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