Tentacles at Endgame
Posted on July 26th, 2011
Tentacle Deeps watercolor series by Amy Crook, on display at Endgame in Oakland, CA
If you’ve been curious to see some of these pieces in person, now’s your chance! The wonderful guys at Endgame in Oakland, CA have graciously allowed me to take over one the walls up in their open gaming area for a mini-show of my Tentacle Deeps series. I’m really enjoying the way the whole series looks all together like this, though there are two pieces that didn’t make it up onto the wall — these only go to 11.
I’m usually there on Wednesday nights to game if you’d like to come see me as well as my work, but if you go by when I’m not there, be sure to tell the guys at the counter I said hi!
Categories: Daily Art, Tentacles, Words Words Words
Tags: endgame, show, tentacle deeps
Hibiscus Blue 3
Posted on July 25th, 2011
Hibiscus Blue 3, abstract art by Amy Crook, $323
I wasn’t sure if this piece would be part of my Hibiscus Blue series or not until I started it, because I used an entirely different sort of paper. This is a thick watercolor postcard, which turned the rich pink of the tea into a gorgeous periwinkle blue that grew even darker where it pooled around the salt. The two unusual art materials reacted together to create gorgeous cornflower-like rosettes in the lighter places, while sparkling patterns of blue-dyed salt crystals add texture to the darker sections.
Hibiscus Blue 3, 4″x6″ hibiscus tea and salt on watercolor postcard.
Rather than my usual method of putting the liquid over the salt, this time I created a very wet wash of tea and then scattered the salt crystals onto the drying tea. You can see below how the tea stayed pink the longest where it was drawn into the salt, but at the same time it also turned bluest in those places where there was more salt.
HIbiscus Blue 3, work in progress by Amy Crook
This shot really captures the sparkle of the piece, not just in the places where the salt is thickest but also around the center of each flower.
Hibiscus Blue 3, detail, by Amy Crook
It fits nicely in a simple black frame, ready to ship and hang in your home or office. It’s the perfect size to decorate your desk or a small bit of wall to which you’ve been wanting to add a surprising touch of beauty.
Hibiscus Blue 3, framed art by Amy Crook
As a bonus, I made a free computer wallpaper and iPhone wallpaper of this piece just for the people who read all the way to the bottom. Enjoy!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Series and Books
Tags: hibiscus, hibiscus blue, nfs, salt, sold
Crow Sketch
Posted on July 23rd, 2011
Crow sketch by Amy Crook
Finally had some time to sketch for Saturday, and I decided to draw a black bird of some sort. I say that because of course, despite the fact that Pod spends hours every day staring hungrily out the window, pretending in his head that our local flock of crows wouldn’t make carrion out of him were the barriers between them removed, I couldn’t be bothered to get up and go look at one when I was doodling this. So, I’m calling it a crow, but if crows have special beak things or different wings, I’m… really okay with that, actually.
Hope you all have just as relaxed a weekend as I was with my sketchbook!
Categories: Daily Art
Tags: nfs, pencil, sketch
1 Comment »
Hibiscus Pink
Posted on July 22nd, 2011
Hibiscus Pink by Amy Crook, $323
If a paper doesn’t have the right pH to change the hibiscus tea to blue, it dries a rich, saturated pink with just a hint of violet undertones. The color layers on much more solidly than the blue, soaking into the paper to make it look almost dyed.
This is also the paper that makes gorgeous little flower-like shapes with the salt, which turned out very pale with the assortment of ink colors I chose for the piece. There’s 21 of them, in 3 very similar shades.
It’s a bit of a difficult piece for me to judge because I’m not a fan of pink, but I do think it’s a successful one. The rich color of the tea really permeates the paper, while the inks colored the salt very delicately, giving a good contrast between them.
Hibiscus Pink, 5″x7″mixed media on watercolor paper, $323, framed, with free shipping.
This detail shot shows the subtle raised texture of the salt crystals on the paper, and the sparkle at the center of each salt “flower”.”
Hibiscus Pink, detail, by Amy Crook
When I was making the piece, I tried to make a sort of gradient, distributing the orange, red and pink circles. I always love the way the water droplets pick up the color and shine on the paper, a temporary moment of beauty in the process.
Hibiscus Pink, work in progress, by Amy Crook
The paper on this piece is a little big for a standard 5″x7″ frame, so I might change it out for a matted one if it sells, but here you can get an idea of how it looks framed.
Hibiscus Pink, framed, by Amy Crook, $323
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, hibiscus, pen and ink, salt, tea
2 Comments »
Midnight Blue
Posted on July 21st, 2011
Midnight Blue, art by Amy Crook
This piece is a deliberate echo of last week’s intricate Cross the Sky, but both simpler and using the iconic blue and yellow color scheme from Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
The stars are monochromatic, first using spirals of orange-gold ink, and then a softer gold mixed to match. The moon is salt-free this time, inked in and then gently blurred with the gold watercolor to give it, too, a bright glow. The pure blue watercolor is bright and joyful, and it dried with a lovely texture in the denser areas. I thought about going in with some black to darken it up, but I like the cheery glow of the piece as is.
Midnight Blue, 7″x5″ pen & ink, salt and watercolor on paper.
The pure blue watercolor is bright and joyful, and it dried with a lovely texture in the denser areas. I thought about going in with some black to darken it up, but I like the cheery glow of the piece as is.
Midnight Blue, detail 1, by Amy Crook
You can see the gentle blurring of the moon below, and the line where a pool of pale gold paint dried.
Midnight Blue, detail 2, by Amy Crook
It looks quite nice in its frame, with the bright colors offset by the black wood.
Midnight Blue, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: for sale, moon, pen and ink, salt, stars, watercolor
1 Comment »
Weeble Voldemort
Posted on July 20th, 2011
Weeble Voldemort cartoon by Amy Crook
Yeah, I said his name. I’m not afraid of the Dark Lord, all things considered.
In honour of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, my friend Gretchen suggested I weeble Voldemort. This is an homage to a certain scene in the movie, but trust me, if you haven’t seen it, this won’t spoil it.
I even gave him a cute plushie Nagini to hang out by his feet with her patchwork spots.
Weeble Voldemort, 5.5″x8.5″ pen and ink and Copic markers on sketchbook paper, not for sale.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: copic marker, Harry Potter, nfs, pen and ink, weeble
Salted Squid 1
Posted on July 19th, 2011
Salted Squid 1, art by Amy Crook
More of my experiments with making salt into Actual Things, we have a happy little squid! He’s got his feeder tentacles tucked away, but you can count all 8 arms waving cheerily at you from out of the blue. He’s surrounded by colorful coral, or maybe iridescent bubbles, made using salt that had acquired a coat of paint from other pieces and then been saved. The squid is faintly green, but there was a lot of him to spread out a little bit of watercolor pigment, so you’ll have to forgive his pale complexion.
Salted Squid 1, 5.5″x4.25″ pen & ink, watercolor, and salt on paper.
You can see below how the paper gained some fascinating texture in the places where the salt pools formed — that’s because sometimes the salt crystals form inside the paper instead of on top.
Salted Squid 1, detail, by Amy Crook
This cutie insisted to me that he doesn’t need a frame to be awesome, and I’m inclined to agree — the paper’s got a bit of a curve, and it tucks quite nicely onto a shelf. He enjoyed hanging out with my duckies so much, I’ve left him there for the moment. These days I make so much art that I keep swapping out what’s on display.
Salted Squid 1, in situ, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, pen and ink, salt, squid, tentacles, watercolor
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