Posts Tagged ‘for sale’

Cross Section

Thursday, January 9th, 2014

Cross Section, abstract art by Amy Crook

Cross Section, abstract art by Amy Crook

I don’t do a lot with brown. I’ve never been that fond of the warm end of the scale, especially anything orange-toned, and browns usually have a lot of orange in them. But this time I wanted to give it a shot, so I used a rich terra cotta red-brown paint and a dark, sepia-like brown fountain pen to give this painting its grounded palette.

The brown ink is dye-based and fugitive, which means it’ll fade over time. I took advantage of this and put the piece in the sun for a few days, then used water to fade out the lines around the right edge, and faded it in the sun some more. The lines where the ink wasn’t watered down faded far less, which should be interesting if the new owner keeps it in a sunny spot.

Cross Section, 5″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover white paper.

Cross Section, detail, by Amy Crook

Cross Section, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close up of the lower right corner with its sun-faded lines. Below, you can see the piece in a black frame, though I suspect it’d look nicer in a deep, warm brown.

Cross Section, framed art by Amy Crook

Cross Section, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Shadow

Tuesday, January 7th, 2014

Shadow, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Shadow, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

This is really more of a zen spiral than a circle, but the softly broken brush strokes at the top make me think of a zen circle anyway. The pigments pooled and settled with the texture of the paper, giving it more detail than you would think for such a small, simple painting.

Everything about this painting is subtle, muted, desaturated. It makes me think of shadows on a cloudy day, softened by the lack of direct light but still there if you think to look.

Shadow, 5″x5″ watercolor on watercolor paper.

Shadow, detail, by Amy Crook

Shadow, detail, by Amy Crook

The photo above is tinged blue by the sun, but you can still see the textures of paper and paint, and how they interact to create layers of detail. Below, you can see it in a frame, hanging out with my cell phone for size.

Shadow, framed art by Amy Crook

Shadow, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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TARDIS Valentine

Wednesday, January 1st, 2014

You make my heart bigger on the inside - a TARDIS Valentine by Amy Crook

“You make my heart bigger on the inside.”
a TARDIS Valentine by Amy Crook

It’s not actually all that Valentine-y on the outside, but the card says, “You make my heart bigger on the inside.” And that’s a very loving sort of sentiment, don’t you think?

You can get the card in my Etsy shop. Ooh, shiny!

TARDIS Valentine, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Awwwww.

Awwwww.

Categories: Card Design, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Fairy Flower

Saturday, December 7th, 2013

Fairy Flower by Amy Crook

Fairy Flower by Amy Crook

Our week of the Floating Gallery is almost over! It closes Sunday night, and all the art floats away, leaving me to relax and enjoy my holiday season.

As part of my long month of working on the sequel to The Courtship of Julian St. Albans, I decided to do an illustration for the cover. There’s a lot of plants in the second book, but the fairy flowers feature in both of them, and I wanted to give a visual to them.

They’re described as a common flower, so I wanted something that reminded me of the wildflowers I picked as a kid, but that had a bit of magical whimsy to them. You can just imagine the butterfly fairies that are attracted to these little blossoms, giving luck to your home as a reward for letting them grow.

Fairy Flowers, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Fairy Flower, detail, by Amy Crook

Fairy Flower, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the flower’s five fat little petals, and the way the purple ink wanted to bleed out past the lines. Tricksy blending. Below, you can see the piece in a frame with Horace, the bird from the cover of the first book.

Fairy Flower & Horace, framed art by Amy Crook

Fairy Flower & Horace, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Exit Strategy

Friday, December 6th, 2013

Exit Strategy, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Exit Strategy, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Go out of the week with a bang! This image is like a brilliant sun with vibrant, rich colours and shimmering Duochrome Autumn Mystery forming licks of fire and spattering explosions. Like a bullet through an apple, there’s and entry and a bigger, messier exit.

This explosive piece of art could brighten up a corner of your home with its mix of rich matte Japanese paints and the shimmering red-orange-gold of the duochrome paint, but only until Sunday when the Floating Gallery closes up shop once again.

Exit Strategy, 5″x5″ Japanese and duochrome watercolor on watercolor paper.

Exit Strategy, detail, by Amy Crook

Exit Strategy, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the shiny paint catching the light and turning from red to gold. Below, you can see it in a frame, small enough to tuck into a little corner or fit on a desk, adding a bit of vibrant interest.

Exit Strategy, framed art by Amy Crook

Exit Strategy, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Still Life With Fandom 1: Who?

Thursday, December 5th, 2013

Still Life With Fandom 1: Who? by Amy Crook

Still Life With Fandom 1: Who? by Amy Crook

It’s Thursday of this December Floating Gallery week, and today I have an actual still life for you. I have a lot of nifty things, knickknacks and props and oddities, and I thought it would be fun to use some of them to explore the idea of a still life.

A lot of things we’re fans of evolve over time, reboot themselves, or just make changes, so it’s interesting to me to also see this as a reflection of the way our own love for things evolves with them. I have the 10th Doctor’s sonic screwdriver prop because that’s when I was interested enough to get one, but then the show’s moved on and the prop itself is only still current because of the 50th anniversary special.

This painting started with the deliberately loose, wobbly pen-and-ink outlines, and then it sat for a long time until finally I was inspired by The Day of the Doctor to finish it. I even added a little homage to the white paper in the foreground to help fill the big empty space.

Still Life With Fandom 1: Who?, 8″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Still Life With Fandom 1: Who?, detail, by Amy Crook

Still Life With Fandom 1: Who?, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the sonic screwdriver and its soft blue glow. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, ready to bring a little grown-up fandom to your walls.

Still Life With Fandom 1: Who?, framed art by Amy Crook

Still Life With Fandom 1: Who?, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Cthonian Skies

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Cthonian Skies by Amy Crook

Cthonian Skies by Amy Crook

The Floating Gallery has touched down for December, and I thought I’d start your Monday off strangely.

The swampy greens in this strange sky are laced with shimmering iridescence. The moon shimmers darkly beneath spirals of gold, and strange salt-formation stars radiate yet more gold into the gloomy mists of night. Perhaps this is what Cthulhu saw in his native skies, or what he sees now in the slice of reality he occupies as he slumbers deep beneath the waves — beautiful, maddening dreams of a night that never was.

Cthonian Skies, 5.5″x8.5″ pen & ink, salt, watercolor, and iridescent watercolor on acid-free embossed paper.

Cthonian Skies, detail, by Amy Crook

Cthonian Skies, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sunlight making long shadows from the salt crystal stars, and the textures of paper and paint interacting. Below, it’s loosely attached to a frame for size. The final product will be properly matted and framed for shipping, to protect the nifty salty bits.

Cthonian Skies, framed art by Amy Crook

Cthonian Skies, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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