfall lightly in the upper right that is mixing with the lava to make the steam... I'm letting this stage dry a few days and then going in for more punch and refinement. I find certain colors are more suitable for velvet...but am learning more every painting. Everyone needs to try this!! It's loads of fun! Aloha!

What a lava-ly painting!
Sorry.

this is HOT.

ouch...sorry.

My goodness...I better not encourage these guys! lol! Somthin' about Lava goes straight to the coco! LOL!

Killer velvets Thorsky!

Looks great mate, Im loving this thread! Just one comment, are you doing some 'glow' on the tree branch, looks like she needs some colour, given how much glow the moai is geting. :D

THANKS Grog and Hewey!

Good eye Hewey!! Yes, I plan to do rim lighting on the branch and the foreground rock ledge. It will make more sense when I put in the phosphorescent waterfall in the background and render the steam more. Anyways...again, you have a great sense of light. I bet it was all those early pastel drawings I recall you experimenting with a few years back!!

The ideas for velvet are rolling around in my head like mad..although I need to keep these under control since I have a lot of other canvas paintings I need to hammer out here.

Have a great week !

I'm glad you decided to move on over to the "velvet underground" I remember talking to you about velvets at Oasis and of course your art is just crazy Good as always Tom. What happens Tom, Robb, Heather? when you paint on the "Dress makers" quality velvet like we see so often in the Mexican Velvets of the 1960's-1970's? I love that look it has a sheen to that I'm attracted to....

Great look to the lava. I can almost feel the heat.

insane! great work.

I totally appreciate the feedback!! Again..I am just firing into the trees and seeing what falls to the ground as far as these velvets. Robb said it well..it's all about experimenting. I learn with each piece what to do and what not to do. Anyways..here is the finish of the "Molten Moai".

[ Edited by: THOR's 2008-11-09 21:30 ]

Wow!