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Babalu - Lapatiki 3 - The way out is the way through |
Babalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 19, 2006
Posts: 2511
From: Lemon Grove
|  Posted: 2006-11-22 7:20 pm Permalink
I saw the post where artisans should open a new thread if they wish to post stuff on their work....so here's my start.
This is my first tiki. I am fast becoming a junkie with this new direction in art, and also working in this new medium. I could tell that I was beginning to sink the tiki needle deeper when I found myself playing hookie from work yesterday to work on this tiki.
Having just found this Site, I have yet to fully plunder it's archives...but, I have read up on Buzzy thread, and I must say that I would not be anywhere close to where I am on this project if it were not for his detailed analysis of his work. Thanks . The Buzzy. plainer works great!...good drawings are key....don't sink the chisel down further than you want to carve...got it. Right now, I only possess A few straight edged chisels from Home Depot...If I'm lucky, maybe Santa will throw some other tools down the chimney as he rounds the roof top...however, come to think about it, he might not....maybe I should just go buy them.
Anyway, great Site you all...wonderful work everywhere you look...it's like eating a different piece of chocolate every time I open a new thread.
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Bay Park Buzzy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 07, 2006
Posts: 3043
From: West Bay Park, San Diego, CA
| Posted: 2006-11-22 8:14 pm Permalink
Right on Babalu! Glad my observations could be of some help to you. That was the intent from the begining of my thread. I used that exact same HDepot set for at least my first 30 tikis or so. As my skills increased, so did my desire for new tools, but those will do a lot for you until you get more stuff.
You're off to a great start. Keep us appraised of you carving journeys; you never know, something you might say might help someone else later on. Thanks for sharing with the TC world and GOOD LUCK!
Buzzy
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Aaron's Akua
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 09, 2004
Posts: 1596
From: Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
| Posted: 2006-11-22 8:42 pm Permalink
Welcome, Babalu! I can tell you are an "attention to detail" guy. That tiki looks old & wise already and only half carved. Keep us posted as he progresses.
A-A
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"Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness."
-Pablo Picasso
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Babalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 19, 2006
Posts: 2511
From: Lemon Grove
| Posted: 2006-11-22 9:04 pm Permalink
Thanks guys...
One thing that helped me with the drawing part (many of you may already do this) was to find the center on the top of the log then draw two crossing lines that form 4 exact quarters (or close to it as possible) like a pie...then I drew straight lines down the log from these lines on the top of the log. One of the lines drawn in would be the center of the nose of the tiki. I measured horizontally between these 4 vertical lines to make sure I had the exact distance between them before I started to draw in the tiki. These 4 vertical lines, that now quartered out the log, made it much easier for me to judge distance and mimic line work from one quarter area to the next.
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congatiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 01, 2004
Posts: 2539
From: wisconsin northwoods
| Posted: 2006-11-23 04:37 am Permalink
welcome aboard babalu...nice first effort. It's addicting, make sure you have plenty of wood
sitting around.
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Babalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 19, 2006
Posts: 2511
From: Lemon Grove
| Posted: 2007-01-04 9:40 pm Permalink
Well, due to other work related obligations, I had to put off working on that 1st "green wood" tiki of mine for awhile, but I finally had some time and was able to work on it a little more over this last weekend. I also have a few nicer tools now...it sure makes a world of difference. I probably should have taken on a little less of a difficult design for my 1st one....those crossing limbs on this tiki pose an interesting relief scenario. Still, I think I can pull it off in the end. I'm am, however, going to have to put it on hold yet again for a little while as I need to dive into building a bamboo alter that needs to be done by Feb, 18th.
I mentioned in another post somewhere that my youngest daughter Nicky, or "Babalu Babe # 2" is getting married at the Bali Hai on 2/18, and that I was asked to put together an alter for the event. I was toying with a few designs in 2D, but it was putting this little 3D mock up model together that really helped me to settle in on a design that I liked. This little model shown is built to scale...1 inch = 1 foot. The alter will be 9.5 feet at it's highest point. This mock up model has also helped me to determine the amount of materials that I will need for the project.
I want the 2 side islands, or platforms, to have water features, foliage, cool lighting, and a 3' carved tiki on either side. thanks to 4WDTiki, I have a nice "dry" 6 footer to work with...I didn't want to cut it in half as I had a cool plan for it in it's 6' size, but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do...I will most likely back off on the difficulty of the design on these next 2 tiki's due to the time crunch I am under...I would imagine that my free time is pretty much spoken for for the next 6 weeks. I will make it to the next So. Cal. Chop Chop though...wouldn't miss that.
Cool thing on this alter is that it will serve 2 purposes...once the wedding is over, the alter is going to be turned into part of the back bar for the Babalu Lounge I would like to put together.
Babalu
[img]http://tikiroom.com/img/6025x459de39e.jpg[/img]
[img]http://tikiroom.com/img/6025x459de457.jpg[/img]
[img]http://tikiroom.com/img/6025x459de48b.jpg[/img]
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Bay Park Buzzy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 07, 2006
Posts: 3043
From: West Bay Park, San Diego, CA
| Posted: 2007-01-04 9:45 pm Permalink
I think you accidently hit "disable bbcode..."
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Babalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 19, 2006
Posts: 2511
From: Lemon Grove
| Posted: 2007-01-04 9:47 pm Permalink
Humm let me try to post these pictures again...
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4WDtiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 1973
From: Omao, Kauai
| Posted: 2007-01-05 05:53 am Permalink
umm, WOW! You don't mess around with simple projects.  That thing is gonna be sweet!
Glad to see you'll be at the next chop chop. You can get another log if you want, I'll have some extras.
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Benzart
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 09, 2004
Posts: 10397
From: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
| Posted: 2007-01-05 06:17 am Permalink
Big Welcome Babalu to Tiki Central, I Know we are gonna have a great fit. Looks like you are a Natural born tiki carver and looks like you are Already quite an Acomplished artist and the carving end will be a piece of cake. From the looks of your first tiki, youare going to move up quickly from beginner to advanced. Have fun and don't be afraid to ask questions.
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Babalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 19, 2006
Posts: 2511
From: Lemon Grove
| Posted: 2007-01-05 07:32 am Permalink
Thanks for the vote of confidence Gentlemen....
For kicks, I thought I would show you another long term project I'm slowly working on...."The Great Sea Hare Migration". It's not tiki, but it sure uses the ocean as a key element. All are hand built ceramic. The eventual goal is to build enough of them that I can migrate them up and down the coast of California to different beach locations....hopefully, the experience will turn into a fun little vacation for myself and all 3 of the Babalu Babes. Would be fun to see the Babalu Lounge travel with it huh...Might be tough to serve up a Cobra Spit Cocktail on some of these pubic beaches though.
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Bowana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 10, 2006
Posts: 1183
From: La Mesa, CA
| Posted: 2007-01-05 09:08 am Permalink
Whoa, those mer-hares are so surreal, Babalu! They look like they could go in a Beatrix Potter book. Is that La Jolla?
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Babalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 19, 2006
Posts: 2511
From: Lemon Grove
| Posted: 2007-01-17 07:46 am Permalink
Hey, sorry Tikiday...just realize your post...yep, that's LaJolla.
The alter/bar is now making some good head way. Just a note: I have learned a few good pointers by being thrust into the fire of this whole project. Bamboo is some tricky stuff...air is trapped between the "nodes" (I think that's what their called) in the bamboo poles. When you have drastic changes in temperature (it's 35 degree in San Diego right now - warms up during the day) the air expands in these trapped air spaces causing the bamboo to split with a bang! I've lost 8 sticks of 2" diameter so far. To solve the problem, I have had to drill a tiny hole in each section up the length of each stick...allowing the air to escape. The larger the diameter of bamboo pole stock, the worse the problem of this splitting occurring.
Ok, here's my current dilemma...I've reached a point where I have to order up the thatching for this project and I have narrowed it down to two different types (pictured below)...the problem is, I really like both looks. Anybody feel like offering up their opinion on which would be their choice? I'm really torn between the two.
Can't wait to get into the candy of this project...carving the 2 flanking tiki's. Plan to sink the first chisel at this weekends "O-Side Chop"...See you all there!
Babalu
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mieko
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 01, 2006
Posts: 532
From: San Diego
| Posted: 2007-01-17 11:08 am Permalink
I like the Fiji thatch personally, feels a bit more casual and tropical to me. I've never been too fond of the African thatch, it seems too angular and looking like it belongs at the Wild Animal Park. I also like plain palm tree thatch myself. 
See ya Saturday, can't wait to see the poles take shape.
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Paipo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 22, 2006
Posts: 1886
From: Aotearoa / NZ
| Posted: 2007-01-17 12:29 pm Permalink
Very cool stuff Babalu - I love the little A-frame model and the sea-hares. (tikis are great too, but I love seeing something different here!) They seem to sit very naturally in the places you've put them. You're obviously one of those fortunate types who can switch between various media at will.
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