The Things in the Mirror
Posted on November 5th, 2019
The Things in the Mirror, 5″x7″ ink and watercolor on paper
Every year, we reread A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny, and I’m always inspired by the story and its amazing illustrations.
This year we have the Things in the Mirror, the slitherers whose main property is, apparently, to be sticky. The grey-on-grey ink wash background suggests an otherworldly space, while the mirror itself is bright with color and shining with gold.
It begs the question, what exactly is the most real space, in or outside of the mirror, and who is actually occupying it?
The Things in the Mirror, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the metallic sheen of gold watercolor and the loose curl of a couple of tentacles up close and personal. Below, the slitherers have been further contained by a picture frame.
The Things in the Mirror, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, ink wash, pen and ink, tentacles, watercolor, zelazny
Ash Ghost series
Posted on November 4th, 2019
Ash, Overgrown, Legend, and Ancient, ink wash art in the Ash Ghost series by Amy Crook,
4 works, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper
This series was painted, and named, after prompts from Inktober 2019.
The upper left’s eerie ghost is the first of the Ash Ghost series: 4 ink wash paintings featuring the same mysterious and yet-unwritten legend. They get progressively more complex, filling up the space, drawing you into their story, but Ash is stark and simple.
The upper right, Overgrown, has the footsteps but no ghost that you can see. They lead up to a series of steps between two overgrown pieces of wall, vines obscuring even that hint of what used to be there. A few bits of charred wood stick up in memory of a doorframe, but the rest of the structure is lost to the mists of time.
There’s a tale waiting to be told in these images. Small details waiting to be teased out and put down, more pictures yet to come. It keeps pulling us in, luring us closer.
In Legend, the graveyard is full of mist, trees vanishing in the distance and yet, somehow, the ghost is as vivid as ever. Nothing can hide him from you, neither space nor fog, but then again, perhaps nothing can hide you from him, either.
The lower right, Ancient, is the end of our ghost story so far. It features a single ash-blackened handprint obscuring the details on a cracked headstone.
There are more questions than answers left, of course. Who is the ghost? How long has he wandered and where is he going? The headstone is there, but where is his head?
And most importantly: what does he want with you, dear reader?
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: ash ghost, for sale, ink wash, inktober, sold
Night Snow
Posted on November 2nd, 2019
Night Snow, 6″x4″ ink on Arches cover black paper
The last time I saw snow was a freak storm when I was visiting family last year, but the flakes were just like this, fat and fluffy and white against the darkening sky. There’s a very specific kind of snow that looks this way when it’s falling, and is perfect for snowball fights, snowmen, and going inside afterward to drink cocoa.
The white here is ink rather than paint, and its random-seeming spatter has just enough of a direction to it that you can imagine the wind softly blowing the flakes off their course.
Perfect for a winter soul all year round, or as an elegant decoration that’s more seasonal than holiday-related.
Night Snow, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the soft-edged layers of snowflakes, a few so close and big you could almost catch them on a mitten. Below, I’ve trapped this moment in a frame, just waiting to bring a bit of winter wonderland to you!
Night Snow, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black and white, black paper, for sale, ink wash, snow
Inktober 2019, part 2
Posted on October 27th, 2019
It’s been quite the October for me, so I’m afraid part 2 is late and long, and part 3 will round out the month for you next week. Thanks for all your patience and support!
Inktober 2019 day 12: Dragon, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip, nfs
Inktober 2019 day 13: Ash, 5″x7″ brush and ink on paper
Inktober 2019 day 14: Overgrown, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper
Inktober 2019 day 15: Legend, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper
Inktober 2019 day 17: Ornament, 3.5″x2.5″ brush and ink on ACEO card, sold
Inktober 2019 day 18: Misfit, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol
Inktober 2019 day 19: Sling, 3″x3″ pen and ink on paper, wip
Inktober 2019 day 20: Tread, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol
Inktober 2019 day 21: Treasure, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO watercolor card, wip, nfs
Inktober 2019 day 22: Ghost, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol, sold
Abbreviation decoder ring!
- wip = work in progress, ie, I’m probably going to color some or all of the drawing before it’s really done
- nfs = not for sale, ie, it’s a Patreon sketch and already belongs to someone else
- ACEO = Artist Card, Edition Original, also known as ATC or Artist Trading Card when traded rather than sold, which is a standard size I use for all my Patreon sketches these days
Want to get your own sketches, dibs on art, or just feel the warm glow of being part of my community of supporters? Head over to Patreon and pick a tier to get started! There’s also bonus cat photos sometimes, if that helps.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: brush and ink, cat, ghost, ink wash, kim, mcu, patreon, pen and ink, pod, winter soldier
Rest in Peace, Belladonna
Posted on October 25th, 2019
Belladonna got an infection and, after failing to fight it off, is gone. She passed away last week, but was purring faintly even to the end there, while keeping me from reaching for my drink. She was very tired and old and had been with me over 18 years, so it was time. I’ll miss her very much. I do miss her.
Pod has been doing his best to console me, and life keeps moving on as it does. Plus, I got a cold two days later, because 2019 is just like that.
Rest in peace, old grumpy girl.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: belladonna, info
Inktober 2019, week 1 plus
Posted on October 11th, 2019
Normally I do these on Mondays, but I was out of town and then there was some kind of power shutoff madness (mine was supposed to go but did not? whatever, PG&E, you run your public utility like the Muppet Show.) So, anyway, here you go, week one-and-then-some of Inktober!
Inktober 2019 day 1: Ring, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper
Inktober 2019 day 2: Mindless, 5″x7″ pen & ink and ink wash on paper
Inktober 2019 day 3: Bait, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink, glitter gel pen, and ink wash on ACEO bristol, nfs
Inktober 2019 day 4: Freeze, 3″x3″ pen and ink on paper, wip
Inktober 2019 day 5: Build, ink wash on paper bookmark, sold
Inktober 2019 day 6: Husky, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, wip
Inktober 2019 day 7: Enchanted, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper
Inktober 2019 day 8: Frail, pen and ink on a bookmark, wip
Inktober 2019 day 9: Swing, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, wip
Inktober 2019 day 10: Pattern, 3.5″x2.5″ brush and ink on ACEO card, nfs
Inktober 2019 day 11: Snow, 6″x4″ white ink on black paper
Abbreviation decoder ring!
- wip = work in progress, ie, I’m probably going to color some or all of the drawing before it’s really done
- nfs = not for sale, ie, it’s a Patreon sketch and already belongs to someone else
- ACEO = Artist Card, Edition Original, also known as ATC or Artist Trading Card when traded rather than sold, which is a standard size I use for all my Patreon sketches these days
Want to get your own sketches, dibs on art, or just feel the warm glow of being part of my community of supporters? Head over to Patreon and pick a tier to get started! There’s also bonus cat photos sometimes, if that helps.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, brush and ink, brush pen, cthulhu, futhark, hockey, inktober, mcu, patreon, pen and ink, rey, tony stark, tree, water brush, zelazny
99 Tech Toys
Posted on September 19th, 2019
99 Tech Toys by Amy Crook, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper
When my friend Amber asked me to help her think of a birthday card design to tease her husband about the Switch he didn’t have*, we tossed around a few ideas, but this was the winner. “I got 99 tech toys but a Switch ain’t one” was just too funny not to use, plus it let me design Rap Badass Rey, which will have many uses in the future.
Some of the text was edited in post, mainly the Switch logo effect, because sometimes computers really do just do it better.
*obviously, he got one along with the card
Categories: Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: be a cartoon, commission, nfs, pen and ink, rey, sold, watercolor
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