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Keeping velvet tiki art alive...? TWO PIECES ARE WRAPPED! YEAH! |
Robb Hamel
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Mar 07, 2008
Posts: 1013
From: Ohio
|  Posted: 2008-04-30 1:23 pm Permalink
My next painting, titled "Kapu Cave" was for Hiphipahula. She commissioned it for her Tiki bar of the same name. It measures 24x36 and was one of the most difficult designs I've worked on in a while.
Hiphipa hula, on the other hand, was terrific to work with. I've been invited to Tiki Oasis and had a lot of questions about it. She spent an hour on the phone giving me helpful info (thanks Kelly!).
Below are my first thumbnails for the project.
Including two Tikis, a cave, a volcano, and flowers was a real challenge for me.
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4WDtiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 1729
From: Omao, Kauai
| Posted: 2008-04-30 1:42 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-04-28 07:56, Robb Hamel wrote:
The wonderful and helpful Tiki Lee's of Las Vegas offered me my second Tiki commission, though a tight deadline meant it would be the first to be completed: a limited series of four identical paintings that he would vend at the Tiki Farm Parking Lot Sale.
"Sleeping Sentinel" |
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I had the booth next to Tiki Lee, and got to see this fantastic painting in person.
Viva Velvet!
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Robb Hamel
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 07, 2008
Posts: 1013
From: Ohio
| Posted: 2008-05-01 05:59 am Permalink
The main goal of this painting was to present the cave in a mysterious way. I tried this simple and very direct way to convey that.
This thumbnail is what I emailed to Hiphipahula for approval. It is only about three inches across and didn't photograph well.
It was too simplistic, but the tikis and colors were approved.
[ This Message was edited by: Robb Hamel 2008-05-01 06:01 ]
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Sophista-tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 13, 2005
Posts: 1598
From: Seattle WA
| Posted: 2008-05-01 08:37 am Permalink
Bula Vinaka Robb,
I wanted to know if your sketch of the "Kapu cave" was done with pastels? (not the thumbnails, the color version ) and if so is that how you work out the pieces before painting on the velvet? thanks Dawn
[ This Message was edited by: Sophista-tiki 2008-05-01 08:37 ]
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Tiki Shark Art
Grand Member (6 years) 
Joined: Aug 31, 2006
Posts: 2771
From: The volcanic Big Island of Hawaii
| Posted: 2008-05-01 11:43 am Permalink
Yeah, looks like color pastels on black paper.
Very cool work. I really dig Sleeping Sentinel!
_________________
Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker
"Brad Parker creates lurid paintings that pull in influences from tiki, comics, and rock."
- Honolulu Magazine "The Best Of" 2012 Issue
www.tikishark.com
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Robb Hamel
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 07, 2008
Posts: 1013
From: Ohio
| Posted: 2008-05-01 4:13 pm Permalink
Thanks Shark and Sophista-tiki.
The sketch was only about 3x4 inches and done with colored pencils. I design on both white and black paper depending on what I need to work out - composition I mostly do on white, final design on black. Sometimes, the spirit strikes me and I do a sketch on black that I declare a final and go right to velvet.
Kapu Cave on the other hand, had a final sketch done on white:
The final painting, with a black base, would look radically different.
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harro
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Sep 05, 2005
Posts: 672
From: Australia / Argentina
| Posted: 2008-05-01 5:47 pm Permalink
GREAT to see the progress of this commission.
Theres a lotta steps involved before hitting the velvet eh!!
Great work, keep up these posts, very informative and interesting.
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Robb Hamel
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 07, 2008
Posts: 1013
From: Ohio
| Posted: 2008-05-02 3:30 pm Permalink
Here's the final painting. When drawing it onto the velvet, I sat lower than the painting so that I had to look up at it. This helped create a better sense of perspective. This doesn't show up as well in the photo, but the photo isn't three feet across!
I'm quite happy with the finished painting. The overall concept was the commissioners, and it was nice to have someone conceive the idea for me.
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GROG
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Jun 21, 2006
Posts: 6195
From: Tujunga
| Posted: 2008-05-02 7:28 pm Permalink
This turned out completely awesome. A+. Go to the head of the class.
Two semi-opposable thumbs up. GROG like. Kelly lucky woman to get such a nice poiece of art.
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little lost tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 12, 2006
Posts: 7460
From: Orange,CA-right near the Circle!
| Posted: 2008-05-02 7:36 pm Permalink
ZOINKS!
The Hipster gets all the good art!
Very Cool!
from concept to completion
you were in total control the whole time!
Hip-Hip-Hooray!
_________________
www.kenruzic.com will be up someday,REALLY!
I'm on FaceBook Too!Look me UP,folks!
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Tiki Lee's
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 23, 2003
Posts: 772
From: Las Vegas
| Posted: 2008-05-02 10:03 pm Permalink
I'm weeping right now...
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hiltiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 10, 2004
Posts: 2775
From: Reseda, calif.
| Posted: 2008-05-02 10:17 pm Permalink
WOW!
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Robb Hamel
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 07, 2008
Posts: 1013
From: Ohio
| Posted: 2008-05-03 6:43 pm Permalink
My current commission is for the MASTER OF THE VIBRACASTER, the mallet-man of the Tikiyaki Orchestra: Digitiki.
Digitiki asked for a painting of Pele the main mistress of lava. He sent me some reference material to show things that inspired him. I work best by making scribbly thumbnail sketches until I feel the idea is ready.
For two weeks, I worked on a SECRET commission that should be seen at the Hukilau while developing the Pele idea in my free time (the only free time I have to sketch is at red lights, lunch breaks, and when I'm the passenger in a car). These are those accumulated scribbles:
None of them impressed me except this scratchy 1 inch drawing:
It didn't look like much, but here's how it looked in my head:
I emailed the above 3x5 inch drawing to him for approval. He's made some good suggestions for improving it, and I'm working on a refined sketch tonight.
Last night, I did this quick sketch to get a feeling for what the inside of Pele's lair might be like:
I also did what I call a color wedge (an old Hollywood term) to test my paint's ability to work well in this painting. An ugly truth of velvet painting is that many colors turn to a muddy or grey on velvet, not brighter and more beautiful against a black background.
My sketches are very primitive because I budget time on a project like this and it doesn't pay to create ART... I just need to get enough of a feeling for what I'm doing that I feel confident in my my ability to create a beautiful final piece.
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harro
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Sep 05, 2005
Posts: 672
From: Australia / Argentina
| Posted: 2008-05-03 7:21 pm Permalink
WOW!!!! 
Thanks for heeding my request earlier in this thread and posting progress pics. I had no idea you would be so thorough and how informative and interesting it is to read about how a painting is created. Especially a commission where you are at the mercy of the wishes of your paying client, yet still want to express your artistic license.
I had no idea of the number of the preparative sketches you (and other artists must) do, but the results speak for themselves - amazing, amazing stuff.
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tikiskip
Grand Member (6 years)
Joined: Nov 26, 2005
Posts: 2092 | Posted: 2008-05-03 9:00 pm Permalink
Hey Robb,
These paintings are the best!!
Great work keep it up.
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