Hummingbird at Night
Posted on October 4th, 2015
Hummingbird at Night by Amy Crook
This time of year there’s hummingbirds all over my neighborhood, and even showing up on my social media feeds. These inspirational little tiny jewels just beg to be captured, not in a cage, but on the page.
This painting features iridescent and duochrome paints on the black paper so everything shimmers and shines the way a real hummingbird does. The duochrome paints are really something, they change color depending on the angle of the light. Despite being a night scene, this piece sparkles charmingly in sunlight.
Hummingbird at Night, 6″x4″ duochrome and iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Hummingbird at Night, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sparkle in the Hummingbird’s breast and the loose brushstrokes that shape the leaves. Below, this tiny gem is nestled into a frame, waiting to brighten up your life.
Hummingbird at Night, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, duochrome, hummingbird, iridescent, nfs, sold, watercolor
Zombie Heart
Posted on October 3rd, 2015
Zombie Heart, abstract art by Amy Crook
Although Zombie Heart is in keeping with the Halloween theme, there’s a gorgeous complexity to it that could live in the right home year round. The greens range from the darkest shadow around the main shape to the iridescence that floats above, shining like radioactivity.
The way the metallic greens bloom on the dark green core shape is like mold blossoming against decaying zombie flesh. The organic layers of shape and shade show an eerily beautiful side to this particular undead myth.
Are your favorite zombies created by magic, radioactivity, a virus, or some mad scientist?
Zombie Heart, 8″x10″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Zombie Heart, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the mysterious swirls and shimmers giving depth and texture to the painting. Below, it’s lurking in a frame, waiting to find a permanent home, lab, or specimen shelf.
Zombie Heart, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: anatomical heart, black paper, duochrome, for sale, green, iridescent, watercolor, zombie
Halloween Trees 2
Posted on October 2nd, 2015
Halloween Trees 2 by Amy Crook
The original Halloween Trees is only a year old, but it feels very different from this sequel. The sky is softer and has more cloud shapes, and the trees are a less imposing brown rather than the starkly silhouetted black. Even the crows are different, coming in for a landing instead of taking off into the sunset.
The brilliant swath of pink behind the lightning-struck tree lets that whole bank of clouds really glow. The three trees each have their own character, slightly different patterns in their branches that make it clear even without leaves that they’re not the same species. If the crows are roosting in the middle one, one might wonder what lives in the lightning-struck tree on the left?
Halloween Trees 2, pen & ink, brush & ink, and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Halloween Trees 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the tiny birds up close, coming in to land in the lacework of branches. Below, the piece is in a temporary frame, just waiting for its new home.
Halloween Trees 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: brush and ink, crow, halloween trees, horizons, nfs, orange, pen and ink, pink, sold, tree, watercolor
Congratulations, Ellen
Posted on September 28th, 2015
Congratulations, Ellen, a Spock commission by Amy Crook
I finished this commission this month for someone who wanted NuTrek Spock as a congratulations gift for a friend. This is what she had to say about it in her review:
When my friend passed the CPA exam I knew the occasion called for something special. Since one of the things we’ve bonded over was our mutual love of sci-fi movies a commissioned piece from Amy seemed like the way to go. First off, Amy is an absolute delight to work with. She responded to all of my emails quickly and was enthusiastic to collaborate. She let me know what was happening every step of the way from idea, to sketch, to color. The end result of her creativity was, as always, a quality product. I couldn’t be happier with my commission and I will definitely be buying from her again! Thanks, Amy!
-Rebecca
If you’d like to commission a comic as a gift (or for yourself!), you can get the details here.
Congratulations, Ellen, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: all rights reserved, commission, copic marker, get your own, nfs, pen and ink, sold, spock, star trek
Unboxed Giveaway
Posted on September 23rd, 2015
Yesterday was Frodo & Bilbo Baggins’ birthday, and mine as well!* To celebrate, I’m giving away a signed copy of my latest novel on Goodreads — check it out! Entries close midnight on September 30th.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
*And Tom Felton, but he’s not really relevant.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: giveaway, unboxed, words
Periscope
Posted on September 21st, 2015
quick paint sketch of a hummingbird by Amy Crook, livepainted on Periscope
What’s Periscope, you might ask?
- Periscope is an app (owned by Twitter) that lets you make live videos with your phone.
- Periscope videos (or scopes) last 24 hours before they vanish forever.
- I have Periscope set to tweet when I’m on live.
- You can watch on the app or on the web, including the replay (for as long as it lasts).
- You don’t have to make videos to have an account and watch them.
- You can text chat to the person making the video, share the video on Twitter, and give them “hearts” by tapping on the screen during the live feed.
- Yes, it’s yet another form of social media.
- Kind of like Youtube and Snapchat had a baby and sold it to Twitter.
- But I actually really like it.
- My username is, predictably, amysnotdeadyet.
I’m using it to make art! Or, well, to let you watch me make art. I painted the little hummingbird sketch above live on Periscope the other day, and below there’s two more things that owe their lives to me wanting to draw something on Periscope.
Eames & Arthur bookmarks by Amy Crook
Well, actually Eames and Arthur (above) owe their existence in part to Periscope, and in part to wanting to work on their character design for a commission. But the merdude below was one of my first Periscope experiments!
Merdude watercolor sketch by Amy Crook on Periscope
You can see at the top of the page I wrote, “Hi! I can’t see you chat,” because when I’m drawing or painting the phone is up over my shoulder and, like everything on Periscope, the chats are ephemeral and disappear before I can go looking.
I’m amysnotdeadyet on Periscope — come say hi!
Categories: People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: arthur, bookmark, eames, hummingbird, inception, merman, pen and ink, pencil, periscope, sketch, watercolor, words
New Arrival to Middle Earth
Posted on September 16th, 2015
New Arrival to Middle Earth by Amy Crook
It’s dangerous to make comments about hobbits in the presence of Jo … she might go and commission some art for you.
This adorable comic is for a couple having a baby, who have been self-described as two dwarves who wish they were a hobbit and an elf. Thus, we have a dwarf-decorated crib with a hobbity dwarf on one side, and an elfin dwarf on the other.
New Arrival to Middle Earth, 7″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: all rights reserved, commission, copic marker, dwarf, elf, hobbit, jo vanevery, nfs, pen and ink, sold
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