Engouement
Posted on July 19th, 2016
Engouement: unreasoning fondness, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper
The 6th anniversary of Inception was this past weekend, and so here’s one last adorable Arthur and Eames to celebrate.
“Unreasoning fondness” describes a lot of what it’s like to be in fandom, loving something to a ridiculous degree despite its flaws. See also: cats.
What do you have engouement for?
Categories: People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: arthur, eames, inception, pen and ink, word art, word art weds
Arthur and Eames sticker designs
Posted on July 14th, 2016
Arthur & Eames stickers by Amy Crook
Tumblr is celebrating the 6th anniversary of Inception, and they held an all-day chat dedicated to getting people to finish their works in progress. The lovely person running it asked me to design some stickers for those who participated, so I made Arthur for anyone who came to write at all, and Eames for those who finished & posted something.
I didn’t have a ton of time, and these stickers are actually only 1.5″ high, so I went for a quick, colorful chibi design to give us the essence of these two lovely characters without getting all fussy about the details.
Happy Inceptiversary!
Categories: People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: arthur, chibi, copic marker, eames, inception, inceptiversary, pen and ink
Coming Soon
Posted on July 12th, 2016
brush calligraphy practice
The Printer is dead — long live the Printer!
I didn’t get word art done last week thanks to the printer doom, other than this notebook I’m filling with brush lettering and brush pen art for a secret project for my Etsy shop. I’ve got about half of the pieces done, and then there will be scanning, Photoshoppery, and — gasp! — printing!
That’s right, the third one was the charm, and I have a shiny new Canon taking up way too much space on my tiny desk now. So, more word art coming soon (tomorrow, for you Instagram followers!), but until then, enjoy these little sneak peeks.
Mmm, tea. Or coffee. Whichever.
Categories: Pretty Words, Works In Progress
Tags: brush and ink, brush pen, etsy, wip
Never to Be Told
Posted on July 8th, 2016
Never to Be Told, 6″x6″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
The dull orange glow coming off this rusted, smoking ruin is a lovely, warm color that somehow still embodies the apocalyptic feel of it. It’s a color you only see in the sky when things have not gone according to plan.
The crows circling above the city are the final harbingers of doom, that sign that civilization has left and there’s nothing left but whatever the crows can pick over.
It sounds like the start of a fascinating story, doesn’t it?
Never to Be Told, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a single bird circling above the ruins, blackened beams and smoke-smudged skies. Below, this mournful scene is framed for posterity, waiting to spark new tales and inspire post-apocalyptic ideas.
Never to Be Told, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: city, for sale, horizons, pen and ink, primatek, ruins, watercolor
Dragonfly Airship
Posted on July 7th, 2016
Dragonfly Airship, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and pen & ink on paper
This is the first of the end-of-gallery Airship series that really gelled in a beautiful, detailed way. The gorgeously patterned dragonfly wings work with the body of the ship. The windows on the body imply a fascinating sense of scale. The ornamentation hovers somewhere between the whimsy of steampunk and the sleekness of retro-futurism, with the flower-petal propeller adding the final touch of whimsy.
This painting is perfect for sparking the imagination, sending your mind on short flights of fancy to keep your day floating along peacefully.
Dragonfly Airship, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a detail of the painted pattern, evoking without copying a firefly’s delicate wings. Below, the art is sitting in a frame, just waiting to fly off to its new home.
Dragonfly Airship, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: airship, japanese watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, sold, watercolor
Twisted Maple
Posted on July 6th, 2016
Twisted Maple, 8″x4″ pen & ink and Primatek watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Have a dose of the rain that California is still terribly in need of!
This tree has the twists and turns of a maze, the fat, short trunk splitting off into pathways and branches full of gnarls and bends.
The black seems dense at first but at second look there are subtle textures of bark adding dimension and shape, contrasting beautifully with the rainy sky behind it.
Twisted Maple, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the hints of bark texture hiding in the black ink silhouette. Below, the painting rests in a temporary frame, just waiting to bring a breath of crisp autumn into your hot summer days.
Twisted Maple, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, horizons, pen and ink, primatek, tree, watercolor
F*ck Tech Support
Posted on July 5th, 2016
F*ck Tech Support, 7″x5″ brush and ink on paper
My printer is dead! And the replacement printer had software issues that were unresolvable, so now we’re waiting for printer number three. After I wasted an entire afternoon of Epson & Adobe playing the “no it’s their fault” blame game.
I really, really hate tech support. But, hey, I got this done while I was on hold.
And as a bonus, here’s a pretty version with color!
F*ck Tech Support, colorized word art by Amy Crook
Categories: Pretty Words
Tags: brush and ink, word art, word art weds
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