Archive for the ‘Things I’m a Fan Of’ Category

Birthdaybomb

Friday, March 14th, 2014

Birthdaybomb, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook

Birthdaybomb, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook

Happy pi day! This comic has nothing to do with pie or pi, but the nerd in me couldn’t let it go by unacknowledged.

So, today’s art isn’t technically a commission, but it was a gift for one of my wonderful patrons. For her birthday, I decided to do something topical yet very in keeping with Sherlock’s personality — after all, any attention that’s not being paid to him is clearly going to the wrong place. John’s sincere moment of sweetness is being photobombed by our favorite showoff, but he does manage to get his, “Happy Birthday,” in edgewise.

It is, of course, also available as a card at my Etsy shop, for those of you unlucky enough not to own the original. 😉

Birthdaybomb, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Sherlock birthday card 2 by Amy Crook at Etsy

Sherlock birthday card 2 by Amy Crook at Etsy

Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Calm, Cool, and… yeah

Thursday, March 13th, 2014

Calm, Cool, and... yeah, commission by Amy Crook, all rights reserved so please don't steal

Calm, Cool, and… yeah, commission by Amy Crook
all rights reserved so please don’t steal

I have patrons from the coolest places, y’all. Renee is from Malaysia, and she’s been trying to think of the perfect commission for a while. She wanted something that emphasized the character of each of these three somewhat reluctant heroes, so we decided on the “Calm, Cool, and Collected,” trope. Except that Eleven was a lot of things, but collected really isn’t one of them. Besides, bow ties are cool. Spock epitomizes calm, and Sherlock with his popped collar and his cheekbones is definitely cool, so Eleven helped us out by crossing out his adjective and adding in, “also Cool.”

Although the original is (obviously) sold, Renee has kindly consented to let me put our trio on a card that you can buy in my Etsy shop for you very own trio of heroes.

Calm, Cool, and… yeah, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Spock, Sherlock and Doctor Who card by Amy Crook at Etsy

Spock, Sherlock and Doctor Who card by Amy Crook at Etsy

Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Gift Deductions

Wednesday, March 12th, 2014

Gift Deduction, commission comic by Amy Crook - all rights reserved, no copying or Sherlock will know

Gift Deduction, commission comic by Amy Crook
all rights reserved, no copying or Sherlock will know

Another holiday commission! What is this world coming to? Actually it’s just that I’m finally getting around to posting these, because I just finished a few others, including one I can’t post yet, hah.

Sherlock is looking very smug indeed here as he rattles the box and says, “Deducing the perfect gift is hardly a challenge worthy of my intellect… But I made an exception for you.”

This will be a card next holiday season, but for now you can just stare longingly and plan to send one to everyone you love enough.

Gift Deduction, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Bollocking the TARDIS

Tuesday, March 11th, 2014

Bollocking the TARDIS, commission comic by Amy Crook - all rights reserved, please don't copy without permission

Bollocking the TARDIS, commission by Amy Crook
all rights reserved, please don’t copy without permission

My wonderful patron from New Zealand, Caroline, commissioned this little comic for her housemate for Christmas, and I’m finally getting around to posting it.

If you’re not familiar with The Thick of It, it’s the show Peter Capaldi was most famous for before he agreed to become the Twelfth Doctor on Doctor Who. Or thirteenth. Or possibly fourteenth. I’m not super clear on that part… Anyway, Malcolm Tucker is the character well known for his incredibly creative and prolific swearing, which is extra hilarious since it’s a show about the inner workings of British politics.

Malcolm’s bollocking face is straight from the show.

The original is, obviously, safely in the hands of its happy recipient, but Caroline’s given me permission to make it into a greeting card for your most swear-happy friends.

Bollocking the TARDIS, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Bollocking the TARDIS, blank greeting card by Amy Crook at Etsy

Bollocking the TARDIS, blank greeting card by Amy Crook at Etsy

Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Meet Me on Saturn

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014

Meet Me on Saturn, watercolor by Amy Crook

Meet Me on Saturn, watercolor by Amy Crook

If you don’t know what movie I’m referencing here, get thee to Netflix* and watch Beetlejuice!

I decided I wanted to paint some stripey tentacles, so I got out my watercolors and popped in the DVD for inspiration. I decided on the off-color sky with its almost greenish blues and brighter golds after seeing the ghosts ending up on Saturn, and since that’s where the stripey sandworms come from, it seemed appropriate for a title.

I am especially pleased with the way the two outer tentacles are meeting up over the curl of the third. Are they parents and child, all part of the same creature, or is it just a third wheel?

The ways of tentacles are mysterious.

Meet Me on Saturn, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Meet Me on Saturn, detail, by Amy Crook

Meet Me on Saturn, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the curl of tentacle, and the details of the delicate shading on and around it. Below, I’ve got the tentacles in a frame. They’re currently in my living room, where I can see them every day.

Meet Me on Saturn, framed art by Amy Crook

Meet Me on Saturn, framed art by Amy Crook

*Not that I have any idea if Netflix has it.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Maleficent

Monday, March 3rd, 2014

Maleficent, abstract art by Amy Crook

Maleficent, abstract art by Amy Crook

Maleficent has a texture like layers of scales carved by the pen into the painted surface. The painstaking detail invites closer examination, especially in the different ways in which the paint mixed with the red ink to add an extra layer of color along with the surface finish.

This painting is named after the villain’s dragon form in the original Disney Sleeping Beauty, majestic and powerful but still, in her heart, flawed. You can see that flaw under the scales, almost the exact shape of the crack in the universe from Doctor Who.

Some of you followed along on Instagram during the week I spent working on this piece (hi!), so now you can see it in all its strange, obsessive glory. I keep wanting to run my finger over it, but I resist, because I don’t want to turn my fingers purple, or ruin the painting by accident.

Maleficent, 6″x4″ pen & ink and Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Maleficent, detail, by Amy Crook

Maleficent, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the texture, and the furrows the pen made as it pressed into the painted surface. I had to re-draw some of the arcs half a dozen times to get the effect I wanted, because the pen was constantly getting clogged with paint it picked up from the paper. Below, you can see it in a frame with my phone. It’s wee! So wee, and so painstakingly detailed.

Maleficent, framed art by Amy Crook

Maleficent, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Birthday Timey-Wimey

Sunday, March 2nd, 2014

Birthday Timey-Wimey, a Doctor Who parody comic by Amy Crook

Birthday Timey-Wimey, a Doctor Who parody comic by Amy Crook

The tenth Doctor is happy to see that you’ve survived another year of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey… stuff. He’s got his usual hands-in-pockets deshabille going, with his mad hair to top it all off, and he’s got the TARDIS all warmed up for some birthday shenanigans.

You can get him on a card at my Etsy shop.

Birthday Timey-Wimey, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Doctor Who birthday card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Doctor Who birthday card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Categories: Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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