Baker Street Crest
Posted on March 7th, 2013
Baker Street Crest by Amy Crook
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the alphabet, I’ve done another B! I took the design for H is for Heraldry, with all its Sherlock-centric themes, and turned it into a B for 221B Baker Street. There’s actually a lot of John Watson in this crest, almost more so than Sherlock Holmes, with the generosity, loyalty, and martial readiness. Sherlock is in there, too, though, both of them rampant and ready to defend their little kingdom.
I decided not to bling up the gold in this one, sticking to a nice bright, warm yellow to represent the Or field on the shield. This also makes them easier to reproduce, so I’ve got note cards for sale on Etsy with the crest, so you can send your next piece of snail mail in style.
Baker Street Crest, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper.
Baker Street Crest, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the detail on the cheerful hedgehog and rather snooty otter. Below, I’ve put it in a frame and you can see how the original stacks up next to my iPhone.
Baker Street Crest, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, copic marker, etsy, for sale, heraldry, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes
Letters and Light
Posted on March 6th, 2013
Illuminated Alphabet by Amy Crook
It’s hard to believe it’s done, but my whole alphabet from A to Y & Z is complete. It’s amazing to see it all together, from the things I love to the ones I might’ve done a little differently. Some of the letters make me wish I was a better photographer, because the Q and ampersand are so much cooler in person than they photographed, and some of them just make me want to redo them until I can refine the idea, or go a totally different direction.
I decided to start the series on a whim, taking my new spiffy nontraditional art materials and combining them with the classic art form of calligraphy, which I’ve been doing for many years. Choosing the themes was an interesting challenge that gave the project a lot of structure, though there was also a lot of panicked googling (and how happy am I that xerography is a thing?) to try to fill in some of the letters. I learned new techniques, got new supplies, and revisited a lot of things I hadn’t done in years.
You’ll see a few more letters cropping up here and there — tomorrow’s post uses the design for my heraldic H to make a B for Baker Street, and I’ve already got one commission in the works for a different version of the J.
I got my code monkey to set up a page so you can see the whole alphabet together in clickable thumbnails, so if you’d like to go revisit your favorite letters, have at. You might even decide you need one of them to come home with you.
Categories: Daily Art, Words Words Words
Tags: alphabet, info, words
Sad and Sorry Squid
Posted on March 5th, 2013
Sad and Sorry Squid cartoon by Amy Crook
This little blue fellow is very, very sorry for whatever you did to make him angry. Won’t you forgive him? He’s just blue all over from regretting what he said.
I designed him to go with my other squid cards at Etsy, and I think he’d make a very effective apology.
Sad and Sorry Squid, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Squid Apology Card at Etsy by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: copic marker, etsy, for sale, pen and ink, squid, tentacles
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Ghost Moon
Posted on March 4th, 2013
Ghost Moon by Amy Crook
I can’t honestly remember now which came first, the Ghost Spirals Bookmark or the trees in this piece. I definitely painted them on the same day, but then I came back to this later and added in the moon, and then in a third pass I added iridescent blue stars with the purple meteor, a shine of subtle iridescent green to the treetops, and silver on the moon.
I’m sometimes torn about using so much iridescent and metallic paint. On the one hand, it feels a bit gimmicky (and can’t be made into prints effectively), but on the other hand I think the pieces are more beautiful with the shimmer and shine. And since the real point of my art is to put more beautiful things into the world, I’ve decided to go with what feels right.
Ghost Moon, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Ghost Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a bit of the green shimmer on the trees, the silver shine of the moon, and the blue and purple stars, shooting and otherwise. Below, I’ve got the piece in a frame, so you can see how it sizes up to my iPhone.
Ghost Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, for sale, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, shooting star, spirals, tree, watercolor
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Bilbo and Smaug Bookmark 1
Posted on March 3rd, 2013
Bilbo & Smaug Bookmark 1 by Amy Crook
This is the other bookmark that someone already claimed, a wee tiny Hobbit looking quite distressed indeed to be confronted with a dragon. Smaug, on the other hand, looks highly amused by his discovery. I’m definitely going to do some more art for The Hobbit as well, I want to draw some dwarves.
Things will be back to normal tomorrow with another moon for Monday, so I hope you enjoyed this Bookmark Week and picked up one for yourself or a friend!
Bilbo & Smaug Bookmark 1, 7″x1.5″ pen & ink on cardstock, nfs (sold).
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: bilbo baggins, bookmark, dragon, hobbit, nfs, pen and ink, smaug, sold
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Weeping Angel Bookmark
Posted on March 2nd, 2013
Weeping Angel
Bookmark
by Amy Crook
This Weeping Angel crept into someone’s heart when they got my newsletter last week, and so it’s already been snapped up. But never fear, I’m sure I’ll draw another of these creepy creatures again soon, and I’ve already got some more Doctor Who art in the pipeline.
Just remember, don’t look away. Don’t even blink.
Weeping Angel Bookmark, 1.5″x6.5″ pen & ink on cardstock, nfs (sold).
Weeping Angel Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see its seemingly peaceful face up close. Below, it’s sitting on a book, just daring me to look away.
Weeping Angel Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: angel, bookmark, comic backing board, doctor who, nfs, pen and ink, sold
Purple Pattern Bookmark
Posted on March 1st, 2013
Purple Pattern
Bookmark
by Amy Crook
This wee bookmark is the same size as yesterday’s, but with a very different subject. This time I started with Sharpie to doodle in skulls and curlicues, and then I took a purple ink pen and drew in the long lines. This one’s drawn on the shiny side of a scrap of comic backing board, so I took my finger and smeared the purple ink, giving a lovely mottled texture while the actual drawn lines still remained visible.
Purple Pattern Bookmark, 1″x4″ pen & ink and Sharpie marker on cardstock, nfs (sold).
Purple Pattern Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the bookmark up close, including a little bit of sunshine off the shiny Sharpie and scored-in purple pen lines near the top. Below, you can see it hanging bravely with the big green book, evoking the ’80s.
Purple Pattern Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
(book not included, it clashes)
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: bookmark, comic backing board, nfs, pen and ink, sharpie marker, skull, sold
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