the vaguely artistic scratchings of elgarbo - Volcano Tiki progress

Hey everyone! I'm pretty new to posting on this forum (been reading forever though) and I thought it'd be cool to share some of what I've been doing and possibly get some feedback from people who probably have a much better idea about this sort of thing than me.

I've been dabbling with acrylic paints but I'm still a long way from being confident enough to share anything. However, whenever I have a bit of downtime I do a bit of digital painting on my iPad. Here's some in progress shots of a piece that I've been working on.

Started with a sketch in a note book, which I photographed and imported into the Imagine Pro app.

Then it's just a matter of painting over the top.

Here's where I'm currently at. There's still lots of detail to add - particularly the water, the island, the sky and the surfboard. I plan on adding some sort of tiki design to the board. I also need to figure out what to do with her empty hand - I'd like for her to be holding something but I haven't figured it out yet - maybe a shrunken head or something.

Cheers!

The Savage Paradise blog: http://www.thesavageparadise.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/savageparadiseblog

[ Edited by: Elgarbo 2013-02-15 22:27 ]

[ Edited by: elgarbo 2013-02-28 03:33 ]

Well.....she has a big butt.

Give her big knockers and blow the top off that volcano...LOL Welcome to TC and keep on posting.

On 2012-10-12 20:32, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Well.....she has a big butt.

Yeah, was trying to be a bit stylistic but I think I agree with you. I'll slim her down a bit before it's complete.

'Volcano Thighs' ?

She's looking pretty good, though I'd get rid of the shadow next to the nose and put just a tiny triangle under it.

In the outline she has a really round 'cute' face, but that shadow completely changes her.

I was expecting some big ol pearlies too, now he mouth is so small.

[ Edited by: Badd Tiki 2012-10-13 08:21 ]

Hey, there's nothing wrong with a little "junk in the trunk"! :lol:

Welcome to TC Elgarbo, hope to see lots more of this style.

Thanks for all the feedback. I've taken some of it on board and continued to add some detail.

Most significantly, I've carved her thighs down significantly. Started adding detail to her face and body, detail to the water and changed up the eruption. Added some highlights to her hair too.

:drink: :drink: :drink:

Finished! Still some bits that I'm not entirely pleased with, but it's a good way to dust off the cobwebs and get back into drawing and colouring.

Nice. I like it.

Very cool, I like that sly little smile :) It's fun to watch a piece of art evolve.

I really enjoyed your step by steps. It's going to be hard to compete with computer apps.. Especially because I don't know how. This is a really fun picture. Wendy

Thanks you guys. Now to figure out what to try next...

Killed this one off... wasn't happy with how it was going.

[ Edited by: elgarbo 2012-11-09 02:25 ]

Went out, bought some acrylics, paint brushes and a canvas and started knocking out my first painting since I left high school. This is mostly an experiment to get the hang of how the paint works, but I'm happy with how it's turning out.

Nearing completion! Need to finish adding shadows and highlights to the tiki and I plan on redoing the volcano smoke. A few other minor details and she'll be ready to go...

Looks incredible great use of light and color love the palms by the way really cool style

Thanks anthonymaye!

Just finished up the finishing details. May I present the first painting I've done since I was in high school... "Tiki Beach."

From a different angle...

Hey Edgarbo, that "different angle" thing only works on 3D objects :lol:

Just kidding! Glad you got your hands on some paints and took a chance. I like the way it turned out. I'm with Anthony, I like that "nest of palm trees" ~ reminds me of a pile of snakes.

EDIT - you obviously have some artistic talent, have you been "artless" since you got out of school or did you have another outlet?

"Catch and release, it's tough when you use a spear"
Personally, I believe in "Fillet and release"
Pirate Ship Tree House

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2012-11-17 12:13 ]

Thanks MadDogMike - for a while my artistic outlet was photography, but in many ways I found the science of it to be very constrictive. Painting seems to be less prohibitive but that's probably just because I've only just started playing around with it.

[ Edited by: Elgarbo 2012-12-13 14:38 ]

Been working on a new piece...

Still have plenty of details to add... Shadows and reflections and all that.

[ Edited by: Elgarbo 2012-12-13 14:43 ]

Gonna be another great one.

Cheers MadDogMike!

Somne progress! Window reflections and most of the chrome work sorted. Still need to figure out a tiki-style grille... probably do that last.

I'm still trying to figure out what type of car it is. Early to mid-60s...? The front reminds me of a Lincoln but the rear doesn't match :lol:

Just a generic 60's style... hasn't been based on anything specific. Probably a result of the fact that it started as a random scribble in my notebook and then took on a life of its own.

And just like that, after a crazy Christmas Eve of non-stop painting, I've got all the finicky background details sorted out... and voila! A new painting is complete.

"South Pacific Highway"
12x16 Acrylic on canvas

That's sweet Elgarbo. Personally i liked the composition of the original sketch with the bird, the tree to the left, and without the tiki (yeah, yeah, sacrilegious i know) but the finished piece looks great.

another damn cool painting, really dig the grill

Super, great movement and perfect chrome coloring. A wonderful composition,Wendy

Turned out great Elgarbo! The grill has a bit of a King Tut feel too. After you make prints from this one you can replace the background with a pyramid and sell prints on Pharoh Central too :D

Thanks guys... just another step on my dreams of artistic dominance.

Swizzle - I totally agree re: the composition. Still trying to find the best way to accurately copy stuff from my tiny little sketch book to a much larger canvas. I'd like to get my hands on a projector but until such a time, tedious grid work will have to do.

Okay, new painting just started. "The Beacon" - a tiki lighthouse on the wild seas...

Started laying down some flat colours today. The plan is to go a bit overboard with detail, particularly under the sea. The sky will also be a different colour when it's all finished.. probably something darker and more ominous.

Painted up a storm today...

[ Edited by: Elgarbo 2013-01-13 01:15 ]

Lookin' good so far. I like the clouds and lightning.

WOW! That's a big change. Very dramatic!

Thanks guys. I'm up to the fun bit now... playing with detail and light. Drawing it up and laying down flat colours is a bit of a chore but I've found that if I don't do it I end up with something that could only be described as ghastly... and not in a good way.

Anyway, here's a few more hours of laying down paints...

You will need to remove the vaguely from you header with your new excellent work of art. Wendy

Thanks Wendy - very much appreciated!

There has been some progress since the last installment. The tiki beacon is now fully painted, save for some small details that I'll work on later.

I've also now completed the surface of the ocean, with some waves reflecting the lightning about the place.

Last of all, I've started working on the underwater scene - the plan is to make it a total contrast to the chaos above, with colourful corals and sea life... all oblivious to the storm raging overhead.

Love it Elgarbo! Like your plan for the tranquility below.

Nice piece, I was wondering what you were going to do with the underwater area. Would be interesting to see what colors you use.

Elgarbo, I love how each step continues to be beautiful, as well as to add so much to the piece. Thanks for the step by step. Look forward to watching the show... :)

Hey thanks guys, it's very affirming to know people are actually paying attention to my developing skills.

Anyway, I spent pretty much all of today and much of yesterday sitting around with a brush in hand, working on the coral. I've now finished almost all of the rough details - I think there are two colours still incomplete. Then it's back again to add in outlines and some of the finer details.

Here's a detail shot of the coral in progress. It's a bad photo - cameraphone - but I guess it gives a reasonable idea of how it's progressing.

Oh Yeah!!!!! Beautiful bright colors to contrast the gloomy storm above

Awesome

Well I had to take a bit of a break from the paints as I returned to work this week. Got a chance to return to my adventures in art land today, though. Mostly finished the coral now, and redid the bottom of the tiki in an attempt to make it look wet. Now I've finally started on the sky, which I expect will be the most enjoyable part of the painting.

It has only taken a week, but I've pretty much got the whole of the right side of the sky finished. The left side should be a walk in the park from here.

Here's the latest progress: