Cuppa Sadness
Posted on July 6th, 2015
Cuppa Sadness by Amy Crook
More blue! Yes, it’s been a very blue month, which I didn’t do on purpose — several of these are holdovers from previous months that I started previously and finished recently. It just sort of worked out that way.
This newest cuppa is a soft, greyish blue on a heavy, watery sort of shape, with drops of water falling from above like tears.
Silver paint adds some shimmer to the sadness, in the tag and around the rim, including the droplet-like ends of each little blorp.
Really, the saddest part about this cuppa would be trying to drink your tea out of the weird shape. Oops.
Cuppa Sadness, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Cuppa Sadness, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of silver watercolor delicately gilding the edges of the cup and tag. Below, you can see the cup in a frame, ready to hold your sadness for you in its new home.
Cuppa Sadness, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cuppa, metallic watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tea, watercolor
Orange Lily
Posted on July 4th, 2015
Orange Lily by Amy Crook
It’s been a very blue month, so let’s celebrate today with some gorgeous orange!
I’ve been wanting to experiment with some more splash-y flowers, and I decided to brighten up this month’s palette with some orange, red, and gold.
The scanner flattened out a lot of the beautiful layering that you can see in the framed and detail photos (which means there won’t be any reprints, so if you want it, get it now!). There’s a cool pinkish red mixed in with the deep and bright oranges and the warm gold, which really gives the impression of peering into an opening flower.
The splash of green brings the image into focus, and the gold in the very middle makes beautiful stamen for this lovely lily.
Orange Lily, 6″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Orange Lily, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the beautifully layered oranges, reds, and golds that make this lovely lily so exquisite. Below, it’s been planted in a frame, ready to brighten your home or office.
Orange Lily, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: flower, for sale, orange, watercolor
Fairytale Sky 10
Posted on July 3rd, 2015
Fairytale Sky 10 by Amy Crook
I haven’t added to this series in a while, but sometimes you just want to paint swirly clouds and a big, bright moon.
I was watching Mulan the other day, and I was inspired by the beautiful way the artists rendered smoke in that movie. I’m still wembling about what to do with the sky in another work in progress, so this little painting let me explore both ideas.
I think the result is lovely, don’t you?
Fairytale Sky 10, 6″x4″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Fairytale Sky 10, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the moon up close, its softly glowing face full of beautiful texture from the paper. Below, the piece has been put in a tiny frame, perfect to secret in a bookshelf, display on a desk, or add to an array of other art.
Fairytale Sky 10, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, fairytale sky, for sale, japanese watercolor, moon, watercolor
I Hear the Rain
Posted on July 2nd, 2015
I Hear the Rain by Amy Crook
I wembled about this painting a long time — this amazing, dramatic sky sat on my art table for weeks before I drew in the tree, and then weeks more while I waffled about what else it needed.
Finally, I gave in to my gothy heart and drew this gorgeous graveyard, the mysterious silhouettes blending beautifully with the descending torrent of rain.
The painting gets its title from the Violent Femmes song “I Hear the Rain,” which is about being buried in a shallow grave and hearing the rain pound on the earth above you. It seemed apropos.
I Hear the Rain, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
I Hear the Rain, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the gorgeously layered rain crashes down through the silhouetted graveyard. Below, the piece is in a temporary frame, just waiting to find a new home.
I Hear the Rain, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: blue, graveyard, horizons, nfs, pen and ink, rain, sold, tree, watercolor
It’s a new novel!
Posted on June 24th, 2015
I wrote another novel! I guess that shouldn’t seem so amazing after the third time, but it really still does, to me. It’s available on Amazon as either a Kindle ebook, or a real, physical book.
Unboxed is a gay romance with a magical realism twist. Immerse yourself in a whole new world with two kinds of magic: the box and key system that matches up soulmates, and the single, small magical talent that every person’s born with. The shenanigans involve both kinds of magic and our previously boring heroes being dragged into the plot quite without their consent.
I designed an elegantly simple cover this time around with subtle woodgrain to gorgeous golden filigree. You know I love the spirals.
You can go buy the whole thing on Amazon, or read a little sample here.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: unboxed
Random Recipe: Earl Grey Vodka
Posted on June 22nd, 2015
It’s Earl Grey vodka! Yum, yum.
In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m in love with Earl Grey tea. I usually have upwards of half a dozen different kinds of Earl Grey in my cupboards, from vanilla to floral to straight-up bergamot. Captain Picard has a special place in my heart for his love of the beverage, as does James Bond’s newest Q.
Earl Grey vodka
- 1 bottle of decent vodka*
- 7 bags of Republic of Tea’s Earl Greyer tea, or whatever Earl Grey you like best
Put the teabags into the vodka. Wait overnight, at least 12 hours. Remove teabags. That’s pretty much it!
I found literally dozens of different recipes for this, and so I ended up randomly choosing a method and going for it. I did, of course, choose the laziest version.
By itself, I found the vodka way too harsh for my tastes, which is true of basically all flavored vodkas. It’s beautifully scented of both tea and bergamot, but the vodka and tannins made it too rough on the palate for me, so, I put it in cocktails!
Tea Times Two
- 1 part Earl Grey vodka
- 1 part Zen green tea liqueur
- 1/2 part half & half
Since all of my ingredients were cold (including my glass), I just mixed them up and went with it. Otherwise, I’d serve it on the rocks since it’s basically a modified White Russian. The sweetness of the Zen and cream took away the harshness from the vodka and delivered a gorgeous, fragrant tea flavor that I will definitely enjoy again.
Quartermaster
- 1 part Earl Grey vodka
- 1 part Nolet Silver gin
- 1 part sweet vermouth
- dash of lemon bitters
- 2 cherries
I love the idea of martinis, but I don’t actually like the dryness of the usual vermouth. I love sweet alcohol, and the Nolet gin is sweet and very floral, with a delightful rose overtone that follows the juniper when drinking it straight. The lemon bitters help keep the bergamot from drowning in roses, and the cherries are there strictly to allow me to enjoy eating them later.
It’s a nice marriage between a Vesper and my usual “semi-perfect” martini, which is just gin and sweet vermouth with perhaps a dash of bitters.
White Londoner
- 1 part Earl Grey vodka
- 1 part simple syrup or vanilla syrup
- 1 part half and half
Serve this one over ice for a London Fog twist on a White Russian. It’s a lovely sipping drink for those evenings curled up with the cats.
What are you going to make with Earl Grey?
*I used some Crystal Head that was a gift from a friend who knows me far too well. I have named him Dorian. He came with two of the adorable crystal skull shot glasses. It was love at first sight.
PS – If you’re not on my list, you might want to fix that! Bookmark sale starts tomorrow.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: cocktail, recipe, tea
Hanged Man
Posted on June 17th, 2015
Hanged Man, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook
Sherlock needed some data about upside-down men, so he chose to trap his subject rather than asking.
Sherlock: It’s for an experiment.
John: SHERLOCK!
Sherlock: I knew you’d never agree, so I set this up to get the data. The case depends on these results!
Sherlock seems to think that “it’s an experiment” excuses all sorts of reprehensible behavior.
This little comic is also a parody of the Hanged Man card in the tarot deck, though John’s legs are backwards from the traditional layout, and of course there is not usually an irritating detective measuring toes. I did keep in the usual primary colors, but swapped them around, giving John a red shirt instead of trousers, and putting the yellow shirt onto Sherlock instead.
Also, John has bee socks. Because reasons. (Bee reasons.)
You can send someone this delightfully weird comic on a card and make their day a little stranger, just buy one in my Etsy shop.
Hanged Man, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Hanged Man, a Sherlock parody card by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: copic marker, etsy, hanged man, john watson, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sold, tarot, watson
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