Feb
27
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Tonight I’m posting an example of a work in progress of this Goth kid I did for practice a while back. The transition where he goes pale is where I used a tiny bit of liquify for the hair, jawline, jacket and some very small tweaks when I desaturated his face, but 95% of the work was done with the standard warp tool.
I received an email from Janet Wozniak yesterday with images of Steve Wozniak of Apple fame for a caricature that I am about to start on tomorrow so that will be coming soon. I’ve been wanting to caricature Steve for quite some time so this should be lots of fun.
Below is the original source image for the Goth kid.
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Feb
22
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I’m making a post at the request of many people who want to know my process of manipulating a caricature. This is a very quick animated gif of the process I used on this particular caricature. My methods have since changed and there are some steps left out here because they weren’t retained in the original PSD. I am planning to record my entire process at full resolution, step by step in a time lapse video from blank canvas to finished product very soon. I’m ready to get started on the project now and want to get it up on my YouTube Channel as soon as possible, so I need to download what ever software I need to record this. Does anyone out there have any suggestions on software? My main concern is the quality of the image and the detail. I would love this to be in HD. The original post for this caricature including the source image is below. Maybe can help.
Original post with full resolution final product.
Tonight I have Steven Spielberg for you. I used this same image in a photo manipulation before but it wasn’t a caricature. It’s a great image although he is missing the top of his head, but that’s easy enough to fix. I’ve posted that image below for comparison. Spielberg is a great subject and I really enjoyed this caricature. Glasses are always a bit of a challenge when doing photo-manipulated caricatures but I think this one came out ok. I’m not sure about the background. I may change that later. I was in a rush to get it finished before it got too late. Hope you like it.
Original source imege below:
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Feb
20
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Hello friends. I’m back behind my computer again and doing well. Thanks to all of you who have shown me so much support and well wishes over the past week or so. A big thanks also to for assisting me in keeping things alive while I was ill and recovering from minor surgery. I had to have something to show for when I returned so I did a quick study of Pope Benedict XVI. Bigger and better things coming real soon!
For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ll give you a brief overview. I have suffered from severe anxiety and depression for quite some time. I’ve only told a hand full of people about my struggles and those who know don’t know nearly the extent of my battles. I’ve chosen not to say anything to anyone on the web these last couple of years because I have been and still am on disability. Not because I’m ashamed of it because I’m certainly not. When I set out to make a name for myself as an artist which by the way has been my life long dream, I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me or doing any favors for me because of a “disability”. I wanted to make it on my own by the quality of my work, not sympathy. Very few people know of my story and even fewer know that it has been a 20 plus year battle. I’m not going to go into great detail, because I am making a video telling my story soon which I hope can help someone out there dealing with the same or similar issues.
I have been over the years been diagnosed with Panic Disorder, Clinical Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and at my worst Bipolar and Agoraphobia. I lived a life of hopelessness for many years and seldom got out of my bed. The good news is that after laying my art down for over 20 years, the passion that I once had for art as a young man and the desire to become an illustrator returned. Most of you know that story from interviews but I’ll be talking more about that in the near future. Bottom line, art saved my life. It has given me purpose and joy for the fist time in my life.
I am enjoying a level of notoriety and acceptance in the art world that I only dreamed of as a child. All of that is due to the tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement from FreakingNews.com to facebook, to Google+ and more. Thanks to all who have stuck by me through all of this and given me the encouragement to believe that I can make it, and thanks for appreciating the work that I love so much. A very special thanks to some dear friends I’ve made on Google+ and generally hangout with on a daily basis. Your kind words, support and love shown is greatly appreciated and has everything to do with my recovery. I also want to thank a bunch of folks that sometimes get a bad rap for being facebook members. I have over 7,000 friends on facebook and have received overwhelming support and love from many of those friends. Say what you want about facebook but I received over 700 Birthday wishes from there alone. I appreciate everyone of you. No I didn’t forget my wife Lydia. She has seen me through hell and back many times and has always been faithful, loving and always there for me. Sorry I can’t name everyone. There are so many. I’m a lucky man.
All of this to say in short that I am back. I’m doing better, my spirits are high, my future looks bright, the inspiration is back and the fire is burning again. This will all make much more sense when I explain it in detail. I plan on releasing a video very soon and hopefully let some young folks out there know they are not alone and they don’t have to lose 20 years of their lives. They can get help now. I would like to thanks for going public with his story. It really helped me with this situation and has encouraged me to share my own story. It’s been a long, winding road but there’s a rainbow at the end. Follow your passion people, it can change your life!
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day and be inspired!
Feb
14
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Hello Friends and fans of Rodney Pike. I am his wife, Lydia. I wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for your kindness and support of Rodney over the past year or so. I don’t know if you all know it but Rodney suffers from severe anxiety and depression and until he stumbled up Freaking News recently, he had lost all hope of ever finding something he could do and feel good about, subsequently leaving him on disability. Since that time, he has done all these awesome images you’ve seen here and in his gallery. Rodney credits his art as having “saved his life.” His passion for what he does and so many new friends and fans who look forward to the next caricature, gave him something to get up for everyday.
Of course none of what you see in his gallery can be sold. They are only practice work and studies of technique. He can not sell it if he does not own the copyright on the original image. There are some that he has done for customers for in-kind trades or pro-bono for people who have helped him is extraordinary ways to publicize himself or have given him guidance along the way. There are some real commissions which he has been able to get money for – always a good thing and certainly helps pay for all the technology behind the work. It is Rodney’s dream that his work becomes so well known and sought after that he is able to make a living off of it and completely replace his disability income and health insurance. We all know that with time, this is entirely possible because his work is unique and extraordinary in so many ways. There is nothing like it out there.
Unfortunately, friends, Rodney’s dream may not come to pass. In fact, it is possible that you may not see anything new from Rodney for some time, if ever. Not that he does not want to. If anyone out there is familiar with Depression at any level, you know that when you get ‘kicked in the stomach” or someone continually attacks you emotionally, you loose the desire to do even those things that brought you joy. Rodney has been and is under constant emotional attack by his ex-wife. She has turned both of his children against him and despite our having provided much more support than the court would have required over the years, she continues to try to squeeze more and more money out of him. She knows that we do not have much and certainly have nothing to spare. But now, using his art social media and his blog against him, she noted he posted that he got some ‘commissions’ and she has accused him of being ‘under employed’ and wants more money.
Consequently, just the anticipation of yet another ugly court battle with that woman has Rodney emotionally paralyzed. Those who wonder why you have not heard from him, he is thinking of you all and speaks of you all, He wants to ‘Hang out” but can’t bring himself out of this melancholy state and he can not see beyond the doldrums. Needless to say he is artistically muted as well. It is all he can do to post previous work and maintain a slight presence on Google+, his blog and facebook. What this woman does not realize (or perhaps she does) is that in her attempts to get any extra money he may have the ability to make, she is effectively rendering him unable to do anything and he is ready to throw in the towel. She will benefit nothing, unless her goal is to destroy him completely.
Please be patient as Rodney works through this. Know that your words of encouragement and your continued support are being heard and appreciated. Let’s keep lifting him and encouraging in his art. The world needs humor. The world needs laughter. The world needs the unique art style of Rodney Pike. Let’s keep reminding him of that.
With kindest regards and sincerity,
Lydia C. Pike
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Feb
02
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I will be gone to New York City for the +HIRL or Hangout In Real Life with about 80 other friends. We will be doing live hangouts at Google+ so if you don’t have an account, you need to get one. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’ll meet many of the friends I’ve made at Google+ as well as one facebook friend. Lots of activities planned so this will be a real treetLook me up at on G+. See you next week!!
Goodnight all!!
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