Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
Hummingbird at Night
Sunday, October 4th, 2015
Hummingbird at Night by Amy Crook
This time of year there’s hummingbirds all over my neighborhood, and even showing up on my social media feeds. These inspirational little tiny jewels just beg to be captured, not in a cage, but on the page.
This painting features iridescent and duochrome paints on the black paper so everything shimmers and shines the way a real hummingbird does. The duochrome paints are really something, they change color depending on the angle of the light. Despite being a night scene, this piece sparkles charmingly in sunlight.
Hummingbird at Night, 6″x4″ duochrome and iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Hummingbird at Night, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sparkle in the Hummingbird’s breast and the loose brushstrokes that shape the leaves. Below, this tiny gem is nestled into a frame, waiting to brighten up your life.
Hummingbird at Night, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, duochrome, hummingbird, iridescent, nfs, sold, watercolor
Halloween Trees 2
Friday, October 2nd, 2015
Halloween Trees 2 by Amy Crook
The original Halloween Trees is only a year old, but it feels very different from this sequel. The sky is softer and has more cloud shapes, and the trees are a less imposing brown rather than the starkly silhouetted black. Even the crows are different, coming in for a landing instead of taking off into the sunset.
The brilliant swath of pink behind the lightning-struck tree lets that whole bank of clouds really glow. The three trees each have their own character, slightly different patterns in their branches that make it clear even without leaves that they’re not the same species. If the crows are roosting in the middle one, one might wonder what lives in the lightning-struck tree on the left?
Halloween Trees 2, pen & ink, brush & ink, and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Halloween Trees 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the tiny birds up close, coming in to land in the lacework of branches. Below, the piece is in a temporary frame, just waiting for its new home.
Halloween Trees 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: brush and ink, crow, halloween trees, horizons, nfs, orange, pen and ink, pink, sold, tree, watercolor
Periscope
Monday, September 21st, 2015
quick paint sketch of a hummingbird by Amy Crook, livepainted on Periscope
What’s Periscope, you might ask?
- Periscope is an app (owned by Twitter) that lets you make live videos with your phone.
- Periscope videos (or scopes) last 24 hours before they vanish forever.
- I have Periscope set to tweet when I’m on live.
- You can watch on the app or on the web, including the replay (for as long as it lasts).
- You don’t have to make videos to have an account and watch them.
- You can text chat to the person making the video, share the video on Twitter, and give them “hearts” by tapping on the screen during the live feed.
- Yes, it’s yet another form of social media.
- Kind of like Youtube and Snapchat had a baby and sold it to Twitter.
- But I actually really like it.
- My username is, predictably, amysnotdeadyet.
I’m using it to make art! Or, well, to let you watch me make art. I painted the little hummingbird sketch above live on Periscope the other day, and below there’s two more things that owe their lives to me wanting to draw something on Periscope.
Eames & Arthur bookmarks by Amy Crook
Well, actually Eames and Arthur (above) owe their existence in part to Periscope, and in part to wanting to work on their character design for a commission. But the merdude below was one of my first Periscope experiments!
Merdude watercolor sketch by Amy Crook on Periscope
You can see at the top of the page I wrote, “Hi! I can’t see you chat,” because when I’m drawing or painting the phone is up over my shoulder and, like everything on Periscope, the chats are ephemeral and disappear before I can go looking.
I’m amysnotdeadyet on Periscope — come say hi!
Categories: People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: arthur, bookmark, eames, hummingbird, inception, merman, pen and ink, pencil, periscope, sketch, watercolor, words
Cuppa Gratitude
Tuesday, September 8th, 2015
Cuppa Gratitude by Amy Crook
It’s the last day of September’s Floating Gallery, and I’m grateful to everyone who’s emailed me to comment on a piece, set up a payment plan, or bought art outright. Every one of you is awesome!
The latest Cuppa is charmingly decked out in a warm, cosy piece of knitwear! The bright red cable knit cradles the bright green cup, almost a holiday feel with the gold gilding the edges but also evoking the color of new leaves and green tea.
Hand knits always make me think of gifts created with love, especially one that fits its intended wearer so well. The intricacies of cabling and seed stitch evoke hours of careful attention to detail, and the feeling of warmth seeping through the wool.
What better to be grateful for than a hot cup of tea?
Cuppa Gratitude, 7″x5″ pen & ink, watercolor, and metallic watercolor on paper.
Cuppa Gratitude, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the slightly mad inking I did on the cable knit design for the cup cosy. Below, the cuppa is tucked into a frame to keep it extra warm.
Cuppa Gratitude, framed art by Amy Crook
Whether you’re seeing this on the blog or in your email, thank you again for being awesome!
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cuppa, metallic watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tea, watercolor
Jade City
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015
Jade City, watercolor by Amy Crook
Every time I paint a new City, I think, this one is my favorite. It’s the inevitable consequence of hours spent filling in the tiny, monochrome details and fleshing out my imaginary worlds.
This gorgeous jade city is besieged by a magnificent purple rainstorm, the violet clouds hanging above in dark spirals while the rain streaks down the page. The patterns of the rain helped determine the shape of the city it fell upon; gaps in the runnels became the buildings in this layered, mysterious skyline.
Jade City, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Jade City, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the tops of a few of the buildings besieged by the beautifully textured rainfall. Below, the city waits in its frame like a window onto another, stranger world.
Jade City, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: city, japanese watercolor, nfs, primatek, sold, watercolor
Calligraphy Sketches
Wednesday, August 26th, 2015
I’ve been doing some calligraphy sketches on Instagram lately, and I thought I’d share them here for those of you that aren’t there. Some are little modern-day blessings, some are practice for larger future pieces, and one is a contemplation of purpose. Enjoy!
Categories: Pretty Words, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: calligraphy, instagram, nfs, pen and ink, pencil, sketch, watercolor
Cuppa Rage
Monday, August 3rd, 2015
Cuppa Rage by Amy Crook
Almost half of my July was taken up dealing with a tech snafu, which was covered by my extended warranty but still enough to drive me around the bend.
This sharp-edged, boiling cuppa was inspired by the uniquely enraging experience of dealing with terrible tech support that operates off a script with no room for the actual variation of customer experience. The cup itself is a dull, smoldering burgundy with bright orange in the handle and cut-off plane of the top, and a vibrant red inside with the bubbling tea. I gilded the sharp edges at the top and bottom of the cup and along the saucer, the bright spot of not actually murdering anyone.
My tech woes have been solved, but it’s good I had a cuppa to contain my rage.
Cuppa Rage, 7″x5″ pen & ink, watercolor, and metallic watercolor on paper.
Cuppa Rage, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of gold offset by the virulent orange on the sharp-cut edge of the cup, and the roil of tea inside. Below, the rage has been contained in a frame, ready to receive all the frustration of your Mondays to come.
Cuppa Rage, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cuppa, for sale, metallic watercolor, pen and ink, tea, watercolor
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