Archive for the ‘Daily Art’ Category
Amy’s Mum’s Pumpkin Cookies
Monday, October 18th, 2010
It’s fall and time to make one of my absolute favorite treats! These cookies are practically little cakes with their fluffy texture and delicious icing, and while they’re a long process to make, it’s absolutely worth it.
I make these a little differently than my mother, so I’ve marked my own variations with a * in case you’re not quite so much of a spice nut as I am.
Amy’s Mum’s Pumpkin Cookies
Cream 1 cup of butter or shortening
Add & beat:
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin (puree or canned)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together & add:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon ginger
*1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
*1 teaspoon cardamon
*1/4 teaspoon cloves
Drop on greased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper instead), bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes. Check frequently for burning. (They will still seem a bit wet inside when they’re golden brown on the bottom, but will finish baking into a cake-like consistency as they cool.) Makes ~2 dozen.
Ginger Brown Sugar Icing
Start with:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
Put in small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool.
Stir in:
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
*1 teaspoon ginger
*1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1 cup powdered sugar
Add more powdered sugar until the consistency resembles a thick glaze, then frost your cookies. Icing will get everywhere, so i suggest you frost them on parchment paper. *grin*
Enjoy!
For those not in the US, when making your own pumpkin puree, use the smaller pumpkin varieties (approximately 5-7 lbs., 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 kg.). Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, remove seeds and stringy fibers, and place cut-side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) for approximately 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours (depending on size) or until easily pierced with a knife. Scoop out the pulp and puree in a food processor until smooth. Can strain through cheesecloth to extract all the liquid. Cool before using.
Categories: Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: autumn, cookies, food, pumpkin, recipe, sharpie marker
4 Comments »
Fly Me to the Moon
Saturday, October 16th, 2010
Fly Me to the Moon by Amy Crook
This is another image I designed for a t-shirt using a sketch, this one even more appropriate to the season. A bit of Harry Potter and a bit of Sinatra are together in a witchy Halloween image.
This is definitely my favorite time of year, so enjoy!
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: broom, halloween, Harry Potter, moon, t-shirt
Creature Cards
Friday, October 15th, 2010
Creature Cards by Amy Crook
Last month I posted a pencil drawing I called Friendly Card Game and mentioned I was thinking of doing a watercolor version. I traced the basic outlines onto some thick watercolor paper using my light box, so I’d still have the delicately pencil-shaded original, and then it sat around on with my works in progress for a month.
Sunday I got out my watercolors for a tiny client project, and used that chance to experiment with painting up these two. I’d originally pictured them in soft, washed-out colours but I ended up with a much richer palette. I especially like the way the mushroom came out. I’m still pretty new to watercolors, so it was fun to experiment with the different methods of shading.
Creature Cards, 7″x5″ watercolor and gouache on watercolor paper
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: made-up myths, nfs, sold, watercolor
The Tree Breathes
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
The Tree Breathes, detail, by Amy Crook
This is another one-of-a-kind print done using my tiny etching plates. I almost forgot completely about it, ironically because it’s framed from having been in a juried show once long ago. I gently pulled it out of its matte, and then used more archival corners to re-attach it to the matte after I scanned it, and then put the whole thing back in its frame.
I think the tiny tree is my favorite of all the tiny plates I made, though I only used it (or any of them) a few times.
The Tree Breathes, 1″x2″ etching on 8″x10″ watercolor paper, $499 framed with free shipping.
The Tree Breathes by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: etching, for sale, framed, intaglio, tiny plates, tree
Chibi Catherine Caine
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Chibi Catherine Caine by Amy Crook
The latest of my cartoons is the awesome Catherine Caine! She asked for a chibi, which I haven’t gotten to do many of, and I had a lot of fun drawing her irresistible grin while she gave the world a big giant hug. I find this wonderfully appropriate, since Catherine’s enthusiasm for everyone and everything is unassailable by anything but rain.
She’s an Aussie, so instead of a cartoon North America as is usual around these parts, I got to draw a cartoon Southern Hemisphere, which was an interesting challenge since I’m less familiar with the necessary features of the geography there. One of my deep dark secrets is that I’m terrible with the whole social studies realm — geography, history, the works.
Catherine’s red corduroy trousers were striped with one of my awesome refillable Pilot fountain pens from Japan, which is my new favorite place to get art supplies. I almost forgot her awesome spiky ear plugs, since they were hidden in her hair in the photo I’d chosen for drawing her face, but she reminded me.
I love the bright, primary look of this piece, simplified and full of every bit of cheer that Catherine herself showers us with on a regular basis.
Stay Awesome, Catherine!
Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, cartoon, catherine caine, chibi, commission, copic marker, nfs, pen and ink
4 Comments »
Random Recipe: Pancakes
Monday, October 11th, 2010
I made delicious banana pancakes the other night, and I thought perhaps you’d like the recipe. It’s taken from the King Arthur Flour website, and then altered to make it extra delicious.
1.25 cups (5.25 ounces) self-rising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1-2 dashes of cinnamon (depending on the fruit)
1 cup (8 ounces) milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) melted butter
1 banana, 1 peach, or a bunch of berries (about a cup)
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. I have a totally awesome heavy ceramic mixing bowl that I use that has Piglet on it, the smallest of a set of 3.
Measure the milk in a 2-cup measuring cup, then add the egg and whisk it in. While whisking, pour the melted butter into the measuring cup, and whisk them together until blended.
Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.
Cut up the fruit. Bananas can be sliced, peaches should also be sliced into flat chunks, blueberries can just be tossed in as is, but strawberries also need slicing. Flat is good, so it doesn’t make weird lumps.
Lightly grease a skillet and heat it over medium heat until a drop of water dances or you get too impatient to keep waiting. I use a one-third-cup measuring cup to pour batter onto the skillet, making one pancake at a time. Place the fruit, if using — I usually get about 4-5 banana slices per pancake, or half a dozen berries, or 3 blueberries and 3 chunks of peach (heavenly).
Cook until the bubbles on the surface begin to break and the edges are starting to look dry. Turn the pancakes over and cook until lightly browned, about one more minute. This will also deliciously caramelize the fruit.
Remove from the pan and eat while you make the next one. The last pancake is always either really big or really small. I usually make an extra big one to eat with a big grin at the end.
I usually get about half a dozen big, delicious pancakes, eat half, and save half for the next morning. And yes, I eat them with syrup so they’re extra super sweet.
Categories: Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: food, pancakes, recipe, sharpie marker, yum
Better Than Snail Mail
Saturday, October 9th, 2010
Better Than Snail Mail by Amy Crook
I drew this snowy owl several years ago for the program book at a convention, and then ended up making Cafepress swag out of it on a whim. I have it on a coaster and some greeting cards, actually, though I never bought the t-shirt for myself.
It also was the basis for my shoulder tattoo, although that owl is carrying a book rather than a letter.
Categories: Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: Harry Potter, nfs, owl, pencil
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