Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
Curious Otter
Friday, April 26th, 2013
Curious Otter, 7″x7″ watercolor and pen & ink on Arches cover white paper
This curious little otter is peering at you through a sunlit window into his little pool. He’s done with a limited palette of watercolors and a little bit of water-blurred pen & ink to add that feeling of a reinforced window. He’s a bit of an odd size, but mounting him on a piece of mat board lets you appreciate the hand-torn irregularity of the paper’s edges. The soft paper lends some really nice texture to the loose, expressionist brush strokes.
Curious Otter, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the otter up close, peering at you with his sharp black eyes while the rest of him grows ever fainter in the water’s slightly murky depths. Below, you can see him in a temporary frame, displayed in all his nosy glory with his little hedgehog buddy.
Curious Otter, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: expressionism, nfs, otter, pen and ink, sold, watercolor, who knew
Angry Hedgehog
Monday, April 15th, 2013
Angry Hedgehog, watercolor by Amy Crook
This hedgehog is very annoyed to have been disturbed, with a serious sulk going on as he’s curled into his little ball. He was painted with a very limited palette and bold, expressionist strokes, so he’s a bit of an experiment for me, but one I’m very happy with! I offered a little preview of him to my list and one of my lovely patrons snapped him up, so he’ll be going to a good home, too.
Angry Hedgehog, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).
Angry Hedgehog, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see his pouty lip and little pink toes peeking out of his quills. Below, he’s been tucked into a temporary frame, so you can see how the iridescent paint blends into the rest of him when it’s not catching the light.
Angry Hedgehog, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: hedgehog, iridescent, nfs, sold, watercolor, watson
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Instagram Food
Friday, March 8th, 2013
Instagram Food by Amy Crook, $79
After I made my little Instagram Valentine, I wanted to make another card that had that same soft, abstract feeling and expressed a bit of what I love about the service. This time, though, I went for a more “missing you” approach, so instead of a person we get one of the other most-Instagrammed things — food! I painted it in warm yellows, oranges and browns with just a touch of green, to give the feeling of a filtered picture, and put it in a distressed photo “frame” as well.
Instagram Food, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Japanese Watercolor on paper, $79 with free shipping for the original.
The card says, “I like seeing your food on Instagram, but I’d rather see your face in person,” with the words framing the art.
Instagram Food greeting card by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: etsy, for sale, instagram, japanese watercolor, pen and ink, yellow
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Baker Street Crest
Thursday, March 7th, 2013
Baker Street Crest by Amy Crook
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the alphabet, I’ve done another B! I took the design for H is for Heraldry, with all its Sherlock-centric themes, and turned it into a B for 221B Baker Street. There’s actually a lot of John Watson in this crest, almost more so than Sherlock Holmes, with the generosity, loyalty, and martial readiness. Sherlock is in there, too, though, both of them rampant and ready to defend their little kingdom.
I decided not to bling up the gold in this one, sticking to a nice bright, warm yellow to represent the Or field on the shield. This also makes them easier to reproduce, so I’ve got note cards for sale on Etsy with the crest, so you can send your next piece of snail mail in style.
Baker Street Crest, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper.
Baker Street Crest, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the detail on the cheerful hedgehog and rather snooty otter. Below, I’ve put it in a frame and you can see how the original stacks up next to my iPhone.
Baker Street Crest, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, copic marker, etsy, for sale, heraldry, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes
Ghost Moon
Monday, March 4th, 2013
Ghost Moon by Amy Crook
I can’t honestly remember now which came first, the Ghost Spirals Bookmark or the trees in this piece. I definitely painted them on the same day, but then I came back to this later and added in the moon, and then in a third pass I added iridescent blue stars with the purple meteor, a shine of subtle iridescent green to the treetops, and silver on the moon.
I’m sometimes torn about using so much iridescent and metallic paint. On the one hand, it feels a bit gimmicky (and can’t be made into prints effectively), but on the other hand I think the pieces are more beautiful with the shimmer and shine. And since the real point of my art is to put more beautiful things into the world, I’ve decided to go with what feels right.
Ghost Moon, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Ghost Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a bit of the green shimmer on the trees, the silver shine of the moon, and the blue and purple stars, shooting and otherwise. Below, I’ve got the piece in a frame, so you can see how it sizes up to my iPhone.
Ghost Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, for sale, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, shooting star, spirals, tree, watercolor
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Z is for Zoomorphic
Thursday, February 21st, 2013
Z is for Zoomorphic, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
It was surprisingly easy to find a theme for my Z, and then once I’d decided on a zoomorphic letter, cats was the second most obvious choice (after zebras). Even the border fits the theme, with little abstract silver and gold mouse kissing all around these sleeping cats. Their poses are inspired by my own fickle felines, but I chose to go with different markings, a nice grey top kitty with a slumbering tabby for the base.
This is the end of my Alphabet! It’s almost sad that it’s over, except that I have at least two more letters to do, and I might go back and “fill in” the sold pieces with variants so I can display the whole set somewhere. I’m happy to take commissions on any letters someone wants in a different style, or that’s already sold (I’m already doing a second J!), and you can click here for the details.
Z is for Zoomorphic, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor, pen & ink and glitter gel pen on paper.
Z is for Zoomorphic, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a bit of the kissing-mice border, with their simple curves of body, tail and ear. Below, you can see it tucked into a frame, though I forgot to sneak my iPhone into the shot.
Z is for Zoomorphic, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, black, calligraphy, cats, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, green, illumination, pen and ink, silver, watercolor
Storm
Monday, February 18th, 2013
“I hope the Dwarves find some shelter before those Stone Giants really get going.”
Storm, The Hobbit fan art by Amy Crook
My tiny fandom obsession continues! The mountains dried with lovely blue-violet swirls in their depths, and now there’s Gandalf, contemplating the oncoming storm as he starts to head into the Misty Mountains after Thorin et al. He’s done all in shades of grey as is appropriate, with Glamdring at his side and his staff in hand. Plus the pointy hat, of course.
Storm, 6″x6″ Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Storm, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of Gandalf with the colors tweaked to help bring out his eyes, er, details. Below, you can see it snugly resting in an 8″x8″ frame, waiting to find a new home.
Storm, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, gandalf, hobbit, mountains, sky, spirals, tiny fandom, watercolor
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