Archive for the ‘Daily Art’ Category

Doctor VampWolfMummyChucky

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Doctor VampWolfMummyChucky cartoon by Amy Crook

Doctor VampWolfMummyChucky cartoon by Amy Crook

This incredibly silly sketch is all the fault of Jhonen Vasquez and his Twitter shenanigans. Happy Halloween!

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Squidtini

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Squidtini, cartoon by Amy Crook

Squidtini by Amy Crook

My friend, G, is a big fan of both gin and squid, so one night I drew up this little guy with her in mind. He’s even made friends with the olive, which he’s got clutched in his feeder tentacles, though the gin’s given him a bit of a blush on his fins and cheeks. This little squid is sloshed!

Squidtini, 5″x7″ pen and ink and Copic markers on paper.

I think it would make a great invitation to a New Year’s dinner party, so I made cards for my Etsy shop.

Squidtini, framed art by Amy Crook

Squidtini, framed, by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
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Summer Reading

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Summer Reading, watercolor by Amy Crook

Summer Reading by Amy Crook

I started this piece during the recent Playshop call with Melissa Dinwiddie, then went back and finished it up later. The tree and figure are painted with just two colors, quinacridone gold and amazonite genuine, and then I added in a bit of soft cadmium yellow when I went back and did the sky, and added in the fuller foliage. I especially like the way some of the leaves have little haloes of gold, and the rich greens and browns that came out of just those two colors mixed in different proportions.

Summer Reading, 5″x7″ watercolor on paper.

I think this would make a great piece to put in a bookshelf, nestled between books to remind you of the joy of reading.

Summer Reading, framed art by Amy Crook

Summer Reading, framed, by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces
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Sherlock bookmark 2

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

Sherlock Bookmark 2 by Amy Crook

Sherlock Bookmark 2 by Amy Crook

I was experimenting with some new paper and salt, and after tearing down a 8″x8″ square for another piece I was left with this strip. I made my usual spirals, except this time I kept them all along the top edge rather than scattered over the whole page. They didn’t form proper salt pools, but I did like the will-o-the-wisp quality that was left, with just a few tiny salt crystals and the soft swirls of ink like a glowing light.

In a fit of 2am whimsy, I pencilled in a half-dozen little Sherlocks, first examining, then chasing, and finally catching his very own will-o-the-wisp.

Sherlock Bookmark 2, 8″x2.75″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

You can see the salt crystals much better in this detail photo, and some of the teeny tiny detail in the little Sherlocks.

Sherlock Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Sherlock Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Radial Symmetry 2

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Radial Symmetry 2, abstract art by Amy Crook

Radial Symmetry 2 by Amy Crook, $242

This time I mixed two different colors, a deep forest green and a lighter, seafoam green. The darker green hides in the black paper somewhat, but the raised texture is more pronounced there, too, since the paint was applied in thick beads. I keep thinking there’s a name for this sort of radial pattern, especially one created with beads, but I couldn’t find it by googling.

Radial Symmetry 2, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, $242, framed, with free shipping.

My scanner had a really hard time with the subtle colors in this piece, but you can see a better representation of both the shiny green shapes and the soft, velvety black paper.

Radial Symmetry 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Radial Symmetry 2, detail, by Amy Crook

I’ve photographed the piece in its frame with my iPhone for scale. I think this piece would look great as part of a wall grouping, along with other art, prints and photos in similar simple black frames.

Radial Symmetry 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Radial Symmetry 2, framed, by Amy Crook, $222

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
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Radial Symmetry 1

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

Radial Symmetry 1, abstract art by Amy Crook

Radial Symmetry 1 by Amy Crook, $222

I got some lovely new Japanese gouache paints for my birthday, and I decided to see how they’d work on the black paper. I used double spirals inside these salt circles to give the salt more pigment, which also left darker, warmer centers where the water distributed the pigment into the paper. I used a single color of paint on this, and I found that once it dried, the color stays very consistent no matter how thickly the paint was mixed, but that the thicker paint left rounded, bead-like shapes on the paper.

I think of these a bit like beaded decorations, or possibly flowers with their warm orange centers and pale periwinkle petals. I like to imagine the piece adding a little touch of unexpected loveliness to someone’s life, tucked into a bookshelf or sitting on someone’s desk at work.

Radial Symmetry 1, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, $222, framed, with free shipping.

Radial Symmetry 1, detail, by Amy Crook

Radial Symmetry 1, detail, by Amy Crook

The salt on these isn’t as sparkly, probably because of the matte black behind them, but I love the way the paint makes soft, glossy swells on the paper. It looks great in a simple black frame, which makes the colors really pop. You can see them reflected in my iPhone for scale, below.

Radial Symmetry 1, framed art by Amy Crook

Radial Symmetry 1, framed, by Amy Crook, $222

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
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Cthulhu’s Gift

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Cthulhu's Gift, cartoon art by Amy Crook

Cthulhu’s Gift by Amy Crook

I’ve been working on holiday cards again this week, and Cthulhu really wants you to like his gift. I decided to make a rather generic gift for the original, and then I drew a page of holiday dingbats — including a delightfully gruesome spike bow of a sort I’ve actually bought and put on gifts myself (minus the blood).

Cthulhu’s Gift, 5″x7″ pen and ink and Copic markers on paper.

Cthulhu's Holiday Gift, cartoon art by Amy Crook

Cthulhu’s Holiday Gift by Amy Crook

The original is, of course, the first version, since this one exists courtesy of Photoshop, but I find I’m rather fond of his baubles. I want a tentacle glass ornament!

This is what he looks like in a frame, though the original won’t be framed unless the buyer requests it for an additional fee.

Cthulhu's Gift, framed art by Amy Crook

Cthulhu’s Gift, framed, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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