Archive for the ‘Daily Art’ Category
Sherlock Bookmark 4
Sunday, February 19th, 2012
Sherlock Bookmark 4 by Amy Crook
Secret Bonus Post! I had one more bookmark than would fit in my usual 6-day week, so I decided to go ahead and post this one on Sunday. If you can’t read my handwriting, click the image above for a bigger version.
When I was working on this, first I drew tiny John & Sherlock, and then I decided what John was upset about. I didn’t really plan it ahead, just let the joke unfold in the space I had, then went back and fixed the typo when I inked it. I had fun drawing tiny Sherlock popping his collar like a boss.
Sherlock Bookmark 4, 7″x1″ pen and ink on paper, nfs (sold).
Sherlock Bookmark 4, with book, by Amy Crook
You can see the little cartoon above with a standard hardcover book, just waiting to mark someone’s place with secret delight.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: bookmark, comic, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock, sold
Spiral Bookmark 1
Saturday, February 18th, 2012
Spiral Bookmark 1
by Amy Crook
And so we wave a cheerful goodbye to Bookmark Week with this last installment.
I was experimenting with these pigment-dense watercolor sticks I picked up, using the teal and orange pair to create a very bright contrast indeed. I wasn’t quite happy with it as is, though, so I added in the silver spirals on top with this awesome silver brush pen I got in Japantown, which gives a nice bit of shine to the piece.
Spiral Bookmark 1, 1.5″x7″ watercolor and brush pen on paper, nfs, sold.
Spiral Bookmark 1, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the various textures from the drawn lines to the washes created by running a wet brush over the watercolor stick, to the shining silver paint floating atop it all. Below, the bookmark sits happily with a book, just waiting to fulfill its intended purpose.
Spiral Bookmark 1, with book, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: bookmark, brush pen, nfs, orange, silver, sold, teal, watercolor, watercolor stick
Jellyfish Bookmark 1
Friday, February 17th, 2012
Jellyfish Bookmark 1
by Amy Crook
The second-to-last day of Bookmark Week is upon us! I’ve already got a few ideas for next time, too, so I hope you’re enjoying the shift from small to super-small art this week.
This one I actually just doodled idly while I was on the phone, thinking of my larger piece Jellyfish Deeps as I worked. I thought about going back in to try to add a little color, but I liked the slight reddish cast the mat board gave to the white gel pen. I’m sure I’ll do another of these sometime, though, the jellyfish are just too entertaining.
Jellyfish Bookmark 1, 0.875″x5.875″ white gel pen on black mat board, nfs, sold.
Jellyfish Bookmark 1, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see how the black mat board bled red into white of the ink, though it’s made much more pink by my camera here. The mat board is quite thick, but it would still slip easily into a book as long as you don’t shove it all the way to the spine. Below, I have the jellyfish hanging out with a hardcover, for size comparison.
Jellyfish Bookmark 1, with book, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
Tags: bookmark, crosshatching, gel pen, jellyfish, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tentacles
Meadow Bookmark
Thursday, February 16th, 2012
Meadow Bookmark by Amy Crook
The only horizontal bookmark from this week uses opaque Japanese watercolors on recycled paper. By recycled I mean my printer had a spaz printing some cards and I’ve painted over the old image, though a tiny bit of it seeps through at the right angles. Instead of throwing away these mistakes, I save the paper for other experiments, since the blank cards I use are thick and have a lovely texture for drawing or painting.
Every once in a while, after drawing all the tentacles and monsters a girl could desire, I just feel like painting an abstract field of wildflowers. I can almost imagine the bees buzzing lazily as they collect all the different pollen to make tasty honey just for me.
Meadow Bookmark, 6.75″x2″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).
Meadow Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, this photo reveals all the textures in this little bookmark, from the paper to the little bumps made by the flowers as the beaded droplets of paint dried. Below is the obligatory photo of the bookmark with a book, for scale.
Meadow Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
On my monitor this last picture is the best one to show the colors off, but really, your monitor and mileage may vary. Just one of the frustrations in showing art online, I suppose.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: bookmark, nfs, sold, watercolor
Sherlock Bookmark 3
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
Sherlock Bookmark 3
by Amy Crook
Bookmark week continues with another Sherlock Holmes!
He skulks on this black bookmark in pencil, which makes his details vanish at the wrong angle, though the graphite catches the light nicely at the right angle. I painted in his green eyes, red buttonhole and blue scarf on a whim, and I like the way those little details leap out of the page at you.
Sherlock Bookmark 3, 1″x5″ pencil and watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).
Sherlock Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook
You can really see his detailing in the detail photo, above, and of course I couldn’t resist a shot of him peeking sneakily up out of a book, below.
Sherlock Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black paper, bookmark, japanese watercolor, nfs, pencil, sherlock, sold
Tentacle Bookmark 1
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
Tentacle Bookmark 1
by Amy Crook
I couldn’t neglect Tentacle Tuesday for Valentine’s Day, now could I? After all, it is a nice lovely red.
After I finished this one, I texted a photo to a friend who immediately replied, “Are you giving me the tentacle?”
I drew this in pen and ink on a thick, textured watercolor paper that’s a nice warm white base for the tentacle and its background.
Tentacle Bookmark 1, 1″x7.625″ pen and ink on paper, nfs (sold).
Tentacle Bookmark 1, with book, by Amy Crook
Above you can see this bookmark’s quite a bit longer than yesterday’s, but will still nestle nicely in a hardcover book. May I suggest a volume of Lovecraft?
Tentacle Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
The usual obligatory tentacle shot, which is tamer than it sounds. Don’t forget to visit all the bookmarks from this week.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: bookmark, nfs, orange, pen and ink, red, sold, tentacles
Salt Bookmark 2
Monday, February 13th, 2012
Salt Bookmark 2
by Amy Crook
It’s bookmark week! Lately when I tear giant sheets of art paper down to the sizes I like to work in, I’ve been saving the blank scraps, and this week I have enough finished bookmarks to make a week of it. I tried to do at least one in each of the styles I’ve been using, so there’s quite a variety, and they’re all for sale and a bookmark-friendly price. I’m not going to put them in the main art shop, but you can always go look at the collection (plus my older couple of contributions) by going to the bookmark tag. I’ve priced these nice and low so that you can get your hands on an Amy Crook original without breaking the bank, and have a bit of art to carry with you, keeping your place safe and beautiful.
Each one of these is an original, one-of-a-kind work of art, and I decided to start the week off with a salt painting. Barely-green salt and two colors of green glitter gel pen give this piece a shimmer that’s really appealing. The salt crystals are small enough not to get crunched off or damage your book, though they might wear over time, the way these things do.
Salt Bookmark 2, 1″x5″ ink-dyed salt and glitter gel pen on black paper, nfs, sold.
Salt Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the contrast between the pen that’s mostly glitter, and the pen that’s a fine metallic ink, both in color and density. The salt and its halo both glimmer in the sunlight. Below, you can see its size compared to a standard hardcover book.
Salt Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: black paper, bookmark, crosshatching, gel pen, nfs, pen and ink, salt, sold
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