Archive for the ‘Daily Art’ Category

Tentacle Bookmark 2

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Tentacle Bookmark 2 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 2
by Amy Crook

Tentacle Tuesday meets Bookmark Week once again! Zoisite green and a satiny black combine with thick textured paper to make a very nice bookmark. This one should stand up to all sorts of abuse, though the soft hand-torn edges might get even softer as time goes on.

Tentacle Bookmark 2, 2.25″x8″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Tentacle Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the light shining off the thick black paint at the base of the tentacles. Below, a standard-sized hardback book shows you just how big the tentacles are. Definitely not tentacles for the faint of heart!

Tentacle Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Salt Bookmark 3

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Salt Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook

As you’ve no doubt correctly surmised, it’s Bookmark Week again! I’ve sold almost all of the bookmarks from last time, and since May is Get Caught Reading month, I figured that the time was right for another week of tiny, inexpensive originals to tempt you.

This one and Friday’s were done sort of simultaneously, but since I started this one first it got to be number 3 in the series. I’m using the same mix of paint and salt water as I did for last week’s Blue Planets, but this time in dots and spirals instead. Then I crosshatched the background in a complementary green, which brought out the blue and gave the whole thing a nice visual texture.

Salt Bookmark 3, 2″x6″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Salt Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the sparkle of salt, the shimmer of iridescent paint and the shine of glitter gel pen, offset by velvety black paper and opaque blue paint. Below, the bookmark rests on a book for scale, though I’m not honestly sure this one would do that well as a bookmark — I’ve found the blue paint doesn’t bind to the paper as well as one might hope when mixed with the salt. Chemistry at work, I suppose.

Salt Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
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Ridiculous Cat sketch

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

Ridiculous Cat sketch by Amy Crook

Ridiculous Cat sketch by Amy Crook

More coloring book sketches! It’s been a while since I scanned some of these, so here you go. A completely absurd little cat to make your Sunday just that much weirder.

Have you scritched someone today?

Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
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Stuck in the Tubes

Saturday, May 5th, 2012

Stuck in the Tubes, a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook

Stuck in the Tubes, a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook

After a week of planets, I couldn’t resist doing another vaguely circular piece of art for my Saturday Morning Cartoon. This absurd little comic is just here to make you smile today, and possibly shake your head at what a silly person I am.

Go on, you know you want to. It’s okay.

Stuck in the Tubes, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, nfs (sold).

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Blue Planet 4

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Blue Planet 4, watercolor by Amy Crook

Blue Planet 4, watercolor by Amy Crook

Here we are at the end of both our week and the series, and you can see now the interesting secret of this particular mix of paints. Rather than floating to the top edges, the iridescent green paint sinks to the bottom and then the ultramarine settles in on top of it in a rather unsteady marriage. The blue is denser in the middle because it settles there as the day goes on, not because the green is on top. With this paper more than the black, the iridescent paint prevented the salt from bonding to the paper itself so the crystals just formed on top, and a little bit of rubbing pulled away both the salt and the blue paint it was adhered to, leaving us with a fascinating crackled surface at the center.

Like all the salt pieces, this one’s the most interesting if you pick it up and play with it in the sunlight. The blue paint is really very matte and opaque, so the cracks where the green shines through are especially interesting.

Blue Planet 4, salt and watercolor on Arches cover white paper.

Blue Planet 4, detail, by Amy Crook

Blue Planet 4, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see all the rich, subtle variations in color, from the edge-in fade to the sharp crackles where the salt and paint flaked away in the center. Below, the piece is safely tucked into its frame, so the remaining salt, well, remains.

Blue Planet 4, framed art by Amy Crook

Blue Planet 4, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
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Blue Planet 2

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

Blue Planet 2, watercolor by Amy Crook

Blue Planet 2, watercolor by Amy Crook

Of all the Blue Planets, this one is a bit like the control in the group. I didn’t have the issues I did with the first one because I very sneakily put the paper on a small plate, so all its edges were raise and the big pool stayed pooled in the center. I didn’t make tentacles, or use a different paper (that’s tomorrow’s). It’s just a simple abstract idea of a blue-green planet floating serenely in the star-studded blackness.

I really like how each of the stars is its own tiny echo of the planet, with salt at the edges, then the green and finally blue in the center. The whole thing feels both familiar and alien at once, and the salt gives it a bit of twinkling light of its own, if only by reflection.

Blue Planet 2, 5″x5″ salt and watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Blue Planet 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Blue Planet 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the big, square crystals that formed all through the planet’s surface, as well as the darker edge crystals and the soft transition from green to blue. Below, you can see it happily tucked into its frame and reflecting onto the shiny iPhone hanging out to show size.

Blue Planet 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Blue Planet 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
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SFEtsy Art Show at STUDIO Gallery

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

SFEtsy Art Show at STUDIO Gallery, May 2-27, 2012

SFEtsy Art Show at STUDIO Gallery, May 2-27, 2012

I’m in a gallery show! It’s all very exciting. It opened technically yesterday, but the reception is Saturday, May 12 from 2-6pm, so you should totally come! Yes, you.

Oh, right, you live on the other side of the country. Well, okay, you’re excused, then.

But not you! You’re just going to have to come.

I have four pieces in the show, which is a big group show with over 60 artists from the SFEtsy Street Team. You can see the details here, and hopefully you’ll find the time to stop by and maybe even the money to buy a piece or three. There’s a wide range of prices, media and themes, which I’ll get to see at the reception I mentioned.

Yay, gallery show! In a real, live gallery! I’ll see you all there, right? Right.

Categories: Daily Art, Words Words Words
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