Archive for the ‘Daily Art’ Category
Lone Tentacle
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012
Lone Tentacle by Amy Crook
This dark, intense bluish-violet wash was just asking for tentacles, but after I’d scribbled in the first one it seemed like that was really enough. I just really like something about the way the single, lone tentacle reaches upward toward the light, silhouetted against the violet depths.
Lone Tentacle, 6″x6″ pen & ink and Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Lone Tentacle, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shading detail on the tentacle, the textures of paper and paint that give the piece a murky, atmospheric feel. I liked this shot so much, I’m using it as a wallpaper, in fact. Below, you can see it temporarily tucked into a 8″x10″ frame, hanging out with my iPhone for scale.
Lone Tentacle, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Tentacles
Tags: for sale, pen and ink, tentacles, violet, watercolor
Make Good Art
Monday, July 16th, 2012
Make Good Art calligraphic painting by Amy Crook
Although I think many people have said this before (including several of my prior art teachers), it’s come most recently from Neil Gaiman. I also find the advice later on about freelancing to be very good and very true — to paraphrase, you must do good work, be on time, and be pleasant, and people will continue to hire you; actually, two out of three will do, most days. And thank goodness for that, because some days all three is more than anyone can manage.
I made this very pink wash when I was mucking about with my red palette of Japanese watercolors, going from the color that is almost exactly the same as the Orchid crayon in my childhood set, through a bright fuchsia pink and on to a lovely deep burgundy. I used my poor abused fountain pen to scribble in the lettering, then took my water brush and blurred it out, which gives an interesting effect, especially in the capitals. Next came the gold glitter paint in the letters, and I left it overnight to figure out what more it needed.
It needed tentacles, of course!
I finally found the fourth palette from the same set, which is six different shades of almost-black, so I took the rich plum-purple one and made a row of tentacles reaching up to tease at the lettering. Then, to balance it, I added the gold filigree at the top, and it finally felt done.
My mental narrative for it is a bit like, “Glimpse of the golden vines of Olympus? Make good art! Chased by tentacles from the Depths? Make good art!”
So, that’s my message for you this Monday – whatever form it takes, whatever inspires you, today, make good art.
Make Good Art, 8″x4″ Japanese watercolor, pen & ink, and glitter gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper on paper.
Make Good Art, detail 1, by Amy Crook
This is one of those pieces that’s very different depending on the lighting; the gold almost vanishes when it’s in low light, but it stands out beautifully when the sun hits it, and the thicker paint on the tentacles also has a bit of a gloss here and there. Below, you can see the effect just on the word “Art.”
And for those of you that’ve read this far, have a wallpaper of the above image, with my gloved fingers sneakily Photoshopped out.
Make Good Art, detail 2, by Amy Crook
I put it in a temporary frame so you can see the scale. Given the odd size, you may want to have it custom framed, or put it on a piece of mat board in a larger frame the way I’ve got it shown below.
Make Good Art, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, neil gaiman, pen and ink, pink, red, watercolor
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Onward, Minion!
Sunday, July 15th, 2012
Onward, Minion! sketch by Amy Crook
Fans of ICHC might recognize the octopus in this sketch, though I decided he’d be more amusing atop his minion’s head than a mere hand. His human servant is, of course, thrilled by this.
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
Tags: coloring book, doodle, nfs, pen and ink, pencil, sketch
Giant Rats 16: Don’t You See?
Saturday, July 14th, 2012
“Do you see, John?” – a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook
For a few months now I’ve been contemplating the idea of doing a larger work with the Gorey-style shading, taking Sherlock and his Watson on an adventure that I could later put into a short book or something. Apparently, the first step on that path wasn’t deciding on a story or doing thumbnails, but instead drawing a random panel that might or might not fit in the middle, with a cute little one-shot joke.
If I do actually get far enough into the project it seems like it’ll finish (never a guarantee, heh), then I’ll want the originals to be Kickstarter incentives for printing a run of little books, I think, so this one won’t be for sale just yet.
“Don’t you see, John?” Sherlock comic, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper.
Sherlock comic, framed, by Amy Crook
These are the smaller size from my B is for Baker Street series, the art itself is 5″x3″ on the 7″x5″ paper, whereas the original four character drawings are 7″x5″ including the text, on a larger 8.5″x5.5″ sheet of paper. These are much easier to frame, and easier to finish as well with significantly fewer square inches of white space to be crosshatched in masochistic detail.
So, what do you think? Would you want a little Sherlock book, perhaps The Giant Rats of Sumatra?
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black and white, crosshatching, giant rats of sumatra, gorey, john watson, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes
6 Comments »
Binary Green
Friday, July 13th, 2012
Binary Green by Amy Crook
Two green planets orbit each other in a mysterious, swirly blue-black sky. This binary system has continents dotted with sparkling salt crystals, perhaps the cities of some alien race.
I have three flower-shaped ceramic palettes of Japanese watercolors. One is earth tones, reds and oranges. One is blues, purples and a nice solid black. The last one is greens and yellows and a matte blue-black that you can see making the swirly night above. I had my water brushes out the other night with the green palette, and this piece was one of the results, along with the tentacles from Tuesday. (There’s also a pair of bookmarks no one will see until I get to 7 and declare another Bookmark Week.)
I really like the effect I’m getting with judicious use of the saturated salt solution, dripping it onto damp watercolor and making mysterious geographies as the two interact. I think I’ll take my planets to Endgame this month and give the skies a rest, so look out for that post as well.
Binary Green, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and salt on paper.
Binary Green, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the sparkling salt on the upper left planet’s surface, where below we have the darker shapes glittering from the surface of the lower right planet.
Binary Green, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, I’ve put it in a frame (sans glass), so you can imagine it sitting on your desk at work, giving you dreams of distant worlds during your coffee breaks.
Binary Green, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: balls, for sale, green, planet, salt, watercolor
A is for Arabesque
Thursday, July 12th, 2012
A is for Arabesque, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I’ve begun a new series, though this one I can guarantee has a specifically limited lifespan. I’ve decided to do an illuminated alphabet, using pen and ink for the lines, watercolor for the fills, and glitter gel pen in lieu of gold leaf.
The first in my series is, of course, A, the awesomest letter in the alphabet. A is for Amy who fell down the stairs, after all, at least according to Gorey. A is also for arabesque, in this case referring to the graceful design motif, usually of acanthus leaves, used to decorate all sorts of things from calligraphy to mosques. My blue glittery acanthus are spiraling in the background of this grand periwinkle A. I’ve decided to do each letter with some sort of design or typographical motif represented, so let’s hope I can find something for that other end of the alphabet where things get tricksy.
B and C are already chosen, anyway.
I’m planning to post these once a week, so it will take six months for the series to be done, give or take a few weeks off for bookmarks or Sharpie art.
A is for Arabesque, 5″x5″ watercolor, pen and ink and glitter gel pen on paper.
A is for Arabesque, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sun catching the glitter and making it shine much brighter than the paper (which really is white, I swear). Below, I’ve got it tucked into a frame and hanging out with the J on the shelf with some of my many, many books.
A is for Arabesque & J is for Juxtapose, 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, pen and ink, periwinkle, purple, watercolor
1 Comment »
Why Bookmarks?
Wednesday, July 11th, 2012
Bookmarks by Amy Crook
I asked one of my darling patrons what I should post about today, and he asked me a really easy question: Why bookmarks?
I’m sure he was expecting some deep answer about my love of books or the utility of art, but in all honesty, it’s really simple. I often have little strips of paper left when I’m tearing or cutting down larger sheets. Since I’m a total art supply hoarder, I’ve kept some around (and more since I started doing Bookmark Weeks), and one day when I was on the phone for something, I pulled one out and started doodling on it. It’s a fun way to mess around on a small scale with lowered expectations. I sell the results for a relatively low price, so that way people who can’t afford one of my regular paintings or drawings can still have a wee Amy original.
Plus, now I feel all virtuous when I save weird little scraps of paper.
For the curious, I’ve got 4 new ones done, so there’s only 3 more to go before I can slack off real posts and do another Bookmark Week for your enjoyment. If you’re on Twitter, keep an eye out for a preview tweet one of these Sundays — I ended up pre-selling a couple of them before the posts even went up last time. There’s only two left out of the previous lots, some tentacles and the very first one I ever posted.
Categories: Daily Art, Words Words Words
Tags: bookmark, info, why, words
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