Archive for the ‘Series and Books’ Category

Calcifer

Saturday, May 7th, 2016

Calcifer, Howl's Moving Castle art by Amy Crook

Calcifer, 6″x4″ ink wash and various watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Studio Ghibli has made some of the most amazing films, and one of my favorites is the adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle. If you’ve seen it, the title will make perfect sense!

A glow-haloed, shadowy figure dances over the water through a rain of color and light, like a shining star in a fall of them, experiencing a few bright moments of joy before snuffing out.

This painting has several kinds of sparkle to it against a soft grey ink rain, and its real beauty shines through in person.

Calcifer, detail, by Amy Crook

Calcifer, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the iridescent, duochrome, and interference watercolors sparkle through the inky haze of rain. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, just waiting for its chance to shine for you.

Calcifer, framed art by Amy Crook

Calcifer, framed art by Amy Crook

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

Thursday, May 5th, 2016

City Shadow by Amy Crook

City Shadow, 8″x4″ Primatek watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Is it mirage, illusion, or reality?

A skyline rises up along the horizon, barely solid. The sky rains down in monochrome all around it, creating the feel of a city of mist and shadow.

Perhaps it’s like San Francisco, fog obscuring the borders, making it seem to float in between realities until you get there and find it mostly mundane. Or perhaps it’s like one of the fabled cities of faerie, that vanish when the moon sets, leaving the traveller stranded.

City Shadow, detail, by Amy Crook

City Shadow, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the beautifully textured rain over the shapes of the city. Below, the painting is tucked into a frame, just waiting to appear mysteriously on your wall.

City Shadow, framed art by Amy Crook

City Shadow, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Fettered

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016

Fettered, word art by Amy Crook

Fettered: chained; shackled; confined; restrained,
5″x7″ pen & ink on paper – $45

One of my Patreon patrons requested this word for their sketch last month, so we’re taking a quick break from May’s gallery to show the last of April’s word art.

This illustration involves some naughty kitties — or one rather distressed one, and one very smug one, rather. Anyone who knows my cats knows who is meant to be who here, despite their lack of markings.*

*Pod deserves it, the fuzzy little jerkface.

Categories: Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Weeping Willows

Monday, May 2nd, 2016

Weeping Willows watercolor by Amy Crook

Weeping Willows, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Are you weeping because it’s Monday? Me, too! Ah, well, the weekends can’t last forever.

Rain breaks up the blue of the sky, rivulets of white that weigh down the weeping willow trees below. The vault of the sky above presses downward, drawing the eye to the ground and the faded, ghostly figure walking among the branches.

The bare trees give a wintry feel to the scene, as does the cool turquoise blue of the sky, just barely desaturated by the gloom of the rainstorm.

Where in your life could you use a small reminder of the beauty in the death of the year?

Weeping Willows, detail, by Amy Crook

Weeping Willows, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the ghostly figure moving through the winter willows. Below, the art has been tucked into a temporary frame to dream of finding its permanent home with you.

Weeping Willows, framed art by Amy Crook

Weeping Willows, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books
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Tea: Molly Hooper

Thursday, April 28th, 2016

Tea: Molly Hooper, Sherlock parody art by Amy Crook

Tea: Molly Hooper, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper

One of my favourite patrons commissioned me to draw a series of 4 little comic portraits of her favourite characters with their favourite teas. Favourites all around!

This last piece in the Tea Series features the adorkable Molly Hooper, the pathologist from whose morgue Sherlock keeps borrowing all manner of unpleasant items. She’s got a soothing cup of Darjeeling, probably to help her nerves after one of Sherlock’s visits.

Categories: Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Discombobulate

Tuesday, April 26th, 2016

Discombobulate, word art by Amy Crook

Discombobulate: to confuse or disconcert,
5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper – $70

I couldn’t resist the idea of Bond totally confusing his Quartermaster with intact, fully functioning equipment. Gun not fed to a komodo dragon. Earpiece not dropped into a glass of champagne. Unexploded pen!

So confusing.

Categories: People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Tea: Lestrade

Thursday, April 21st, 2016

Tea: Lestrade, Sherlock parody art by Amy Crook

Tea: Lestrade, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper

One of my favourite patrons commissioned me to draw a series of 4 little comic portraits of her favourite characters with their favourite teas. Favourites all around!

This third piece in the Tea Series features DI Lestrade from the BBC Sherlock series. The put-upon detective inspector needs a strong, bracing cup of Assam to help him keep up with Sherlock’s antics.

Categories: Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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