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

The Things in the Mirror

Tuesday, November 5th, 2019

an ink and watercolor painting of purple tentacles slithering inside a gold-framed mirror

The Things in the Mirror, 5″x7″ ink and watercolor on paper

Every year, we reread A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny, and I’m always inspired by the story and its amazing illustrations.

This year we have the Things in the Mirror, the slitherers whose main property is, apparently, to be sticky. The grey-on-grey ink wash background suggests an otherworldly space, while the mirror itself is bright with color and shining with gold.

It begs the question, what exactly is the most real space, in or outside of the mirror, and who is actually occupying it?

The Things in the Mirror, detail, by Amy Crook

The Things in the Mirror, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the metallic sheen of gold watercolor and the loose curl of a couple of tentacles up close and personal. Below, the slitherers have been further contained by a picture frame.

The Things in the Mirror, framed art by Amy Crook

The Things in the Mirror, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Ash Ghost series

Monday, November 4th, 2019

a series of 4 ink wash paintings featuring a ghost dissolving into ash by Amy Crook

Ash, Overgrown, Legend, and Ancient, ink wash art in the Ash Ghost series by Amy Crook,
4 works, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

This series was painted, and named, after prompts from Inktober 2019.

The upper left’s eerie ghost is the first of the Ash Ghost series: 4 ink wash paintings featuring the same mysterious and yet-unwritten legend. They get progressively more complex, filling up the space, drawing you into their story, but Ash is stark and simple.

The upper right, Overgrown, has the footsteps but no ghost that you can see. They lead up to a series of steps between two overgrown pieces of wall, vines obscuring even that hint of what used to be there. A few bits of charred wood stick up in memory of a doorframe, but the rest of the structure is lost to the mists of time.

There’s a tale waiting to be told in these images. Small details waiting to be teased out and put down, more pictures yet to come. It keeps pulling us in, luring us closer.

In Legend, the graveyard is full of mist, trees vanishing in the distance and yet, somehow, the ghost is as vivid as ever. Nothing can hide him from you, neither space nor fog, but then again, perhaps nothing can hide you from him, either.

The lower right, Ancient, is the end of our ghost story so far. It features a single ash-blackened handprint obscuring the details on a cracked headstone.

There are more questions than answers left, of course. Who is the ghost? How long has he wandered and where is he going? The headstone is there, but where is his head?

And most importantly: what does he want with you, dear reader?

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Inktober 2019, part 2

Sunday, October 27th, 2019

It’s been quite the October for me, so I’m afraid part 2 is late and long, and part 3 will round out the month for you next week. Thanks for all your patience and support!

an ink drawing of a tiny dragon in a cup of dragonwell tea by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 12: Dragon, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip, nfs

an ink wash painting of a headless ghost leaving ashy footprints behind him by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 13: Ash, 5″x7″ brush and ink on paper

an ink wash painting of ashy footsteps going up to an overgrown structure by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 14: Overgrown, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

an ink wash painting of a graveyard with a headless ghost moving through the fog by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 15: Legend, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

an ink wash painting of an ornamental barette in long hair by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 17: Ornament, 3.5″x2.5″ brush and ink on ACEO card, sold

an ink drawing of a black cat in a sassy pose by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 18: Misfit, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol

a chibi ink drawing of Bucky Barnes in a speedo holding a Captain America beach ball by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 19: Sling, 3″x3″ pen and ink on paper, wip

an ink drawing of a cat stepping on some poor dude's balls by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 20: Tread, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol

an ink drawing of a lounging man in a corset bedecked with jewellery by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 21: Treasure, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO watercolor card, wip, nfs

an ink drawing of a ghost cat in a witch hat by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 22: Ghost, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO bristol, sold

Abbreviation decoder ring!

  • wip = work in progress, ie, I’m probably going to color some or all of the drawing before it’s really done
  • nfs = not for sale, ie, it’s a Patreon sketch and already belongs to someone else
  • ACEO = Artist Card, Edition Original, also known as ATC or Artist Trading Card when traded rather than sold, which is a standard size I use for all my Patreon sketches these days

Want to get your own sketches, dibs on art, or just feel the warm glow of being part of my community of supporters? Head over to Patreon and pick a tier to get started! There’s also bonus cat photos sometimes, if that helps.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Inktober 2019, week 1 plus

Friday, October 11th, 2019

Normally I do these on Mondays, but I was out of town and then there was some kind of power shutoff madness (mine was supposed to go but did not? whatever, PG&E, you run your public utility like the Muppet Show.) So, anyway, here you go, week one-and-then-some of Inktober!

an ink drawing of mushrooms in a fairy ring by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 1: Ring, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper

an ink wash drawing of tentacles in a mirror by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 2: Mindless, 5″x7″ pen & ink and ink wash on paper

an ink wash drawing of a monster under ice using a hockey puck as bait by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 3: Bait, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink, glitter gel pen, and ink wash on ACEO bristol, nfs

an ink drawing of Tony Stark with brain freeze by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 4: Freeze, 3″x3″ pen and ink on paper, wip

an ink painting of a building in 4 stages being built by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 5: Build, ink wash on paper bookmark, sold

an ink drawing of Cthulhu by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 6: Husky, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, wip

an ink wash of a tree with a distressed face next to a basket by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 7: Enchanted, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

an ink drawing of a sapling with a single apple and three leaves by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 8: Frail, pen and ink on a bookmark, wip

an ink drawing of a pendant swinging by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 9: Swing, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, wip

a series of repeated patterns in ink on an ACEO by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 10: Pattern, 3.5″x2.5″ brush and ink on ACEO card, nfs

an abstract painting in ink on black paper of snow falling by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 11: Snow, 6″x4″ white ink on black paper

Abbreviation decoder ring!

  • wip = work in progress, ie, I’m probably going to color some or all of the drawing before it’s really done
  • nfs = not for sale, ie, it’s a Patreon sketch and already belongs to someone else
  • ACEO = Artist Card, Edition Original, also known as ATC or Artist Trading Card when traded rather than sold, which is a standard size I use for all my Patreon sketches these days

Want to get your own sketches, dibs on art, or just feel the warm glow of being part of my community of supporters? Head over to Patreon and pick a tier to get started! There’s also bonus cat photos sometimes, if that helps.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Overcast

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019

Overcast by Amy Crook, an imaginary city skyline below a vast cloudy sky

Overcast, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

A soft, subtle glow of sunshine just along the horizon warms up the gloom of this overcast sky. The city below seems almost familiar until you look closer and see buildings that no human architect has yet designed. Also, there’s a cat.

A random photo on Warren Ellis’ blog sent me down this visual rabbit hole. The idea of the last vestiges of light glowing up through the oncoming storm was a compelling one that seemed to work better for me as a cityscape than in nature.

Where do you need a little glimpse of impending, refreshing rain?

Overcast, detail, by Amy Crook

Overcast, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a small section of the buildings up close and in detail, including a sneaky bird hanging out in the updrafts. Below, the piece is framed and ready to add some moody urbanity to your space.

Overcast, framed art by Amy Crook

Overcast, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Patreon Sketches, July 2019

Thursday, August 22nd, 2019

six small sketches in a grid

6 sketches for Patreon patrons by Amy Crook, July 2019 requests

More Patreon sketches! I’m all caught up now, so there’ll be another half dozen or so next month, from August’s request post. These are all the size of a trading card – 2.5″x3.5″ – and either of bristol board or watercolor paper.

From the top left we have:

  • a little doodle for Corinne’s story,
  • Lab Coat Pikachu for Eric,
  • Mehdays kitty for Jeff,
  • a Carousel Selkie for Rebecca,
  • “hurry up autumn!” for Kim,
  • and some sunshiney goodness for Roxanne.

There’s still time to get in on the goodness for September — I’m giving extra rewards out for my birthday, plus patrons get a preview of all the Floating Gallery art, and a bunch* of other perks. If I get just a few more patrons, I’ll even be adding a new reward to the lineup! Become my patron today.

*including extra cat photos, as voted upon by my patrons

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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May & June 2019 Patreon Sketches, part 2

Thursday, August 1st, 2019

drawings of chocolate, castiel, bubble baby, and hope word art by Amy Crook

ACEO sketches by Amy Crook for Patreon, May-June 2019, part 2

It’s August, how did that happen? Here are the rest of my Patreon sketches from May & June! In part 2, we have:

  • Chocolates for Kim
  • Castiel for Luna
  • Bubble Baby for Amber
  • Hope for Grace

Want one of your own? It’s the perfect time to join my patrons — ask and you shall receive!

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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