Archive for the ‘Things I’m a Fan Of’ Category
Bollocking the TARDIS
Tuesday, March 11th, 2014
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
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, doctor who, nfs, pen and ink, tardis, the thick of it, twelfth doctor
Meet Me on Saturn
Tuesday, March 4th, 2014
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
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
*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
Tags: beetlejuice, for sale, stripes, tentacles, watercolor
Maleficent
Monday, March 3rd, 2014
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
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
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black paper, japanese watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, purple, sold, watercolor
Birthday Timey-Wimey
Sunday, March 2nd, 2014
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
Categories: Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: copic marker, doctor who, etsy, for sale, pen and ink
Shaken Not Stirred
Tuesday, February 18th, 2014
“Maybe I should’ve gone with stirred…”
Shaken Not Stirred, a Cthulhu parody comic by Amy Crook
When I was working on illustrations for my Cthulhu Holiday Fun Book, I wanted something for New Years that was like a pinup, only with Cthulhu. I actually googled up some cocktail pinups, and while I found a few delightful girls in martini and Champagne glasses, it was the one perky pinup in a shaker that caught my eye.
Alas, Cthulhu didn’t realize that he’d be the one shaken, and I think he got a little more than he bargained for.
I made him into a greeting card for my Etsy shop, because sometimes drunk Cthulhu is the right thing for the occasion. Especially if that occasion involves someone partying too hard and needing your, ahem, “sympathy.”
Shaken Not Stirred, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Drunk Cthulhu card on Etsy by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: cocktail shaker, copic marker, cthulhu, drunkthulhu, etsy, for sale, pen and ink, weeble, weeble cthulhu
Dancing Lessons
Thursday, February 13th, 2014
Dancing Lessons, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook
When watching the new series of Sherlock (which I hope you’ve seen!), my mind caught on the image of Sherlock teaching John to dance for his wedding reception. After John executed the perfect dip with Mary, I had a giggle over the idea of him learning how with Sherlock.
Sherlock, of course, had to demonstrate on John, first, but I’m sure they did the other way later. It was fun getting to draw John’s hair all fweeee!
I’ve also made it available as a card in my Etsy shop. Because reasons.
Dancing Lessons, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Sherlock Dancing Lessons greeting 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, dancing, etsy, john watson, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sold
Felicitations
Thursday, January 23rd, 2014
Felicitations, a Star Trek parody comic
by Amy Crook for Tara Swiger
This commission was so fun! Tara Swiger came to me wanting a Trekkie birthday card with a Tara sort of twist, and we passed ideas back and forth via email until this finally gelled.
Spock’s holding a gift in what I think of as Tara colors, though really her pink is usually even brighter, and Picard’s got his usual “make it so” hand gesture going on. It was kind of fun mixing eras, too (though technically Spock did show up on Next Generation, he wasn’t in his TOS uniform). A little logic, a little illogic, and a lot of fangirl glee went into the image!
After Tara got her original in the mail, she sent me this fun little quote to share with you:
Hoorah! I just got my custom illustration in the mail (Amy sent the ORIGINAL! So fancy!) and it is so perfect!
I requested a customer birthday card, something funny + sweet to send Captains on their birthday. Amy helped me come up with the perfect idea, because I was a bit foggy about what I wanted.
I love that she got the geekery and she’s clever enough to make it funny.Amy’s super-easy to work with (this is my second custom order!) and I’ve been nervous (I have NO idea what’s involved), but she makes it easy!
If you’d like an illustration of your very own, just email me to get started!
Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: all rights reserved, birthday, commission, copic marker, nfs, pen and ink, picard, spock, star trek, tara swiger
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