Midnight Sprout Bookmark
Posted on June 3rd, 2013
Midnight Sprout bookmark
by Amy Crook
It’s Bookmark Week! This is the time when I take things I’ve doodled onto scraps left over from cutting or tearing paper down to size, and sell them as bookmarks so anyone can have their own wee original bit of Amy art. My newsletter people got to see the bookmarks last week, so there’s a few that are already sold, but I’m starting the week with one that you can still take home.
This little sprout is struggling up in the moonlight, trying to make the most of its cold light. The paint is matte and darkly colored, but you can pick out the little sprout at the right angle. It’s like a secret!
Midnight Sprout bookmark, 2″x5″ watercolor on paper.
Midnight Sprout bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the sunlight illuminates the dark colors, so you can see the deep green and midnight blue, and even the little bits of detail and shadow on the sprout. Below, you can see it hanging out with a nearly-matching hardcover book, so you can get an idea of the size.
Midnight Sprout bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
(book not included, book happy in its current home)
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: bookmark, buy a bookmark, for sale, japanese watercolor
Sunday Round-Up & Sherlock Brush Sketch
Posted on June 2nd, 2013
this week started sketchy and then went all meticulous
I hope you all are having a lovely Sunday, it’s warm and sunny here (well, all right, when this posts it’ll be 3am and totally dark, but you get the idea). This week we started out on Monday with a sketchy crow, and then Tuesday a differently sketchy goldfish swum onto the scene. Wednesday I totally failed to tell you how to paint a goldfish but did show some nice shots of my background making process. Thursday I reminded you of the age-old internet adage: the orange ones are poison. Friday’s art was morbidly meticulous, and Saturday cheered us up with a somewhat belated eleventh Doctor.
Finally, we go back around to a brush-and-ink sketch of my favorite consulting detective and his cheekbones.
Sherlock brush and ink sketch by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sunday Round-Up
Tags: brush and ink, nfs, sherlock, sketch
Not That Late, Really
Posted on June 1st, 2013
Not That Late, Really, Doctor Who fan art by Amy Crook
Since I already had a few birthday cards for Doctor Who, I thought I’d go with Eleven’s seeming inability to do anything on time and do a belated one as well. I got the inks all done a couple of weeks ago, and then had to wait until my refill of TARDIS blue ink (I use a B18 Lazuli Copic marker for it) came in the mail. Those big blue boxes take a lot of coloring!
I find it rather fitting, anyway, that it took an extra week to get the art done, all things considered.
Not That Late, Really, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper, nfs (sold).
Not That Late, Really, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the Doctor’s little sheepish face, along with his spiffy new jacket. Below, you can see him in a frame, peeking out of his TARDIS and up at you.
Not That Late, Really, framed Doctor Who art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: copic marker, doctor who, etsy, nfs, pen and ink, sold
The Orange Ones Are Poison
Posted on May 30th, 2013
The Orange Ones Are Poison by Amy Crook, 10 in. x 8 in. Japanese watercolor on Japanese paper
The reference is, of course, from a ridiculous internet meme.
The original, in all its cat meme glory.
Above, you can see the image that inspired the caption, though I will admit I already had the silly yellow cat. Below, you can see a close up of his face and the bright orange-red “mouse’ toy by his head.
The Orange Ones Are Poison, detail, by Amy Crook
And finally, you can see it in a frame, next to a suspiciously orange octopus plushie. I recommend not eating the toy, just to be safe.
The Orange Ones Are Poison, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cat, for sale, japanese watercolor, meme, watercolor
How to Paint a Goldfish
Posted on May 29th, 2013
Except not really, since this is mostly about how the background came to be. But I thought you’d enjoy seeing some shots of yesterday’s art coming to life, anyway!
Categories: Daily Art, Works In Progress
Tags: how it happened, wordless weds
Goldfish
Posted on May 28th, 2013
Goldfish, watercolor by Amy Crook
Last Thursday I finally got around to tearing some big sheets of paper I had into smaller, more Amy-sized sheets. Then I just had to play with the results, so I asked a friend to pick a color, and she said gold.
After a bit of playing and a bit of waiting, I ended up with this very bright red-orange-yellow background. Then I flipped it over, and found a fish in the shapes. I used a dark red and my lovely duochrome orange-gold paint to bring out the shape of this little guy, just a few strokes of paint to make a fishy.
Goldfish, 10″x8″ Japanese watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover white paper.
Goldfish, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of the paint I used to put some of the gold in the goldfish. Below, the piece is sitting in a frame, and you can see how vibrant the colors really are.
Goldfish, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: duochrome, fish, for sale, orange, portfolio, watercolor
2 Comments »
One for Sorrow
Posted on May 27th, 2013
One for Sorrow by Amy Crook
I hope you’re enjoying your Memorial Day weekend! This little crow is painted with ink and watercolor on some soft Japanese “sketch” paper which warps the moment I look at it damply. It’s soft and nicely textured, but won’t stay flat to save my life. I like the crow, though, and the bits of rainbow oil-slick color in his feathers. The wrinkles in the paper form a sort of halo around him, little harbinger of sorrow that he is.
One for Sorrow, 10″x8″ Japanese watercolor and sumi-e ink on Japanese paper.
One for Sorrow, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the texture in the paper and the wibbly wobbly warping from the ink wash. I discounted his price a bit to account for the strange paper, and you can see below how it fits fine into a frame but still refuses to flatten out.
One for Sorrow, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crow, for sale, japanese watercolor, sumi-e ink
1 Comment »
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