Tiki in the Jungle From Steve's Sketchbook

Smiling At You

A smiling tiki sits in a remote jungle somewhere in the latest drawing from Steve’s Sketchbook.

Tiki things always remind me of tropical islands and beaches, which are things that I enjoy. So by extension, I enjoy tikis, too. Although I had drawn some tikis in the past, I had not drawn any for the Steve’s Sketchbook series. I decided it was time to correct that.

This angular guy appeared in my mind, and so he next appeared on my iPad. He is not based on anything besides just an idea that went through my mind. Apparently, my mind should have also added some arms and legs or something else to make him more than just a head. Maybe next time. Maybe I should do a whole tiki subseries. I will give that some thought.

About the Artwork

I used a style with no hard outlines for this, because I thought it was fitting. Yes, there are lines where they are necessary, but there is no outline around the entire figure itself. Sometimes I like that style, and sometimes I like the outline style. Perhaps you could say that several different styles make up “my style,” if I even have a style.

For the background, I started with drawing in a few palm trees, as you can see. But then I found several foliage brushes for the Procreate app, and I started using those. The vegetation on the ground and the leaves behind the palm trees were all created using those brushes. It almost feels like cheating in a way, but with those brushes I could make a much more lush background in a relatively short time. I had originally considered drawing a volcano in the background, but I ended up covering that space with leaves instead. Once again, maybe some other time.

Also, this tiki originally looked rather flat, aside from the wood carved lines in him. But a day or two after I first worked on it, I decided to add some strong sunlight on the left and shadows on the right. That made him look much more natural, as if he were actually there in the jungle and not just superimposed over it.

Just For Fun

Just so you know, I am definitely not into idol worship or anything like that. Tikis in the past have perhaps been idols, or just ancestors that someone wanted to remember. I just like them for the artistic aspect, however. And because they remind me of the beach. In my culture, they are just for fun.

Bible Verse

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." - Exodus 20:4-6