Posts Tagged ‘tree’

Three Crows 2

Friday, March 6th, 2020

three crows with shining eyes flying past a setting sun, and a twisted, spooky tree, watercolor by Amy Crook

Three Crows 2, 6″x4″ watercolor on paper

Sometimes original, amazing titles come to me, and sometimes you get Three Crows 2.

The art that goes with the uninspired title, however, has a gorgeous sky full of hidden shimmer in the sunset-painted clouds. The tree twists out into the middle ground with gorgeously shaded branches, and the three crows have just enough spook and shimmer to them to stand out beautifully against both. Their eyes are painted with a dot of one of my favorite weird paints that shimmers from red to green like a scarab.

Where do you need a little bit of spookiness in your spring?

Three Crows 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see two of the crows flying past the shimmering clouds, their eyes reflecting unknown secrets. Below, this deceptively small painting is waiting in its frame to be whisked away to a new environment, with new secrets to be learned.

Three Crows 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Inktober 2019, week 1 plus

Friday, October 11th, 2019

Normally I do these on Mondays, but I was out of town and then there was some kind of power shutoff madness (mine was supposed to go but did not? whatever, PG&E, you run your public utility like the Muppet Show.) So, anyway, here you go, week one-and-then-some of Inktober!

an ink drawing of mushrooms in a fairy ring by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 1: Ring, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper

an ink wash drawing of tentacles in a mirror by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 2: Mindless, 5″x7″ pen & ink and ink wash on paper

an ink wash drawing of a monster under ice using a hockey puck as bait by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 3: Bait, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink, glitter gel pen, and ink wash on ACEO bristol, nfs

an ink drawing of Tony Stark with brain freeze by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 4: Freeze, 3″x3″ pen and ink on paper, wip

an ink painting of a building in 4 stages being built by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 5: Build, ink wash on paper bookmark, sold

an ink drawing of Cthulhu by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 6: Husky, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, wip

an ink wash of a tree with a distressed face next to a basket by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 7: Enchanted, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

an ink drawing of a sapling with a single apple and three leaves by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 8: Frail, pen and ink on a bookmark, wip

an ink drawing of a pendant swinging by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 9: Swing, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, wip

a series of repeated patterns in ink on an ACEO by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 10: Pattern, 3.5″x2.5″ brush and ink on ACEO card, nfs

an abstract painting in ink on black paper of snow falling by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 11: Snow, 6″x4″ white ink on black paper

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: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Halloween Trees 3

Wednesday, September 4th, 2019

Halloween Trees 3 by Amy Crook, a watercolor of bare trees and flying crows against an orange sunset

Halloween Trees 3, 6″x4″ watercolor on paper

Halloween is starting to be everywhere, and I added some clinging leaves to this month’s ode to autumn. A soft wash of gold and orange gives a rich background to the skeletal trees and swooping flock of birds.

This warm palette brings to mind pumpkin spice and apple cider, crisp leaves and cawing crows, whispered winds and cheap candy, at least for me. Not to mention all the amazing goth housewares that I can find in stores this time of year and use year round!

What’s your favorite part of Halloween season?

Halloween Trees 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Halloween Trees 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the twisty branches bleeding into the fiery sky, a few leaves just hanging on and a single crow flying in the background. Below, the painting is resting in a small frame, waiting for its time.

Halloween Trees 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Halloween Trees 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Patreon Sketches, July 2019

Thursday, August 22nd, 2019

six small sketches in a grid

6 sketches for Patreon patrons by Amy Crook, July 2019 requests

More Patreon sketches! I’m all caught up now, so there’ll be another half dozen or so next month, from August’s request post. These are all the size of a trading card – 2.5″x3.5″ – and either of bristol board or watercolor paper.

From the top left we have:

  • a little doodle for Corinne’s story,
  • Lab Coat Pikachu for Eric,
  • Mehdays kitty for Jeff,
  • a Carousel Selkie for Rebecca,
  • “hurry up autumn!” for Kim,
  • and some sunshiney goodness for Roxanne.

There’s still time to get in on the goodness for September — I’m giving extra rewards out for my birthday, plus patrons get a preview of all the Floating Gallery art, and a bunch* of other perks. If I get just a few more patrons, I’ll even be adding a new reward to the lineup! Become my patron today.

*including extra cat photos, as voted upon by my patrons

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

Monday, July 8th, 2019

Sunset Haze by Amy Crook, a watercolor painting of trees and a flight of birds silhouetted against the sun

Sunset Haze, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper

It wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t some kind of horizons painting with a fading sunset, flying birds, and silhouetted trees.

I went for a different sort of tree this time, though I couldn’t tell you what kind, and some sea birds for variety as well. The sun is a red haze just vanishing below the horizon, ruddy against the warm buff color of the paper itself.

A tiny bit of exotic warmth for those days the AC is turned to 11 and one is missing the summers of old.

Sunset Haze, detail, by Amy Crook

Sunset Haze, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some smudgy foliage and tiny birds against the buff-orange sunset sky. Below, the painting is in a frame, like a window into some other, more tropical reality.

Sunset Haze, framed art by Amy Crook

Sunset Haze, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Eight for a Wish

Thursday, May 16th, 2019

Eight for a Wish by Amy Crook, a gloomy watercolor of a bare tree, eight crows, and a grumpy ghost

Eight for a Wish, 6″x6″ Primatek watercolor on paper

The Counting Crows series continues!

Although the original rhyme is about magpies, there’s only murders hanging about outside my windows, so crows are what you get.

Seven charming fellows are flying in, with an eighth ahead of them already swooping along, banked to skim close to the thick trunk of this twisting tree. The ghost this time is looking more annoyed than anything; perhaps it’s not a fan of birds.

Although one of my patrons has already claimed this for their collection, you can still admire its creepy fog, spooky tree, and the gentle motion of eight pairs of wings.

Eight for a Wish, detail, by Amy Crook

Eight for a Wish, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the ghost’s very grumpy expression and the soft flutter of many wings. Below, it’s haunting this frame before it flies off to its new home.

Eight for a Wish, framed art by Amy Crook

Eight for a Wish, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Moon Landing

Thursday, May 2nd, 2019

Moon Landing by Amy Crook, watercolor painting of a crow landing on a bare branch under a daylight moon

Moon Landing, 9″x12″ Primatek watercolor on paper

This started with a palette and a sky, and the tree grew in complexity and reached out just asking for a bird to alight on its outstretched branch. There’s a dim daytime moon just barely visible in the upper left corner, inspiring the punny name.

This painting has a really delightful, eerie quality with its soft sky and stark tree. The black bird has a beautiful organic quality to the motion of its feathers, and the reach of its feet. It looks like the branch is beckoning it in for a landing, for good or ill.

Moon Landing, Detail, by Amy Crook

Moon Landing, Detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the crow up close in all its gloomy glory. Below, this painting is in a frame, showing off its size by being almost as tall as the writing desk’s cubbies.

Moon Landing, framed art by Amy Crook

Moon Landing, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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