Archive for the ‘Flowers, Trees and Landscapes’ Category

Glitter Sketch Bookmark

Sunday, August 19th, 2012

Glitter Sketch Bookmark by Amy Crook

Glitter Sketch
Bookmark
by Amy Crook

The final bookmark for this week is a silly little doodle made while I was testing out my various colors of glitter gel pen. On the blue-to-white faded background, we’ve got gold filigree, red flame spirals, a purple half of a spiraled crescent moon, more sketchy blue filigree, and swooping green arabesques, plus of course my silver signature. The paper has one natural edge where it came out of the paper mold, called a deckle, and three cut edges to set it off.

Glitter Sketch Bookmark, 1″x6″ glitter gel pen and watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Glitter Sketch Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Glitter Sketch Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the light shining off the various colors of glitter – the green got a bit too much sunlight there. Below, the bright white of the paper takes the stage when it’s on the dark blue of this week’s book.

Glitter Sketch Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook

Glitter Sketch Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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Seven for a Secret

Friday, August 10th, 2012

Seven for a Secret, watercolor landscape by Amy Crook

Seven for a Secret, watercolor landscape by Amy Crook

One for sorrow, two for joy,
Three for a girl and four for a boy,
Five for silver, six for gold,
And seven for a secret never to be told.

Seven for a Secret, 8″x4″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Seven for a Secret, detail, by Amy Crook

Seven for a Secret, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, the seven crows flying in the gloaming. Below, I slipped them into a temporary frame for scale, where they got to hang out in my desk with my iPhone for a bit.

Seven for a Secret, framed art by Amy Crook

Seven for a Secret, framed art by Amy Crook

  • Title: Seven for a Secret
  • 8 in. x 4 in. Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
  • sold

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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Green Cheese Moon

Monday, August 6th, 2012

Green Cheese Moon watercolor by Amy Crook

Green Cheese Moon watercolor by Amy Crook

I imagine the three groups of colored stars are constellations of some sort, clustered near the mysterious moon. The color and texture reminds me of the veining in good cheese, and so obviously this moon is made of green cheese.

I’d intended to add in some extra decorative elements, but it was so lovely the way it is I decided to stop there. Knowing when you’re done can be the hard part, some days.

Green Cheese Moon, 10″x8″ salt and watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Green Cheese Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Green Cheese Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see one of the constellations curving in a periwinkle line around the edge of the green planet. Below, you can see the whole thing tucked into a glassless frame.

Green Cheese Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Green Cheese Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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The Stars Are Right 3

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

The Stars Are Right 3 by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 3 by Amy Crook

This time the connection to Monday’s art is, I hope, very clear indeed. This piece is larger, with the space around the unfortunately doomed planet littered with stars in mysterious configurations. Some of the groups are brilliantly yellow or green in hue to suggest constellations, what do you see in the stars?

I had fun repeating my mad alphabet in a much more subtle manner on the planet’s surface, running shimmering green runes over and around the shapes beneath.

The Stars Are Right 3, 10″x8″ salt, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.

The Stars Are Right 3, work in progress by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 3, work in progress by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sun shining off the future constellations and the swirls of toxic green in each little bubble of salt water, as well as the pool of color that will dry into the mysterious texture of the planet’s surface. Below, a view of the same constellation after everything, including a close-up of some of the runes. I like to think of this little succession of green dots as “The Tentacle,” personally.

The Stars Are Right 3, detail 1, by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 3, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Next, I’ve photographed the planet in the sunlight so you can see how the runes flare to life when they’re properly lit. The Tentacle lurks in the shot once again, ominous and ever-present.

The Stars Are Right 3, detail 2, by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 3, detail 2, by Amy Crook

And finally, I’ve taken a photo with my iPhone so you can see how much bigger this piece is, a fitting decoration for any office wall or living room. Perhaps not the bedroom, though, I make no promises about what dreams it might bring.

The Stars Are Right 3, framed art by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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The Stars Are Right 2

Monday, July 30th, 2012

The Stars Are Right 2 by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 2 by Amy Crook

I went to a whole bunch of galleries a while ago, and one of them had these great pieces in them that looked like decaying pages of ancient texts, written in incomprehensible languages. My brain, of course, immediately went to the Cthulhu Mythos, and I thought how cool would it be to put the strange text in the stars instead. I put lines around my salt constellation to show how right the stars have become, and wended the alien language through and around both the planet and constellation. I think perhaps this is how the world would look if Cthulhu did rise above the waves, a single mass of green-slimed water dotted with the cities of the dead.

The Stars Are Right 2, 7″x5″ salt, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.

The Stars Are Right 2, detail 1, by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 2, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Above you can see a close-up of the salt crystals on the planet, their quieter glimmer outshone by the silver glitter of the strange ancient language. Below, the fateful constellation nestles among the incomprehensible words, spelling out doom for those who know how to read the stars.

The Stars Are Right 2, detail 2, by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 2, detail 2, by Amy Crook

And finally you can see the piece in its frame. Although it’s very different than the original The Stars Are Right from last year, I felt like the name was just too obvious to ignore.

The Stars Are Right 2, framed art by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Insomnia City

Friday, July 27th, 2012

Insomnia City, watercolor by Amy Crook

Insomnia City, watercolor by Amy Crook

I couldn’t sleep the other night, so I pulled out some paper and my new palette of almost-black paints and painted. It started out with similar spiral clouds as Dirigible, but instead of filling up the whole image, I created a stormy blue-grey sky and then painted the city below in a deep, dark plum color. I wanted to give the whole thing a but of surreal whimsy while keeping the feel of a proper skyline, and keeping the buildings from actually running into the clouds. I kind of like how the lower right ended up shadowed by its incoming cloud bank there, too.

Insomnia City, 8″x4″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Insomnia City, detail, by Amy Crook

Insomnia City, detail, by Amy Crook

Above I turned up the saturation a little so you could see the subtle purple and blue and the contrast between them. Below, you can see the piece in all its muted glory, tucked into its temporary frame and hanging out with my iPhone in the sunshine.

Insomnia City, framed art by Amy Crook

Insomnia City, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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Filigree Planet 3

Friday, July 20th, 2012

Filigree Planet 3 by Amy Crook

Filigree Planet 3 by Amy Crook

I used the same rich fuchsia on the stars here as I did on the central part of Monday’s painting, and they make the glittery filigree on the planet look very orange by comparison. The underlying planet is a mix of reds, pinks and oranges, with texture added by salt. Strangely, the crystals on the planet itself grew very flat and dark this time, with almost no shine to them, so I decided to add in the filigree to keep the planet from being outshone by its surrounding field of stars.

Filigree Planet 3, 7″x5″ salt, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.

Filigree Planet 3, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Filigree Planet 3, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shine of the red glitter, and some of the underlying texture on the planet as well. Below, you can see a close-up of three of the tiny pink salt pools in all their fucshia glory. Pink (the color, not the rock star) and I have a strange relationship, since I usually loathe it, but I’m finding it’s got its uses in moderation.

Filigree Planet 3, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Filigree Planet 3, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Finally, you can see the piece tucked neatly into a frame. There’s no glass here, but it will ship to you fully protected and ready to hang. I just really hate trying to get the glare out of my photos.

Filigree Planet, framed art by Amy Crook

Filigree Planet, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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