Art Swap 2025 - Tiki Pendants

5/26 - Official Swap Rules - Artists create an work of Tiki art. Can be any media; clay, wood, paint, fabric, beads, digital, metal, glass, mixed media, etc. The intent is for this to be an original "one-off" work of art, not part of a mass produced run. If it is created from an existing mold it should be heavily modified. Digital art or screen prints should be printed on a nice substrate, not just ink jet printed on a piece of art pad paper. You must post a picture of your finished piece by the deadline in order to be included in the drawing, anyone who does not show evidence of a finished project will not be included in the name drawing. Drawing will take place the morning of Sunday 7/21/2023. Names will be drawn at random and paired together, these people will swap art. Remember that you will probably ship your art to your partner, don't make anything so large or heavy that it cannot be shipped cost effectively (We have even had non-US Swappers) If you are not an established Swapper and/or established TC member, I will ask for real name and cell phone number so we have a solid contact in the event of a problem. Most of all, have fun and interact with some fellow TC folks.

Hamo reminded me again it's time for an ART SWAP!!!!!

Tiki Oasis is August 6-10 this year. If we are going to have the Swap wrapped up on time to accommodate anyone who will swap in person at TO, we'll need to end the Swap and have the drawing on Sunday July 27th. That's 9 weeks from now!!!

We can entertain ideas for a theme, or we can just leave it as TIKI

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2025-05-26 07:12:36 ]

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2025-05-26 07:17:29 ]

Google AI actually got it mostly right LOL

Yes, Tiki Central hosts art swaps, primarily within their "Other Crafts" forum. Here's a breakdown of how their art swaps generally work: Theme or Open: Swaps may have a specific theme (e.g., "Witco" or "Stephen Crane") or be open to any Tiki-related art.
Original Artwork: Participants create an original piece of Tiki art, not a mass-produced item. Various Media: Art can be in any medium, including clay, wood, paint, fabric, beads, digital, metal, glass, or mixed media.
Random Pairing: Participants are typically paired randomly for the swap.
Exchange: Once paired, participants send their art to their assigned partner and receive a piece in return. Forum Participation: The entire process, from sign-up to revealing the received art, takes place within the Tiki Central forums.

You know I can't resist doing these.

Here's my suggestion.

Everyone makes a tiki necklace. String some beads, some shells. Make a tiki out of clay or cardboard, paint it and hang it. Joanne's is 70% to 90% off right now. It would be fun seeing photos of each participant wearing their swapped necklace. We could go crazy with these.

Wendy

OOOOH, I like it!!!

I’m in, and Wendy that’s a cool idea.

I’m in, and Wendy that’s a cool idea.

Thank you, men. We watch survivor and many times we wished we owned the Immunity necklace that had a tiki on it. This would be a chance to have. It could even hang on a wall.

So many cool media that pendants can be made of, something for everyone! *Polymer Clay (Sculpty) - Comes in lots of colors, easy to model, can be made to look like stone, bakes to a hard finish in your home oven. Tons of YouTube tutorial videos available.
*Wood - A pendant is small enough you can collect a branch off a local tree. Oak, Mesquite, Ironwood, Walnut, etc.
*Bone - You can get a decent size chunk of cleaned cow femur from the big box pet supply stores
*Epoxy Resin - Make a mold and cast it Or set little shells and pebbles in a mold to create a scene
*Epoxy Putty - I haven't tried this but it looks like fun
*Ceramic Clay - If you have access to a kiln
*Glass Beads - Remember BeadTiki used to make designs out colored beads strung together
*Paint - Not a carver or sculptor? Paint a miniature scene on a small wooden plaque like a slice of a tree limb.
*Embroidery/Needlepoint - maybe embroidered fabric fixed on a pendant base with epoxy resin or maybe ModgePodge. Sounds like something for SewTiki
*Metal work - cast, engraved, scrollwork...
*3D Printer - Lots of models available to use as a base for a pendant. Jade tiles, Boar Tusks, Sharks Teeth, Deep Sea Dive Helmets... Paint them nicely and create a braided cord.
*Sea Shells - I've seen some amazing engraving done with a Dremel on shells
*Stone - Paipo, Benzart (RIP), and Queen Kamehameha have all done some cool work with jade and other stones.

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2025-05-22 17:08:09 ]

AlohaStation
BlackWater
[@Caren Silveira]
CY
[@DavidRay]
Dray1218
Hang10Tiki
[@John Markovich]
Joshua Bell
Little Lost Tiki
LoriLovesTiki
MaukaHale
TikiG
TikiAno
TU
Will Carve

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2025-05-22 17:31:12 ]

Since one of the key points of the Swap has been to finish by Oasis, what if this year's theme was something like "25 Years of Tiki Oasis"? Past TO themes, art, symposiums, bands, room parties, etc., could be inspiration, but it could also still be as broad as "tiki". Plenty of variety for Swappers.

Mad Dog thanks for the FB reminder- I'm in... though I do miss the "theme" swaps of years' ago... well, except maybe the Disney one (lol). Was always fun to see what direction everyone went in and how each person interpreted the theme....

Just one opinion but looking forward to participating. Thanks for taking the helm again, Mad Dog!

A necklace? Ok But it might weigh 45 lbs

lol

Wife wants to jump in

Sew a necklace

Hmmm 🤔

[ Edited by hang10tiki on 2025-05-24 15:25:26 ]

Well, it's really fun to see all of Mike's suggestions on how to accomplish a necklace. That's impressive. Time to figure it out. Cheers to a fun time. Wendy

I got a good start today! Think velvet painting tiki necklace. That's one MDM missed!!!

hang10tiki I would get a wheelbarrow and make it work.

Hi everyone. I haven't done an art swap in a long time but I think I can finish a pendant or necklace by the deadline. I won't be going to tiki oasis, though. I hope that's ok. Please let me know if I can join!

Let's make it official - Tiki Pendant Art Swap!
pennjones great to have you back. Of course you're welcome to join.
hang10tiki I hoped this might entice SewTiki to join in
Go danlovestikis, go!!!
Hamo, did I hear a rumor that you would be at Tiki Oasis this year?
I'll make a seperate post with the official rules

Haha, I edited and removed my line that mentioned that Hang10's necklace might definitely hurt my neck and back.... ya beat me to it!

Are we still themeless? Without a theme?

TikiAno the theme is Tiki!!! Personally, I like traditional tikis.

Or what do you suggest?

MadDogMike you are off and running with great suggestions.

The theme is Tiki Pendants ;)

Sounds fun, but I'm in the middle of a house move so unlikely I'll have time to participate. You never know, though!

Best wishes Joshua, good to hear from you

The rumors are true—or that one, least. I will be back at Oasis this year. Probably not swapping, however.

Hamo, I hope to catch you on Saturday at Oasis!!!

We are not going to Oasis this year. Sorry to miss all of you, but have a great time.

I have started on my necklace. The main portion will be a black velvet painting. The part that goes around the neck is a shell necklace that has already been made. A shortcut for that part so I will work harder on the part that hangs from it.

The tiki I will use as inspiration comes from Tahiti and is in Dan's collection. These photos show how I found the tiki. Got the black velvet stretched and sewn onto foam board to fit a photo I printed.

It's time to get cracken'. Is that the word? Cheers, Wendy

[ Edited by danlovestikis on 2025-06-01 10:53:40 ]

Go Wendy! First out of the starting blocks!
I have some plans formulating. I have been making Tiki pendants for sale on Etsy so I'm kinda in a pendant mode.

I'm working on a pendant project that may be one of several I offer.

A 3D print can be something as simple as downloading a model of a toy boat and pushing the button to print. Or is can be much more complex. I'll walk you through the steps as I create a Jade Tile in a Bamboo Frame pendant

I was able to find a model of a Jade Tile for download. I don't know if someone scanned an actual tile or if they digitally created this from scratch. As of yet, I an unable to perform either of those tasks. I was also able to download a segment of bamboo

I added 7 more segments of bamboo, scaled them to proper size, joined them together to make a frame. Now I have a frame and the tile but they are separate pieces.

I have a similar pendant that I made for myself. I printed the frame and the tile separately and then lashed them together to hold the tile inside the frame. But because of the negative space between the tile and the frame, it was difficult to lash it together and keep the tile in the center of frame. They say "work smarter, not harder", so I added some pieces to attach the tile to the frame. These will keep the tile centered and will be covered by the lashing.

Now to print

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2025-06-01 14:19:54 ]

Took about 75 minutes to print. 3 1/4 inches on each side

The bottom has supports that need to be pulled and/or cut off then sanded smooth.

It can only print in one color, I chose green. Painted the bamboo frame yellow ocher then dry brushed with some medium brown. Painted the struts/supports between the tile and the frame black so they will blend in with the black cord lashing that comes next.

Wow MadDogMike, I love the detail. Makes me want a 3D printer. This is a really cool project. Go Dog Go!

Thank you Wendy. 3D printers are definitely fun, I run mine pretty much daily printing something.
Lashing is done including a hanging loop, up next is a good coat of clear epoxy.

Love it. Your necklace will not weigh 45 pounds like hang10tikis!

======================== I have begun the black velvet painting that will hang from the shell necklace. I use a spike to give it wood texture. I also ordered some thread and needles just in case I need them for this project.

Wendy that looks amazing!

A little more progress on my Jade Tile Pendant.
Hung it on a rack outside and coated it with clear epoxy.

The epoxy makes it glossy, protects the paint, and locks the knots on the lashing

Next, some sort of cord.

MadDogMike we are in a race to the finish!!!

Painting. Many areas are just the first layers.

I started a new pendant, A Tiki Central edition Boar Tusks

I downloaded a boar tusk model from a scan of an actual set of tusk. But it was in 2 halves

So I trimmed, rotated, and joined the two pieces into one

I needed a hanging loop so I made a sphere and sliced off the top

Deleted the bottom chunk and added a ring

Took about 90 minutes to print with ivory colored filament.

Cut, pulled, and sanded the supports off the bottom. Wet sanded the tusks with 600 grit sandpaper, super glued the hanging loop on.

Aged the tusks with a wash of Yellow Ocher and a medium brown. Painted a band of brown where the jute wrapping will go so that white tusk won't show through the wrapping.

Wrapped the tusks in jute cord and added "TC" in some green and black glass beads

Up next, some clear epoxy

I plan to make several pendants because they are so much fun. My Swap partner can choose which one (or ones) they want.

#1 - Jade Tile with Bamboo Frame is done. I added a black paracord with double sliding lanyard knots so it is adjustable but I may put a better cord on it later.

Did a quick #3 - Hornbill Skull. I found a website that will let you upload a photo and it converts it to a 3D model through some sort of AI sorcery. I uploaded this photo of the skull of a Blyth's or Papuan Hornbill

It gave me this 3D model!

Took 7 hours to print with ivory colored filament

Antiqued with some acrylic paint.

The Huli warriors of Papua New Guinea wear these, but on their backs instead of their chests.

OK, I'm not sure anyone needs one of these but I'll include it LOL

You have made this super fun. I love the technique of painting under the cord. Now I need a chord project to use it.

MadDogMike you said one or more. Greed is a wonderful trait to have when swapping!

=======================================================

Doing the highlights to make the tiki more 3D.

Next, I will make it a necklace and then add some fun Tahitian words. Stay tuned!

Wendy, I love the colors and the depth you get.
#2 finished - Boar Tusk Pendant, Tiki Central Edition.

MadDogMike, all of the necklaces you have made are wonderful. You are creating magic!

Next I turned the black velvet painting into a necklace. I added shells at the bottom. I'm not done. There's more to do to complete this project.

The last steps for the Tahitian necklace for the Tiki Central 2025 Summer Swap.

I wanted a reference to Tiki Oasis on the piece. I asked AI to help and this is how it went.

Dan's my model to show how the piece looks finished.

I hope you all like it. Time to start my next wish list painting. Cheers, Wendy

That looks amazing Wendy! The vibrant colors! And that tiny writing!! I know youre a few yearsyounger that me 😉 but your eyesight and hand steadiness are incredible!!!❤️

MadDogMike I'm a few years older than you! Thank you. Did you notice Dan's hat in the photo? You made it for a past Swap.

"Hat" LOL, yes I did :D I still have another gourd to make a lamp from one of these days

Cool.

Finished up #3 - Papuan Hornbill Skull. Added a little red, coated in clear epoxy, tied an adjusting cord and clipped on some removable feather clips

Holy cow, just checking in to see what’s going on, you guys are on fire. Amazing.

I might do a couple as well, as they don’t take quite as long as a regular carving. The first one is rather large. Just have to figure out the necklace part but here’s number 1

Looks great! Go big or go home!