Wendy Cevola - New colors of the Frank mug by Frankoma now available.

GROG give it two semi-opposable thumbs up.

Very nice, Wendy! I don't know if we can make it up to FI for the party, so can you put me on the list?

Really love this choice of glazes. Great job!

Great colour choice Wendy, looks great.

Wow that's crazy sticking to the bottom of the shelf (mental note..), and a glaze explosion.... I think you have to sacrifice a virgin to appease the gods :D

I think these turned out awesome, I like the final glaze choice.. (I like the red too)..

Wendy those look great! I really like that bluish color around the tiki and the crate is great.

Beautiful job Wendy!

Wonderful glaze and fantastic work...please put me on the list!

Thank you,

PTD

There is nothing more fun than finding so many comments on your art. It inspires me to work harder.

Grog - you have two thumbs? I'm so surprised!
Torbor64 - on the list but it would be great to see you there. Have you done more posters? Your first ones were terrific.
leleliz - thank you glad you like it. Funny but those are the colors I painted the clay sculpt after it had been molded.
Swizzle - I hope you like the glaze choice for the statue too. I'm so glad you like this one.
Tiki KIrby - Thank you, we are doing better now.You know we have yet to meet you or attend one of your parties. We hope to remedy that in the future. Are we invited??? Best wishes on your projects I hope none blow up!
Beachbumz - I am so confused. Are you making bowls? Are you related to MauiTiki?
zerostreet - thank you for keeping an eye on my work. I keep checking up on your monkeys.
Psycho Tiki D - You are on the list. I'm so happy you like this one too. I hope to start on the decanter molds in the near future.

Thanks again everyone for the encouragment.

Wendy, that blue is exquisite next to the dark grey - looks like the tiki is packed in a crate of ice :)

Wendy...the colors are awesome. Don't forget...I am #11. GREAT JOB!!!!

MadDogMike, I love what you have said about packed in ice. The statue version is surrounded by fire. You started it -

The Tiki Crate Fire and Ice series for Forbidden Island is under production. I've bought the glaze and the first batch are fine tuned and having their bisque fire right now.

Vamp, thank you so much. Michael Thanos is doing the sales, shoot him a request. I think he is planning on selling tickets for the event that come with a mug or statue. But I am only guessing since he is still working out his plans.

The more I work on these the better I look. Hard work pays off, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2011-01-26 08:34 ]

Great job on the mugs wendy!! Already planning on taking the thursday off to be at F.I.

Amazing Wendy. Beautiful colors and awesome energy.
You are inspiring!

Hi ka'lenatiki, I would be so happy to see you at Forbidden Island.

mp you know we love your tiki art so it makes me so happy that you like mine.

A helpful hint, after the mugs have been through the bisque firing you can take each mug out of the kiln and hit it with a hard spray from a hose. Not fun when it's in the 40's outside but it works as well as using sponges and is super fast and it's so much easier for the inside of the mug.

We do not set the mug down it goes into the house onto a plastic sheet or towel depending on the table surface until I'm ready to glaze. This keeps them as dust free as possible.

Cheers, Wendy

Slobbers...

You guys look like your having fun! Dry those out real good before you glaze-um kid. I'll have to read up on that spraying direct water thing....hummm?

Hi McTiki, isn't that suppose to be drool?
Mr. Babalu I have done this with my glaze tests for the tiki crate and the Lanai mug AP's and it was super. I air compress before the Bisque fire after each mug goes straight to the waters hard spray and then to a table in my home to dry. So much better than sponges.

Here's my next trick for those who work in cold weather. I have been freezing. Holding a mug for half to a full hour to carve has been like holding a block of ice. I put a heater on the table to warm me up but it didn't help.

But then two things occurred to me...heat up the mug before you carve and wear gloves. Yippee it's been wonderful. My hands don't freeze and get stiff and I can work more and not be miserable.

Here are some drying on a plastic table cloth. Also showing is my huge box of boxes that I ordered for the Tiki Crate. They are a perfect fit.

Thank you all for checking on my progress. Wendy

Love the way you two have really jumped into this with both feet! Keep on postin' those pics :D

Beautiful work!
YAY!

Wow, impressive and mahalo for the tips...

More photos as per your request MadDogMike.
Thank you ZeroTiki you always make the work worthwhile.
TikiKIrby, you are welcome and thank you.

Well today I unloaded the kiln and all the Forbidden Island Tiki Crates have been bisque fired. I am now starting the glazing process. I have done two more glaze tests and hopefully when they are fired I will know how I will glaze the statue version.

These photos were taken last night at midnight and this morning. Mug makers never sleep, check out Babalu's thread for a photo of Squid who is about to glaze their project at the same time I'm doing mine.

The bottom has the real 5th anniversary date, the party at FI is on Thursday the 21st. This shows that I've used underglaze to highlight the numbers and words. and I've poured glaze into the inside of the mugs.

What's on the first table plus what's on the second table equals 60 mugs and 50 statues all waiting to be glazed and fired and boxed. These are large! Wendy

Thank you Wendy :D Keep up the great work! Looks like this project is winding down, are ya ready for the next big one?

Looking good Wendy & Dan! Can't wait til April to get one at FI!

Hi MadDog, winding down? I think I just got to the top of the hill. I started the three layers of glaze on the first 19 yesterday. I'm doing it all by hand no spray gun this time. By tonight I will be able to pre-heat and fire the first load. I'm catching up on all my VHS taped shows.

Hey Matt, I hope you can make it to the party at FI, Michael T. says it will be special.

While working on the Tiki Crate I have sanded and bisqued my Missionary Downfall hula girl. Gecko is making the version with the bowl I couldn't lift the mold so I sent it back to him. We had a slow down when it was discovered I left out the I in Missionary. I used the I stamp once and set it aside and forgot to use it again. He'll fix it. Wendy

I kept forgetting how soft the cast clay is. I kept breaking them, this is my trash can.

Bisque fire with the last of the Tiki Crates.

Close up.

Out of the kiln.

Here are a couple photos of my original sculpt in clay and painted with acrylic paint.
It will be fun to see Gecko's version and mine once I start to paint these.



This girl caused a whole bunch of trouble with those missionary's, I hope there downfall wasn't too painful!

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2011-02-07 10:12 ]

Nice boobies. GROG like.

VERY nice boobies! :wink:

Hubba Hubba! :o

:lol:

Wendy how do I get one these? They look awesome!

Hi Grog, WaikianMoeKele and MadDogMike, those nice size boobies are only found in California and are very expensive!

Rugbymatt, I'll keep updating this thread. Like TikiKirby on his thread I have to figure out how to best glaze and paint her. I'll have an artist proof example soon.

The Forbidden Island project is coming along. Yesterday we were back at Alpha picking out more glaze for the statue version. I still have to glaze test that next week.

After I pour the glaze into the mug and swirl it around the last is left to drip out with boards keeping the glaze off the rest of the mug.

The glaze that went onto the tiki is wiped off, that part in the cracks is fine. I then paint the rest of the rim.

This photo doesn't even show them all, this is after two days of work to glaze the inside of each mug.

Thank you for checking my progress, cheers, Wendy

Wow!! Fantastic work. Love the progress pictures.

Wendy! You are my muse!
Missionary's Downfall is soooooo sexy!
and those forbidden Island mugs are coming along A-1!
Glad to see you so filled with energy and excitement!
hugs!

I had no idea how much time & work goes into a project like this! I am impressed!
~kele

I continue to be impressed - nice work!

uncle trav and ebtiki, thank you very much.

little lost tiki, I posted one of the girls on Gallery - she has a top on and Dan is not happy.

Kele, it is like working on a farm up early and go to work with mops and buckets and tools.

I want to participate in the Tiki Bob show. I had sculpted a Tiki Bob a few months ago so I just needed to get in there and make a mold. So Dan and I studied the photos from the first page of my thread so we wouldn't forget any steps and here is how it went. Cheers, Wendy

NOTE: I NEVER REMEMBERED TO TAKE A PHOTO OF PAINTING MOLD SOAP ON EACH LAYER BEFORE POURING THE PLASTER. SO CHECK OUT PAGE ONE OF THIS THREAD TO SEE HOW THAT WORKS SO THAT THE PLASTER DOES NOT STICK ONE LAYER ON ANOTHER!

Congrats on your very first solo mold! In just a short time you will be the MOLD MASTER!!!

Nice looking Tiki Bob inspiration. I've got a wild Tiki Bob idea, hope I get time to try it out :D

Thanks Mike, it is a lot of work but if it turns out then I'll be screaming with joy.

Here is the first Missionary's Downfall hula girls, but I was testing to see what would happen if I added clay by hand. So she has an outfit on.

Her hair is all black, funny what a flash will do.

Cheers, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2011-02-16 14:39 ]

Whoa!! Those are awesome...Beautiful work as usual. Please keep the updates flowing...

Paul

Good mold. Good sculpt. Good luck.

Thanks for posting the mold making photos. We all do it a little differently. Looks like it came out great. I like your method of the heating pad to warm the clay! I'll have to try that.

Keep up the good work.

Nice work Wendy! I'm looking forward to adding some of your work to my collection!

Another great piece!

pwest71 - thank you, I will keep posting because that's what makes it all fun.

Grog - not so good a mold see below.

MauiTiki - I may need helpful advise in the near future.

AtomicChick - I would love to have my work in your beautiful tiki room.

zerostreet - Ahhh, thanks a lot.

Well we have been working hard. Two steps forward and one step back. Today we poured the very first time into the Tiki Bob mold that we just made. It took the slip in one end and let it out the other. I plugged the leaks with clay so I will get a cast but what a mess. So we started another mold today to see if our technique has improved.

We had finished all the Tiki Crate mugs so it was time to get out the flashlight and to study each one for flaws. How did I miss this one? Luckly it only happed to 6 but now I have to pour and sand and carve and bisque and glaze and fire 6 more in addition to the 50 statue versions I have ready to glaze. Never any time to rest. Good thing we love tiki art.

pwest71 - thank you, I will keep posting because that's what makes it all fun.

Grog - not so good a mold see below.

MauiTiki - I may need helpful advise in the near future.

AtomicChick - I would love to have my work in your beautiful tiki room.

zerostreet - Ahhh, thanks a lot.

Well we have been working hard. Two steps forward and one step back. Today we poured the very first time into the Tiki Bob mold that we just made. It took the slip in one end and let it out the other. I plugged the leaks with clay so I will get a cast but what a mess. So we started another mold today to see if our technique has improved.

We had finished all the Tiki Crate mugs so it was time to get out the flashlight and to study each one for flaws. How did I miss this one? Luckly it only happed to 6 but now I have to pour and sand and carve and bisque and glaze and fire 6 more in addition to the 50 statue versions I have ready to glaze. Never any time to rest. Good thing we love tiki art.

pwest71 - thank you, I will keep posting because that's what makes it all fun.

Grog - not so good a mold see below.

MauiTiki - I may need helpful advise in the near future.

AtomicChick - I would love to have my work in your beautiful tiki room.

zerostreet - Ahhh, thanks a lot.

Well we have been working hard. Two steps forward and one step back. Today we poured the very first time into the Tiki Bob mold that we just made. It took the slip in one end and let it out the other. I plugged the leaks with clay so I will get a cast but what a mess. So we started another mold today to see if our technique has improved.

I forgot to center the tiki so I may have another lesson to learn.

Just like making a cake!

We had finished all the Tiki Crate mugs so it was time to get out the flashlight and to study each one for flaws. How did I miss this one? Any one want to go to Forbidde Island? Luckily it only happened to 6 but now I have to pour and sand and carve and bisque and glaze and fire 6 more in addition to the 50 statue versions I have ready to glaze. Never any time to rest. Good thing we love tiki art.

Cheers, Wendy

Wendy, my "hand holding the head" mold did that too - made a HUGE mess all over the kitchen counter and floor :lol: As I remember I poured some slip in, sloshed it around a bit and let it dry for an hour - then poured it full and it held. Still not optimal of course, good luck with the new mold :)

Your work is SOOOOO slick! I'm jealous of anyone who can make a mold. VEry nice, imaginative work - and TOP NOTCH glazes!!

Hi Robb, I'm jealous of someone who can paint on velvet with perfection! Thank you for watching my thread as I watch yours. Here are photos of the mold we made yesterday. It's of a simple bowl I sculpted. The mold weighs so much that it will take both Dan and I to tip it to empty out the extra slip. The way I do one is to picture what I'm going to mold and then practice how I will do it in my mind all night long. Then I wake up sleepy and get it done. We are still in practice mode. I tried to lift the side so I could drop it and get bubbles out. I pulled it loose and had plaster ran all over the table. It ruined my name on the bottom. In a couple of days we will cast a bowl to see if the rest is ok. I can always add my name later.

Question, will acrylic paint work on velvet? I've only heard of it being done with oils.

I used a bowl as a base for my clay.

I used a second bowl to make a top. I can cut the clay where I want making different types of bowls from one mold.

My glass bowl wasn't level so I used clay to fix that for the mold.

Mold soap must be applied to keep the plaster from sticking to new plaster or to your art. It filled up my name etc. so I used a straw to blow it out.

I flipped the mold and used the rasp to smooth the corners.

The mold is flipped back over. I forgot to take photos showing 1/2 of the clay being removed and smoothed against the bowl, more mold soap and round indentations for locks.

When the last of the clay is removed you can see what I did before I poured the plaster.

So again mold soap to all the surfaces.

The box goes back on and the last piece of the mold is poured.

It takes a light tap to break them apart the first time.

I removed the original sculpt.

Now the mold must completely dry before use. That will give the plaster a chance to harden completely.

I have begun glazing the Forbidden Island Tiki Crate statue. The first load is in the kiln. I will post photos next week when they come out.

Sorry for the blurry photos I had the up close button on of off and sometimes not at the right time. It was hard to take photos without ruining my camera because we were covered in plaster.

More soon, cheers, Wendy

ps Swizzle I am using three colors on the statue thanks for sharing your thoughts with me