Mercy House
Posted on November 5th, 2013
Mercy House by Amy Crook
“Sometimes one feels that it would be merciful to tear down these houses, for they must often dream.”
-H.P. Lovecraft, “The Picture in the House”
I’ve been wanting to paint a house to go with this quote for a while, and October seemed the perfect month for a fretful, unhappy wreck of a house to emerge from the cool green background. There’s a quality to the paint that’s hard to capture on film, an unnatural wash watery green across the whole thing that slips it sideways into the world of Lovecraft’s special brand of madness.
Mercy House, 8″x10″ watercolor on watercolor paper.
Mercy House, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the tiny glints of sunlight off the blindly staring window, and the black gap where the door once was. I never did decide if those fragments of sun are on shattered glass, or merely filtered through the encroaching leaves surrounding the house. Below, I’ve put the piece in an antiqued gold frame, the better to emphasize the sense of decay.
Mercy House, framed art by Amy Crook
This piece always puts Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “The Mercy Seat” in my head. Because of reasons.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: house, lovecraft, nfs, sold, watercolor
Pollen
Posted on November 4th, 2013
Pollen by Amy Crook
Continuing with my new tradition of reworking old art, this piece has very little resemblance to its forebear. The soft black paper is entirely covered in a dark, velvety red like old blood, and each little salt pool has a halo of iridescent garnet. The salt pools, originally a dull pink from the Himalaya sea salt, have been dyed a bright shimmering blue to match the tentacles. They reminded me of glowing motes of pollen drifting on the breeze, which is how I got the name.
I’ve got to admit, I really hope I don’t ever have to inhale these alien grains of pollen. I’d hate to see what kind of allergy attack they’d produce — or find blue tentacles growing in my brain.
Pollen, 5″x5″ salt and watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Pollen, detail, by Amy Crook
The big central crystal in this formation refused to be dyed blue, so it’s the only bit of the original pink left in the piece. Above, you can see the shimmering iridescent paint fading into the deeper background color — a natural-mineral paint called, appropriately, bloodstone. Below, the piece has been tucked into a frame with some extra tentacles to make it feel at home.
Pollen, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Tentacles
Tags: black paper, for sale, iridescent, more cowbell, salt, tentacles, watercolor
Beacon
Posted on November 3rd, 2013
Beacon, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Swirls of purples, blues and greens both opaque and iridescent move above a vague, abstract shape that might be a tower or a web or something stranger. The night is void beyond, with no stars to be seen, just deeper violet and hints of shimmering blue.
Beacon, 5″x7″ watercolor and iridescent watercolor on paper.
Beacon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shimmer of blue and violet against the more matte green background. Below, you can see the piece in its frame, sitting in the sun.
Beacon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: for sale, iridescent, secret fan art, watercolor
Mistletoe Experiment
Posted on November 2nd, 2013
Mistletoe Experiment,
a parody Sherlock comic by Amy Crook
In some ways, this comic was really just an excuse to put John in yet another horrifying holiday sweater. Sherlock’s found some mistletoe to hang up for an experiment, but we’re not sure if he’s after smooches or poison dosages. Either way, John will be on the lookout.
This piece is in this month’s Floating Gallery, but was bought by a lovely patron so the original’s no longer available. But you can get it on a holiday card in my Etsy shop.
Mistletoe Experiment, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Mistletoe Experiment Sherlock holiday card by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: christmas, copic marker, etsy, holiday, john watson, nfs, parody, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sold, watson
Trick or Treat & a new Cthulhu Book
Posted on October 30th, 2013
Trick or Treat, Cthulhu parody art by Amy Crook
I’ve finally finished my Cthulhu Holiday Fun Book, a handmade coloring and activity book themed around holidays from Halloween to Father’s Day (zombie style). The above art is lovingly dedicated to Goomi’s Unspeakable Vault, my favorite Cthulhu webcomic of all, since he had the idea of dressing Cthulhu up for Halloween and did it much more cleverly than I.
This image and 11 more are waiting in the book for you to color, along with 5 original maddening puzzles and activities. I don’t promise some of them won’t drive you insane, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the journey.
Get a copy at my Etsy shop today!
Cthulhu Holiday Fun Book, a Lovecraftian activity and coloring book by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: cartoon, coloring book, copic marker, cthulhu, for sale, halloween, lovecraft, pen and ink, weeble
Jo’s Magnificent Metaphorical Time Machine
Posted on October 28th, 2013
Jo’s Magnificent Metaphorical Time Machine, commissioned illustration by Amy Crook
It’s Monday, and I think we all wish we could hop in and go back to Friday to enjoy the weekend all over again. The delightful Jo Van Every has gotten another fun illustration, this time of the “time machine” she uses to help get clients to think ahead. She wanted something colorful and whimsical, so I went for a Seussian version of the HG Wells creation. I’m not sure what all those big funnel-shaped things do, but I’m certain it’s timey-wimey stuff.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: commission, copic marker, jo vanevery, nfs, pen and ink
Alternate Universes: Sherlock BBC
Posted on October 26th, 2013
Alternate Universes: Sherlock BBC
parody Sherlock comic by Amy Crook
And so we come to the end! I used simple neutrals and a white background to show that really, all of these alternate universes are part of the bigger pastiche of Arthur Conan Doyle’s works, Sherlock BBC. And, as Sherlock says, no matter what universe he’s in, he’s always exceptional.
You can read the whole comic here any time you like, where I’ve conveniently reordered time so the panels read in order.
Alternate Universes: Sherlock BBC, 7″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Below, you can see the print I made of this whole 6-panel comic.
Alternate Universes, a Sherlock comic, print by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: commission, copic marker, etsy, john watson, nfs, parody, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock au, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sold, watson
« Or Head Back That Way
More Art This Way »
