Archive for the ‘Sea Creatures and Other Animals’ Category

Sea Turtle

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Sea Turtle by Amy Crook

Sea Turtle by Amy Crook

After I painted a sea turtle for my contest winner, I decided I wanted to do another one just for the heck of it. This little painting depicts a green sea turtle swimming in shallow ocean waters, frolicking through the sunbeams streaming in from above. He’s a perfect size to fit in a little niche on a bookshelf, desk, or side table.

Sea Turtle, 2.75″ x 2.75″ oil on canvas, nfs (sold). This painting comes with a little 5″ wooden easel for display.

Sea Turtle, step 1, by Amy Crook

Sea Turtle, step 1, by Amy Crook

First, I laid down the background, fading from the sunlit top of the water to a clear blue near the bottom, including the edges of the tiny canvas. Then I added in the turtle himself, or at least his shape, which had to dry before I could put in his details and create the charming fellow you see above.

Sea Turtle, step 2, by Amy Crook

Sea Turtle, step 2, by Amy Crook

You can see how the finished product looks on a shelf with some other tiny paintings (and a little friend) here:

4 tiny underwater scenes by Amy Crook

4 tiny underwater scenes by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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Squid sketch

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

Squid sketch by Amy Crook

Squid sketch by Amy Crook

I found this hiding among my old scans today, I believe he was a little sketch I did on a greeting card for a friend. There’s just something fun about drawing the curl and sway of tentacles!

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
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Sea

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Sea by Amy Crook

Sea by Amy Crook

I finally got a better photo of this print that showcases the muted, subtle colors. The paper is such a pale blue, and the other colors so muted, it can be quite difficult to photograph, and even worse to try to work with in Photoshop.

I love the teal-grey waves with their scribbled-in echo of the etching plate, and slow fade from dark to light. It’s nearly two feet tall and over two and a half wide, and would look gorgeous floated on a piece of matte board in a simple frame.

You can see where I also used one of my etching plates, the same one that shows up in very different contexts in Ogdred Weary and Elements. Instead of inking into the deep grooves of the plate, I used the same brayer (ink roller) that I used to make the larger patterns, to roll ink only onto the surface of the plate, leaving the actual etching free of ink. (Click any image to see it larger.)

Sea, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 1, by Amy Crook

You can see here how there’s echoing linework hiding in the main part of the image. First ink was laid down on the main plate using the brayer, and then the back of a paintbrush was used to scrape away the ink to add texture.

Sea, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 2, by Amy Crook

The whole pattern of waves and seaweed, or tentacles, or just more eddies and currents, is topped off with a shining sun rubber stamp in silver ink.

Sea, detail 3, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 3, by Amy Crook

The print itself is quite large, the imported paper soft with beautiful natural edges. It really needs to be matted and framed for proper display, perhaps floated on a white or black background.

Sea, 31″x23″ monoprint, etching and rubber stamp on paper.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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Translucent Pelagic Octopus

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Translucent Pelagic Octopus tiny painting by Amy Crook

Translucent Pelagic Octopus tiny painting by Amy Crook

Today’s tiny painting is a Translucent Pelagic Octopus, a deep-sea creature that floats ghostlike in the dark ocean. They have some phosphorescence in blues and reds and even a bit of gold to go with the white, and seem to be sculptures of living glass. Iridescent paint gives the image a big of shimmer, adding to the effect.

He’s giving you a cheerful hello wave from his tiny canvas, which is about the size of a postcard. He comes with a small wooden easel to easily display him on a flat surface such as a bookshelf, mantelpiece, desk, cubicle, or very patient cat.

Pelagic Octopus, 4″x5″ oil painting on canvas board.

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
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Bobtail Squid

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

Bobtail Squid sketch by Amy Crook

Bobtail Squid sketch by Amy Crook

Today’s art is a startled little bobtail squid, who clearly wasn’t expecting to have his portrait sketched this morning. I’ve got a tiny painting of one of his cousins in the works, actually, which I’ll be getting back to once my last houseguest of the summer leaves and life returns to some value of normal.

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
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Pink Octopus

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

Pink Octopus by Amy Crook

Pink Octopus by Amy Crook

A few years back (2006 says the signature!), we visited the Baltimore Aquarium when they had their octopus. He was just so adorable, pink and friendly, and he had this little puzzle-box full of shrimp that we declared was his purse. I spent a long time watching him, studying the way his limbs met his body and the decidedly un-graceful curls and squiggles of his long tentacles, especially the way they attenuated at the very ends.

So, when I got home, I had to draw him! I gave him a purse full of shrimp, and used my “Prawn” copic marker to color him. I ran across him while I was looking for some other files, and I thought I’d share him with you as a lazy Saturday post.

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
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Tattered Koi

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Tattered Koi sketch by Amy Crook

Tattered Koi sketch by Amy Crook

Just a little sketch for the weekend, this fish looks like he’s seen better days. His eyes came out a bit evil, so he’s rather like a zombie koi, lurking in your pond, craving your delicious brains.

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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