Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
M is for Majuscule and Miniscule
Thursday, October 18th, 2012
M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I like to think of the little m as snuggling up to the big M, miniscule trustingly at the feet of the majuscule. The background on this one seems simple, but the crosshatching like that is always quite time-consuming, especially with a glitter gel pen.
M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold). If you’d like an M of your own, you can find out how to commission one here.
M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the green pen shining against the soft periwinkle blue background, with the rich purple and green of the two Ms surrounded by glitter. Below, a shot of the background in progress, to see the way the texture really changed the whole look of the piece.
M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, work in progress by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, blue, calligraphy, glitter gel pen, illumination, nfs, pen and ink, periwinkle, purple, sold, watercolor
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Well Met
Tuesday, October 16th, 2012
Well Met, tentacle painting by Amy Crook
Wiggly, wobbly tentacles spiral up from the bottom of this strangely iridescent mauve background, only to find another of their kind reaching down from above. There’s a certain Halloweenish whimsy to this piece that I find very appealing.
Well Met, 9″x7″ watercolor on watercolor paper.
Well Met, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a bit of the subtle shimmer of the iridescent background. Below, you can see the piece tucked neatly into an 8″x10″ frame.
Well Met, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: iridescent, nfs, pink, sold, tentacles, watercolor
Pooh and Piglet Hugging sketch
Sunday, October 14th, 2012
Pooh and Piglet hugging, sketch by Amy Crook
Winnie the Pooh was published on this date in 1926. Let’s hope they’re still around in another eighty-mumble* years!
*Pooh can’t count that high, sorry.
Categories: Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: nfs, pencil, sketch, winnie the pooh
L is for Layers
Thursday, October 11th, 2012
L is for Layers, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
One of the things I love about this series is the physicality of it, the way the glitter encourages the viewer to try to catch the light, to pick the piece up and move it around. In this one, I went a step farther and added a physical dimension to it by building up layers of cut and painted paper. The gold at the edges helps each layer stand out, even more than just the cascading autumnal colors.
L is for Layers, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on collaged paper.
L is for Layers, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see a close-up of the overlapping corners, the glued paper growing tall as it builds layer upon layer. Below, the L is hanging out with a preview of the N in my little writing desk.
L is for Layers and N is for Negative Space, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, brown, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, illumination, watercolor
K is for Greek Key
Thursday, October 4th, 2012
K is for Greek Key, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
It’s a bit cheating to use the Greek Key pattern for K, but it was the option that appealed to me the most. It’s hard to do kerning with only one letter, after all!
I ended up designing my own Greek Key in Illustrator, printing it, and using my lightbox to copy it in blue glitter gel pen onto the K. All the tools of the modern age are getting put to use as I explore the historic art of calligraphic illumination.
K is for Greek Key, 5″x5″ pen & ink, Japanese watercolor, and glitter gel pen on paper.
K is for Greek Key, detail, by Amy Crook
Between the color and the glitter, I had a really hard time photographing this piece. The Key pattern blends into the soft blue background to the camera, but of course your eye immediately catches the light. Below, you can see it in a frame, spelling out the word I said when I realized I didn’t have a framed photo for it.
K is for Greek Key, framed art by Amy Crook
(with A is for Arabesque and C is for Counter)
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, blue, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, green, illumination, pen and ink, watercolor
Misty Moon
Monday, October 1st, 2012
Misty Moon, watercolor by Amy Crook
This piece is of course related to the Fairytale Sky series, but something about the way the moon was surrounded by a halo of silver demanded a different name. The clouds are looser, too, lots of extra curls and and brushstrokes escaping the main spirals. I got to use some nifty new paint on them, a duochrome aqua that changes from bluer to greener depending on the angle and the light.
The whole painting is small enough to tuck into a corner of your desk and give you a bit of mystery whenever you want it.
Misty Moon, 6″x4″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).
Misty Moon, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above and below you can see the art from different angles, with the mist showing up sky blue or aqua green depending on how the light hits.
Misty Moon, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And below you can see it in its frame, all ready to make its way to your desk, bedside table or bookshelf.
Misty Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
(iPhone included for scale)
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, duochrome, fairytale sky, iridescent, moon, nfs, sold, watercolor
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J is for Juxtapose
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
J is for Juxtapose, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I wasn’t sure how well I could manage Juxtaposition, but I’m really happy with the contrasts and superimpositions in this piece, from the colors of subtle buff titanium with bright purple and rich teal, to the way the dark purple ink outline of the neat lower J bled through into the messy top letter. The light purple glitter strips in the upper left blend very differently with the background than the dark inked spirals in the lower right, too.
J is for Juxtapose, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold). If you’d like a J of your own, you can find out how to commission one here.
J is for Juxtapose, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of purple glitter and a close-up of many of the various overlapping styles. Below, the J is hanging out with the A, which shares a similar color scheme but a nicely different feel.
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, buff titanium, calligraphy, glitter gel pen, illumination, nfs, pen and ink, purple, sold, spirals, teal, watercolor
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