Archive for the ‘Pretty Words’ Category

Resonate

Tuesday, July 20th, 2021

Resonate by Amy Crook, small abstract art with the word resonate in the upper left corner

Resonate, 6″x4″ watercolor and tea on paper

This piece sprang from a long-lost art challenge: I took the 2 teabags out of my giant mug of tea and put them on the page to create random shapes. I left them out for a few hours, then tossed the tea and let the paper dry thoroughly, by which I mean didn’t work on it again for a couple of months.

This abstract has a feeling that makes me think of the drip of tea back into the cup, of the shape made by a splash of milk, of the way sounds or ideas reverberate in your head.

What resonates with you?

Resonate, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the mix of bronzite and gold and the subtle ways they sparkle against the soft, tea-stained paper. Below, this small painting sits in a frame, ready to help you resonate.

Resonate, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Pretty Words
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Concentric 10

Sunday, July 18th, 2021

Abstract purple art with bursts of concentric rings of dots over the words 'be kind'

Concentric 10, 6″x4″ watercolor on paper

This last half-year has had a lot of taking one thing and making it into another. A purple-washed background waiting to become art got the words “be kind” added in soft, subtle periwinkle. After another delay, bursts of shining dots finally blossomed into another addition to my Concentric series.

This tiny artwork has soothing shades of blue and purple and lovely lavender, hints of green and gold waiting to shine at the right angles.

This series is very meditative to paint, following my inner promptings to start a burst here, and then one there in that color, building up from the first dot to the last.

Concentric 10, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the three shades of color bursts, green-gold, dark purple, and ocean blue. Below, this small painting is framed and waiting to bring delight to some small nook or larger display of art.

Concentric 10, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Pretty Words, Series and Books
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April 2021 Patreon Sketch Cards

Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

Having standardized the sketch size to these pre-cut ATC/ACEO cards makes my life so much easier — they come in vellum for drawing, watercolor paper, and some cool new stuff like Yupo synthetic substrate. It gives me a lot of room for play! Which I did with several of these that weren’t for anyone specific, heh.

6 sketch cards by Amy Crook

From the top left:

  • Do Good Recklessly, a recent tumblr meme
  • Capybaras for Rebecca S
  • A wee Concentric doodle to play with some of my new watercolors
  • Bats and Mushrooms and Sun and idk man, sometimes you just gotta paint mushrooms I guess.
  • Purple dragon for Andria, who wanted to have a golden hoard of their very own, which was pretty easy since they are very wee
  • Amy B asked for a kitten and got a blobcat with a Christmas tree tail, which is a feature of kittens of a certain age that I find delightful. It has brought you a mouse toy like the mighty hunter it is, and is all fluffed up about it.

4 sketch cards by Amy Crook

From the top left:

  • Amber asked for “seasonal (holiday) allergies” and I may have chosen to tease her husband.
  • A is for Amy wants to play with her yupo paper some more.
  • Roxanne asked for Falcon & the Winter Solider and apparently this is what my brain wanted.
  • Rey asked for “conditionally huggable” and of course I had to draw a hedgehog.

I love my Patreon supporters with all my heart — thanks, you guys! You’re the best.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Completed Commissions, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Illuminated Alphabet, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Yupo sketch cards

Tuesday, May 25th, 2021

I got a new substrate to try, Yupo, which is an interesting synthetic that comes in a transluscent thin sheet, a more normal sheet, and a fat cardstock, all very smooth and non-absorbent. Basically the opposite of watercolor paper! I got a package of sketch card sized pads, and did some non-request sketch experiments on them in various media.

5 sketch cards with watercolor on yupo paper

5 sketch cards by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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January 2021 Patreon Sketches

Tuesday, March 30th, 2021

5 sketch cards by Amy Crook

From top left:

  • Eric asked for Peanut m&m as an Airbender and, well. Yeah. That’s a thing I’ve drawn now.
  • Roxanne asked for this quote, which got a little shiny visual along with the word art.
  • Kim asked for winter socks, and got bats ^^v^^
  • Amy B prompted “peacock” and got an abstract. It’s shiny!
  • And Jeff asked for “missing bff” which I made both silly and sad, like I do.

This finishes off January for me, which makes me briefly all caught up on sketches! Slowly, slowly, finding a new balance.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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End of 2020 Patreon Sketches, part 2

Tuesday, March 16th, 2021

Another big batch of sketches done, getting us caught up through October, with one little January request sneaking in because reasons. Corvid reasons.

Lenin & Carmilla down the left side for Dr. Tags, and then on the right we have Persevere for Rey, “Mandalorian feels” for Kim, and vampire bats for Amy B (most sold)

Espurr for Eric, crow in snow for Andria, the things in Jeff’s skull, Julius Ceasar and the Very Pointy Day for Dr. Tags, and Relax for Rey (most sold)

Categories: Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Fascism is Bad

Tuesday, September 8th, 2020

Fascism is Bad, 6″x6″ ink and watercolor on paper

Some people have the energy to protest, some of us have to stick with protest art. If you told me at any point prior to 2016 that I’d be worried about literal nazis in 2020, I would have thought you were crazy. Just goes to show.

This piece uses several different brush pens and some bloodily patriotic watercolor to make its point.

 

Nazis ruin everything.

Fascism is Bad, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the spattered red and layered ink on the D in BAD. Below, the art’s in a frame that’s not quite right for it — it would be perfect in a larger frame, or one of the acrylic frameless displays.

Fascism is Bad, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Pretty Words, Things I'm a Fan Of
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