Archive for the ‘Daily Art’ Category

Rhymes With Orange

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Rhymes With Orange, abstract art by Amy Crook

Rhymes With Orange by Amy Crook

Another orange piece! Two in one week! It’s madness!

Or, perhaps I did them on the same day? Well, I suppose it could be so.

The salt pools on this one are colored by salt that was used previously to create texture in other watercolor pieces — I chose a range of warm colors from orange to yellow, and then put in the swirls and spirals to match.

Rhymes With Orange, 7″x5″ salt and watercolor on paper.

Rhymes With Orange, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Rhymes With Orange, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Reusing “dirty” salt is always a risk, because sometimes the paint doesn’t distribute very well in the salt, as on the left, and sometimes it gets so diluted you can’t see it at all, as on the right. But either way, the salt always seems to retain its sparkle.

Rhymes With Orange, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Rhymes With Orange, detail 2, by Amy Crook

I thought the black frame really brought out the brightness of the orange. I might try it in a warm brown, too, just for variety.

Rhymes With Orange, framed art by Amy Crook

Rhymes With Orange, framed, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
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SnowCthulhu

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Snow Cthulhu watercolor by Amy Crook

SnowCthulhu by Amy Crook

It’s a snowman! It’s Cthulhu! It’s… SnowCthulhu!

Tiny, delicate pen work makes up the stick tentacles, arms and wings. This demanded careful, slightly messy watercolors to paint in the sticks and blue snowy shadows on him. His coal-black eyes have little hints of blue and purple in them just like real coal. Basically, he’s just awesome.

He may or may not become a holiday card this year, but he’ll definitely star in next year’s lineup. I was just feeling seasonal! And, you know, Lovecraftian. Because Christmas and unspeakable horrors just go together.

SnowCthulhu, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Tentacle Deeps 21

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Tentacle Deeps 21 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 21 by Amy Crook

The purple tentacles reach up through a grey sky, trying to capture the stars and align them to their whim. And now Tentacle Deeps is old enough to drink! Happy Tentacle Tuesday, indeed.

Tentacle Deeps 21, 8″x8″ watercolor on watercolor paper.

I’m not feeling well so, no framed photo, but the simple black wall frame I’ve got for it will look great.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Orange Paisley

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Orange Paisley, abstract art by Amy Crook

Orange Paisley by Amy Crook

I was experimenting twice over with this piece, first by using different paints in each set of 7 paisleys (for 21 total), and then by drawing the salt pools out into shapes. Finally the background seemed to need a good, strong orange, giving the whole thing a wacky ’70s feel.

Orange Paisley, 7″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper.

Orange Paisley, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Orange Paisley, detail 1, by Amy Crook

In the above detail, you can see the sparkle of the subtle duochrome paint and the way it interacts with the salt. Below, a simpler gold color that’s densest where the salt, too, gathered as they dried together.

Orange Paisley, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Orange Paisley, detail 2, by Amy Crook

And finally you can see the piece in a simple black frame, letting the pattern really shine through.

Orange Paisley, framed art by Amy Crook

Orange Paisley, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
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Potions Master

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Potions Master sketch by Amy Crook

Potions Master sketch by Amy Crook

I did a pair of Snape sketches a few years back, and I found this one lurking on my hard drive when I went looking for pieces to round out the week. They were sent off to friends who hopefully still appreciate them, and I’ve always liked this one a bit better of the two (ssh, don’t tell). I’d originally bought this paper hoping to do the trick with black & white Conte pencils, but the paper itself was too pale for the white to work will. Still, it’s come in handy for other pieces like this one — one thing I’ve learned over the years is that art supplies will always be useful someday!

Potions Master, 6.375″x4.25″ pencil on paper, nfs.

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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7 Spirals

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

7 Spirals, abstract art by Amy Crook

7 Spirals by Amy Crook

I’ve noticed that the dye-based inks I use on some of the salt pieces will fade in strong sunlight, so I’ve been experimenting with using watercolors to dye the salt instead, with mixed results. The color I used in this painting came out clear and strong, making sparkling fuchsia salt crystals.

Even though there’s 15 salt pools, I chose to name it after the purple spirals that fill the white space in loose, haphazard shapes. The spirals are actually made by mixing the pink pigment in the inner ring with the teal pigment in the outer rings, giving surprising violets with unusual tones and highlights where the pigments separated.

7 Spirals, 5″x7″ pen & ink, salt, and watercolor on paper.

7 Spirals, detail, by Amy Crook

7 Spirals, detail, by Amy Crook

You can really see the rich colors in this detail shot, above, and the subtle sparkle of the salt in the waning autumn light in my apartment. Below, the paint seems almost to glow in its matte black frame.

7 Spirals, framed art by Amy Crook

7 Spirals, framed, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
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Weeble Ninja

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Weeble Ninja is Unimpressed With Your Shenanigans

Weeble Ninja is Unimpressed With Your Shenanigans

Totally unimpressed. Pencil and cheap watercolor on sketch paper.

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces
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