Posts Tagged ‘more cowbell’

January 2023 Patreon sketches

Tuesday, April 25th, 2023

Plus a cat, because it made the layout better.

January 2023 ACEO sketches by Amy Crook

January 2023 ACEO sketches by Amy Crook

  • Jeff requested “Advanced Squid Leader,” and he knows what he’s got here (sold)
  • Andria wanted a snow dragon, and got one playing around in deep snow
  • Nick asked for “Thestral Moon” and despite referencing the terf wizard books, I painted him something pretty and creepy
  • Eric asked for “Scary Fairy” and got this weird little critter (sold)
  • And cat 44 again, because Trotsky looks like this when he’s in a sunny window pawing to get out at the squirrels

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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Storm Crow

Saturday, June 4th, 2022

Storm Crow, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

A blooming tree takes up most of the paper, black branches holding up blue-green puffs of foliage and deep fuchsia blossoms.

Despite that, the crow with rain falling from beneath its wings is the first thing to draw the eye, caught in fluid motion as it brings a storm with it. A glowing full moon ducks behind the tree, but it can’t hide from the clouds forever.

Despite the darkness of the color palette, this painting has a lovely whimsy to it that belongs in someone’s home, adding some dark delight to their decor.

Storm Crow, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the crowd raining droplets down from its wings onto the swirling tree. Below, this larger painting fills its frame beautifully.

Storm Crow, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange
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Concentric 13

Wednesday, April 6th, 2022

Concentric 13, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper

A gorgeous deep violet wash hides hints of teal spirals beneath it, while the concentric dot patterns bring in a shine of purple, blue-green, and silver. The light makes the firework bursts shine, while a change of angle lets all but the silver fade into the paper. The colors all have a dark base with the bright sparkles to better help it shine!

There’s a little hint of the Growth series around the edges as the silver circles break up and float off, waiting to see their own bright bursts further out in the galaxy. The shapes are like dandelions going to seed, explosions of life ready to find somewhere new to take root.

Concentric 13, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the bright purple centers on each burst and how they fade first to blue then soft green and finally silver. Below, the painting is in a frame, just bursting to belong to someone — maybe you!

Concentric 13, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Concentric 11

Saturday, April 2nd, 2022

Concentric 11, 5″x5″ watercolor on black paper by Amy Crook

The soft black Arches paper, originally created for printmaking, makes a gorgeous charcoal surface to use with metallic watercolor.

Blue and gold spirals made a soft layer on which to build the concentric shapes, which stick to the palette and come in many shades of blue, gold, and silver. There’s even a few that mix the blue and gold to make soft greens, and one that fades into warm coppery golds from a nearly-silver center.

This shining painting is just the right size to bring some beauty to a little corner of of your desk, a tiny hidden bit of wall, or to nestle among some books on a shelf.

Concentric 11, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can really see the colors of the dot pattern as they flow one into another, and the hints of spirals hiding beneath the bursts of metallic shine. Below, this small painting is in a temporary frame, just waiting to come live on your desk and give you some good good dopamine throughout the day.

Concentric 11, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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The Sight of the Stars

Thursday, July 22nd, 2021

abstract art in the Aglow series by Amy Crook

The Sight of the Stars, 8″x10″ mixed media on metallic paper

Metallic photo paper makes a fascinating substrate, you can’t ever lift color once it’s put down. Instead, all the texture here is physical, soft body acrylic that rises above the paper in bumps and ridges formed by the brush strokes. On top of that a scattering of iridescent watercolor stars adds to the shine that already comes through the semi-translucent paint.

“The sight of the stars makes me dream.”
-Vincent Van Gogh

Sometimes I start an Aglow painting with words in mind, and sometimes I create the image and find words that go with it. I think this was the latter, but time is meaningless here in 2021 so who knows.

The Sight of the Stars, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the textured paint and shiny paper catching the golden light overhead. Below, the painting is in a frame, waiting to be shipped off to its new home!

The Sight of the Stars, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Pretty Words, Series and Books
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Waning

Monday, July 19th, 2021

mixed media artwork of a blue-purple twilight with a waning gibbous moon, tree, and birds

Waning, 5″x7″ mixed media on paper

This misprint had an alignment issue that made it all sky and no earth. I couldn’t resist painting in the very end of twilight in rich blue and fading violet. The moon is a special iridescent paint that looks white at some angles and lavender at others. The tree has some intriguing physical texture, painting over with soft-body acrylic paint, and its details were extended into a network of lacy growth.

There’s a few little birds in the sky as well, hidden mostly behind the mist of tiny dots that might be fireflies or snowflakes or even a light rain reflecting moonlight at the viewer.

Every part of this artwork got a touch of new life, from the waning gibbous moon to the color-washed streaks in the sky.

Waning, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the way the paint shines, the moon going purple and the tree’s texture picking up the golden sunlight. Below, this piece is in a frame and happily showing itself off for you.

Waning, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Artifacts of the Resolution

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

a mixed media painting of a tree, crows, and a ghost

Artifacts of the Resolution, 5″x7″ mixed media on paper

Making prints work out is always an interesting challenge with a new program and a new printer.

Instead of recycling this low-res misprint, I used my mineral-based watercolors to paint over it. I added the cloudy russet sunset and gave the tree texture, body, and new details. All of the birds stayed at their original resolution, which gives the painting its name.

Look, I can’t be expected to resist a pun that good.

Artifacts of the Resolution, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see up close the motion-blur of the branches next to the clear pixelation on the birds, as though they’re visiting from some other, lower-resolution reality. Below, the painting is resting in a frame, waiting to be sent to someone new.

Artifacts of the Resolution, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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