Giving an old friend a DESPERATELY needed 'face-lift'!

 

The image that's been put up on the walls of at least 3 different versions of the Loydster's 'hobby-room-hide-out' over the decades! The '89 version of Michael Keaton's Dark Knight! STILL VERY cool, even all these years later! 

If, like me, some of you have had to do the whole 'long-term' storage - thing with stuff--- you'll know what it feels like to find something you've LONG treasured--- busted-up, damaged or in some other kind of mangled-up state! There's that almost 'sick' feeling, when you unwrap or unpack something---- and it's WRECKED!

In the case of the 'Batman '89' image--- a 'cut-out' that I've schlepped from one location to another for WELL over 25 years or so (the moving it around from place to place hasn't helped it much either!!)-- it's condition was pretty close to hopeless!

A few weeks back, I'd been shuffling some stuff in our storage unit around, and--- frankly-- deciding to sort through it and get rid of a sizable amount of it! I unpacked some of the larger 'cut-outs' and character stand-ups, to just check on how this latest stretch of 'long-term' storage was treating them! That's when I discovered exactly what kind of SORRY shape 'ol 'Bats was in!

Even though I'd been careful to nestle the 'cut-out' in-between other stand-ups and larger, more sturdier pieces of cardboard--- he'd somehow STILL managed to sustain some fairly serious damage! Check out the images below, to see just what SAD kind of shape the Caped Crusader was in!----

Previous stretches of time in storage, as well as just being banged-around in various moves over the years, had NOT been very kind to my MUCH-loved image of the Gotham Guardian! This latest stay in storage, REALLY did a number on the ears of his cowl! BOTH were badly cracked, the left one nearly broken completely off!
Also, check out the nearly quarter-inch-sized NAIL-HOLE, close to the top of the cowl! I haven't been very careful with how I've mounted this thing to the wall over the years, obviously!

 I carefully re-packed the other cut-outs and figures, and, with an equal amount of caution, gently placed the 'Keaton-cut-out' into the back of our van. I decided it was time to bring it (at least temporarily) home to our current digs, and at least TRY to do some R and R (restoration and Rehab) on it! 

This thing is almost like an old friend to me, and holds a LOT of sentimental value! (More on that shortly!), so--- the least I could do was ATTEMPT to do SOME sort of 'fix-up' on it! -----

After mulling over exactly what I wanted to do to 'restore' the 'cut-out' for a week or so---  I printed off a small copy of the image I'd snagged off the internet. Then, with some light gray acrylic paint & a toothpick, 'painted-in' the areas where light sources hit the Bat-suit. (along with the required 'Loydster-chicken-scratched notes', of COURSE!)

Why the 'mini-practice-painting'-session? Well---I decided to paint--- or 're-vamp' --- the suit itself in the image, with acrylic paints. Hopefully, I thought, the end-result would be this NEAT-O 'Andy Warhol / Roy Lichtenstein' - looking, almost 'hybrid' image! It would end-up, I hoped-- to be a 'Line-art' / painting / photo, all mixed together, to make it a REALLY- unique-looking piece of 'wall-art'!

I also sketched-out an idea for repairing the busted / cracked ears on the cowl. A simple fix there, really--- a couple of long paint-mixing sticks, glued over the cracks from behind. If this thing gets damaged in the future, it will NOT be the ears of the cowl that get busted!!! See below, to witness just WHAT I did to hide / repair those cracks / breaks on the image itself!

One of the long paint-mixing sticks, used to do the 'repair' on the 'cut-out's ears!

The 'cut-out', in the process of getting it's 'make-over'! Not only was I able to smooth-over (with just regular 'ol wall-repair spackling, no less!) those NASTY breaks / cracks in the ears, but I also managed to cover up the nearly DIME-SIZED hole, where nails and screws had been stuck through it over the years! In the (hopefully NEAR) future, I'll glue a 'picture-frame' hanging bracket on the back, near the top-- for safe, UNDAMAGING hanging / display purposes!
After the spackling set-up over night, I dived in--- with various sized brushes, going over the whole 'suit areas' of the image--- with LOTS of black and different shades of gray acrylics.

After around 3 days of thrashing away at this little 'rehab' project, I finally propped it up against the wall, here at the 'ol 'cracker-box'--- to scope-out my handy-work! 'WHEW'! I'm very glad and VERY much relieved to say..... I think it turned out alright!----

The now RESTORED, and-- yes-- now UNIQUE 'cut out' of  'Keaton-as-Bats'! Hopefully it will be on display SOON, in yet ANOTHER version of the 'Loydster-hobby-room-hide-out'!

As I was saying up above, this 'cut out' has become QUITE a sentimentally-valued item to me! My sister Lisa & her hubby, Brian--- somehow snagged it at a 'Suncoast Motion Picture Company' store--- (remember them??? If so, you're an old GEEZER like ME!) and gave it to me. That was, as I also related above-- well OVER 25 years ago! So, I was VERY happy that this 'restoration' effort turned out SO well! 

It's now back in storage--- THIS time VERY carefully packed in it's OWN 'storage container'! I plan on PROUDLY displaying it on one of the walls of my next (hopefully NEAR-future) 'Secret Sanctum & Crime-Fighting-Headquarters'!

Just a bit MORE evidence of my continued SHAMELESS GEEKY-NESS folks! (As if you REALLY needed any proof of that!) I just recently finished up a couple more 'custom T-shirts', complete with transfers ---that I printed-up right here at the 'Temporary-Ferrell-Supreme-Headquarters', on my handy-dandy printer / scanner!

There's just NOT enough cool merchandise featuring these two GREAT characters around these days! At least not the AFFORDABLE kind, anyway! So--- I simply did some cruising around online, found some NIFTY images and logos, blended them together (utilizing the EVER-so-useful 'Paint' program on my lap-top, as well as 'Word-pad' --for some additional lettering!) then printed the resulting images I cobbled up, onto some 'iron-on transfer' paper!------

The front of this one sports the 'Masked Rider of the plains', while the back quotes the opening narration of the old series! FUN stuff  INDEED! (AND-- yes, 'Fiery' is REALLY spelled like THAT!)

It's a bit hard to tell, with this kind-of-GRAINY  'cell-phone-taken' photo--- but the 'Black Beauty's head-lights, as well as some trim-areas around the image, were dabbed with a bit of GREEN acrylic! This being a GREEN T-shirt (that I'd picked up EXTREMELY cheap, of COURSE!)-- it just practically SCREAMED for this transfer to be created to slap onto it!

That's all for this month's installment of the 'Loydster's tour through his kingdom-of-absolute-NERDOM-without-shame'! See you NEXT time gang! Stay safe, sane and HAPPY!