Archive for the ‘Flowers, Trees and Landscapes’ Category
Fairytale Sky 7
Friday, June 28th, 2013

Fairytale Sky 7 by Amy Crook
So, instead of painting the moon and mist and stars on black paper, this time I painted a mysterious sky of nearly-black colors, then added in the silver mist and stars and milk-white moon. I love the way the moon and mist picked up the background colors, especially the bloody cast to the moon’s shadows. A subtle addition to the series, with shine on the metallic mist and stars but not too much fancy paint this time around.
Fairytale Sky 7, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover white paper.

Fairytale Sky 7, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see brush strokes in the silver paint, which ranges from thick enough to stand off the paper, to thin enough to barely be visible on the dark background. Below, the painting is hanging out with my iPhone, showing off its spirals.

Fairytale Sky 7, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: fairytale sky, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, nfs, silver, spirals, watercolor
Periwinkle Flowers
Monday, June 17th, 2013

Periwinkle Flowers, watercolor by Amy Crook, $250
I was thinking more of clouds when I first started painting these little puffs of periwinkle, but they came out so flower-like that I surrounded them with leaves and grass and gave them swirly centers of overlapping yellow and white spirals. I let them sit around in a frame for a few days while I decided if I liked them, and they grew on me (pun acknowledged if not intended).
Periwinkle Flowers, 5″x7″ watercolor on paper, $250 with free shipping.

Periwinkle Flowers, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see a slightly color-shifted detail of one of the soft watercolor flowers, which was blued over a bit by the bright sunshine. Below, the piece is framed and hanging out with my plush of Mei dressed as a Totoro, because it can.

Periwinkle Flowers, framed art by Amy Crook
- Title: Periwinkle Flowers
- 5 in. x 7 in. Japanese watercolor on paper
- $250 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
- Frame is not included, but can be added for $50 (shipping included)
- Shipping is free anywhere in the world
- Payment plans are available, just email me
- The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: flowers, for sale, periwinkle, watercolor
1 Comment »
Daffodils Bookmark
Wednesday, June 5th, 2013

Daffodils Bookmark
by Amy Crook
Have a bit of sunshine for you Wednesday! This cheerful little bookmark is done entirely with Japanese colored fountain pens on a coated archival inkjet paper. I used a waterbrush to add just a tiny bit of blue shading to the sky, green to the leaves and gold to the flowers by blurring out the ink, but as you can see the coating keeps it from being anything but a very soft, subtle background glow. This cheerful little bookmark is quite small, perfect for a paperback.
Daffodils Bookmark, 1″x4″ pen & ink on paper, nfs (sold).

Daffodils bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the cute little ladybug adding a bit of delight to this bookmark. Below, you can see it atop a hardcover book, for scale.

Daffodils Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
(book not included, grow your own)
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: bookmark, nfs, pen and ink, sold
Midnight Sprout Bookmark
Monday, June 3rd, 2013

Midnight Sprout bookmark
by Amy Crook
It’s Bookmark Week! This is the time when I take things I’ve doodled onto scraps left over from cutting or tearing paper down to size, and sell them as bookmarks so anyone can have their own wee original bit of Amy art. My newsletter people got to see the bookmarks last week, so there’s a few that are already sold, but I’m starting the week with one that you can still take home.
This little sprout is struggling up in the moonlight, trying to make the most of its cold light. The paint is matte and darkly colored, but you can pick out the little sprout at the right angle. It’s like a secret!
Midnight Sprout bookmark, 2″x5″ watercolor on paper.

Midnight Sprout bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the sunlight illuminates the dark colors, so you can see the deep green and midnight blue, and even the little bits of detail and shadow on the sprout. Below, you can see it hanging out with a nearly-matching hardcover book, so you can get an idea of the size.

Midnight Sprout bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
(book not included, book happy in its current home)
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: bookmark, buy a bookmark, for sale, japanese watercolor
Birdwatching
Saturday, May 18th, 2013

Birdwatching by Amy Crook
I’ve been working on this in amongst the Monster paintings, starting with a rather banal watercolor layer and adding in bold scribbles, shimmery iridescent highlights and even some pencil shading. I’ve grown fond of the odd perspective, of peering at the herons through the grasses, and catching a glimpse of both halves of this couple.
Birdwatching, 6″x4″ watercolor, iridescent Japanese watercolor, pen & ink, and pencil on Fluid watercolor paper.

Birdwatching, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a bit of the golden wash at the very edge of the sky, and a sheen off several bits of iridescent paint in several colors, from the soft gold along the beak to the blue in the feathers and silvery clouds. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, making it seem more than ever like a peek into some hidden natural wonder.

Birdwatching, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: bird, expressionism, heron, iridescent, nfs, pen and ink, pencil, sold, watercolor
Gibbous Moon
Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Gibbous Moon, watercolor by Amy Crook
It’s Earth Day, so of course I contrarily have a moon for you. Curling silvery mist wreaths upward, trying to reach the moon that’s a lot farther away than it looks, while blue stars shimmer in the far distance. The moon itself is just a little warm and golden, with the color bleeding strangely into the dark, making you wonder just what’s going on up there. Eerily beautiful.
Gibbous Moon, 7″x5″ watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Gibbous Moon, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the moon itself, warm and slightly sinister where it floats in the middle distance. Below, a few curls of iridescent mist swim into your view.

Gibbous Moon, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, you can see it slipped into a frame and hanging out on my writing desk with my iPhone, so you can see how it looks in the wild.

Gibbous Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, fairytale sky, for sale, iridescent, moon, spirals, watercolor
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Crows at Dusk
Friday, April 19th, 2013

Crows at Dusk, watercolor skyscape by Amy Crook
I’ve been indulging myself in the vice of instructional art videos on YouTube lately, and while I’ve learned a lot of ways to make some really awful art, I have gleaned a few interesting techniques. I found I guy making really ugly skies who was using a specific technique to make moons, and so I stole his idea and came up with this. It’s simple, but it has a nice dreamy, hazy feel to it as the crows rise up and vanish in the distance.
Crows at Dusk, 6″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Crows at dusk, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the moon, though something about the angle and the paper’s texture smoothed away the shadows on the surface. Below, you can see it in a frame, hanging out with my iPhone and feather quill pen.

Crows at Dusk, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: crow, for sale, moon, watercolor
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