Posts Tagged ‘ink wash’

Spider Moon

Thursday, November 7th, 2019

an ink and watercolor painting of a spiderweb stretched between two tree branches, silhouetted against a golden harvest moon, by Amy Crook

Spider Moon, 8″x8″ ink and watercolor on paper

Another month, another Moon. This one is a golden Harvest Moon as befits the time of year, with a spider’s complex web stretched between branches just right to catch the light. The design looks just enough like an eye to give one an eerie feeling, and perhaps to make one wonder who is looking at who.

Not to mention wondering where the spider went.

Spider Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Spider Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the delicate web of silk shadowed against the strange surface of a lush golden moon. Below, the painting is framed and waiting to shed some light in your home.

Spider Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Spider Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , , ,


Fire Season

Wednesday, November 6th, 2019

an ink painting of stark ruins poking up against an orange sky, wreathed in smoke, by Amy Crook

Fire Season, 6″x4″ ink on paper

It’s fire season here in California, and it’s been a month for ruins all around.

The beautiful golden-peach glow of the smoldering sky is hard to capture on a monitor, but the inks give a magnificently clear color in person. The charcoal grey of ink wash swoops in fluid lines to suggest some kind of burnt-out ruins, close or distant, large or small.

Birds circle above and around, giving them a sense of scale — unless it’s the birds themselves that are distant.

Fire Season, detail, by Amy Crook

Fire Season, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shadow of a bird, the soft texture of paper and glow of the sky, and the stark jut of burnt ruins wreathed in their own smoky residue. Below, this dramatic scene is contained safely in a frame, just waiting to grace your wall.

Fire Season, framed art by Amy Crook

Fire Season, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: , , , ,


The Things in the Mirror

Tuesday, November 5th, 2019

an ink and watercolor painting of purple tentacles slithering inside a gold-framed mirror

The Things in the Mirror, 5″x7″ ink and watercolor on paper

Every year, we reread A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny, and I’m always inspired by the story and its amazing illustrations.

This year we have the Things in the Mirror, the slitherers whose main property is, apparently, to be sticky. The grey-on-grey ink wash background suggests an otherworldly space, while the mirror itself is bright with color and shining with gold.

It begs the question, what exactly is the most real space, in or outside of the mirror, and who is actually occupying it?

The Things in the Mirror, detail, by Amy Crook

The Things in the Mirror, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the metallic sheen of gold watercolor and the loose curl of a couple of tentacles up close and personal. Below, the slitherers have been further contained by a picture frame.

The Things in the Mirror, framed art by Amy Crook

The Things in the Mirror, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , ,


Ash Ghost series

Monday, November 4th, 2019

a series of 4 ink wash paintings featuring a ghost dissolving into ash by Amy Crook

Ash, Overgrown, Legend, and Ancient, ink wash art in the Ash Ghost series by Amy Crook,
4 works, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

This series was painted, and named, after prompts from Inktober 2019.

The upper left’s eerie ghost is the first of the Ash Ghost series: 4 ink wash paintings featuring the same mysterious and yet-unwritten legend. They get progressively more complex, filling up the space, drawing you into their story, but Ash is stark and simple.

The upper right, Overgrown, has the footsteps but no ghost that you can see. They lead up to a series of steps between two overgrown pieces of wall, vines obscuring even that hint of what used to be there. A few bits of charred wood stick up in memory of a doorframe, but the rest of the structure is lost to the mists of time.

There’s a tale waiting to be told in these images. Small details waiting to be teased out and put down, more pictures yet to come. It keeps pulling us in, luring us closer.

In Legend, the graveyard is full of mist, trees vanishing in the distance and yet, somehow, the ghost is as vivid as ever. Nothing can hide him from you, neither space nor fog, but then again, perhaps nothing can hide you from him, either.

The lower right, Ancient, is the end of our ghost story so far. It features a single ash-blackened handprint obscuring the details on a cracked headstone.

There are more questions than answers left, of course. Who is the ghost? How long has he wandered and where is he going? The headstone is there, but where is his head?

And most importantly: what does he want with you, dear reader?

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: , , , ,


Night Snow

Saturday, November 2nd, 2019

abstract art of white ink on black paper depicting a flurry of fat snowflakes by Amy Crook

Night Snow, 6″x4″ ink on Arches cover black paper

The last time I saw snow was a freak storm when I was visiting family last year, but the flakes were just like this, fat and fluffy and white against the darkening sky. There’s a very specific kind of snow that looks this way when it’s falling, and is perfect for snowball fights, snowmen, and going inside afterward to drink cocoa.

The white here is ink rather than paint, and its random-seeming spatter has just enough of a direction to it that you can imagine the wind softly blowing the flakes off their course.

Perfect for a winter soul all year round, or as an elegant decoration that’s more seasonal than holiday-related.

Night Snow, detail, by Amy Crook

Night Snow, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the soft-edged layers of snowflakes, a few so close and big you could almost catch them on a mitten. Below, I’ve trapped this moment in a frame, just waiting to bring a bit of winter wonderland to you!

Night Snow, framed art by Amy Crook

Night Snow, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , ,


Inktober 2019, part 2

Sunday, October 27th, 2019

It’s been quite the October for me, so I’m afraid part 2 is late and long, and part 3 will round out the month for you next week. Thanks for all your patience and support!

an ink drawing of a tiny dragon in a cup of dragonwell tea by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 12: Dragon, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip, nfs

an ink wash painting of a headless ghost leaving ashy footprints behind him by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 13: Ash, 5″x7″ brush and ink on paper

an ink wash painting of ashy footsteps going up to an overgrown structure by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 14: Overgrown, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

an ink wash painting of a graveyard with a headless ghost moving through the fog by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 15: Legend, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

an ink wash painting of an ornamental barette in long hair by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 17: Ornament, 3.5″x2.5″ brush and ink on ACEO card, sold

an ink drawing of a black cat in a sassy pose by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 18: Misfit, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol

a chibi ink drawing of Bucky Barnes in a speedo holding a Captain America beach ball by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 19: Sling, 3″x3″ pen and ink on paper, wip

an ink drawing of a cat stepping on some poor dude's balls by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 20: Tread, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol

an ink drawing of a lounging man in a corset bedecked with jewellery by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 21: Treasure, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO watercolor card, wip, nfs

an ink drawing of a ghost cat in a witch hat by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 22: Ghost, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol, sold

Abbreviation decoder ring!

  • wip = work in progress, ie, I’m probably going to color some or all of the drawing before it’s really done
  • nfs = not for sale, ie, it’s a Patreon sketch and already belongs to someone else
  • ACEO = Artist Card, Edition Original, also known as ATC or Artist Trading Card when traded rather than sold, which is a standard size I use for all my Patreon sketches these days

Want to get your own sketches, dibs on art, or just feel the warm glow of being part of my community of supporters? Head over to Patreon and pick a tier to get started! There’s also bonus cat photos sometimes, if that helps.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,


Sardines

Thursday, October 11th, 2018

Sardines by Amy Crook, whirling layers of silver sardines circling against a turquoise ink backdrop on buff paper

Sardines, 10″x8″ ink and watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

Monterey Bay Aquarium has a room where you can stand and watch sardines endlessly dance in circles around you, living flashes of silver in a meditative display.

The thick, buff-colored paper supports a brilliant turquoise ink wash with the perfect amount of watery softness to its shapes. Layers of abstract fish shine out of the blue in shade of silver that catch the light.

An infinite loop of motion and life!

Sardines, detail, by Amy Crook

Sardines, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the abstract fishies up close, all light and shadow and overlapping motion. Below, the painting is in its tank, er, frame, on its way to its new home.

Sardines, framed art by Amy Crook

Sardines, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Completed Commissions, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: , , , , , ,


« Or Head Back That Way Drip divider More Art This Way »