Archive for the ‘Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths’ Category

Ghosts of Years Gone By

Tuesday, January 5th, 2016

Ghosts of Years Gone By by Amy Crook

Ghosts of Years Gone By, 5″x7″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

These ghosts are here to remind you of years gone by, of triumphs and tragedies lurking in your past. That one on the left seems particularly intent in communicating its message, so maybe check you’re not about to repeat some horrible mistake from your past? Or perhaps it’s trying to encourage you in its creepy, staring way.

Their eyes have an eerie blue-green glow to them, which pops out of the soft creamy paper and deep matte colors of paint. There’s beautiful granulation in that adds amazing texture and detail to their ghostly, half-real forms.

What ghosts are waiting in your past to show you the path forward?

Ghosts of Years Gone By, detail, by Amy Crook

Ghosts of Years Gone By, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, this blue ghost seems particularly intent on getting its message across. Below, they’re lurking in their frame, a spooky-cute reminder of past triumphs and lessons.

Ghosts of Years Gone By, framed art by Amy Crook

Ghosts of Years Gone By, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Ghost

Tuesday, December 8th, 2015

Ghost by Amy Crook

Ghost by Amy Crook

What haunts you?

The inspiration from this image came from dozens of images of ghosts over many years. The faces pushing through the wall in Frighteners. Photographs of sheets with a vague sense of a human underneath that clearly show there is no one. The classic Halloween costume of a sheet with eye holes.

This ink is a beautiful pale grey with ghostly lavender undertones that worked perfectly to created the subtle shadows in this piece. Is it just a bunch of shapes, or is there really a face? Is that shadows against a wall, or is it really reaching out for you?

Ghost, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper.

Ghost, detail, by Amy Crook

Ghost, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the detail of his serious, ghostly face. Below, he’s trapped in a frame, just waiting to spook up the right house.

Ghost, framed art by Amy Crook

Ghost, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Blood Moon 6

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015

Blood Moon 6 by Amy Crook

Blood Moon 6 by Amy Crook

This ink wash is a vivid addition to my City series, which is also the 6th of my Blood Moon paintings.

The blood moon glows with a rich red-gold radiance. The sky is home to a thousand glittering golden stars in halo around it. A dark city awaits below, reflecting the glow of them both.

Built in layers, this piece was first a wash of red and gold inks, and then a globe of light in the middle of gold-dusted night, and finally became a city. Each layer is a different kind of ink, even the gold dust.

Blood Moon 6, 8″x8″ brush & ink and ink wash on Fluid watercolor paper.

Blood Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Blood Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shimmering gold dust in the Stormy Grey ink, and the solid Deleter Manga ink that blacks it out where the buildings rise up, with the beautiful red shining through both where appropriate. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, waiting to grace your walls with its eerie beauty.

Blood Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Blood Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Tree Trimming

Monday, October 19th, 2015

Tree Trimming, a Cthulhu comic by Amy Crook

Tree Trimming, a Cthulhu comic by Amy Crook

Cthulhu is getting into the holiday spirit a little early this year! He’s trimming his tree with his favorite decoration, cultists. Even the tree is enjoying its little holiday snack, er, decor.

The greeting card will bring just the right holiday cheer to the right person — a fan of horror, especially the Lovecraftian sort, with a good sense of humor.

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

Tree Trimming, a Cthulhu holiday card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Tree Trimming, a Cthulhu holiday card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Zombie Heart

Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

Zombie Heart, abstract art by Amy Crook

Zombie Heart, abstract art by Amy Crook

Although Zombie Heart is in keeping with the Halloween theme, there’s a gorgeous complexity to it that could live in the right home year round. The greens range from the darkest shadow around the main shape to the iridescence that floats above, shining like radioactivity.

The way the metallic greens bloom on the dark green core shape is like mold blossoming against decaying zombie flesh. The organic layers of shape and shade show an eerily beautiful side to this particular undead myth.

Are your favorite zombies created by magic, radioactivity, a virus, or some mad scientist?

Zombie Heart, 8″x10″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Zombie Heart, detail, by Amy Crook

Zombie Heart, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the mysterious swirls and shimmers giving depth and texture to the painting. Below, it’s lurking in a frame, waiting to find a permanent home, lab, or specimen shelf.

Zombie Heart, framed art by Amy Crook

Zombie Heart, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Jade City

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015

Jade City, watercolor by Amy Crook

Jade City, watercolor by Amy Crook

Every time I paint a new City, I think, this one is my favorite. It’s the inevitable consequence of hours spent filling in the tiny, monochrome details and fleshing out my imaginary worlds.

This gorgeous jade city is besieged by a magnificent purple rainstorm, the violet clouds hanging above in dark spirals while the rain streaks down the page. The patterns of the rain helped determine the shape of the city it fell upon; gaps in the runnels became the buildings in this layered, mysterious skyline.

Jade City, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Jade City, detail, by Amy Crook

Jade City, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the tops of a few of the buildings besieged by the beautifully textured rainfall. Below, the city waits in its frame like a window onto another, stranger world.

Jade City, framed art by Amy Crook

Jade City, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Devil and Angel Bookmarks

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015

Devil & Angel bookmarks, Sherlock parody art by Amy Crook

Devil & Angel bookmarks, Sherlock parody art by Amy Crook

I sketched these as my art warm-up about 10 days ago, which turned out to be the day’s entire art output because I then entered printer tech support purgatory. Everything’s under warranty, but I could really stand to have had this fixed sometime last week.

I’m not sure why I felt the need to give Sherlock a tentacle tattoo, but as it looks adorable on him, I don’t think it matters. Horns inspired by a rewatch of Monsters Inc.

Devil & Angel bookmarks, pen & ink on parchment cardstock.

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