Archive for the ‘Things I’m a Fan Of’ Category
The Stars Are Right 3
Friday, August 3rd, 2012
The Stars Are Right 3 by Amy Crook
This time the connection to Monday’s art is, I hope, very clear indeed. This piece is larger, with the space around the unfortunately doomed planet littered with stars in mysterious configurations. Some of the groups are brilliantly yellow or green in hue to suggest constellations, what do you see in the stars?
I had fun repeating my mad alphabet in a much more subtle manner on the planet’s surface, running shimmering green runes over and around the shapes beneath.
The Stars Are Right 3, 10″x8″ salt, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.
The Stars Are Right 3, work in progress by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sun shining off the future constellations and the swirls of toxic green in each little bubble of salt water, as well as the pool of color that will dry into the mysterious texture of the planet’s surface. Below, a view of the same constellation after everything, including a close-up of some of the runes. I like to think of this little succession of green dots as “The Tentacle,” personally.
The Stars Are Right 3, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Next, I’ve photographed the planet in the sunlight so you can see how the runes flare to life when they’re properly lit. The Tentacle lurks in the shot once again, ominous and ever-present.
The Stars Are Right 3, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, I’ve taken a photo with my iPhone so you can see how much bigger this piece is, a fitting decoration for any office wall or living room. Perhaps not the bedroom, though, I make no promises about what dreams it might bring.
The Stars Are Right 3, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black paper, cthulhu, for sale, glitter gel pen, japanese watercolor, planet, salt, stars, stars are right
The Stars Are Right 2
Monday, July 30th, 2012
The Stars Are Right 2 by Amy Crook
I went to a whole bunch of galleries a while ago, and one of them had these great pieces in them that looked like decaying pages of ancient texts, written in incomprehensible languages. My brain, of course, immediately went to the Cthulhu Mythos, and I thought how cool would it be to put the strange text in the stars instead. I put lines around my salt constellation to show how right the stars have become, and wended the alien language through and around both the planet and constellation. I think perhaps this is how the world would look if Cthulhu did rise above the waves, a single mass of green-slimed water dotted with the cities of the dead.
The Stars Are Right 2, 7″x5″ salt, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.
The Stars Are Right 2, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above you can see a close-up of the salt crystals on the planet, their quieter glimmer outshone by the silver glitter of the strange ancient language. Below, the fateful constellation nestles among the incomprehensible words, spelling out doom for those who know how to read the stars.
The Stars Are Right 2, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally you can see the piece in its frame. Although it’s very different than the original The Stars Are Right from last year, I felt like the name was just too obvious to ignore.
The Stars Are Right 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black paper, cthulhu, for sale, glitter gel pen, japanese watercolor, planet, salt, stars, stars are right
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Mrs. Hudson Sketch
Sunday, July 29th, 2012
Mrs. Hudson sketch by Amy Crook
I figured it was time to design some of the girls from Sherlock as stick people, so I’ve started with the redoubtable Mrs. Hudson. I’ll be doing Molly Hooper next, and then perhaps they’ll make their way to the Baker Street Tinies, if I can figure out a good way to work them in.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: mrs hudson, nfs, pencil, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sketch
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Teacup Potter
Saturday, July 28th, 2012
Teacup Potter cartoon by Amy Crook
Cuter than a teacup pig, wee Harry Potter is just hanging out in his commemorative Quidditch World Cup teacup. For all that they have magic, there’s a shocking lack of tiny Potter characters running around being adorable. Shocking.
Teacup Potter, 7″x5″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: cartoon, copic marker, Harry Potter, pen and ink, tea, wee
Sherlock & John package doodles
Sunday, July 22nd, 2012
Do Not Bend says Dr. Watson!
sketch by Amy Crook
John is determinedly guarding a package of greeting cards being sent all the way to New Zealand above, and below Sherlock’s adding in an unusual two cents indeed and saying thanks to the buyer.
Yes, John made him do it.
Sherlock says Thanks!
sketch by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: doodle, nfs, pen and ink, sharpie marker, sherlock, sketch
Sherlock Quote Cards
Saturday, July 21st, 2012
Sherlock BBC quote cards with art by Amy Crook
I’ve decided to do a new little line of Sherlock cards at my Etsy shop, which I hope you’re thrilled about, heh. I drew four painstakingly crosshatched corner designs, and then put together a card with one of my favorite quotes from the series. I’ve chosen one quote from each episode, making a total of six cards, which you can to buy in threes (by series, of course) or as a set of six.
Starting clockwise from the upper left, I’ve drawn Sherlock’s much-beloved scarf, curled around a pack of cigarettes which bear a skull and crossbones to indicate poison, or maybe pirates. Then there’s his ubiquitous magnifier, the design fudged a bit to make it more resemble an eye in its own right. It’s surrounded by deadly nightshade, a nod to Sherlock’s profession (and my cat, Belladonna). Down in the lower left, there’s also amanita mushrooms, which are quite poisonous indeed. A mysterious iPhone that might be pink were it not in black and white rests with two large, speckled pills and one shiny bullet. The last set, in the lower right, is Sherlock’s beloved skull (well, I say friend…), along with three books of mysterious origin, though I imagine the biggest one is the volume of fairy tales Sherlock found at a certain crime scene.
The quote above is from my favorite episode of Series 2, not perhaps the best objectively but the most fun by far, The Hounds of Baskerville. I love how Gatiss shifted the plurality from the original title (The Hound of the Baskervilles) and gave it a whole new, equally sinister meaning. I’m using the Sherlock page on Wikiquotes to get the phrasing right, so all mistakes in canon are totally theirs, wot.
Sherlock Quote Cards, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, original nfs. But feel free to buy the cards at my Etsy shop!
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: cards, crosshatching, etsy, greeting card, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock
Make Good Art
Monday, July 16th, 2012
Make Good Art calligraphic painting by Amy Crook
Although I think many people have said this before (including several of my prior art teachers), it’s come most recently from Neil Gaiman. I also find the advice later on about freelancing to be very good and very true — to paraphrase, you must do good work, be on time, and be pleasant, and people will continue to hire you; actually, two out of three will do, most days. And thank goodness for that, because some days all three is more than anyone can manage.
I made this very pink wash when I was mucking about with my red palette of Japanese watercolors, going from the color that is almost exactly the same as the Orchid crayon in my childhood set, through a bright fuchsia pink and on to a lovely deep burgundy. I used my poor abused fountain pen to scribble in the lettering, then took my water brush and blurred it out, which gives an interesting effect, especially in the capitals. Next came the gold glitter paint in the letters, and I left it overnight to figure out what more it needed.
It needed tentacles, of course!
I finally found the fourth palette from the same set, which is six different shades of almost-black, so I took the rich plum-purple one and made a row of tentacles reaching up to tease at the lettering. Then, to balance it, I added the gold filigree at the top, and it finally felt done.
My mental narrative for it is a bit like, “Glimpse of the golden vines of Olympus? Make good art! Chased by tentacles from the Depths? Make good art!”
So, that’s my message for you this Monday – whatever form it takes, whatever inspires you, today, make good art.
Make Good Art, 8″x4″ Japanese watercolor, pen & ink, and glitter gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper on paper.
Make Good Art, detail 1, by Amy Crook
This is one of those pieces that’s very different depending on the lighting; the gold almost vanishes when it’s in low light, but it stands out beautifully when the sun hits it, and the thicker paint on the tentacles also has a bit of a gloss here and there. Below, you can see the effect just on the word “Art.”
And for those of you that’ve read this far, have a wallpaper of the above image, with my gloved fingers sneakily Photoshopped out.
Make Good Art, detail 2, by Amy Crook
I put it in a temporary frame so you can see the scale. Given the odd size, you may want to have it custom framed, or put it on a piece of mat board in a larger frame the way I’ve got it shown below.
Make Good Art, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, neil gaiman, pen and ink, pink, red, watercolor
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