Posts Tagged ‘iridescent’

Tentacle Deeps 48

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Tentacle Deeps 48 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 48 by Amy Crook

It’s Tentacle Tuesday and this one’s an octopus! Appropriate for 48, I suppose, that I’d break the “odd numbers look better” rule and go for 8 sucker-laden arms waving in the murky water. The background is an odd duochrome paint that goes from rusty orange to a very bright green, the tentacles are a translucent dark purple, and the suckers are a gunmetal silver color called “iridescent moonstone.”

Tentacle Deeps 48, 4″x6″ duochrome, iridescent and normal watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Tentacle Deeps 48, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 48, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the green shining up through the purple where it catches the light. Below, I’ve tucked it into a frame and let it hang out with my rather bored plushie — I think the orange one’s just jealous because it only has 5 arms.

Tentacle Deeps 48, framed art by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 48, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: , , , , ,


Tentacle Spiral 5

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

Tentacle Spiral 5 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Spiral 5 by Amy Crook

These tentacles are reaching out to you through an iridescent purple mist. I’m not sure what their plan is if they get a hold of you, but best make sure there’s a nice pane of glass on the frame, just in case.

Tentacle Spiral 5, 6″x4″ watercolor, iridescent watercolor and salt water on Fluid watercolor paper.

Tentacle Spiral 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Spiral 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the light changing the mist from lavender to shimmery blue. Below, you can see the tentacles in a frame, trying to get to my iPhone to make a call, presumably to Cthulhu.

Tentacle Spiral 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Tentacle Spiral 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: , , , , , ,
2 Comments »


Gibbous Moon

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Gibbous Moon, watercolor by Amy Crook

Gibbous Moon, watercolor by Amy Crook

It’s Earth Day, so of course I contrarily have a moon for you. Curling silvery mist wreaths upward, trying to reach the moon that’s a lot farther away than it looks, while blue stars shimmer in the far distance. The moon itself is just a little warm and golden, with the color bleeding strangely into the dark, making you wonder just what’s going on up there. Eerily beautiful.

Gibbous Moon, 7″x5″ watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Gibbous Moon, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Gibbous Moon, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the moon itself, warm and slightly sinister where it floats in the middle distance. Below, a few curls of iridescent mist swim into your view.

Gibbous Moon, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Gibbous Moon, detail 2, by Amy Crook

And finally, you can see it slipped into a frame and hanging out on my writing desk with my iPhone, so you can see how it looks in the wild.

Gibbous Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Gibbous Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: , , , , , ,
1 Comment »


Angry Hedgehog

Monday, April 15th, 2013

Angry Hedgehog, watercolor by Amy Crook

Angry Hedgehog, watercolor by Amy Crook

This hedgehog is very annoyed to have been disturbed, with a serious sulk going on as he’s curled into his little ball. He was painted with a very limited palette and bold, expressionist strokes, so he’s a bit of an experiment for me, but one I’m very happy with! I offered a little preview of him to my list and one of my lovely patrons snapped him up, so he’ll be going to a good home, too.

Angry Hedgehog, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Angry Hedgehog, detail, by Amy Crook

Angry Hedgehog, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see his pouty lip and little pink toes peeking out of his quills. Below, he’s been tucked into a temporary frame, so you can see how the iridescent paint blends into the rest of him when it’s not catching the light.

Angry Hedgehog, framed art by Amy Crook

Angry Hedgehog, framed art by Amy Crook

 

Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , ,
1 Comment »


Tentacle Deeps 47

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

Tentacle Deeps 47 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 47 by Amy Crook

The tentacles are back, and it’s even Tuesday! This piece started with the crosshatched background in black Sharpie marker, and then watercolor in layers on top of it. The tentacles themselves are thickly scribbled on, so the iridescent paint has a bit of texture to it where it floats atop the watery teal wash.

Tentacle Deeps 47, 8″x8″ iridescent watercolor and Sharpie marker on Fluid watercolor paper.

Tentacle Deeps 47, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 47, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sunlight reflecting purple off the iridescent tentacles, and the metallic golden bubbles floating serenely nearby. Below, you can see the piece in a frame on my wall, though without the helpful iPhone which for some reason doesn’t yet come with an anti-gravity feature.

Tentacle Deeps 47, framed art by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 47, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: , , , , , , ,
1 Comment »


Skull Paper

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Skull Paper by Amy Crook

Skull Paper by Amy Crook

Another foray into Victorian-style wallpapers with a limited palette, this piece combines loose brushwork with muted, complementary colors. The top copper shade is slightly iridescent, which adds a certain decaying glory to the erratic pattern. It makes me think of a design mouldering away in some abandoned Gothic manor house, the grinning skulls only adding to the haunted gloom of the place.

Skull Paper, 4″x6″ watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Skull Paper, detail, by Amy Crook

Skull Paper, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the light reflecting off some of the warm copper paint, which is at its darkest and most iridescent in the halos around each skull. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, hanging out on my desk with some other examples of scribbly, imperfect wallpaper.

Skull Paper, framed art by Amy Crook

Skull Paper, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: , , , , , ,


Ghost Moon

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Ghost Moon by Amy Crook

Ghost Moon by Amy Crook

I can’t honestly remember now which came first, the Ghost Spirals Bookmark or the trees in this piece. I definitely painted them on the same day, but then I came back to this later and added in the moon, and then in a third pass I added iridescent blue stars with the purple meteor, a shine of subtle iridescent green to the treetops, and silver on the moon.

I’m sometimes torn about using so much iridescent and metallic paint. On the one hand, it feels a bit gimmicky (and can’t be made into prints effectively), but on the other hand I think the pieces are more beautiful with the shimmer and shine. And since the real point of my art is to put more beautiful things into the world, I’ve decided to go with what feels right.

Ghost Moon, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Ghost Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Ghost Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a bit of the green shimmer on the trees, the silver shine of the moon, and the blue and purple stars, shooting and otherwise. Below, I’ve got the piece in a frame, so you can see how it sizes up to my iPhone.

Ghost Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Ghost Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment »


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