Big Stars Little Stars
Posted on April 7th, 2015
Big Stars Little Stars, art by Amy Crook
I admit it, I love this painting. The stars are painted in interference blue, which shimmers with a pearlescent blue light when it’s in the sun, and the background has been given a subtle wash of dark purple over the black paper that adds a depth to the page that greatly pleases me. Despite the fact that they aren’t really part of a series, the painting this most reminds me of is Red Sky Firefly.
Every star, little or big, has a wobbly hand-painted halo of light around it, dozens of points of light twinkling in their tiny patch of void.
Where in your life could you use a shimmer of delight?
Big Stars Little Stars, 5″x5″ watercolor and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Big Stars Little Stars, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see just a hint of the deep reddish purple permeating the paper, adding interesting shadows to the glow of the interference blue that floats atop like stars in the void. Below, I’ve tucked it in a frame, a hint of alien sky just waiting to come live wherever you need it most.
Big Stars Little Stars, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, interference, nfs, sold, stars, watercolor
City of Lights
Posted on April 6th, 2015
City of Lights by Amy Crook
I found this bigger-than-a-bookmark scrap of paper among my things and I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it.
This fantastical city glows with periwinkle starlight, the buildings limned in white from an unseen moon. The stars floating above have just the tiniest bit of shimmer to them, enhancing the buildings below rather than stealing their spotlight.
It’s a perfect little slice of urban night life, if you love cities, dark skies, and tiny things.
City of Lights, 8.5″x2.5″ Japanese and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
City of Lights, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the tiny buildings along this strange skyline, some of them echoing real places and some of them far more alien. Below, you can see the piece tucked into a temporary frame, small but quite the wide panoramic view.
City of Lights, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, city, for sale, interference, japanese watercolor, stars, watercolor
Cuppa Exuberance
Posted on April 4th, 2015
Cuppa Exuberance by Amy Crook
I love tea, and I love teacups in all their strange and varied glory. There’s a design for everyone out there, and I decided to take my hand at drawing a few.
The first in a series, this cheerful cup of spring is leaping in its exuberance for life. From sky blue to gentle green, the lovely purple of crocuses and the soft yellow bumblebee, this cup celebrates the changing of the seasons.
I hand-painted metallic gold over certain details, including the word “exuberance” on the teabag tag, just like a real china cup might have.
You can bring a sense of celebration into your life every day with this Cuppa Exuberance.
Cuppa Exuberance, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Cuppa Exuberance, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of golden paint on the lovely purple tea tag, and the soft grey ink I used to for the linework on this pastel cuppa. Below, you can see it tucked into a frame, its enthusiasm gently contained.
Cuppa Exuberance, framed at by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cuppa, metallic watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tea, watercolor
Loom
Posted on April 3rd, 2015
Loom, abstract art by Amy Crook
Light shines through the dark columns, but something dark looms among them, here and there a shape, almost a whole shape, eerie and mysterious and growing ever closer.
Or, there is warp on the loom, fuzzed and soft and waiting for its weft, waiting to be woven into something more.
Or, the dusk outside makes strange shapes of the rain running down the window, spattered into dark drops that refract and reflect the word behind them.
Whether you love this as a window into darkness or light, this beautiful abstract watercolor – the latest in my Pathways series – will add a rich shot of purple and creamy white to anywhere you choose to hang it. The larger size allows for more detail, more tiny subtle changes in colour and texture that will draw the eye and give you something new to find among the lines for years to come.
Loom, 12″x9″ watercolor on Strathmore watercolor paper.
Loom, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the paint granulated and separated, adding subtle variations in color and texture. Below, although I haven’t actually got a frame this big (oops!), you can see the painting with my (old) glasses for size.
Loom, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, pathways, purple, watercolor
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon
Posted on April 2nd, 2015
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon by Amy Crook
This painting is inspired by a line in a Teddy Geiger song, “The sun had fallen for the moon.” I brought it into the present tense to go with the sun’s adoring eyes, and the moon’s sweet blush. The sky is quite pale, the very end of sunset on a day without too many clouds, night just starting to lower its curtain and snuff out the glow of day.
The wobbly white brush calligraphy along the dark horizon adds to the sweetness of the scene, making it feel even more like a fairy tale. The sense of magic and romance fits well with the soft colors of the sky, blues and purples, oranges and golds.
Bring this little start of a story into your life, and spend as long as you like figuring out how their tale ends. The sun has fallen for the moon… but what happens next?
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, 6″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the moon’s shining face, her soft features and the most delicate of blue blushes on her round cheeks. Below, the piece is in a temporary frame, but I think would look best with a custom mat to set off the colors.
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: moon, nfs, sold, sunset, watercolor
What You Deserve
Posted on March 30th, 2015
What You Deserve, a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook
A wonderful friend and patron of mine (hi, C!) recently had a birthday, and since she’s already gotten my other Sherlock birthday cards, I drew her a new one! I decided to let John get one up on his friend here, though you’ll have to wonder what he’s found to make Sherlock’s eyes go that big and round.
The original is safe in its new home, but you can get a card for that very special friend of yours at my Etsy shop.
What You Deserve, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Sherlock birthday card v3 by Amy Crook at Etsy
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: birthday, copic marker, etsy, john watson, nfs, parody, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, watson
Cuppa Confidence
Posted on March 25th, 2015
Cuppa Confidence, commission by Amy Crook for Jo Van Every
Another commission for the delightful Jo Van Every! This time it was for her website, where we were trying to find a good visual metaphor for one of her services. I suggested the cup of tea, something calming and confidence-boosting, and added in the “confidence” on the tag in Photoshop later.
After a recent client meeting I realized that one of the things I do for people is help them feel more confident before a big thing. This particular client got short-listed for a job. We had a session before her interview. She hung up feeling more confident about what she could bring to that job, how to communicate that in the interview, who else she could go to for support, and how to ask them confidently. It may be a cliche but a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I talked to Amy about how to capture that outcome in an image and we came up with the Cuppa Confidence. Because tea makes everything better.
-Jo Van Every
I was so inspired by this idea that I’ve started a little series of watercolors around this theme, and you’ll see Exuberance in this April’s Floating Gallery very soon.
Cuppa Confidence, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, cartoon, commission, cuppa, jo vanevery, nfs, pen and ink, tea, watercolor
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