...Help me create some FUN Monkey Adventure drawings for DAMON'S Reataurant!

Well it's no new news to all here that I LOVE Damon's Steak House in Glendale, CA. I grew up with this place. I find it to be one of the few old school restaurants with tropical "Tikiish" vibes reminiscent of the many great polynesian bubbles one could escape to with family and friends. I designed a mug for them recently that was produced and released through Tiki Farm, currently a vessel for their tropical drinks at Damon's.

Anyway.... I have always wanted to play up the Monkey theme at Damon's more. As A kid, I recall all my favorite restaurants had "characters" that "lived there. The "Jolly Roger" restaurant had its pirates on menu's and such,"Sambo's" had the little guy with turbin and the tiger's. "Bob's Big Boy"....had 'Big Boy" himself and his friends on menus and coloring books. I loved this era that did this. So, I spoke to Damon's about this and offered to help raise the presence of the Monkey's and their antic's at Damon's. They are SUPER excited..both owners and Managers. I am starting by just adding lot's of sepia tone ink style (reminiscent of my rum paintings) monkeys getting into mischief on the new drink menu and food menu soon to be printed. I have a lot of ideas, but would LOVE to hear more and share the fun with the Tiki Ohana.

Sooooo... Add to this thread! Share some thoughts, especially about what you think the monkey's that live at Damon's are up to in their adventures! I will post some drawings soon...rough ideas..etc. All this will culminate in you seeing this come to life in print at Damon's over the next few weeks and Months. I am also doing a fun coloring/activity book that they will be publishing for kids (or the kid in you) available at Damon's.
Hope to hear from you all...let's make this FUN! If there is enough participation, I will start creating some "prize" incentives for ideas used...signed prints...and more. I am mainly doing this all to support the culture, this great restaurant and have a fun outlet FULL of real life...MONKEY BUSINESS!! Below is a sample of the small drink card for tables. I am keeping the drawings a little loose, just line for now, and like they are drawn like old school brown ink character studies.

ALOHA!!!! ~~~THOR

Best way to reach me for art or questions directly is this link: https://www.facebook.com/tom.thordarson.3
OR Search on Facebook for : THOR ART

[ Edited by: THOR's 2014-03-17 10:32 ]

[ Edited by: THOR's 2014-03-17 21:02 ]

THOR,
I love this idea, it sounds like a lot of fun. But I'm not sure exactly what kind if antics you're looking for. Can you give us maybe a single example so we know what you're thinking?

Edit: Oh, you did, it's in the table card. Sorry, my reading comprehension is a bit slow today. :)

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[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2014-03-17 10:45 ]

O.K T.T!
I just posted the first thing that inspired this. Note that in this example (the drink Menu" the monkey's are just sorta messing with the type and menu layout. However, we can think beyond this too. We need to create a "story" about them all. The "See no evil..." etc. Monkeys will just be a few of the "tribe. I want to get some mermaids into this...like the monkey's are kinna "naughty" (within reason for a family joint)...flirting with the mermaids and stuff and trying to win their attention. Should their be girl Monkey's too?
Maybe they live on a little Island where Damon's is perched? Maybe Damon's is like the "lodge hut" that hosts all the craziness. Let's think this a bit....I need to have a story that can build like a story book so when I do the coloring book we have this "world" believable in our minds. This is how we do it in the Entertainment Industry that I work...we start with a story...and we eventually "live" in the story with all the characters. Let go and have fun...this is what is called "BLUE SKY STAGE" so let the ideas flow! Everyone can express the idea how they want...keep and sketches SUPER loose...stick figures are fine! Or just describe it in words. ABOVE ALL...make this FUN

_________________

Best way to reach me for art or questions directly is this link:  https://www.facebook.com/tom.thordarson.3  
OR Search on Facebook for :  THOR ART

[ Edited by: THOR's  2014-03-17 10:46 ]

Here's some ideas:

• The monkeys preparing to shoot a monkey out of a giant slingshot for the Singapore Sling.

A monkey with a bouffant hairdo and glittery bell bottoms crooning into a tiki mug for the Blue Hawaii.

• A monkey wearing a "witch doctor" mask.

• A monkey in a barrel with his tail sticking out the bung hole, straining and pulling on it like he's trying to get himself out of it (the wrong way).

Edit for More ideas:

• Monkeys drawing cut of meat outlines on a cow (sirloin, rump roast, etc). Maybe they even label them, but spelled wrong.

• A monkey wearing a coconut shell on his head with his eyes looking out two of the coconut "holes."

• A monkey dressed as a toreador in front of a less-than-interested cow, maybe with the sheet tied to his tail with a bullseye on it.

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[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2014-03-17 10:54 ]

[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2014-03-17 10:57 ]

AWESOME!!!!! I will read all these more closely when I get home from work!! GREAT STUFF!!! ~~~THOR

We're cross-posting. :)

OK, what if there's a main monkey (we'll call him Damon) that is easily recognizable, along with a couple other supporting characters that are also identifiable? Maybe one has an eyepatch, or another has funny hair or is a gorilla. They each have different personalities so their actions through your the menu are guided by. For example, Damon could always be up to mischief, like tying things to the other monkey's tails.

Scene: a restaurant in a treehouse on an island, for mermaid interaction.

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[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2014-03-17 11:06 ]

More ideas:

• Monkey is sitting on a rock coming out if the water. Mermaid is half out if the water with her head propped in her hands looking up at him adoringly. He's playing the ukulele, maybe strumming it with his tail.

• I keep thinking of the monkeys doing something with their tails, such as holding a palm frond over their heads as an umbrella or maybe holding a tiki mug.

Should their be an antagonist of some type that the monkeys are working against? Maybe a big game hunter type? I imagine him like the safari guy in Jumanji, with the pith helmet and monocle and his giant elephant gun. To keep the implied violence down maybe he has a fishnet and he's always trying to catch the mermaid?

Note: I'm bed bound with back pain and a little loopy on prescription painkillers, so I apologize if I'm rambling or incoherent. :wink:

Just as a refresher...here's a few of the rum paintings I did for the Damon's Christmas party raffle two yrs ago. I may re-draw these as well. These have rum tone on them...I am going to keep this other stuff more line work for now.

~~THOR

Take your favorite scenes from movies and replace the actors with Monkeys
like that slow motion walking scene from "Reservoir Dogs" with Mr. White, Orange, Blond etc
dressed in black suits & ray-bans.

007 Monkey, 2001 Monkeys etc.

How about a mischievous monkey hiding the rum for his own use?
A monkey creating flaming drinks would be cute too.

ERNIE!!!!!! U are responsible for me losing my sprite through my nose today when I looked at this. Sooooooo good!!

This is sure a fun thread. Wendy

What a fun idea. I remember those themed restaurants well from my childhood.

I can picture a cheeky little monkey, laying on a palm tree, making kissy faces at a mermaid, but using his tail to life some treasure from behind her.

Or perhaps wooing a mermaid with pearls hanging from his tail?

A silly monkey floating around in the ocean in an open barrel of rum, cocktail in hand and sharks circling around him?

Can't wait to see what else you come up with. The ones you did on the table card are great.

• Dale

So many awesome ideas!!! I will likely get to drawing these up this weekend! Really fun !!!

Hey Thor man,
What a great gig to get! Congrats!
How about doing a table tent as well, One that has the Monkey and or Mermaid that pops
out of the top.
To do this you could cut out a monkey and glue to the back popping out of the top of said tent.
Or have monkey over lap the fold in tent and cut out just half of the design with a razor knife.
See here...
https://www.google.com/search?q=table+tent&rlz=1C2EODB_enUS533US533&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=M7MpU6P3D6K6yQHXwoGQDA&ved=0CEMQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=653#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=GkYuLTOzUQZX3M%253A%3BeYMpnHFcMW0RLM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-Vcv8uuR4Lpg%252FTkqllPLiUpI%252FAAAAAAAAAmM%252F795T40r9fpc%252Fs1600%252Ftable%252Bstanchion%252B1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.twocaterers.com%252F2012%252F03%252Fplant-those-table-tents.html%3B400%3B400

Also I used to have holiday menus made for some of the holidays.
I would give these out as our carry out menus as well as the ones used in store.
We made them with card stock so the cost was not that high.
Don't know if you can use these ideas or not but good luck!

The Monkeys look great and you are off to a good start.

SUPER ideas!!! DAMN! I will be on this this weekend! I am just offering to draw up the current menu as it is….but I am SURE the Managers would be open to more ideas on the tent menu's and more!! This will start he snowball. I am really happy to hear that others share my nostalgia for the themed restaurants and their "mascots" in the 70's. As a kid…it was what made me and my Sister beg to go to certain restaurants in California, during vacations or trips to Disneyland or just a special Friday or Saturday family dinner out. Oh…I remember Anderson's Split Pea Restaurant !! The two guys making the soup..one with a hammer and other skinny character holding the chisel to split the peas!! lol!

I think the Story of the Damon's monkeys has been long awaiting its full "birth" and release of magic! I really appreciate the help!! This makes it really fun for me!

Thor, I finally made it to Damon's and I really loved your menu art. I bought one of the mugs you designed too.
There needs to be more tiki steakhouses. Wow, the food was much better than I expected! Our waitress was really nice too.