Sherlock bookmark
Posted on October 15th, 2011
Sherlock bookmark by Amy Crook
This little scrap of paper is nice thick Arches cover black, and should stand up to being used as a bookmark, though I suspect the soft edges will get a bit softer over time. Basically I was tearing some 5″x5″ squares and I had this little 1″ strip left so I decided to draw a contemplative Sherlock.
Sherlock bookmark, 1″x5″ white gel pen and pencil on paper, nfs, sold.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: bookmark, gel pen, holmes, nfs, pencil, sherlock, sold
Five 3
Posted on October 14th, 2011
Five 3 by Amy Crook
I decided to do #3 horizontally when one of the salt pools didn’t take, instead spreading out into the paper for mysterious reasons. I added ink dots to depressions in both the wet and dry paper, and I love the way the blue-black ink spread throughout the damp spot. I like the way the stamped “canvas” texture in this paper really supports and informs the art that came to life on its surface.
Five 3, 3.5″x2.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (but available for trading!).
The canvas-like texture of this card is really evident here, and the way the water and salt distorted it in the lower left where the salt pool didn’t properly form.
Five 3, detail, by Amy Crook
If you’re an artist who makes ATCs of your own, and are coveting this one, let me know!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, atc, five series, pen and ink, salt
Five 2
Posted on October 13th, 2011
Five 2 by Amy Crook
In this second piece in the series, I used a purple pen to go with the pinkish-purple that lingered in the center of the salt pools, and the ink separated out as it dried, leaving the pink behind in the lightest washes and looking bluer at the edges. I used simple water to create the background wash, picking up ink from shading that’s nearly erased at the top and bottom, plus the tips of some of the longest lines in the center designs.
This is another of those pieces where incessant fiddling gave me interesting results in the form of the layered ink washes, especially down in the lower left.
Five 2, 2.5″x3.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (but available for trading!).
You can see the paper texture in the detail shot, and the shape and sparkle in the blue salt pools.
Five 2, detail, by Amy Crook
If you’re an artist who makes ATCs of your own, and are coveting this one, let me know!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, atc, five series, pen and ink, salt
Squid in a Scarf
Posted on October 12th, 2011
Squid in a Scarf by Amy Crook
It’s this year’s holiday card! I decided to do something extra silly, so not only is our little squid freezing, he comes in colors. You can see his feeder tentacles wrapped around all 8 arms as he shivers in his hat and scarf a bit anxiously. I decided on a chilly ocean blue for his main body color, which works well with all the color schemes I’ve tried so far, from Hogwarts houses to TARDIS blue and white.
Squid in a Scarf, 5″x5″ pen and ink and Copic markers on paper.
Check out my Etsy Shop to get him as a card, print, or even buy the original.
Squid in a Scarf, original art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
Tags: card art, copic marker, customize me, etsy, for sale, pen and ink, squid
Jellyfish Deeps
Posted on October 11th, 2011
Jellyfish Deeps by Amy Crook
Most of my salt pieces come together in an almost Zen-like way, with the long wait for the salt crystals to form and then a quick flurry of activity as I work with the results. This piece started out with the watercolor background, which took a long time to dry, giving the mixed paint time to separate out into its component colors in some places, while staying a murky purple-black in others. Pen and ink and salt came next, and then the jellyfish in their white gel pen currents swam in last.
It’s interesting how sometimes you can keep adding things to a piece until you ruin it, but other times you have to keep going until it gets past a certain point and turns itself around into something worthwhile. My friend Jeff (who paints wargaming miniatures) calls it “the ass point,” where the piece looks like total ass until you get it to a certain point, and then suddenly all its potential starts to shine through.
I find this point more intimidating than the blank page, since it represents a lot of lost work if it never gets past that point, but there’s a certain satisfaction to having pulled a piece past the ass point and turned it into something I’d want to admit I created.
Jellyfish Deeps, 5″x7″ mixed media on paper, nfs, (sold).
Jellyfish Deeps, detail, by Amy Crook
This one has a lot of detail that just doesn’t show up until you really look at it, from the colors glowing through the white gel pen to the strange salt pools and their range of crystal sizes and densities. You can see it in its frame, below, with my iPhone for size reference.
Jellyfish Deeps, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
Tags: crosshatching, for sale, gel pen, jellyfish, pen and ink, salt, tentacles, watercolor
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Five 1
Posted on October 10th, 2011
Five 1 by Amy Crook
This is my first foray into Artist Trading Cards (or Artist Card Edition Originals, as they’re called if you sell them), though I’ve had a pack of assorted blanks for a while now. I wasn’t sure if any of them would hold up to my method of growing salt crystals, but I decided to do a set of 5 with 5 ink spirals each (whether or not the salt pools formed), and call it, brilliantly, Five.
Have I mentioned I hate coming up with titles?
Five 1, 2.5″x3.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (but available for trading!).
This one formed a very interesting salt crystal on one of the pools that looked almost melted, curvy and organic in a way most of them really never are.
Five 1, detail, by Amy Crook
If you’re an artist who makes ATCs of your own, and are coveting this one, let me know!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, atc, five series, pen and ink, salt
Indiana Bob
Posted on October 8th, 2011
Indiana Bob sketch by Amy Crook
This started as a concept sketch for a client that ended up going a different way, so I made a few important changes and cleaned it up for a Saturday sketch. I think the fedora came out quite dashing, don’t you?
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces
Tags: nfs, sketch
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