Archive for the ‘Series and Books’ Category
Five 5
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Five 5 by Amy Crook
This paper completely absorbed the water before any of the salt could even dissolve, making mysterious swirls of ink surrounding each spiral. I went back in and created the crosshatched figure, and once it was most of the way done, I turned it on the side and found that it looked rather like a creepy, Lovecraftian figure. I used water to blur the ink and add significant shape to the shoggoth, the pattern of dots turning the fifth spiral into a part of the figure like an eye on a stalk.
Five 5, 3.5″x2.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (but available for trading!).
I find it interesting how all the ink on this piece, except for the signature, is blurred and softened, giving the whole piece has a creepy, surreal feeling. Happy Halloween season!
Five 5, detail, by Amy Crook
If you’re an artist who makes ATCs of your own, and are coveting this one, let me know!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, atc, five series, lovecraft, pen and ink, salt, shoggoth
Five 4
Monday, October 17th, 2011
Five 4 by Amy Crook
This paper absorbed the water slowly, but still too fast for the salt to do its usual thing. Instead, it formed this mysterious flower-like shape inside the paper — this is actually what started as the back of the paper. The ink left ghostly rainbows of dye in the paper as it separated into its component colors. I went back in and added more ink and water both, which leaves us with a subtle embossed flower surrounded with the gentle green of new leaves.
Five 4, 3.5″x2.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (but available for trading!).
This detail shot really makes the pink I dotted into each petal glow, and you can just see the five golden stamen I put in the center. I love that this card has so much detail hiding in the extremely subtle play of color and texture.
Five 4, detail, by Amy Crook
If you’re an artist who makes ATCs of your own, and are coveting this one, let me know!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, atc, five series, pen and ink, sakura, salt
Sherlock bookmark
Saturday, October 15th, 2011
Sherlock bookmark by Amy Crook
This little scrap of paper is nice thick Arches cover black, and should stand up to being used as a bookmark, though I suspect the soft edges will get a bit softer over time. Basically I was tearing some 5″x5″ squares and I had this little 1″ strip left so I decided to draw a contemplative Sherlock.
Sherlock bookmark, 1″x5″ white gel pen and pencil on paper, nfs, sold.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: bookmark, gel pen, holmes, nfs, pencil, sherlock, sold
Five 3
Friday, October 14th, 2011
Five 3 by Amy Crook
I decided to do #3 horizontally when one of the salt pools didn’t take, instead spreading out into the paper for mysterious reasons. I added ink dots to depressions in both the wet and dry paper, and I love the way the blue-black ink spread throughout the damp spot. I like the way the stamped “canvas” texture in this paper really supports and informs the art that came to life on its surface.
Five 3, 3.5″x2.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (but available for trading!).
The canvas-like texture of this card is really evident here, and the way the water and salt distorted it in the lower left where the salt pool didn’t properly form.
Five 3, detail, by Amy Crook
If you’re an artist who makes ATCs of your own, and are coveting this one, let me know!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, atc, five series, pen and ink, salt
Five 2
Thursday, October 13th, 2011
Five 2 by Amy Crook
In this second piece in the series, I used a purple pen to go with the pinkish-purple that lingered in the center of the salt pools, and the ink separated out as it dried, leaving the pink behind in the lightest washes and looking bluer at the edges. I used simple water to create the background wash, picking up ink from shading that’s nearly erased at the top and bottom, plus the tips of some of the longest lines in the center designs.
This is another of those pieces where incessant fiddling gave me interesting results in the form of the layered ink washes, especially down in the lower left.
Five 2, 2.5″x3.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (but available for trading!).
You can see the paper texture in the detail shot, and the shape and sparkle in the blue salt pools.
Five 2, detail, by Amy Crook
If you’re an artist who makes ATCs of your own, and are coveting this one, let me know!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, atc, five series, pen and ink, salt
Five 1
Monday, October 10th, 2011
Five 1 by Amy Crook
This is my first foray into Artist Trading Cards (or Artist Card Edition Originals, as they’re called if you sell them), though I’ve had a pack of assorted blanks for a while now. I wasn’t sure if any of them would hold up to my method of growing salt crystals, but I decided to do a set of 5 with 5 ink spirals each (whether or not the salt pools formed), and call it, brilliantly, Five.
Have I mentioned I hate coming up with titles?
Five 1, 2.5″x3.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (but available for trading!).
This one formed a very interesting salt crystal on one of the pools that looked almost melted, curvy and organic in a way most of them really never are.
Five 1, detail, by Amy Crook
If you’re an artist who makes ATCs of your own, and are coveting this one, let me know!
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, atc, five series, pen and ink, salt
Midnight Rain
Friday, October 7th, 2011
Midnight Rain by Amy Crook
This is a cool echo of the fiery copper from yesterday’s art. Although this is the same paint I used in Jellyfish Bloom, the bright aqua pigment sinks into the black paper, leaving a watery echo of peacock-iridescent shimmer floating on top.
The salt this time picked up some of the green from the pen I used, but it’s quite pale inside the opaque matrix of the crystals. They’re darker where the paint coats them, but everything about this piece came out subtle and ghostly. Appropriate for Halloween, I think.
Midnight Rain, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper.
Midnight Rain, detail, by Amy Crook
When the sunlight hits this one, the iridescent paint goes purple on the paper in lovely contrast to the rich teal you see where it coats the salt crystals. From another angle, it looks more blue, as you can see below in the framed photo.
Midnight Rain, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: black, for sale, iridescent, pen and ink, salt, teal, watercolor
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