Posts Tagged ‘duochrome’

Concentric 12

Wednesday, August 4th, 2021

abstract art by Amy Crook in yellow, orange, and metallic turquoise

Concentric 12, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

Looking into the white-yellow-orange glare of this highly saturated painting, I was compelled to add some lens flare in an oceanic blue iridescent paint. It’s less chaotic than the usual bursts of Concentric color, but has the same feeling of circles around circles that gives the series its name.

I used a smoother watercolor paper on this one so that all the texture is from the paint itself, brush strokes adding depth to the white-hot glow of the center.

Concentric 12, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the brush-stroke face to the white-hot center, and the sparkle of concentric dots forming an offset lens flare shape. Below, the painting is framed and waiting to be shipped off to its new owner.

Concentric 12, framed art by Amy Crook

It’s new! It’s orange.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: concentric, duochrome, nfs, orange, sold, watercolor

May 2021 Patreon Sketch Cards

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021

Another day, another bunch of Patreon sketch cards! I got some nifty black mixed media ones in, and tried that out with my shiny paints for the cocktails on the bottom left. I try to have fun with my sketches whenever I can, y’know?

From the top left:

Amber’s April showers/May flowers
a summer bat for The Other Amy
Nott the Brave for Eric
Wally the Nonbinary Welsh Walrus for Booskerdu
Cocktails for Jefferson
Kim’s new job ft. books
and 40s music for Roxanne B, with my personal favorite song from the era, “Swingin’ on a Star.”

Carry some moonbeams off in a jar, darlings!

Categories: Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: bat, black paper, book, copic marker, duochrome, ink wash, iridescent watercolor, pen and ink, walrus, watercolor, yupo

Concentric 10

Sunday, July 18th, 2021

Abstract purple art with bursts of concentric rings of dots over the words 'be kind'

Concentric 10, 6″x4″ watercolor on paper

This last half-year has had a lot of taking one thing and making it into another. A purple-washed background waiting to become art got the words “be kind” added in soft, subtle periwinkle. After another delay, bursts of shining dots finally blossomed into another addition to my Concentric series.

This tiny artwork has soothing shades of blue and purple and lovely lavender, hints of green and gold waiting to shine at the right angles.

This series is very meditative to paint, following my inner promptings to start a burst here, and then one there in that color, building up from the first dot to the last.

Concentric 10, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the three shades of color bursts, green-gold, dark purple, and ocean blue. Below, this small painting is framed and waiting to bring delight to some small nook or larger display of art.

Concentric 10, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Pretty Words, Series and Books
Tags: concentric, duochrome, iridescent, nfs, purple, sold, watercolor, word art

Growth 14

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

abstract art with pen and ink and a very faint watercolor rainbow

Growth 14, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper

The sheen of rainbow colors in this Growth painting is extremely subtle and hard to see. The paper is phenomenally textured, thick and bumpy and imperfect in the best of ways. It was wonderful for making a wobbly, squashed, off-kilter circle to spin out into the tiny circles of growth, and to support the light brush of color in the middle.

The mixture of delicate pen strokes and thick, rough paper makes this piece unique, though it still follows the themes of outreach, growth, and expansion. In the middle there’s the quiet pride and confidence one needs to be able to put themselves out there, bumps and all.

Growth 14, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can really see the imperfections in the paper and the circle both, the wobbly little circles floating off into bumpy space. You can really see how faint the rainbow is in that photo as well. Below, the painting is in a frame, shining with pride.

Growth 14, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: duochrome, for sale, gay pride, growth, pen and ink, watercolor

Concentric 9

Monday, July 12th, 2021

an abstract watercolor painting of a series of concentric circles of dots on a green background

Concentric 9, 5″x5″ watercolor on paper

A fitting start for a gallery full of abstract artwork and reclaimed images, here’s an old painting that gained a lot more cowbell.

This mostly-green painting had some sneaky color-changing shine to it already, so I doubled down on that palette and brought in some blue to go with the gold, green, and surprising pops of red. There’s just one big set of Concentric bursts that fade through the palette, and finally trail off and fade out into nothingness.

This is a painting I wish I could show you in person, since it looks different from every angle and has a lot more to offer than I can capture in photos. A very familiar complaint, sadly!

Concentric 9, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sunlight reflecting off the green-gold and green-red paints, turning everything into new colors and showing off hidden details. Below, the painting is in a frame, ready to bring a bit of peace and beauty into your life.

Concentric 9, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, concentric, duochrome, for sale, green, iridescent, japanese watercolor, more cowbell, watercolor

Yupo sketch cards

Tuesday, May 25th, 2021

I got a new substrate to try, Yupo, which is an interesting synthetic that comes in a transluscent thin sheet, a more normal sheet, and a fat cardstock, all very smooth and non-absorbent. Basically the opposite of watercolor paper! I got a package of sketch card sized pads, and did some non-request sketch experiments on them in various media.

5 sketch cards with watercolor on yupo paper

5 sketch cards by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: aceo, cat, counting crows, crow, duochrome, salt, watercolor, yupo

Concentric 8

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

abstract art of concentric dotted circles on a purple background

Concentric 8 by Amy Crook, 9″x12″ watercolor on paper, sold

It’s art that I finished in 2021! I’m very happy to be back at it finally, now that all the stress and extra tasks of moving have been largely dealt with (unpacking is eternal).

I’ve had this purple background for a while now, and I finally got the motivation over a few days of work to get this lovely, fireworks-like addition to the Concentric series done. I put it up on my Patreon while it was in progress, and one of my wonderful supporters claimed it before it was even done!

Below, you can see a zoomed-in angle view of some of the lovely metallic and iridescent paints that I used for this meditative work. I tried to stick to a certain palette, but I couldn’t resist sneaking in a little gold for the very middle burst. Which set of circles is your favorite?