Posts Tagged ‘japanese watercolor’

Thirteen

Thursday, March 14th, 2019

Thirteen, 8″x10″ watercolor on paper

One of my patrons suggested that something related to the new Doctor Who, specifically the 13th Doctor’s sweater, would make a fun abstract in the same style as the trio styled after Marvel characters from last year. They then claimed it when the preview went up on Patreon, so clearly it was a good suggestion.

Bright TARDIS blue offsets the not-quite-rainbow stripes, color bubbling up through the image in drops and drips and drabs.

Which Doctor’s your favorite?

Thirteen, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the stripes on the sweater, with all its texture and swirls of color. Below, the painting is in its frame, waiting for its new owner to retrieve it.

Thirteen, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: doctor who, japanese watercolor, nfs, sold, watercolor

I Won’t Be Your Winter

Thursday, August 16th, 2018

I Won’t Be Your Winter, 5″x7″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Bucky Barnes has one of the most tragic backstories in a whole universe full of them. A very goth approach to his painting seemed in order.

Metal runs like rain along lines that echo the plates in the Winter Solider’s arm. Graffiti of a red star bleeds down the page, the image splotched like a splatter of blood.

The title is from another song, this one from an unrelated movie soundtrack, that seemed to fit. The next line is, “I won’t be anyone’s excuse to cry.”

It felt very fitting for a man who finally got away from HYDRA and the people who wanted to use him for destruction.

I Won’t Be Your Winter, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a closeup of the “grafitti” star on the background that echoes the silver plates in the Winter Soldier’s arm. Below, the painting waits behind glass to be given its final mission.

I Won’t Be Your Winter, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black paper, japanese watercolor, mcu, metallic, nfs, pathways, sold, watercolor

Harvest Moon 6

Tuesday, August 14th, 2018

Harvest Moon 6, 5″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Three sandhill cranes are flying across this minuscule moon, golden-yellow and full like a proper autumn moon should be.

After June’s Harvest Moon painting, a patron suggested I try another on black paper instead of white. It’s a very different process, and the results have a darker, more solid quality.

The stars have a little shine to them, a hint of gold to add sparkle. The cranes have a little complexity in their color, both from the Payne’s grey and the way the thick, opaque Japanese paints mix into the top layer.

Harvest Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the cranes and the textural surface of the moon. Below, the painting is in a frame, waiting to fly to its new home.

Harvest Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: bird, black paper, harvest moon, japanese watercolor, nfs, sold, watercolor

Cloud City

Friday, July 7th, 2017

Cloud City, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Rough-textured clouds and rough-sketched buildings make up a surprisingly sublime scene in this newest city.

Clouds dot the landscape, even making a fog from which the city emerges, a mist around which the buildings cluster. The time of day provides the palette, the golden glow of a sun just gone and violet dusk falling down from above, with a brilliant turquoise in between to hold the fluffy white.

What do you see in the sky?

Cloud City, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the beautiful shifts of turquoise and purple, blue and a touch of gold, and of course the fluffy clouds at their whitest. Below, you can see it in a temporary frame, just waiting to float into your home.

Cloud City, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: city, clouds, horizons, japanese watercolor, nfs, primatek, sold, watercolor

Emerald City

Friday, June 2nd, 2017

Emerald City, 12.2″x9.1″ watercolor on L’Aquarelle Canson Héritage paper

This city comes with a story — someone asked whether my Rainy City parasol was from the Wizard of Oz, and while that wasn’t, this one is.

Brighter greens and a beautiful orange sunset make this a much brighter city, too. The clouds were dyed a bit green from the glow of the city below, which stays away from mundane building shapes and strays into the fantastic, the strange, and the glorious.

What fantastical land have you always wanted to visit?*

*My answer? All of them

Emerald City, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of one of my favorite buildings in this fantastical cityscape, and a flying monkey circling overhead. Below, this city glows in its frame, the colors a brilliance that will brighten up your space.

Emerald City, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: city, for sale, horizons, japanese watercolor, the wizard of oz, watercolor

May Patreon Sketches

Tuesday, May 30th, 2017

May 2017 Patreon patron sketches by Amy Crook

June is just around the corner and now’s a great time to become my patron on Patreon! Here’s last month’s sketches, all of which turned out to be bookmarks for various reasons.

Roxanne asked for “Winter Soldier” and I gave her a chibi cutie. Kim wanted “mist” so I experimented with my watercolors for this beautiful, mysterious tower. Eric asked for my cat Pod as Morgana from Persona, with a special nod to his bagel-thieving ways. And finally, Jeff asked for “giving in to temptation” and has been enjoying the new Twin Peaks, so he got the inevitable donut cartoon.

What would you like to see me draw?

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
Tags: black paper, captain america, commission, copic marker, japanese watercolor, mcu, nfs, pen and ink, persona, pod, twin peaks, watercolor, winter soldier

Uncertain Boundaries 2

Monday, May 8th, 2017

Uncertain Boundaries 2, 10″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

Layers of boundaries obscured but not always obliterated by the shapes that form atop them. A world that is always shifting, changing, adapting to the forces that make and move borders. A history hiding in the blend of color, the sparkle of truths that won’t stay buried.

Uncertain Boundaries 2 is another Map piece, mixed media artworks that create imaginary places and invite the viewer to explore them.

What history do you think has happened here?

Uncertain Boundaries 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the half-obliterated history of these strange countries, lines still there in memory but outweighed by the present. Below, this piece is in a frame, waiting to add some mystery to your walls.