Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
Brass Gates to Midnight
Friday, September 7th, 2012
Brass Gates to Midnight, watercolor by Amy Crook
Swirls of brass run through the range from the brown of oxidization to the bright gold of fresh polish on this half of a pair of gates, the other open and swung out of sight, inviting us through to the sliver of midnight forest we can see behind it. Astute eyes will pick out the shapes of starlit evergreens in the darker black, along with the little secret hanging out amidst the curls of brass. This one is, to me, as much of a fairytale as Monday’s art, an invitation into the lands of imagination that’s always open.
Brass Gates to Midnight, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Brass Gates to Midnight, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, the gold paint shines in the sunlight, and the silver stars glow up above. If you click on the image to see it larger, you can even get a good view of the little green-haired fairy lad chilling amongst the curls of brass. Below, it’s hanging out on a wall with my collection of duckies, and a ruler since my iPhone wasn’t feeling tall enough for the task.
Brass Gates to Midnight, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, fairy, iridescent, nfs, spiral, spirals, watercolor
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H is for Heraldry
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
H is for Heraldry, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I have to admit, when deciding on the colors and symbols for this letter with the help of Google, I also enlisted certain fannish friends. That’s how I ended up with Hedgehog Rampant and Otter Rampant as the creatures, making the H secret fan art on top of everything else.
The symbology of the elements of this particular shield are, at least according to Google and artistic intention (which I’m given to understand the latter is more important, anyway):
- Gold/Yellow (Or): generosity
- Blue (Azure): strength, loyalty
- Black (Sable): constancy, grief
- Chevron on the shield: protection, faithful service
- Otter: one who lives life to the fullest
- Hedgehog: provident provider
- Arrows: military readiness
- Holly: truth
H is for Heraldry, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold). If you’d like an H of your own, you can find out how to commission one here.
H is for Heraldry, detail, by Amy Crook
Although the glitter looks a bit anemic in the scan, when it catches the light it’s really a lovely bright gold with a nice layer of golden yellow beneath it to add richness. Below, you can see how it looks framed and hanging out on my bookshelf with a little sneak preview of next week’s letter. (HI!)
H is for Heraldry & I is for Impressionism, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, black, blue, calligraphy, copic marker, glitter gel pen, gold, heraldry, illumination, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock holmes, sold
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Fairytale Sky 2
Monday, September 3rd, 2012
Fairytale Sky 2 by Amy Crook
I liked the larger Fairytale Sky from a couple of weeks ago so much that I decided to try a smaller version with a slightly different focus. This one’s got clouds made of mysterious iridescent blue, with stars in silver and purple, and the moon itself done in a mix of silver and white with the dark side painted in in a slightly deeper black than the paper. I really like how the whole thing came out, dreamy and welcoming with just a hint of otherworldly mystery and shine.
Fairytale Sky, 6″x4″ iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper, nfs.
Fairytale Sky, framed art by Amy Crook
Above you can see the art piece with my phone, even smaller than my usual and fitting neatly into its frame like a tiny window peeking out onto the night sky of some fairytale.
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, fairytale sky, iridescent, moon, nfs, watercolor
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G is for Gothic
Thursday, August 30th, 2012
G is for Gothic, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I have to admit, I went for the pun a bit here, combining the Gothic capital with my own Goth sensibilities. The silver spiderwebs are half-seen until they catch the light, and the burgundy G floats in murky gloom, hanging out with the stripey little spider responsible for its extra decoration.
G is for Gothic, 5″x5″ pen & ink, Japanese watercolor, and glitter gel pen on paper.
G is for Gothic, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the silver details shining in the bright summer sunlight. Goths in hot weather, anyone? Below, it’s hanging out on a little shelf with the C and my collection of Endless pewter figurines.
G is for Gothic & C is for Counter, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, black, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, goth, illumination, pen and ink, red, silver, spiderweb, watercolor
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F is for Flourish
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
F is for Flourish, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
While my embossed E was all warm green and gold, and this week’s F is cool greens and lemon yellow instead. I knew F was going to be flourish from the start, and boy, did I get flourishy! This illuminated letter would look great on the wall of a Fiona, the desk of a Frank or the bookshelf of a Ferdinand.
F is for Flourish, 5″x5″ pen & ink, watercolor, and glitter gel pen on paper.
F is for Flourish, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the sun really shining off the green glitter flourishes. Below, F is hanging out with D is for Dada in one of my bookshelves.
F is for Flourish and D is for Dada, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, green, illumination, pen and ink, watercolor, yellow
Fairytale Sky
Monday, August 20th, 2012
Fairytale Sky watercolor by Amy Crook
This piece exists in the intersection of realism and whimsy. It started with a white crescent moon that fades mysteriously to its dark side with a pitted, rocky texture. Then the cheerful periwinkle clouds spiral through the field of silver stars that shine out in the dark black of the paper. It’s an image that brings to mind the magic of bedtime stories and fairy tales, even the ones with happy endings.
Fairytale Sky, 10″x8″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper, nfs (sold).
Fairytale Sky, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the silver stars catching the light against the paper – Arches makes this soft black paper for printmaking, but I like it because the black is chemical rather than dyed, so it never fades from its original velvety charcoal color. Below, you can see how this painting might look on your desk, well, if you’ve got the kind of desk I do, anyway. It’s bigger than a lot of my skies, so it would also work well on a bedroom wall or above someone’s bed to help assure sweet dreams.
Fairytale Sky, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, fairytale sky, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, nfs, periwinkle, silver
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Parseltongue
Saturday, August 11th, 2012
Parseltongue, Harry Potter fan art by Amy Crook
Wee Harry’s made a friend! Since he’s a Parselmouth and speaks Parseltongue, the language of snakes, he had no problem convincing this one that he’s not lunch.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: copic marker, Harry Potter, parseltongue, pen and ink
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