Archive for the ‘Series and Books’ Category

No Hugs

Sunday, November 2nd, 2014

No Hugs, Doctor Who parody art by Amy Crook

No Hugs, Doctor Who parody art by Amy Crook

Even though this is technically a holiday card design, I decided to leave the word bubbles off this original so it’s more of a lovely, grumpy portrait of Peter Capaldi’s twelfth Doctor. You can see the cute comic complete with words below. I copied his pose from the first publicity still they gave us of his costume, but used the universal gesture for “no touching” instead.

He is really not into hugging.

You can get these adorable cards on Etsy.

No Hugs, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

No Hugs, greeting cards by Amy Crook on Etsy

No Hugs, greeting cards by Amy Crook on Etsy

 

Categories: Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Their Eyes Met

Wednesday, October 15th, 2014

Their Eyes Met, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook

Their Eyes Met, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook

Kim has been a wonderful customer on Etsy for a while, and she decided to take the leap and get me to draw her Sherlock ship for her, Lestrade and Molly. She wanted something funny with the two of them making eyes at each other over a corpse in the morgue, and we gave them each something to be pretending to look at before their eyes meet.

This is what she had to say about her commission:

I found the whole experience really positive and fun. Amy’s been really helpful and enthusiastic about the commission and kept in touch regularly to let me know how it was going. And seeing pics of it in progress has been great – watching it come to life on the paper!

Once my package arrived, I was so thrilled – I love the picture. I think she’s created and captured Molly and Lestrade just right for me. And the little extras in the envelople were wonderful, especially the unexpected and lovely line drawing of Greg tucked in with my art. I think he’s worth framing as well.

All in all, a brilliant and positive experience. And a lovely haul of goodies!

-Kim

Kim has also been kind enough to let me share the art with you, by putting this adorable card up in my shop. She’s pretty awesome, right?

Their Eyes Met, 7″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Their Eyes Met, greeting card on Etsy by Amy Crook

Their Eyes Met, greeting card on Etsy by Amy Crook

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

Friday, October 10th, 2014

Halloween Trees by Amy Crook

Halloween Trees by Amy Crook

I suppose I should think of something to call this series of paintings so I can make a tag for it, with the spooky winter trees against the various skies. These trees are so finely detailed it’s almost like lace against the brilliant orange sunset sky. I have to deliberately work against my desire to make things very regular and symmetrical, to put in broken branches and bare spots just like real trees.

Five black crows fly off into the sunset, riding the cool autumn winds. Everything about this piece feels like October, from the orange and black color scheme to the bare trees and exiting birds.

Next time, I’ll have to sneak in some extra bats, though.

Halloween Trees, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Halloween Trees, detail, by Amy Crook

Halloween Trees, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, I’ve zoomed in on the fine lacework of branches, and a few crows flying into the intensely orange sunset. Below, you can see the piece in a temporary frame, waiting to go to its new home.

Halloween Trees, framed art by Amy Crook

Halloween Trees, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Splash 3

Thursday, October 9th, 2014

Splash 3, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Splash 3, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

At first you see mostly shades of green, like a splash of sea water backlit by bright sunshine. Then you move, and the green turns to gold and blue and deeper, stranger greens. The layers and overlappings take on new significance, building complex color on top of one another in the seemingly monochrome expanse.

This is a perfect painting for someone who loves water, the ocean, and the light, and who wants to keep a little of each as a part of all of their days.

Splash 3, 7″x5″ duochrome watercolor on paper.

Splash 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Splash 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the blues and golds and greens blending and layering in this beautiful painting. Below, it’s tucked into a frame, the greens practically glowing in the afternoon sun.

Splash 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Splash 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Fairytale Sky 9

Tuesday, October 7th, 2014

Fairytale Sky 9 by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 9 by Amy Crook

A lovely, shadowed full moon hangs in a sky full of stars, but the real shine is from the mysterious spiraling clouds. They gleam subtly in blues and purples, stately shapes with just a hint of soft brushwork about the edges. This addition to the Fairytale Sky series is very reminiscent of the first, but refined by the iterations in between.

Sometimes I think it’s good to treat life like you’re in your very own fairytale. Do good deeds when you can, and you’ll find them returned when you least expect it. Don’t cause harm through inattention or ignorance. And always wear good walking shoes.

Fairytale Sky 9, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Fairytale Sky 9, detail, by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 9, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the subtle shimmer of the paint together with the soft shine of the stars and the bright gleam of the moon. Below, I’ve put this sky in a frame, like a window to another world, one full of magic and fairytale logic.

Fairytale Sky 9, framed art by Amy Crook

Fairytale Sky 9, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Jellyfish Bloom

Monday, October 6th, 2014

Jellyfish Bloom by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Bloom by Amy Crook

I went to Monterey Bay Aquarium recently, where they have two different exhibits full of jellyfish. I love the way the jellies just float serenely along, totally oblivious to the tug of gravity, going up or down or whichever way suits them at the moment. Their tentacles trail along behind like the tails of comets, following with the same slow, careless air.

The splash of sunlight at the top of this painting made me want to give them a bit of a gold sheen, so I used the palest gold paint I have (doesn’t everyone have 7 shades of gold paint?). There’s a tiny bit of salt hiding in this painting, and the background is shining and iridescent, giving everything an ethereal, underwater glow.

Jellyfish Bloom, 7″x5″ salt, metallic watercolor, and iridescent watercolor on paper.

Jellyfish Bloom, detail, by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Bloom, detail, by Amy Crook

It’s annoyingly difficult to photograph shiny things, because the white of the paper ends up looking grey by comparison, but you can get a little hint of the iridescent sheen that hides in the turquoise waters with the shiny gold jellies in the photo above. Below, the piece in a frame, looking rather more green from the bright sunlight.

Jellyfish Boom, framed art by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Boom, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
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After the Stars

Sunday, October 5th, 2014

After the Stars by Amy Crook

After the Stars by Amy Crook

This piece has a lot of in common with both Insomnia City and Lost Arcadia, but the eerie city it depicts is slowly decaying after whatever cataclysm cracked the moon and erased the stars. As I painted, my mind supplied Lovecraftian stories to go with the muted palette, reminiscent of his cities of glowing semiprecious stone there in the Dreamlands.

After the Stars, 6″x4″ Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

After the Stars, detail, by Amy Crook

After the Stars, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a small detail of a few buildings, one dripping with something that might be blood, one cracked all along its windowless face, and a third thrusting up at the clouds, defying the decay around it. Below, you can see it in a frame, waiting to go to its new home.

After the Stars, framed art by Amy Crook

After the Stars, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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