Archive for the ‘Daily Art’ Category
Triskaidekaphobia
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
Triskaidekaphobia by Amy Crook, $313
Unlike most of my abstract pieces, this one got its name when it was just barely begun. Thirteen green spirals adorned this odd-sized bit of sample paper, and something about the pattern just suggested its name to me. It’s even a bit ironic, since 13’s one of my lucky numbers (what? sometimes a girl’s gotta embrace the cliche).
I used the gorgeously graining Lunar Black that you’ll see in all 3 of this week’s abstract pieces to create the richly textured background, though there’s even a little bit of Bloodstone snuck in that’s nearly invisible except in strong light. The black is very matte, which sets off the subtle shine of the salt crystals beautifully.
Triskaidekaphobia, approx. 6.5″x6.5″ mixed media on paper, $313, framed, with free shipping.
Triskaidekaphobia, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Up close you can see the dense, velvety black creeping in around the clusters of sparkling salt pools.
Triskaidekaphobia, detail 2, by Amy Crook
I tucked it into an 8″x8″ frame using archival photo corners, so it’ll ship safely to you with its crystals intact.
Triskaidekaphobia, framed, by Amy Crook, $313
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: 13, for sale, green, lunar black, pen and ink, salt, watercolor
Arses not Artses
Saturday, September 10th, 2011
Arses not Artses, watercolor sketch by Amy Crook
I was texting my friend Jeff and I made a typo — I intended to say I was going to “make some artses” (aka make some art), and I managed to leave out the t. Being a fan of certain British books and TV shows as I am, I immediately said that I couldn’t guarantee whether or not there would be arses.
I was testing out my very cool new Lunar Black watercolor, and I had some left on my palette from the art you’ll get to see next week, so I decided to pull out my sketchbook and draw this so I’d have at least one arse to show for the session. The paper wrinkled and the paint ran and granulated, so I supplemented it with a little bit of pen and ink work, including the signature, dipping the fountain pen right into the watery puddles of paint still on the page.
I cheated and photoshopped out the buckled paper, but you can see places the paint pooled more thickly. I do love the granulated textures the lunar black leaves, and painting bums, so perhaps I’ll try again on a thicker paper.
Categories: Daily Art, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces
Tags: nfs, pen and ink, sketch, watercolor
Violet Midnight
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
Violet Midnight by Amy Crook
Another image I keep revisiting, the moon glowing in the night sky. I went for a simple duochrome effect, the stars and moon drawn in orange ink, then the stars turned warm and golden when the salt and water were added. I used a dark blue-violet paint, which was making such fascinating shapes and shadows on its own as it pooled and flowed that I decided not to try to add any more stars and let the velvety paint stand on its own. Then I used a metallic copper watercolor to create the haloes around the moon and stars, the color an excellent match to the orange ink.
Violet Midnight, 7″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs.
This piece has a great contrast between the matte violet paint and shimmery, iridescent copper paint; between the flat ink and three-dimensional salt crystals; between the meticulous spiral pattern in the moon and the random, cloudy shapes in the sky.
Violet Midnight, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Here you can really see how the interplay of colors and textures up close.
Violet Midnight, detail 2, by Amy Crook
A simple black frame protects the salt, and makes the vivid colors really glow.
Violet Midnight, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: moon, nfs, orange, pen and ink, salt, sold, stars, violet, watercolor
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Update: Cthulhu Divination Deck WIP
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Cthulhu Divination Deck, Card Mockup by Amy Crook
Progress is moving forward on my idea for a Cthulhu Divination Deck! I decided on a card size, a deck size, and got some price quotes. I’m planning to add some ornamentation to the card frame (and possibly change the layout a little), but this is the basic idea. So far I’ve decided that card #1 needs to be Cthulhu himself, and #42 (the last one) will be “The Stars are Right.” Now I just have 40 more cards to decide on. Then I’ll sketch out the art double the size it will be on the original cards, ink and color each piece, and somewhere in there I’ll put together stuff for the Kickstarter.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange, Works In Progress
Tags: cthulhu, lovecraft, nfs, sketch, tarot, weeble, wip
Tentacle Deeps 14
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
Tentacle Deeps 14 by Amy Crook
Just when you thought the tentacles were slumbering, my Tentacle Deeps series is back! I’ve had a few more ideas for them niggling in the back of my head, and this is the first of at least two new additions to the series. This one, despite the look, is entirely done with ink pens and water, no paint involved. I used brushes dipped in plain water to create the visual effects and the second layer of tentacles. There’s a hint of the original pen lines in each tentacle, fore- and background, and subtle colors are hiding in the black, added with scribbles of blue and purple before the water was applied.
Tentacle Deeps 14, 5″x7″ pen, brush and ink on paper.
Tentacle Deeps 14, detail, by Amy Crook
You can see some of the texture here in the above detail shot, and the soft variations of blue, green, and purple hiding in the black. Below, you can see how the simple black frame looks with the tentacles inside.
Tentacle Deeps 14, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: brush and ink, for sale, green, pen and ink, tentacle deeps
1 Comment »
Confetti Rain
Monday, September 5th, 2011
Confetti Rain by Amy Crook
When I started this piece, I was experimenting to see if I could fill a whole paper with the salt-crystal rosettes the way rain on a puddle fills up the whole surface with overlapping shapes. After a while it was hard to get even a tiny rosette to form without the water running and blurring into the already-formed structures. The different shades of blue ink ended up giving it a party-confetti feel, and that with the sparkle from the salt gives the piece its name.
Confetti Rain, 5″x5″ pen and ink and salt on paper
The paper itself is a warm off-white color that’s hard to photograph — for some reason it often shows up quite red when compared to the cool blue ink and sparkling salt.
Confetti Rain, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Still, I love the way the salt catches the light and seems to glow from within, as well as the up-close view of the textures of crystal growth and rough, soft paper.
Confetti Rain, detail 2, by Amy Crook
A simple black frame will keep the salt crystals safe while the piece is in transit, and provide a contrast to the splashes of color on the page.
Confetti Rain, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: blue, for sale, pen and ink, salt
Return of the Son of Coloring Book Doodles
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011
Tentacle doodle by Amy Crook
I don’t always remember to scan these in after I do them, so it’s been a while since I had any to post. The last few coloring books I’ve sold, I doodled in the tentacles above, and a random silly Sherlock, below.
Sherlock doodle by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: coloring book, doodle, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock
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