Happy Tiki by the Waves

All Smiles

A happy tiki enjoys the beach and the nearby waves as the sun sets behind him.

A happy tiki enjoys the beach and the nearby waves as the sun sets behind him. Of course, he probably wishes he weren’t firmly planted in the sand so that he could move over and be cooled off by those waves behind him. But he is just out of the reach of high tide. Still, he is just happy to be there.

I have been thinking lately about doing some more tiki drawings for Steve’s Sketchbook, and so I decided to stop thinking about it and start doing it. What you see here is the first result of that.

I had at first been happy with an earlier tiki that I drew a while back. But recently I have thought about trying a different style. This drawing really started out as just an experiment in that style. But I liked it so much that I decided to finish it out as a completed drawing.

Also, what you see here is the second attempt at a background. I liked the first attempt pretty well, but it looked similar to some of what I have done before. So instead, I decided to go with this slightly impressionistic beach scene. Maybe you can’t exactly tell that those are big waves in the ocean behind the sand that the tiki is sitting on, but that is what they are meant to represent. Plus, the sky is much more textured and unreal than what I have done in the past, but I liked this different look, too. However, I did save that first background attempt, and I just might use it for something else in the future, although right now I have no idea what that might be.

Happy Where You Are

As I mentioned above, while this tiki might want to be in the waves, he is happy where he is. That is often a reminder to me to be content with what I have.

As I write this, that major internet retailer is having its big sale days with all kinds of offers on things that you just can’t live without! Hurry and get them all now!

Except, of course, that you can live without them. Having a good life is not always about having the newest thing. Having a good life is often about being happy with what you have. That is often a conscious choice that we have to make. It takes willpower, discipline, and self-control to be content sometimes, especially when we are being bombarded by ads and emails and such.

Choose to be like this tiki and be happy right where you are.

Bible Verse

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. - Colossians 3:2

About the Artwork

This artwork was a test of colors, light, and shadows. I wanted to blend the different colors, such as the red and orange tones on the tiki’s face, and also include highlights and shadows, but in a different way than what I have done before. It took several tries to make it all look like I wanted to, but it was fun to experiment and see the results, and then erase it and try again. I think I almost did more erasing than drawing and painting in this one. But it was worth it.

Also, as I mentioned above, the background is a bit different from my normal stuff, too. I spent some time watching the waves break while we were at Cocoa Beach a few weeks ago, and I wanted to capture that here in some way. This captures more of the feeling of breaking waves than an exact photo realistic representation of breaking waves. It was a nice departure from what I have done in the past.

As usual, all of this was created using the Procreate app on my iPad, drawing with an Apple Pencil, in case you were curious.


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About Burnsland
Burnsland is Steve Burns, with generous help from his lovely wife Laura. Steve is a husband, father, photographer, webmaster, writer, podcaster, artist, Christian. Steve enjoys sharing his photography, art, and stories through Burnsland.com, from the Burnsland World Headquarters in Tennessee.