Cuppa Confidence
Posted on March 25th, 2015
Cuppa Confidence, commission by Amy Crook for Jo Van Every
Another commission for the delightful Jo Van Every! This time it was for her website, where we were trying to find a good visual metaphor for one of her services. I suggested the cup of tea, something calming and confidence-boosting, and added in the “confidence” on the tag in Photoshop later.
After a recent client meeting I realized that one of the things I do for people is help them feel more confident before a big thing. This particular client got short-listed for a job. We had a session before her interview. She hung up feeling more confident about what she could bring to that job, how to communicate that in the interview, who else she could go to for support, and how to ask them confidently. It may be a cliche but a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I talked to Amy about how to capture that outcome in an image and we came up with the Cuppa Confidence. Because tea makes everything better.
-Jo Van Every
I was so inspired by this idea that I’ve started a little series of watercolors around this theme, and you’ll see Exuberance in this April’s Floating Gallery very soon.
Cuppa Confidence, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, cartoon, commission, cuppa, jo vanevery, nfs, pen and ink, tea, watercolor
Raptor
Posted on March 23rd, 2015
Raptor, commission by Amy Crook for Jo Van Every
Jo’s commissioned a lot of things from me over the past couple of years, and this was one of the simplest, though it took some thought before setting brush to paper. She’d found this lovely image of a raptor diving out of its nest on a cliff that we both loved, and I wanted that feeling of the leap without burdening the image with too much detail.
This is what Jo has to say about it:
I recently restarted a yoga practice. Doing sun arms seems to summon an image of me as a raptor taking off from a cliff edge. Which is a wonderful feeling of freedom. I decided to commission Amy to paint it so I can have a reminder on the wall above my computer even when both hands are busy doing something else.
-Jo Van Every
Raptor, 7″x5″ brush and ink on paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, bird, brush and ink, commission, jo vanevery, nfs, not that kind of raptor, sold
Red & Blue Bookmarks
Posted on March 18th, 2015
4 Red & Blue Bookmarks by Amy Crook
4 fandoms, 4 characters, 4 colors! Loosely rendered black drawings with grey shading, colored in scribbled blue with touches of red. Sherlock’s got a blue scarf and red buttonhole, the eleventh Doctor has his blue TARDIS and red bow tie, the debonair 007 has a blue tie and pocket square with a red cherry in his drink, and Spock is in his regulation science blue with a red screen on his original series style tricorder.
The original art from these sketchy designs will be in the next bookmark sale on my list, if you fancy your very own, or you can pick up the set shown above at my Etsy shop.
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: 007, blue, bookmark, doctor who, eleventh doctor, etsy, james bond, pen and ink, red, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, spock, star trek, tardis
Coffee, Tea… or Me?
Posted on March 16th, 2015
Coffee, Tea… or Me? fan art by Amy Crook
One of my lovely patrons is a huge fan of my favorite silver fox, DI Greg Lestrade from BBC’s Sherlock. We haven’t seen nearly enough of him of late, so he’s brought us a little something, and is using the classic line, “Coffee, Tea… or Me?” I’d go for him and the tea, personally, how about you?
Since the original was a commission, he’s off to his new home, but I decided to put this flirty card up on Etsy for those of you who want a little extra charm (and caffeine) in your lives.
Coffee, Tea… or Me? 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Flirty Lestrade greeting card by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: all rights reserved, commission, copic marker, etsy, kim, lestrade, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sold
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Allons-y
Posted on March 11th, 2015
Allons-y, a Doctor Who comic by Amy Crook
A delightfully detailed Doctor is demonstrating his determination! He’s grateful, sure, but there’s still things to do, so he says, “Yes, yes, Thank you. Now, Allons-y!” From the pinstripes on his suit to the whoosh of his coat, the tenth Doctor is all drawn up, just waiting to hurry you along, or express your gratitude to someone who deserves it.
Allons-y, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Doctor Who thank you 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, doctor who, etsy, for sale, pen and ink, tenth doctor
Glass Fish
Posted on March 5th, 2015
Glass Fish by Amy Crook
This translucent fishy is swimming in a lovely blue-green bowl, fins fanned out like tattered silk. There’s just a hint of scales along his body, and his big black eyes and grumpy mouth make him adorable as well as elegant.
His body is a rich, bright orange with hints of red and gold, but you can see the water through the transparent paint.
He’s a bit like a painting of a glass sculpture of a fish. Very meta.
Glass Fish, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper.
Glass Fish, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the elegant sweep of his transparent tail. Below, he’s nestled in a frame, swimming happily in the tiny space. Unlike real fish, paintings don’t need big tanks.
Glass Fish, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: goldfish, nfs, orange, sold, watercolor
Smoke 2
Posted on March 4th, 2015
Smoke 2, abstract art by Amy Crook
An obvious sequel to the painting above, Smoke 2 has more variation in both line and colour. I used a different paint, one that’s a mix of greens, and varied the technique as well.
Where the first painting is full of roiling clouds, this smoke drifts up in lazy lines. It reminds me more of an altar with thin sticks of incense burning at different rates, each one sending up its own cloud of colour and scent.
I don’t smoke myself*, but I always did love incense and candles, and the different strange shapes that occur when two insubstantial elements interact, air and smoke dancing together to create something ephemeral and beautiful.
*no, not that, either
Smoke 2, 4″x6″ watercolor on paper.
Smoke 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the variation in colour from blue-green to forest green to olive, dissolving in wisps that are just barely visible on the thick, creamy paper. Below, the piece is in a frame, small and unassuming, but perfect to bring a little beauty and peace into an otherwise drab space.
Smoke 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, green, smoke, watercolor
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