Archive for the ‘Sea Creatures and Other Animals’ Category
Garnet Fox
Monday, August 8th, 2016
Garnet Fox, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
The final piece in this month’s gallery is last little bit of shine brilliance, with interference red providing the delicate details on this fox’s garnet fur.
A whimsical, graphical style is paired with intricate pattern work for a gorgeous piece of art that would brighten any home or office.
Like any trickster fox, this one only shows its best side when it wants to, and in this case the lovely red shines against the rich garnet paint of its fur only when turned into the light.
Garnet Fox, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the paint on the designs catches the light and shines in metallic red on the fox’s garnet coat. Below, she’s waiting in a frame, just waiting for the right foxhole to adorn.
Garnet Fox, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: animal spirits, fox, interference, nfs, primatek, sold, watercolor
Smaug’s Hoard
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016
Smaug’s Hoard, 8.27″×11.69″ (A4) pen & ink and Copic marker on bleed-proof Copic paper
The tiny hobbit burglar is trying to keep himself quiet, but he’s been found by the big red dragon protecting his hoard. Smaug’s surrounded himself with gold and gems on every side, piles upon piles until there’s nowhere to go that Bilbo doesn’t set of a cascade of sound.
Smaug is a glory of reds and oranges among his shining treasures, and he looks a bit like a cat with a mouse as he huffs warm breath over the wee hobbit.
This piece is an unusual size for American, but perfect for those with sensible paper sizes — A4 is not quite letter size, and you can find frames for it at Ikea.
Smaug’s Hoard, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see tiny Bilbo getting huffed at by a big red dragon. Below, the piece snuck like a burglar into a 9×12 frame so you can imagine how it would look in your own hoard.
Smaug’s Hoard, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: bilbo baggins, copic marker, dragon, etsy, for sale, hobbit, pen and ink, smaug, the hobbit
Never to Be Told
Friday, July 8th, 2016
Never to Be Told, 6″x6″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
The dull orange glow coming off this rusted, smoking ruin is a lovely, warm color that somehow still embodies the apocalyptic feel of it. It’s a color you only see in the sky when things have not gone according to plan.
The crows circling above the city are the final harbingers of doom, that sign that civilization has left and there’s nothing left but whatever the crows can pick over.
It sounds like the start of a fascinating story, doesn’t it?
Never to Be Told, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a single bird circling above the ruins, blackened beams and smoke-smudged skies. Below, this mournful scene is framed for posterity, waiting to spark new tales and inspire post-apocalyptic ideas.
Never to Be Told, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: city, for sale, horizons, pen and ink, primatek, ruins, watercolor
Tea Shelf
Sunday, July 3rd, 2016
Tea Shelf, 8″x4″ pencil and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Cup, cup, cat, cup, cup, tin.
Whimsy and tea, what more could you want? This delightful little watercolor shows a shelf of goodies, from a beautiful celadon teacup and saucer to a cheerfully antisocial mug. The gloved “hands” that hold up the shelf add to the delight, especially with a wee mouse sleeping happily in one of them. The sleeping-cat figurine might be my favorite part.
What’s yours?
Tea Shelf, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the mug that I really do need to get made, and the adorable sly grey kitty figurine next to it. Below, the piece is in its temporary frame, showing off before it gets whisked away to its new home.
Tea Shelf, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: nfs, sold, tea, watercolor
Slyboots
Tuesday, June 28th, 2016
Slyboots: an engagingly sly or mischievous person,
7″x5″ brush pen & ink on paper
Slyboots is one of those words that just needed a cat. I also have several fandom ideas for it, so we might see it again at another point in the year — maybe November can be a Greatest Hits month where I do different versions of words I’ve already done while the rest of my brain is busy with NaNoWriMo.
Do you have a slyboots in your life?
Categories: Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: brush and ink, brush pen, cat, pen and ink, word art, word art weds
Kea
Thursday, June 16th, 2016
Kea, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover white paper
Kea are a type of parrot native to New Zealand, and they’re mischievous little jerkfaces. There’s a great video of them online basically destroying a police car, digging all the sealant out of the crevices around the windows and doors and causing all kinds of trouble. So, of course, I had to paint one! This was a (belated) birthday gift for my NZ friend, Caroline, who assures me that their reputation as jerks is well-deserved.
They have mossy grey-green plumage on the outside that makes excellent camouflage, but under their wings and tails there’s this gorgeous gold and orange with the darker green barring that’s just amazing.
Categories: Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: japanese watercolor, kea, nfs, watercolor
Cloud Skimming 2
Wednesday, June 8th, 2016
Cloud Skimming 2, 6″x6″ Primatek and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Believe it or not, the beautiful blue-to-gold shimmering paint in these clouds is the same one that provides the gorgeous green in Marble Pathways. The angle and quality of light combines with the paint below to give it a range of beautiful shining colors.
The three crows skim the clouds above and below with their dark wings, stirring the pale mist with their black feathers. The sun glows in the sky behind them, bringing violet dusk as it leaves in a fiery display of light.
Cloud Skimming 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the gold-to-blue color shift in the shimmering clouds. Below, those same shining spirals have almost vanished as the frame is angled away from the sun.
Cloud Skimming 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crow, duochrome, nfs, primatek, sold, spirals, watercolor
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