Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
30 Day Marker Challenge, part 3
Tuesday, April 25th, 2017
The amazing Sadynax gave herself a 30-day Marker Challenge last month, and I decided to do it for April to help get back in the swing of art after my surgery. Three weeks and counting I’ve managed some daily art, hooray!
I’m giving my wonderful Patreon supporters some bonuses at the $5+ sketch levels this month, so it’s a good time to become a patron!
Day 18: Use colored paper.
Day 19: Draw stone or crystal.
Day 20: Draw fur.
Day 21: Draw water.
Day 22: Draw fire.
Day 23: Draw cold atmosphere.
Day 24: Draw warm atmosphere.
Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: 30 day marker challenge, cat, cats, coffee, copic marker, desert, gel pen, jellyfish, pen and ink, pencil, pokemon, tea
Random Recipe: Cardamom Milk
Thursday, April 20th, 2017
I found a great place to buy green cardamom, and then went hunting for this recipe, which makes a wonderful, warm bedtime treat.
- 2 cups milk
- 8 cardamom pods, cracked open
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-3 cloves*
- 6-8 slices of candied ginger*
*Optional — if you do use candied ginger, you might want to reduce the honey a bit to keep it from being too sweet. I know it seems like a lot of spices, but since you don’t boil them, it takes more to get the same flavor as in tea.
In a small saucepan, heat everything but the vanilla, stirring constantly. Once the milk is steaming hot but not boiling, remove from heat, add vanilla, and cover. Let steep for 5 minutes, then strain out the spices and serve.
I usually add the ginger back to the cup before serving, yum.
Categories: Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: copic marker, nfs, pen and ink, recipe
30 Day Marker Challenge, part 1
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017
The amazing Sadynax gave herself a 30-day Marker Challenge last month, and I decided to do it for April to help get back in the swing of art after my surgery. Each day had its own weird quirks, and I think I already know which one I’m gonna redo for day 30, haha.
I’m giving my wonderful Patreon supporters some bonuses at the $5+ sketch levels this month, so it’s a good time to become a patron!
Day 1: Use only one color.
Day 2: Choose 3 colors blindly.
Day 3: Use only gray tones (Copics C, N, W)
Day 4: Use complementary colors
Day 5: Use only the markers’ wide tip end.
Day 6: Use only one color family.
Day 6: Use only markers that end with 3.
Day 8: Choose 2 colors blindly.
Day 9: Use only 00, 000, & 0000 markers.
Day 10: Color skin without using any E, R, or YR markers.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: 30 day marker challenge, book, cat, copic marker, food, mermaid, pen and ink, pencil
Fairytale Cottage
Tuesday, March 7th, 2017
Fairytale Cottage, 6″x6″ watercolor and gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper
Calling to mind the darker side of fairytales, this shadowy cottage lurks against a rainy sky. The brightness of white clouds and gingerbread detailing is almost unsettling in it sweetness, with everything around it muted and grey.
In a strange reversal, only the frothy white curlicues look solid, while the house and sky seem like mere shadows behind the spirals.
What’s your favorite fairytale, and which ending do you prefer?
Fairytale Cottage, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see up close the slightly raised spirals on the buildings and the softly receding spirals of the clouds, decorating the shadowy secrets held by this confectionary cottage. Below, the frame becomes a window into a dark fairy tale world.
Fairytale Cottage, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: clouds, for sale, gel pen, spirals, watercolor
Le Chat Gris
Thursday, February 2nd, 2017
Le Chat Gris, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
A third Animal Spirit joins the fox and bunny with this lovely cat.
There’s a saying that all cats are grey in the dark, and this beautiful moggy glows pearly white and grey in the light of a golden harvest moon. The gold is reflected in the cat’s eyes, which hold a little of their own shine.
Bring beauty and whimsy into your home and adopt this grey kitty — you’ll never have to feed it!
Le Chat Gris, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can really see the sunlight hitting the pearlescent white of the cat’s intricate patterning. Below, they’re elegantly framed and just waiting for the right wall, shelf, or nook.
Le Chat Gris, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: animal spirits, cat, interference, nfs, pearlescent, primatek, sold, watercolor
Advent 2016, week 4
Saturday, December 31st, 2016
2016 is almost over!
To celebrate the end of this terrible year, I drew one sketch every day. They’re in various media on cheap-but-archival 5.5″x8.5″ embossed white cards. Some of these will be available as cards, some of them will be in a special sale for my email list next month, and some of them are already spoken for.
I had the flu and then a cold for most of December, so pardon some of the weirdness. I’m mostly well now, except for a bit of a lingering cough. Wish me luck in not catching anything else for awhile!
Advent 2016 day 26: Snortoro, a Pokemon and Totoro parody mashup, $20
Advent 2016 day 27: General Organa, Star Wars parody art, sold
Advent 2016 day 28: Pounce, $10
Advent 2016 day 29: Star Cat, $15
Advent 2016 day 30: Inception in a Teacup, parody art, $30
Advent 2016 day 31: Toast, Inception parody art, $30
Happy New Year!
Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: advent 2016, ariadne, arthur, brush and ink, cat, christmas, copic marker, eames, general leia, inception, j herbin ink, new year, parody, pen and ink, pokemon, star wars, yusuf
Advent 2016, week 3
Monday, December 26th, 2016
2016 is almost over!
To celebrate the end of this terrible year, I’m doing one sketch every day. They’re in various media on these cheap-but-archival 5.5″x8.5″ embossed white cards. Some of these will be available as cards, some of them will be in a special sale for my email list next month, and some of them are already spoken for.
I’ve had the flu and then a cold for most of December, so pardon some of the bizarreness going on here. I am almost not sick at this point, but still have a bit of lingering bleh. BLEH.
Advent 2016 day 18: Lost a Bet, Sherlock parody art, sold
Advent 2016 day 19: Boromir, Lord of the Rings parody art, sold
Advent 2016 day 20: Cat Wrap, $20
Advent 2016 day 21: Snowman, $10
Advent 2016 day 22: Tomcat and Robin, $20
Advent 2016 day 23: Still Not Well, $5
Advent 2016 day 24: Santa Fuel, for Jeff, sold
Advent 2016 day 25: Ornament Rainbow, $30
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: advent 2016, bbc sherlock, boromir, brush pen, cat, christmas, copic marker, glitter gel pen, lord of the rings, parody, pen and ink, rainbow, santa claus, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, tdkr, watercolor
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