Posts Tagged ‘iridescent’

Tentacle Deeps 44

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Tentacle Deeps 44 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 44 by Amy Crook

More tentacles! More shiny paint! It must be Tuesday. I used three different paints here with very subtle effects to the camera, but that are quite obvious to the naked eye. The first was the background in a green that blends into the green paper until the light shifts and it becomes a bright gold. Then the tentacles are in two different shades that turn from green to bronze, different shades and different angles, but almost match.

The overall effect is mysterious and ancient, hinting at tarnished bronzes or possibly green tentacles covered in iridescent slime as they rise up through the golden sunlight, seeking who knows what.

Tentacle Deeps 44, 4″x6″ duochrome watercolor on green Crane & Co. paper.

Tentacle Deeps 44, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 44, detail, by Amy Crook

At most angles, I got the tentacles as all green or all bronze, but here you can see how the front layer is green and the back set bronze, and the background turns a warm, bright gold. Below, you can see it in its frame, ready to grace your bookshelf, desk, or wall.

Tentacle Deeps 44, framed art by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 44, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Fairytale Sky 3

Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Fairytale Sky 3 by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 3 by Amy Crook

Having already seen Fairytale Sky 4, you might wonder what happened to 3. Well, it was a gift for a friend and it had to make it all the way to Mongolia! I chose a paint called “Duochrome Tropical Sunrise,” which switches between warm golden and bright green tones, and painted a slender crescent moon to go with the spirally clouds.

Fairytale Sky 3, 5″x5″ watercolor on paper, nfs.

Fairytale Sky 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the warm coppery-gold color the paint turns at a certain angles. Below, you can see what it looks like in the frame that kept it safe all the way to Ulaanbaatar.

Fairytale Sky 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Octopus Bookmark 1

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

Octopus Bookmark 1 by Amy Crook

Octopus Bookmark 1
by Amy Crook

After Tentacle Tuesday is.. Tentacle Wednesday? Well, there were just a lot of tentacles this week, I guess. This little octopus is a bit leery of something below him, and is heading up out of the pink-tinged depths and into the light. The paper itself is a soft, subtle green, and the pink paint turns a subtle violet at certain angles. The octopus is just himself, though.

Octopus Bookmark 1, 2″x6.25″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Octopus Bookmark 1, detail, by Amy Crook

Octopus Bookmark 1, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sunlight turning the shimmery pink to shimmery violet and chasing the little octopus up the bookmark. Below, it’s resting next to a book for your size-comparsion pleasure.

Octopus Bookmark 1, with book, by Amy Crook

Octopus Bookmark 1, with book, by Amy Crook
(book not included. get your own book.)

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Jellyfish Bookmark 3

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

Jellyfish Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Tuesday has returned! This whimsical little jellyfish is done in three shades of shimmering watercolor, purple and pink floating in a lovely aqua-gold ocean. This bookmark is on nice thick watercolor paper with one edge tapering off to the natural deckle from the papermaking process. Not my process, of course, but the manufacturer’s.

Jellyfish Bookmark 3, 1.25″x6.875″ watercolor on paper.

Jellyfish Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can just see the aqua paint turning to gold in the sun like a shimmer of pale powder. Below, the bookmark is sitting happily atop a normal-sized hardcover book so you can see the size.

Jellyfish Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook
(tentacles included. book not included.)

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Fairytale Sky Bookmark 2

Monday, November 26th, 2012

Fairytale Sky Bookmark 2 by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky
Bookmark 2
by Amy Crook

It’s Bookmark Week again, the last one for the year! I think that a bookmark-sized piece of original art makes a wonderful holiday gift idea or stocking stuffer, don’t you?

We’ll start the week off with a sliver of a moon hiding half out of sight, with swirling, iridescent mist curling through the black sky. The mist is a color called “duochrome hibiscus” which wavers between a violet-ish blue and fuchsia, and definitely took on the bluer tone here.

Fairytale Sky Bookmark 2, 1″x6″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Fairytale Sky Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a bit of the pink sheen on the cloud, and the tiny embedded sparkles as well. Below, you can see the bookmark with a fairly standard hardcover book for size.

Fairytale Sky Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Delicate Jellyfish

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

Delicate Jellyfish, watercolor by Amy Crook

Delicate Jellyfish, watercolor by Amy Crook

This is one of those pieces it’s really impossible to get a feel for without seeing it in person, alas. All the paint on it is “duochrome,” which means the green background changes to gold, the pink turns purple and the green in the tentacles goes a totally different shade of purple when it’s tilted into the light just right, giving the piece almost an inverse feel as things that were darker become lighter and vice versa.

Delicate Jellyfish, 4″x6″ duochrome watercolor on green Crane & Co. paper.

Delicate Jellyfish, detail, by Amy Crook

Delicate Jellyfish, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a little of the color-changing effect, though it’s very hard to capture on film. Below, I’m including the frame with this painting because I found the perfect complement. The frame’s made of mother-of-pearl that shimmers just like the painting without detracting from it.

Delicate Jellyfish, framed art by Amy Crook

Delicate Jellyfish, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
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Fairytale Sky 4

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Fairytale Sky 4 by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 4 by Amy Crook

I have to admit, this particular version of the moon and clouds is done to my very own color preferences, so it’s one of my favorites. There’s a hint of periwinkle in the curve of the huge horned moon, and the clouds are a soft, wispy mix of iridescent blue, interference purple and soft white. The silver stars are smudgy and twinkling on the black paper background, and the whole piece has the feeling of a magic in the air.

Fairytale Sky 4, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Fairytale Sky 4, detail, by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 4, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the interplay of blue and purple in the shimmery clouds. Below, the piece is tucked into a frame (with no glass to reduce glare for the photo), and sitting with my iPhone 4s so you get an idea of the size.

Fairytale Sky 4, framed art by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 4, framed art by Amy Crook
(iPhone not included)

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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