August Tiki of the Month

The August Tiki of the Month looks a bit different than some of the recent tikis of the month, but that is okay, because he does not mind being different.

While some of the past tikis have been happy and fun, this one looks a bit more serious. He has a different purpose, as he is left to guard the tiki home while the others are out having fun. So now I am interested in knowing what this tiki home looks like. A future project, perhaps?

Getting Out of the Rut

I can easily get in a rut, feeling comfortable doing the same things, or similar things, over and over again. Sometimes I have to push myself to be uncomfortable, which is not always easy to do.

But while it might not be easy, getting out of your comfort zone is often worthwhile. You do not grow and change by doing the same things all the time. You grow and change by trying new things. You might not always succeed at those new things, but if you do not, you can just move on to the next new thing.

Also, you do not have to give up the old things completely, especially if they still have value. As an example, you will probably see a familiar-looking tiki again here (are they the same guy, or are they all relatives?), but hopefully, you will see others, too.

Push yourself. Get a little uncomfortable. And grow as you do.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. - Hebrews 11:8

About the Artwork

When I started this drawing, I had no idea of what it would be, or that it would even be a tiki. I drew an oval, and then I decided to make it a face:

I liked how that turned out, thinking that this might be the start of a new tiki. I duplicated the layer and resized it to give room to add a body:

I was happy with that design, so I started making a color version, making everything just a bit more symmetrical. Except that he lost his teeth to make him look a little less threatening.

For colors, I used shades of brown exclusively. But then I decided that his eyes needed to stand out a bit, so I used a blue gradient for those. I also used brown tones n the background patterns, which were made by drawing one side and then duplicating and mirroring it to the other side.

And as always, all of this was done digitally on my iPad using the Procreate app and an Apple Pencil.