Tentacle!
Posted on December 30th, 2012
Tentacle sketch by Amy Crook
I owe a somewhat patient friend of mine a tentacle or two, and I was thinking about that when I doodled this in someone’s coloring book. It’s the end of the year, a good time to wrap up things you owe people, after all.
Especially tentacles.
Categories: Daily Art, Tentacles
Tags: coloring book, doodle, nfs, pen and ink, sketch, tentacles
Dresden Bookmark
Posted on December 29th, 2012
Harry Dresden Bookmark
by Amy Crook
Today I’m back to art you can’t have because it was for someone else’s Christmas present! And yes, I do give good presents.
For my birthday, this friend pre-ordered the new Dresden Files book for me, and so as part of his Christmas present I drew him up this portrait of a young, sassy Harry Dresden. The book Dresden’s a bit more careworn these days, though not actually any more fashionable, but he hasn’t lost his sense of humor even after all he’s been through. Plus, here he’s got his staff and his blasting rod, because that’s just how he rolls.
Harry Dresden Bookmark, 2″x7″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper, nfs.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: bookmark, copic marker, dresden, nfs, pen and ink
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Instagram Valentine
Posted on December 28th, 2012
“I’d Instagram you with no filter.”
Instagram Valentine watercolor by Amy Crook, $79
Despite their recent faux pas, I have to admit I really do enjoy the Instagram photo service. I made a Valentine for it this year, so I’m glad they backpedaled and agreed to make the language a little less awful in their new TOS. The image I painted is of a generic person icon, just a head and shoulders, done in warm terra cotta with a sepia background, on a distressed “photo.”
Instagram Valentine, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper, $79 with free shipping. Or buy a card at Etsy!
Instagram Valentine by Amy Crook, available on Etsy
- Title: Instagram Valentine
- 5 in. x 5 in. Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper
- $79 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
- Frame is not included, but can be added for $50 (shipping included)
- Shipping is free anywhere in the world
- Payment plans are available, just email me
- The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: etsy, for sale, instagram, pen and ink, valentine, watercolor
1 Comment »
T is for Tentacles
Posted on December 27th, 2012
T is for Tentacles, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
The Alphabet series is back with a new week, and this time we have sparkly tentacles creeping in on the T, which looks like it wants to creep away before it gets totally engulfed. The background is a rich golden yellow, which shows up best in the last picture. It would go wonderfully for the Thomas, Thea or, of course, Mr. T in your life.
T is for Tentacles, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor, pen & ink, and glitter gel pen on paper.
T is for Tentacles, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the bright shine of glitter making the golden yellow look almost orange-dark. Below, a picture that’s no doubt familiar from the R & S posts, of four of these illuminated paintings hanging out in their frames.
S, T, A & R, calligraphic illuminations by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, green, illumination, pen and ink, tentacles, watercolor, yellow
Random Recipe: Mulled Wine
Posted on December 26th, 2012
Happy Boxing Day! Yesterday I made mulled wine for the third time this season, and I thought I’d share my recipe with you all, in lieu of actual content. There’s as many recipes for mulled wine as there are people who make it, so make sure to tweak this to your own preferences. And yes, I got lazy and used a photo instead of drawings, because, Christmas.
Amy’s Mulled Wine
- 1 bottle cheap, sweet red wine (I’ve used various, but Yellowtail’s Sweet Red Roo worked well this last time)
- 1 orange
- 1 apple
- 1 pear, still crisp
- about 1/3 cup turbinado sugar, which I am perpetually too lazy to measure
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 4 cardamom pods
- 5 slices candied ginger
- 2 dashes nutmeg
- 1 dash allspice
Chop the apple and pear into bite-sized pieces, and slice up the orange however you prefer, and crack the cardamom pods. Dump everything into a pot and simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, until it tastes awesome, usually about an hour to an hour and a half. Don’t let it boil. Drink hot, with some of the apple & pear floating in your cup.
Don’t throw away the leftover apple, pear & ginger, which have now become a wonderful dish of stewed, spiced fruit for later, though the orange can go and you really don’t want to accidentally bite down on the cardamom pods or cloves.
Enjoy during the long winter! 1 bottle of wine yields about 2 cups of mulled wine, so double or quadruple as needed for gatherings.
Categories: Daily Art, Words Words Words
Tags: recipe, words
2 Comments »
Christmas Dusk
Posted on December 25th, 2012
Christmas Dusk watercolor by Amy Crook
The sky shimmers between a dusky silver-grey and a lighter blue-violet, fading lighter as it gets closer to a horizon filled with cheerful Christmas trees in all shapes and sizes. The moon is just visible in the sky at the end of the day, helping to light the way of anyone heading to and from their festivities — or their normal, everyday days.
Happy Christmas to those who celebrate, and to those who don’t, here’s to seeing it all vanish again in a week!
Christmas Dusk, detail, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: christmas, iridescent, moon, nfs, tree, watercolor
Fairytale Sky 6
Posted on December 24th, 2012
Fairytale Sky 6 by Amy Crook
This sixth Fairytale Sky painting was another Christmas gift, it seems to be a trend this year! This one’s for a good friend and patron of mine who bought the 1st and 5th paintings out of the series, so it seemed only fitting to paint one specifically for her (as she puts it) “Wall of Amy.” The swirling clouds in this one go from pink to purple depending on the angle, shimmering with a mysterious iridescence that’s just faintly echoed in the moon.
Fairytale Sky 6, 6″x4″ watercolor on paper, nfs.
Fairytale Sky 6, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the colors shimmer on the black paper, silver for the stars and pink-purple for the spiraling clouds.
Happy Christmas Eve, or at least Happy Monday. Watch out for wayward Skellingtons impersonating Sandy Claws tonight. ♥
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, fairytale sky, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, nfs, watercolor
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