Five for Silver
Posted on December 3rd, 2013
Five for Silver, watercolor by Amy Crook
Tuesday seems like a good day for some crows flying through the gloaming. The moon has risen early, gibbous and pale above the evergreens. Soft clouds curl and five black birds fade ghostlike into the shimmering twilight sky.
This is a mix of very different paints that all fall under “watercolor,” with the trees done in pine-scented Christmas paint, the sky textured layers of shimmering Iridescent Moonstone, the moon made of opaque Japanese watercolor, and the birds a translucent black.
Five for Silver, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Five for Silver, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of the delicate shimmer on the sky, and the painterly brush strokes in the trees and birds. Below, I have it temporarily matted into a frame so you can get a feel for the unusual size.
Five for Silver, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crow, horizons, iridescent, moon, more cowbell, nfs, sold, tree, watercolor
Cthonian Skies
Posted on December 2nd, 2013
Cthonian Skies by Amy Crook
The Floating Gallery has touched down for December, and I thought I’d start your Monday off strangely.
The swampy greens in this strange sky are laced with shimmering iridescence. The moon shimmers darkly beneath spirals of gold, and strange salt-formation stars radiate yet more gold into the gloomy mists of night. Perhaps this is what Cthulhu saw in his native skies, or what he sees now in the slice of reality he occupies as he slumbers deep beneath the waves — beautiful, maddening dreams of a night that never was.
Cthonian Skies, 5.5″x8.5″ pen & ink, salt, watercolor, and iridescent watercolor on acid-free embossed paper.
Cthonian Skies, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sunlight making long shadows from the salt crystal stars, and the textures of paper and paint interacting. Below, it’s loosely attached to a frame for size. The final product will be properly matted and framed for shipping, to protect the nifty salty bits.
Cthonian Skies, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: for sale, gold, green, iridescent watercolor, lovecraft, moon, more cowbell, pen and ink, salt, spirals, watercolor
I won, yay!
Posted on November 27th, 2013
So, this happened on Monday, and then I forgot to tell you about it:
Winner!
I’m still writing (60K+ now, and I still have today’s words to go), but I wanted to celebrate with you guys, who have been very patient with my forays away from art and into writing. And to encourage all of you who are also doing NaNoWriMo this year.
Keep writing, it’s not over ’til it’s over!
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: nanowrimo
NaNoWriMo and Things
Posted on November 21st, 2013
Fairy Flower, inks by Amy Crook
I’ve been sadly neglecting the blog during November, but I’m doing wonderfully at NaNoWriMo, and that’s where all my words are going. I’ve started the sequel to The Courtship of Julian St. Albans, and I’m writing Julian’s book to follow up Alex’s.
In the first book, Alex gives Julian some magical plants, among them something I made up called fairy flowers, which attract butterfly fairies. They show up again in The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans, and so I decided to draw them. Assuming the coloring goes well, I’ll use them on the cover like I did with Horace.
I still need to color the image, but I thought you’d like to know where I’d wandered off to. So, at 47K+ words and 9 days to go, here’s a little something to tide you over.
And yes, I’m getting (some) art done for the Floating Gallery, too.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: nanowrimo
He Knows if You’ve Been Bad or Good
Posted on November 15th, 2013
He Knows if You’ve Been Bad or Good,
a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook
I’m still hard at writing with NaNoWriMo, but yesterday’s card demanded a companion.
Mycroft Holmes is Santa Claus. It makes perfect sense, in a creepy sort of way, he’s already got Minions to do the work and everything. I’m especially partial to the candy cane striped tie, an everyday acknowledgement of his very special secret role. Even more powerful than being the British Government, sort of!
He Knows if You’ve Been Bad or Good, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. Buy this as a holiday card at my Etsy shop!
two Sherlock holiday cards and a spooky pen made of bone
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: christmas, copic marker, etsy, holiday, john watson, nfs, parody, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sold, watson
Secret Santa
Posted on November 14th, 2013
Secret Santa, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook
Despite NaNoWriMo taking over my brain, the holiday cards continue to trickle out of my pens! This one ended up inspiring tomorrow’s comic, in the way that these things do.
It’s Christmas morning at 221B Baker Street, and John’s a bit mystified by the extra gifts that have appeared under the tree overnight from “Santa.” Sherlock is merely disgusted that Mycroft can’t seem to keep his fingers out of Sherlock’s life for one single holiday.
Secret Santa, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. Buy this as a holiday card at my Etsy shop!
two Sherlock holiday cards and a spooky pen made of bone
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: christmas, copic marker, etsy, holiday, john watson, nfs, parody, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sold, watson
Misty Moon 2
Posted on November 8th, 2013
Misty Moon 2 by Amy Crook
A black crow flies against the darkest part of the sky, while mist swirls and floats all around, obscuring the shining moon. The mist drifts in wispy tentacles that light up into spirals when the light hits them just right.
Misty Moon 2, 6″x4″ watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Misty Moon 2, detail, by Amy Crook
The scanner captures the painting in an in-between state, but you can see above how the stars light up violet and the mist glows blue when the sun hits it. Below, the painting in its frame appears more like it does to the naked eye, with the shimmering spirals hidden, and only the slithering tentacles of mist show through.
Misty Moon 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: crow, fairytale sky, iridescent, moon, nfs, sold, watercolor
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