Gibbous Moon
Posted on April 22nd, 2013

Gibbous Moon, watercolor by Amy Crook
It’s Earth Day, so of course I contrarily have a moon for you. Curling silvery mist wreaths upward, trying to reach the moon that’s a lot farther away than it looks, while blue stars shimmer in the far distance. The moon itself is just a little warm and golden, with the color bleeding strangely into the dark, making you wonder just what’s going on up there. Eerily beautiful.
Gibbous Moon, 7″x5″ watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Gibbous Moon, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the moon itself, warm and slightly sinister where it floats in the middle distance. Below, a few curls of iridescent mist swim into your view.

Gibbous Moon, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, you can see it slipped into a frame and hanging out on my writing desk with my iPhone, so you can see how it looks in the wild.

Gibbous Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, fairytale sky, for sale, iridescent, moon, spirals, watercolor
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Sunday Round-Up & John Sketch
Posted on April 21st, 2013

lots of squid and other things and squid
What a week! Too much happening in the world that sucks. But here, there was art! Monday‘s annoyed hedgie sort of set the tone, unfortunately, and Tuesday a giant squid said rawr and ate a boat. Wednesday I showed you my Wall of Squid, with bonus guest Octopi. Thursday Sherlock totally failed to apologize, and Friday some crows flew past the moon in the dull lavender gloaming.
For your traditional Sunday Sketch, I have a nervous Watson, who wishes to remain unbent, unmutilated, and otherwise in good shape as he flies across the country to deliver a birthday card.

John says please don’t bend me!
Categories: Daily Art, Sunday Round-Up
Tags: nfs, sharpie marker, watson
Crows at Dusk
Posted on April 19th, 2013

Crows at Dusk, watercolor skyscape by Amy Crook
I’ve been indulging myself in the vice of instructional art videos on YouTube lately, and while I’ve learned a lot of ways to make some really awful art, I have gleaned a few interesting techniques. I found I guy making really ugly skies who was using a specific technique to make moons, and so I stole his idea and came up with this. It’s simple, but it has a nice dreamy, hazy feel to it as the crows rise up and vanish in the distance.
Crows at Dusk, 6″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Crows at dusk, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the moon, though something about the angle and the paper’s texture smoothed away the shadows on the surface. Below, you can see it in a frame, hanging out with my iPhone and feather quill pen.

Crows at Dusk, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: crow, for sale, moon, watercolor
Non-Apology
Posted on April 18th, 2013

Non-Apology, a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook
For the curious, Sherlock’s excuse for boiling toes in John’s kettle reads:
“…needed to do the experiment in order to solve the Eglantine case! I had to get the toes exactly to boiling without going over, and the kettle was perfect for that since it clicks off by itself, so I could prepare the rest of the experiment without having to watch so closely over the toes. It was absolutely vital to remove the skin intact so I could examine the layers of dermis, and then the subcutaneous fat that melted into the kettle provided the perfect vessel for my analysis of the necessary toxins involved in the murder. It was a fascinating case, the murderer had been injecting minute amounts of toxin between the victim’s toes to simulate inept heroin use, but of course I know what real track marks look like so I wasn’t fooled by the deception. The testing of the boiled fat revealed that they were using the toxin to simulate infection rather than actually poison the victim as the primary cause of death, that was obviously the stab wound, but instead to divert the police’s attention, which of course worked, which is why I had to steal the toes from the corpse when Molly was out getting me some of her awful coffee. You make much better coffee than she does, I don’t know why she’s so inept at it, it’s a simple enough formula. Anyway, once I’d figured out the rather ingenius methodology the murderer’s identity became obvious, and I had to intercept them before they left the country entirely since the Met was too stupid to put a stop on their passport, not understanding that they were the one person who stood to gain the most. It was the cousin, of course, the one who was instructed in the will to go on a free tour of Europe informing the various small publishers of the author’s demise and the change of hands for their publication rights from the author herself to the trust for that charity…”
I feel this is how they came to have the fancy glowing kettle he uses in The Reichenbach Fall. I wrote it all out by hand on the original because I knew the buyer would want it, phew!
Non-Apology, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper, nfs (sold). But you can get your own apology card here on Etsy.

Non-Apology, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up photo of his unrepentant face triumphantly explaining how the contamination of John’s kettle helped solve the case. Below, they’re in a frame, and John still looks deeply unimpressed.

Non-Apology, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: copic marker, etsy, john watson, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sold, watson
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Squid and Octopi
Posted on April 17th, 2013
I went through all of my cartoon tentacles and framed all the originals I had, and now they’re cheerfully gracing a wall in my apartment.

My wall o’ Squid
Starting from the top left:
- Baby Squid
- Tying the Knot
- Thank You Squid
- Octopus Loves Boba
- Squid With Mittens
- Sad and Sorry Squid
- Lucky Squid
- Party Octopus
- Squid Hearts You
- Squidtini
- Squid in a Scarf
- Octopus’ Gift
- Squid Inked
- Get Well Squid
Happy Squidsday!
Categories: Daily Art, Words Words Words
Tags: is it octopuses or octopi anyway, octopus, squid
1 Comment »
Shipwreck
Posted on April 16th, 2013

Shipwreck by Amy Crook
Tentacles for your Tuesday! About a week and a half ago, I posted a picture of some washes on Instagram, the sort of thing I paint when I don’t know what I want to paint but I’m sure they’ll come in handy someday. The first of them acquired a squid last week, drawn in scribbly pen and then shaded with water to smear out the ink. I used basic black for most of it, but added a bit of apricot for the eye and warm brown on the ship’s planks.
Shipwreck, 6″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Shipwreck, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can get a good view of his wicked beak, suckered arms and baleful yellow glare. Below, you can see him in a frame, hanging out with his friend from Ikea.

Shipwreck, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
Tags: look out rawr, nfs, pen and ink, sold, squid, tentacles, watercolor
Angry Hedgehog
Posted on April 15th, 2013

Angry Hedgehog, watercolor by Amy Crook
This hedgehog is very annoyed to have been disturbed, with a serious sulk going on as he’s curled into his little ball. He was painted with a very limited palette and bold, expressionist strokes, so he’s a bit of an experiment for me, but one I’m very happy with! I offered a little preview of him to my list and one of my lovely patrons snapped him up, so he’ll be going to a good home, too.
Angry Hedgehog, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Angry Hedgehog, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see his pouty lip and little pink toes peeking out of his quills. Below, he’s been tucked into a temporary frame, so you can see how the iridescent paint blends into the rest of him when it’s not catching the light.

Angry Hedgehog, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: hedgehog, iridescent, nfs, sold, watercolor, watson
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