Posts Tagged ‘alphabet’
V is for Value
Thursday, January 17th, 2013
V is for Value, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
Value is a term for how dark something is, the range from black to white, so I explored that in two ways with this piece. First the V itself is a simple triangle shaded with a brush and pre-mixed black sumi-e ink. Then the background is shaded more like an old-fashioned etching, using the red glitter gel pen and my own wobbly handmade lines to create a fade in the opposite direction.
I have to admit, there’s something very ’80s music video about the result, like the logo for some new wave band. Perhaps there’s a Victor or Virginia in your life that are big fans of Duran Duran and need this in their life.
V is for Value, 5″x5″ sumi-e ink and glitter gel pen on paper.
V is for Value, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a bit of the glittery red gel pen making the pen-shaded light-to-dark value in the background, and just the little tip of the V where the ink was determined to mostly stay at a middle tone. Below, you can see the V hanging out with the O and a little preview of X to spell “vox.”
V, O and X, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, illumination, red, sumi-e ink
W is for Watercolor
Thursday, January 24th, 2013
W is for Watercolor, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
The end of the alphabet draws ever nearer. Today’s W is perfect for a Wendy or William, with watery watercolor and sparkly silver in curvy waves. I tried to let the watercolor paint do its own beautiful thing here, letting the shapes and edges form as they would around this swooping, sparkling letter.
W is for Watercolor, 5″x5″ watercolor and glitter gel pen on paper.
W is for Watercolor, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the light glinting off the silver water-patterned glitter, and the delicate textures of grainy watercolor that separated beautifully as it dried. Below, you can see the W hanging out with the A and Y to make WAY. In or out, that’s for you to decide!
W is for Watercolor, A is for Arabesque and Y is for Yarn,
framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, blue, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, illumination, silver, watercolor
1 Comment »
X is for Xerography
Thursday, January 31st, 2013
X is for Xerography, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
X marks the spot! It was surprisingly easy to find a candidate for my X, and I had a lot of fun with this, making little Xs in black and white and glittery pen, then xeroxing them, pasting them up, and xeroxing them again, and finally cutting & assembling all the xeroxed bits and outlining them in silver glitter.
Somehow I think the monks who illuminated manuscripts with gilt and ink didn’t have half so much fun.
X is for Xerography, 5″x5″ xerography, collage and glitter gel pen on paper.
X is for Xerography, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the layers of paper and glitter fitting together on one leg of the X. Below, you can see it with the V and O making VOX, one of my favorite Scrabble words.
V, O and X, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, illumination, silver, xerography
Y is for Yarn
Thursday, February 7th, 2013
Y is for Yarn, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I was having trouble thinking of something good to do for Y, when the lovely ladies in the Starship suggested what was to them the obvious solution – yarn! I got a skein of handdyed cotton yarn from the wonderful Blonde Chicken Boutique, and then set to work. She sent me this gorgeous variegated light pink, so I used my favorite periwinkle paint and purple gel pen to create a background that looked like a tangle of yarn, then embroidered in the letter and border with the lovely pink yarn. I glued the paper to a cardboard backing so it wouldn’t tear through, and now it’s all ready for your favorite knitter, Yael or Yakov.
Y is for Yarn, 5″x5″ handdyed yarn, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on paper and cardboard.
Y is for Yarn, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of light off the purple glitter, and the textures of real and imagined yarn juxtaposed on the mottled periwinkle background. Below, the Y is hanging out with W and A to make WAY on my desk.
W is for Watercolor, A is for Arabesque and Y is for Yarn, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, illumination, periwinkle, pink, purple, watercolor, yarn
Ampersand
Thursday, February 14th, 2013
Ampersand, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I find it appropriate that my Ampersand has fallen on Valentine’s Day. The penultimate character in my alphabet, this black cut paper ampersand floats above the intricately detailed green and gold circuit board background like a particularly gothic microchip. This whole series has been about using modern, nontraditional materials to explore a Medieval art form, and so the ampersand ties it all together.
Ampersand, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen with Arches cover black paper and glue on paper.
Ampersand, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the intricate pattern of interlocking gold on top of the bright circuit board green watercolor, and the three-dimensional ampersand itself really stands out, floating on its spikey feet. Below, in honor of the holiday, I’ve put U & I together.
U & I, framed calligraphy by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, black paper, calligraphy, collage, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, green, illumination, watercolor
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
Letters and Light
Wednesday, March 6th, 2013
Illuminated Alphabet by Amy Crook
It’s hard to believe it’s done, but my whole alphabet from A to Y & Z is complete. It’s amazing to see it all together, from the things I love to the ones I might’ve done a little differently. Some of the letters make me wish I was a better photographer, because the Q and ampersand are so much cooler in person than they photographed, and some of them just make me want to redo them until I can refine the idea, or go a totally different direction.
I decided to start the series on a whim, taking my new spiffy nontraditional art materials and combining them with the classic art form of calligraphy, which I’ve been doing for many years. Choosing the themes was an interesting challenge that gave the project a lot of structure, though there was also a lot of panicked googling (and how happy am I that xerography is a thing?) to try to fill in some of the letters. I learned new techniques, got new supplies, and revisited a lot of things I hadn’t done in years.
You’ll see a few more letters cropping up here and there — tomorrow’s post uses the design for my heraldic H to make a B for Baker Street, and I’ve already got one commission in the works for a different version of the J.
I got my code monkey to set up a page so you can see the whole alphabet together in clickable thumbnails, so if you’d like to go revisit your favorite letters, have at. You might even decide you need one of them to come home with you.
Categories: Daily Art, Words Words Words
Tags: alphabet, info, words
« Or Head Back That Way
More Art This Way »
