That Thing You Love
Posted on August 2nd, 2014
That Thing You Love, calligraphy by Amy Crook
“Don’t let anyone tell you that the thing you love is a thing you can’t love.”
-Wil Wheaton
I created this piece as part of a gift for my awesome email list people, but I wanted to make the actual artwork available, too. Like any watercolor, there’s detail that gets lost in the print, plus it’s just awesome to know that yours is the one and only original.
This quote is from an impromptu, impassioned diatribe on “why it’s awesome to be a nerd” that Wil Wheaton gave when asked at a con for some advice for their baby girl to grow up geek, and it’s really good advice. The whole speech is pretty awesome, actually.
That Thing You Love, 9″x12″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.
That Thing You Love, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the little cheesy ’70s sunrise face in the middle of the word ‘anyone,’ and below you can see the piece laying on my desk with my iPhone for size, because it turns out I don’t actually own a frame the right size. Oops.
That Thing You Love, calligraphic art by Amy Crook,
quote by Wil Wheaton
Categories: Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: calligraphy, for sale, pen and ink, watercolor, wil wheaton, word art
Goodies for my List
Posted on July 10th, 2014
As many of you know, I have a little email list. It’s self-selected into 3 segments, plus the few oddballs who don’t choose anything and only get the Floating Gallery announcements.
There’s Art Patrons, who get a little bit more of a preview on what I’m working on than the rest of you, as well as a few days to sneak in and snipe the art before the Gallery opens each month. There’s the Etsy Customers, who get heads-up emails about new Etsy stuff, as well as the occasional special sale. There’s the Art Blog subscribers, who get the blog posts in their email. You can be any or all of them, if you like.
Now with extra swag!
There’s two new things for my list people:
- New subscribers will get five little emails that introduce you to my art & obsessive personality
- Everyone gets a free printable pdf that’s got bookmarks, a coloring page, and a bit of calligraphy
If you’re already on the list, I sent you a link to the printable in your email yesterday. Go look!
It’s pretty nifty, if I do say so myself. So join my list, and be one of us!
That Thing You Love, aka the calligraphy in the pdf, original art by Amy Crook
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: info, words
Observance
Posted on July 3rd, 2014
Observance by Amy Crook
I almost managed to get all the pieces for July’s Floating Gallery into the blog beforehand, but this one was finished just under the wire. I think this is the single most reworked salt painting I’ve ever done, using multiple applications of both water and very watery paint to give the appearance of scattered stars and nebulae in the sky above the observatory in the mountains below.
There’s a lot of sparkle in this painting, too, each little salt crystal catches the light at a slightly different angle, making the stars twinkle as the light moves over the surface.
Observance, 6″x6″ salt and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Observance, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of the formations of salt and watercolor that catch the light, sparkling into strange shapes in the night sky. Below, the painting is temporarily tucked into a frame, full of subtle color and light despite the dark palette.
Observance, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: for sale, more cowbell, salt, stars, watercolor
Soon, Very Soon
Posted on June 30th, 2014
Swag for my new book release!
I’ve finally (omgfinally) finished the sequel to The Courtship of Julian St. Albans! Huzzah! I’ve sent off for a proof copy from Amazon, and once I’ve red-penned that for last-minute typos, the book will be ready! I figure mid-July, depending on the whims of the postal owls and pollen trees, but I’ve already started making up swag for a giveaway once it’s out!
The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans takes us into Julian & Alex’s life almost a year after the Courtship that brought them together. Read a sample chapter here.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: apprenticeship, consulting magic, courtship, i made this, julian st albans
007 & Q bookmarks
Posted on June 28th, 2014
007 & Q bookmarks by Amy Crook
These are already spoken for, but you can get them printed on bookmarks at my Etsy shop, along with the figures from Monday’s James Bond comic.
007 is in a classic pose with his little snub-nosed Walther and a knowing smirk, while Q’s got a tablet computer and his own little half-grin. According to IMDB, Bond is a mere inch taller than Q, but looking at them together in Skyfall I think Q’s hair makes it up through sheer messy floof.
007 & Q bookmarks, pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
4 Bond bookmarks by Amy Crook at Etsy
Categories: People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: 007, bookmark, copic marker, etsy, james bond, nfs, pen and ink, q, sold
Crows in the Gloaming
Posted on June 27th, 2014
Crows in the Gloaming, watercolor by Amy Crook
I’m deeply dissatisfied with Photoshop’s inability to show the soft, mysterious violets in this, instead turning it magenta and blue and every color but the ones you get in the real thing. The crows themselves are a dusky, matte black that really pops, the three phases of flight gliding past the clouds in the purple twilight.
I’m really happy with how these crows look, almost completely in silhouette with just a little bit of soft detail on the far wings of the outer two, with the one in the center a dark blot on the sky.
It probably says something about me that I like dark blots on the sky.
Crows in the Gloaming, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Crows in the Gloaming, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the upper left crow, with just a little granulated light shining off the feathers here and there. Below, you can see the piece in a temporary frame, with the closest color to the real thing. But still not right, dammit.
Crows in the Gloaming, framed art by Amy Crook
Crows in the Gloaming will be available for purchase in July’s Floating Gallery. You can get a chance to snag it early if you’re on my list.
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crow, for sale, purple, watercolor
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Coulrophobia
Posted on June 26th, 2014
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Coulrophobia
pen and ink art by Amy Crook
It’s been a while since I drew one of my Series of Uncanny Fears, and clowns seemed like a natural choice to bring them back. This happy guy just wants to bring joy and laughter to the world. Joy, laughter, and murder.
Definitely murder.
If you’re not too scared, you’ll have a chance to take him home in July’s Floating Gallery, which opens next Tuesday!
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Coulrophobia, 5″x7″ pen & ink on paper.
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Coulrophobia, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a detail of his cheerful face with its lopsided, toothy grin and big, happy red nose. I’m sure he’s not thinking about eating you, honest. Below, you can see him safely tucked away in a frame, just waiting to come sit quietly in a corner of your home.
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Coulrophobia, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: a series of uncanny fears, clowns, crosshatching, edward gorey, for sale, gorey, pen and ink, uncanny fears
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