Posts Tagged ‘bird’
Birdwatching
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
Birdwatching by Amy Crook
I’ve been working on this in amongst the Monster paintings, starting with a rather banal watercolor layer and adding in bold scribbles, shimmery iridescent highlights and even some pencil shading. I’ve grown fond of the odd perspective, of peering at the herons through the grasses, and catching a glimpse of both halves of this couple.
Birdwatching, 6″x4″ watercolor, iridescent Japanese watercolor, pen & ink, and pencil on Fluid watercolor paper.
Birdwatching, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a bit of the golden wash at the very edge of the sky, and a sheen off several bits of iridescent paint in several colors, from the soft gold along the beak to the blue in the feathers and silvery clouds. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, making it seem more than ever like a peek into some hidden natural wonder.
Birdwatching, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: bird, expressionism, heron, iridescent, nfs, pen and ink, pencil, sold, watercolor
Twisted Tree
Thursday, June 30th, 2011
Twisted Tree by Amy Crook
Today’s art combines a number of techniques into one unusual piece. The base is a heavy, handmade postcard from India, part of a set I bought years ago with irregular, natural edges. The wash was made with strong black tea, and the texture comes from salt crystals placed on the wet paper. Then, I added a touch of blue paint and a little more salt to create the shape of the bird.
I have to admit, once I saw a bird in the blue, I couldn’t help but think of Twitter, but I think that’s just a sign I spend too much time on social networks.
I broke out my fine-point sharpies in brown and black to create the tree and the detail on the bird, using a loose, scribbly style to create an organic shape that fit with the background.
Twisted Tree, 4″x6″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).
The bird ended up with a bit of an attitude, and I rather imagine him saying something like, “Yeah, yeah, tweet, whatever.” Despite that, he’s got a bit of sparkle to his personality, as you can see here.
Twisted Tree, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Actually, there’s salt crystals in a fine layer all along the lower part of the painting, giving it texture and a subtle glimmer.
Twisted Tree, detail 2, by Amy Crook
It looks quite nice in a simple black frame, and this painting, like always, will ship wrapped up safely and ready to display.
Twisted Tree, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: bird, nfs, salt, sharpie, sold, tea, tree, twitter
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