Posts Tagged ‘black paper’
Galaxies
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
Galaxies, abstract art by Amy Crook
From some angles the background of this piece looks as black as the space between galaxies, or at least as black as the paper it’s painted on. Shift it just a little though, and a liberal dusting of silver stars sparkles up in the blackness, making the whole piece shimmer. The iridescent green paint, opaque blue and glittering salt form mysterious shapes floating in the black, broken spirals and strange pools of color.
I was just playing when I made the spirals, wanting some different shapes and enjoying the bigger page, which was more forgiving of the lack of precision from the salt water solution. It sat around for a few weeks after it dried while I decided what to do with it, and in the end I decided a subtle dusting of silver paint would best set off the shapes. I ended up brushing most of the silver particles back off the page, which makes the whole effect much more subtly supporting instead of overwhelming.
Galaxies, 10″x8″ salt and watercolor on paper.
Galaxies, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the golden afternoon light reflecting off the salt and paint in this particular spiral formation. Below, the strange little frost that formed where the water flowed off the edge and then soaked into the corner of the paper.
Galaxies, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And of course I’ve taken a photo with frame, desk and iPhone, to give you an idea of how big it is in real life.
Galaxies, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, blue, iridescent, nfs, salt, silver, watercolor
Silver Moon
Monday, May 14th, 2012
Silver Moon, watercolor by Amy Crook
It’s been a while since I gave you a new moon for Monday, so I thought it was about time. I did the salt pools for this one in a variety of sizes, using the clear salt water I made so even the smallest droplet left some salt behind when it dried. I used some powdered silver watercolor I have on hand to create a lovely colorless sky this time, with halos around the biggest star and an outward-fading spiral for the moon.
The reason I talk about the process so much is that’s what I’m mostly thinking about as I work, trying to get the effect I want out of the materials I’m using. I thinned out the silver paint to a specific thickness for the outer two circles on the moon, wanting there to be a delineation between the moon itself and the light that shines from it the way there is with the stars. I went for one big spiral this time because it seemed to fit with the rest, even though the star field is more complicated than in some similar pieces.
I try not to overthink these decisions as I’m making them, because the pieces work best when they’re not too fussy, with swooping paint strokes and not-quite-random scatterings of salt.
Silver Moon, 6″x4″ salt and watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Silver Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the light reflecting off the silver paint where it’s most opaque, as well as highlighting the smaller, un-haloed stars in the black. Below, the piece is framed and sitting next to my trusty iPhone for scale.
Silver Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, for sale, moon, salt, silver, watercolor
Salt Bookmark 3
Monday, May 7th, 2012
Salt Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook
As you’ve no doubt correctly surmised, it’s Bookmark Week again! I’ve sold almost all of the bookmarks from last time, and since May is Get Caught Reading month, I figured that the time was right for another week of tiny, inexpensive originals to tempt you.
This one and Friday’s were done sort of simultaneously, but since I started this one first it got to be number 3 in the series. I’m using the same mix of paint and salt water as I did for last week’s Blue Planets, but this time in dots and spirals instead. Then I crosshatched the background in a complementary green, which brought out the blue and gave the whole thing a nice visual texture.
Salt Bookmark 3, 2″x6″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).
Salt Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the sparkle of salt, the shimmer of iridescent paint and the shine of glitter gel pen, offset by velvety black paper and opaque blue paint. Below, the bookmark rests on a book for scale, though I’m not honestly sure this one would do that well as a bookmark — I’ve found the blue paint doesn’t bind to the paper as well as one might hope when mixed with the salt. Chemistry at work, I suppose.
Salt Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, bookmark, glitter gel pen, nfs, salt, sold, watercolor
Blue Planet 2
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
Blue Planet 2, watercolor by Amy Crook
Of all the Blue Planets, this one is a bit like the control in the group. I didn’t have the issues I did with the first one because I very sneakily put the paper on a small plate, so all its edges were raise and the big pool stayed pooled in the center. I didn’t make tentacles, or use a different paper (that’s tomorrow’s). It’s just a simple abstract idea of a blue-green planet floating serenely in the star-studded blackness.
I really like how each of the stars is its own tiny echo of the planet, with salt at the edges, then the green and finally blue in the center. The whole thing feels both familiar and alien at once, and the salt gives it a bit of twinkling light of its own, if only by reflection.
Blue Planet 2, 5″x5″ salt and watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Blue Planet 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the big, square crystals that formed all through the planet’s surface, as well as the darker edge crystals and the soft transition from green to blue. Below, you can see it happily tucked into its frame and reflecting onto the shiny iPhone hanging out to show size.
Blue Planet 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, blue, blue planet, for sale, green, iridescent, planet, salt, watercolor
Blue Planet 3
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
Blue Planet 3, watercolor by Amy Crook
I know this is only the second day of posting and the third piece in the series, but Tentacle Tuesday is a tradition by now! After I watched the first two Blue Planets form, I wondered if it would be possible to make the green at the edges slither tentacle-like toward the center.
It turns out it was, but they’re very subtle, so I ended up going in later to add the outer tentacles, making this one a color-inverse of Tentacle Planet with the blue-green planet and black paper. The iridescent tentacles inside the planet’s blue surface show more at certain angles, but the salt crystals on top obscure the images a little, making it more of a secret for those who pick up the frame and look closely.
Blue Planet 3, 5″x5″ salt and watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Blue Planet 3, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can just see the subtle transition of a tentacle inside where it meets up with one of the outer tentacles. Below, the piece sits happily in its frame, just waiting to invade its new home… with tentacles, of course.
Blue Planet 3, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, blue, blue planet, for sale, green, iridescent, planet, salt, watercolor
Blue Planet 1
Monday, April 30th, 2012
Blue Planet 1, watercolor by Amy Crook
This week I’m posting a series of 4 similar paintings, though slightly out of order out of respect for Tentacle Tuesday. I was revisiting some of my more scifi-themed work to decide what if anything I wanted to put in the art show at BayCon this year, and I decided that it had been too long since I painted one of my planets. I added some iridescent green paint in with my remaining mixture of salt and French Ultramarine and got to work.
I’ve numbered them in the order they were painted, this one first. As you can see, the salt crystals are tiny and fine, and the shape runs off the edge of the paper, which is totally what the salt water did. I think it looks a bit like a comet, or some shadowy binary planet, floating in space.
Blue Planet 1, 5″x5″ watercolor and salt on Arches cover black paper.
Blue Planet 1, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the tiny sparkle of salt crystals, the subtle shimmer of the green paint and the sheen of opaque, matte blue that rests between the two. The paint and salt settle out on their own, once I apply the solution and some patience, giving me something unique each time. Below, of course, is the painting tucked into its frame, hanging out with my iPhone for size reference.
Blue Planet 1, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, blue, blue planet, for sale, green, iridescent, planet, salt, watercolor
Tentacle Deeps 34
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Tentacle Deeps 34, watercolor by Amy Crook
I love the way these experimental tentacles came out, with the rich blue at the core fading to iridescent green and then finally the salt that looks almost coppery compared to the cool interior. These are tentacles reaching out from some sort of translucent blob, perhaps a Shoggoth resting at the bottom of his cell, trying to get out and eat his creators.
Omnomnom!
Tentacle Deeps 34, 4″x6″ salt and watercolor on paper.
Tentacle Deeps 34, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see a detail of the tentacles forming out of their base and reaching upwards and away from you. I think this image is quite nifty, so I made an iPhone wallpaper for you to share it with me. Below, the usual frame-up job, with my iPhone for scale only.
Tentacle Deeps 34, framed art by by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: black paper, blue, for sale, green, iridescent, salt, tentacle deeps, tentacles, watercolor
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