Inktober week 1
Posted on October 7th, 2015
Inktober is a month-long artist’s challenge in October to do one piece of art in ink every day. I’m posting them to Instagram as they get done, and my Patreon shortly after, but I thought I’d round them up here for my Wednesday posts for posterity.
Day 1 – Alex Benedict and a Flower Fairy
Day 2 – Jack-o-Lantern
Day 3 – Bird and Spirals
Day 4 – Catnappery
Day 5 – Untrue Love cover sketch
Day 6 – Sidney Malik from Widdershins
Categories: Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: brush and ink, brush pen, doodle, inktober, pen and ink, sketches
Peninsula
Posted on October 6th, 2015
Peninsula by Amy Crook
The penultimate piece in this month’s Gallery is another in my Map series. The delicate changes from paper to watercolor become stark with black ink outlining each little eddy and fjord.
Although the paint is entirely non-shiny in this one, the nature of the sharp lines makes the land mass appear limned in a pale blue light. The granulating paint has settled into mountain ridges and smaller hills, forests and plains, creating a topography that exists only between the imagination and the page.
Where will this map take you?
Peninsula, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.
Peninsula, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of the exquisite detail created by the texture of paper and paint, and the fine lines of pen and ink creating borders around each little shape. Below, the map sits in a frame, awaiting a new adventurer.
Peninsula, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, green, map, pen and ink, watercolor
Cuppa Calm
Posted on October 5th, 2015
Cuppa Calm by Amy Crook
This is my favourite cuppa yet! The colours are mostly mineral pigments, softly desaturated and granulating in beautiful ways. There’s a wabi-sabi quality to the cup, with its uneven glaze, that perfectly cradles the beautiful green tea.
You can imagine breathing in the steam, cradling the warmth of the cup, the texture of it against your hands. Taking another deep breath of the subtle aroma before tasting the hot tea, its flavour grassy or nutty or floral. Whatever calms you, that’s what’s waiting in this lovely, earthy cuppa.
Cuppa Calm, 7″x5″ Primatek watercolor on paper.
Cuppa Calm, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the echo of the cup’s colors in the mountain scene on the tag. Below, it waits calmly to find its perfect place in life.
Cuppa Calm, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cuppa, for sale, pen and ink, primatek, tea, watercolor
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
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