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

Burglar

Saturday, April 5th, 2014

Burglar, The Hobbit parody comic by Amy Crook

Burglar, The Hobbit parody comic by Amy Crook

Amidst the piles of shining gold, Bilbo Baggins is caught by the mighty red dragon, Smaug. But it’s not the Arkenstone that Smaug’s worried about — instead, he says, “Burglar, you’ve stolen my heart.” I suppose Bilbo should be glad he’s not lunch, though I’m not sure how he’s going to get out of this one.

Burglar, 7″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. The original is sold, but you can get a card to send to your own heart-stealing hobbit here.

Burglar greeting card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Burglar greeting card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Deepest R’lyeh

Saturday, March 8th, 2014

Deepest R'lyeh, abstract art by Amy Crook

Deepest R’lyeh, abstract art by Amy Crook

“Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn”
(“In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”)

-HP Lovecraft

Strange, tentacled things grow in the depths, with the horrible spheres of the ancient city of R’lyeh shining dim and strange through the murky waters. Colors shift and change, and objects seem to flow into one another in ways that the mind can’t quite comprehend. What strange horrors lie just out of sight, waiting for the stars to be right?

Deepest R’lyeh, 5″x5″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover white paper.

Deepest R'lyeh, detail, by Amy Crook

Deepest R’lyeh, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of one of the strange, multicolored tentacle creatures. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, a window into a world of madness.

Deepest R'lyeh, framed art by Amy Crook

Deepest R’lyeh, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
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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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Shaken Not Stirred

Tuesday, February 18th, 2014

drunk Cthulhu in a cocktail shaker

“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

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
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Box of Hearts

Sunday, January 12th, 2014

Box of Hearts, a Cthulhu Valentine by Amy Crook

Box of Hearts, a Cthulhu Valentine by Amy Crook

When Cthulhu gives you a big box of hearts, he really gives you… hearts. Ew. They may be small and squishy, but he finally found a way to show his love!

The card delightfully frames the image with the words:

“Cthulhu wanted to give you his* hearts
*not all hearts dedicated to Cthulhu before acquisition”

You can give your love a Valentine this year from my Etsy Shop. Assuming they’re the sort to be wooed by, well, this.

Box of Hearts, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Cthulhu Valentine by Amy Crook on Etsy

Cthulhu Valentine by Amy Crook on Etsy

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, Floating Gallery, Tentacles, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Holly the Organized Elf

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

Holly the Organized Elf,  a comic commission for Beverly Army Williams by Amy Crook

Holly the Organized Elf, a comic commission
for Beverly Army Williams by Amy Crook

When Beverly approached me to draw her an Organized Elf, at first I had a totally different image in mind. But she sent me some great answers and with a little bit of googling, we got our mental images to match. Holly is the mascot for Beverly’s excellent year-long Organized Elf Project, helping to keep you as organized as she is from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. Peace, not perfectionism!

Holly was really fun for me to draw, because I had carte blanche to put whatever oddities seemed to fit in her holiday kit. So, I decided on one of those fabric-lined craft project baskets, on which we put a lovely silver monogrammed plate, and then stuffed it with knitting, wintery fabric, sewing accessories, and even an emergency snowflake template. Because every elf has snowflake emergencies, right?

Beverly sent me the sweetest testimonial, which she’s letting me share with you:

“If we had worked together in person, in the same room, it would have looked something like this:

Me (waving hands in air): I see an elf. An elegant, swank elf. She’s organized. And pretty.

Amy: Here are ten questions to help you get more specific. I want to create your vision.

Me (studiously answers questions): Like this?

Amy: wonderful! (sketches) Does she look like your Organized Elf?

Me: You are amazing. She’s even better than I imagined. (hugs Amy. Kisses sketch.)

The reality is that we worked via email. Still, the process was that easy—I made some big sweeping statements about the ideas I had, Amy asked specific, thought-provoking questions, and from my answers, she sketched, inked, and colored a beautiful illustration that really is beyond what I imagined.

Amy’s professionalism is unparalleled; she meets (well ahead of time) the deadlines she set, and she is straightforward about what to expect. I can’t wait for another reason to work with her!”

If you’d like an illustration of your very own, email me to get started!

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces
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Cthonian Skies

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Cthonian Skies by Amy Crook

Cthonian Skies by Amy Crook

The Floating Gallery has touched down for December, and I thought I’d start your Monday off strangely.

The swampy greens in this strange sky are laced with shimmering iridescence. The moon shimmers darkly beneath spirals of gold, and strange salt-formation stars radiate yet more gold into the gloomy mists of night. Perhaps this is what Cthulhu saw in his native skies, or what he sees now in the slice of reality he occupies as he slumbers deep beneath the waves — beautiful, maddening dreams of a night that never was.

Cthonian Skies, 5.5″x8.5″ pen & ink, salt, watercolor, and iridescent watercolor on acid-free embossed paper.

Cthonian Skies, detail, by Amy Crook

Cthonian Skies, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sunlight making long shadows from the salt crystal stars, and the textures of paper and paint interacting. Below, it’s loosely attached to a frame for size. The final product will be properly matted and framed for shipping, to protect the nifty salty bits.

Cthonian Skies, framed art by Amy Crook

Cthonian Skies, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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