Archive for the ‘Daily Art’ Category
C is for Counter
Thursday, July 26th, 2012
C is for Counter, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
Counter space is the space inside of a letter, whether open or closed. No, I didn’t know that before I started this project, either, don’t worry, but once I heard the term I became fascinated with the idea of fitting an old-school moon in the curve of the C for this alphabet.
C is for Counter, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor, pen & ink and glitter gel pen on paper.
C is for Counter, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shining silver stars in the blue sky, and also a better sense of the shading, which my scanner blew out completely in the yellows. Below, the C is hanging out with the Endless (whose names all start with D, ironically) and the G as well. It’s all ready for a Catherine or Carl to take it home, or perhaps a Mr. Cunningham. I think the framed photo actually has the most accurate color, too.
C is for Counter & G is for Gothic, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, blue, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, illumination, moon, pen and ink, silver, stars, watercolor, yellow
Tentacle Deeps 39
Tuesday, July 24th, 2012
Tentacle Deeps 39 by Amy Crook
Golden sunlight filters into the murky deeps, while iridescent, ghostly green tentacles slither upward, reaching for the surface. The tentacles nearly vanish from some angles, but they’re bright as gilt when they catch the light, in a cool, shining green.
Tentacle Deeps 39, 6″x6″ Japanese watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper with pen & ink signature.
Tentacle Deeps 39, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the light shining off the tentacles against the velvety green-black of the background. Below, you can see it temporarily tucked into an 8″x10″ frame, waiting its final destination.
Tentacle Deeps 39, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: for sale, green, iridescent, tentacle deeps, tentacles, watercolor
Sherlock & John package doodles
Sunday, July 22nd, 2012
Do Not Bend says Dr. Watson!
sketch by Amy Crook
John is determinedly guarding a package of greeting cards being sent all the way to New Zealand above, and below Sherlock’s adding in an unusual two cents indeed and saying thanks to the buyer.
Yes, John made him do it.
Sherlock says Thanks!
sketch by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: doodle, nfs, pen and ink, sharpie marker, sherlock, sketch
Sherlock Quote Cards
Saturday, July 21st, 2012
Sherlock BBC quote cards with art by Amy Crook
I’ve decided to do a new little line of Sherlock cards at my Etsy shop, which I hope you’re thrilled about, heh. I drew four painstakingly crosshatched corner designs, and then put together a card with one of my favorite quotes from the series. I’ve chosen one quote from each episode, making a total of six cards, which you can to buy in threes (by series, of course) or as a set of six.
Starting clockwise from the upper left, I’ve drawn Sherlock’s much-beloved scarf, curled around a pack of cigarettes which bear a skull and crossbones to indicate poison, or maybe pirates. Then there’s his ubiquitous magnifier, the design fudged a bit to make it more resemble an eye in its own right. It’s surrounded by deadly nightshade, a nod to Sherlock’s profession (and my cat, Belladonna). Down in the lower left, there’s also amanita mushrooms, which are quite poisonous indeed. A mysterious iPhone that might be pink were it not in black and white rests with two large, speckled pills and one shiny bullet. The last set, in the lower right, is Sherlock’s beloved skull (well, I say friend…), along with three books of mysterious origin, though I imagine the biggest one is the volume of fairy tales Sherlock found at a certain crime scene.
The quote above is from my favorite episode of Series 2, not perhaps the best objectively but the most fun by far, The Hounds of Baskerville. I love how Gatiss shifted the plurality from the original title (The Hound of the Baskervilles) and gave it a whole new, equally sinister meaning. I’m using the Sherlock page on Wikiquotes to get the phrasing right, so all mistakes in canon are totally theirs, wot.
Sherlock Quote Cards, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, original nfs. But feel free to buy the cards at my Etsy shop!
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: cards, crosshatching, etsy, greeting card, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock
Filigree Planet 3
Friday, July 20th, 2012
Filigree Planet 3 by Amy Crook
I used the same rich fuchsia on the stars here as I did on the central part of Monday’s painting, and they make the glittery filigree on the planet look very orange by comparison. The underlying planet is a mix of reds, pinks and oranges, with texture added by salt. Strangely, the crystals on the planet itself grew very flat and dark this time, with almost no shine to them, so I decided to add in the filigree to keep the planet from being outshone by its surrounding field of stars.
Filigree Planet 3, 7″x5″ salt, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.
Filigree Planet 3, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of the red glitter, and some of the underlying texture on the planet as well. Below, you can see a close-up of three of the tiny pink salt pools in all their fucshia glory. Pink (the color, not the rock star) and I have a strange relationship, since I usually loathe it, but I’m finding it’s got its uses in moderation.
Filigree Planet 3, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Finally, you can see the piece tucked neatly into a frame. There’s no glass here, but it will ship to you fully protected and ready to hang. I just really hate trying to get the glare out of my photos.
Filigree Planet, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, filigree, for sale, glitter gel pen, pink, planet, red, spirals, watercolor
B is for Blackletter
Thursday, July 19th, 2012
B is for Blackletter, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I went Gryffindor with my second letter, bold red and rich yellow, though I chose the red glitter pen rather than gold for my second illumination. My B uses a classic blackletter face, heavy and Germanic, with a bit of whimsy thrown into the illumination for it.
Just as with the A, I let the ink bleed into the paint so the shapes of the letter have a lovely orange fade, and though I used a very bright, pure red on the background, I used a dark red-orange inside the B itself to better offset the glitter illumination.
B is for Blackletter, 5″x5″ pen & ink, Japanese watercolor, and glitter gel pen on paper.
B is for Blackletter, detail, by Amy Crook
The shine on the red glitter is much more subtle and harder to photograph, especially since it goes a bit pink when the light hits it, so the colors in the above detail photo are a bit off in general. Alas. Below, you can see it happily tucked into a frame with my phone to show you the relative size. The central box on these is 3 inches square, but the border and signature rest outside.
B is for Blackletter & E is for Emboss, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, illumination, pen and ink, red, watercolor
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On Calligraphy
Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
Red Irony, detail, by Amy Crook
Like basically every other artist I’ve ever talked to, I’ve been drawing stuff from a very young age. We all do, really, even the non-artists among us are given crayons, cheap finger paints, sidewalk chalk, and pencils (not to mention in-class boredom to inspire margin-doodling). So, with that in mind, I think the first time I really chose an art form to try to pursue in a meaningful way, on purpose, it was calligraphy.
A Murder of Crows by Amy Crook
I started out with one of those Schaeffer calligraphy sets basically just like this one, which I’m pretty sure I still have somewhere, along with a couple dozen of the little ink capsules that fit into those pens. I remember painstakingly learning a few different fonts, writing out song lyrics in a slightly wobbly hand, and doing all those things young girls do when they learn to make their writing pretty.
Once I got older, sometime in college when I was trying Real Serious Art, calligraphy got set aside as a childish plaything, and the pens went into the black hole of art supply hoarding. I’d pull them out once in a while to do something, but in the long run (even now), I tend to prefer simple pointed fountain pens rather than the chisel tips, and drawing the shapes by hand rather than counting on the shape of the pen to create them.
A is for Arabesque, detail, by Amy Crook
Recently I’ve been exposed to a few more examples of grown-up calligraphy, from Melissa Dinwiddie‘s gorgeous professional work to the plethora of Qs I visited online while working on the Quadrivium logo. I’ve seen a lot of people successfully integrating words into their art, as well, often using stamps or collage to add a message to their work.
With all this inspiration and the whole internet full of it as well, I’ve started getting back into calligraphy, not just as a long-forgotten habit but a legitimate art form of its own. Monday’s art may be part of a trend, I’m not sure yet — I don’t always have words to put on a piece. Sometimes Google can find me a quote that fits, like in Pomegranate below, but not always. I’m definitely going to continue my illuminated alphabet, though. I love the intersection between tradition and absurdity, modern glitter gel pen and ancient motifs.
I don’t always have something to say with my art, but when I do, at least I’ve got the skills to make it as beautiful as the pieces deserve, I hope.
Pomegranate by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Words Words Words
Tags: calligraphy, info, words
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