Archive for the ‘Series and Books’ Category
Giant Rats 16: Don’t You See?
Saturday, July 14th, 2012
“Do you see, John?” – a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook
For a few months now I’ve been contemplating the idea of doing a larger work with the Gorey-style shading, taking Sherlock and his Watson on an adventure that I could later put into a short book or something. Apparently, the first step on that path wasn’t deciding on a story or doing thumbnails, but instead drawing a random panel that might or might not fit in the middle, with a cute little one-shot joke.
If I do actually get far enough into the project it seems like it’ll finish (never a guarantee, heh), then I’ll want the originals to be Kickstarter incentives for printing a run of little books, I think, so this one won’t be for sale just yet.
“Don’t you see, John?” Sherlock comic, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper.
Sherlock comic, framed, by Amy Crook
These are the smaller size from my B is for Baker Street series, the art itself is 5″x3″ on the 7″x5″ paper, whereas the original four character drawings are 7″x5″ including the text, on a larger 8.5″x5.5″ sheet of paper. These are much easier to frame, and easier to finish as well with significantly fewer square inches of white space to be crosshatched in masochistic detail.
So, what do you think? Would you want a little Sherlock book, perhaps The Giant Rats of Sumatra?
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black and white, crosshatching, giant rats of sumatra, gorey, john watson, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes
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Binary Green
Friday, July 13th, 2012
Binary Green by Amy Crook
Two green planets orbit each other in a mysterious, swirly blue-black sky. This binary system has continents dotted with sparkling salt crystals, perhaps the cities of some alien race.
I have three flower-shaped ceramic palettes of Japanese watercolors. One is earth tones, reds and oranges. One is blues, purples and a nice solid black. The last one is greens and yellows and a matte blue-black that you can see making the swirly night above. I had my water brushes out the other night with the green palette, and this piece was one of the results, along with the tentacles from Tuesday. (There’s also a pair of bookmarks no one will see until I get to 7 and declare another Bookmark Week.)
I really like the effect I’m getting with judicious use of the saturated salt solution, dripping it onto damp watercolor and making mysterious geographies as the two interact. I think I’ll take my planets to Endgame this month and give the skies a rest, so look out for that post as well.
Binary Green, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and salt on paper.
Binary Green, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the sparkling salt on the upper left planet’s surface, where below we have the darker shapes glittering from the surface of the lower right planet.
Binary Green, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, I’ve put it in a frame (sans glass), so you can imagine it sitting on your desk at work, giving you dreams of distant worlds during your coffee breaks.
Binary Green, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: balls, for sale, green, planet, salt, watercolor
A is for Arabesque
Thursday, July 12th, 2012
A is for Arabesque, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I’ve begun a new series, though this one I can guarantee has a specifically limited lifespan. I’ve decided to do an illuminated alphabet, using pen and ink for the lines, watercolor for the fills, and glitter gel pen in lieu of gold leaf.
The first in my series is, of course, A, the awesomest letter in the alphabet. A is for Amy who fell down the stairs, after all, at least according to Gorey. A is also for arabesque, in this case referring to the graceful design motif, usually of acanthus leaves, used to decorate all sorts of things from calligraphy to mosques. My blue glittery acanthus are spiraling in the background of this grand periwinkle A. I’ve decided to do each letter with some sort of design or typographical motif represented, so let’s hope I can find something for that other end of the alphabet where things get tricksy.
B and C are already chosen, anyway.
I’m planning to post these once a week, so it will take six months for the series to be done, give or take a few weeks off for bookmarks or Sharpie art.
A is for Arabesque, 5″x5″ watercolor, pen and ink and glitter gel pen on paper.
A is for Arabesque, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sun catching the glitter and making it shine much brighter than the paper (which really is white, I swear). Below, I’ve got it tucked into a frame and hanging out with the J on the shelf with some of my many, many books.
A is for Arabesque & J is for Juxtapose, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, blue, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, illumination, pen and ink, periwinkle, purple, watercolor
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Tentacle Deeps 38
Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
Tentacle Deeps 38 by Amy Crook
This is another of those paintings that started as an idle wash with my water brush and grew tentacles. I’m so in love with those, though I haven’t given up the normal brushes entirely. Like any new technique, I’ll use it a while and then go back to using a wider variety of stuff — or go on to the next shiny new thing.
This painting has a graceful hand of tentacles, five long tendrils like the fingers of some under-bed monster reaching up to get you tonight.
Sleep well.
Tentacle Deeps 38, 5″x7″ Japanese watercolor on Strathmore paper.
Tentacle Deeps 38, detail, by Amy Crook
There’s a certain range of blue-green colors that give my monitor a hissyfit trying to reproduce, and this painting is right in the middle of it. The scan is probably the most color accurate, though I enjoy the blue cast the tentacles get in the above detail photo. Below you can see it framed and ready to find its way into your house. Though possibly not the bedroom, just to be safe.
Tentacle Deeps 38, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: aqua, for sale, tentacle deeps, tentacles, watercolor
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Filigree Moon 2
Monday, July 9th, 2012
Filigree Moon 2 by Amy Crook
This painting is the shining golden harvest moon version of the cool Filigree Moon from two weeks ago. The moon is rising up in one corner, covered in gold spirals, adding its light to a sky full of stars. There’s faint white salt pools, deep golden yellow ones, and some glittery gold spirals as well decorating the black paper the same way the stars dot the sky.
I’d been using my cooler glitter pens for my planets, the blue and purple, and I wanted to use the gold for a bit. So, I got out some black paper and first made the golden moon background, then scattered in some stars with salt, water and paint, then a few more of just salt water. Finally once it was all dry, I came in and added spirals, first to the moon and then to give the sky even more sparkle.
Filigree Moon 2, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.
Filigree Moon 2, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above you can see a very close photo of two of the tiny salt pools, including the one big crystal that formed. Below is a shot of the moon itself, in all its glittery glory, with the same two pools in the distance on the upper left.
Filigree Moon 2, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, you can see it in a frame (with the glass left out), hanging out with my iPhone so they can talk about whether size matters.
Filigree Moon 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, filigree, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, moon, salt, spirals, watercolor
Red Planet 2
Friday, July 6th, 2012
Red Planet 2 by Amy Crook
The pitted surface of this planet combines with its warmer tones to be more Mars-like than the first Red Planet painting. I used salt in damp-to-wet watercolor to get the texture, after I’d made a wash that I liked the color variations on. The planets on white paper always make me think of some specimen or illustration in a science book, from some mysterious future where we’ve seen more planets than the nine eight in our solar system (poor Pluto!).
Red Planet 2, 7″x5″ salt and watercolor on paper.
Red Planet 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see light reflecting off some of the few little salt crystals that actually formed on the surface. Below, the planet floats serenely in its frame, just waiting to add some science fiction to your life.
Red Planet 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, planet, red, salt, watercolor
Tentacle Spiral 3
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
Tentacle Spiral 3, original art by Amy Crook
I used red-brown at one corner and yellow ochre at the other to make an earthy, warm wash, and then it sat around for a while while I wasn’t sure what to do with it. But when in doubt, I always turn to tentacles, and so I’ve added a third painting to the series. I rather like the effect of the lunar black tentacles on the powdery-matte Japanese watercolor background, with the warm glow coming through them.
Tentacle Spiral 3, watercolor on paper.
Tentacle Spiral 3, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see a close-up of the tentacles, and the textures of paper and paint together. I’ve made the detail photo into a computer wallpaper, this one’s less widescreen than yesterday’s for those of you with more square monitors. Below, I’ve put the painting in a frame so you can see how it might look, tucked in a frame on a shelf or perhaps a little piece of wall somewhere, adding tentacles to your home or office.
Tentacle Spiral 3, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Series and Books
Tags: brown, for sale, spirals, tentacle spiral, tentacles, watercolor, yellow
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