Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
Sharpie Happy Cake
Thursday, July 4th, 2013

Sharpie Happy Cake by Amy Crook
Happy 4th of July, aka Independence Day here in the states! I thought this cake would be fun for basically any occasion one needs to be happy. Personally, just surviving another Thursday is a pretty good reason, if you ask me.
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: nfs, sharpie, sharpie week
Sharpie Hungover Owl
Monday, July 1st, 2013

Sharpie Hungover Owl by Amy Crook
I’m going to be off for most of this week, and I’ve been running behind for most of the past couple of weeks before this, so you get a Sharpie Week! I asked for prompts on various venues, and this was sort of my friend Kira’s idea. She asked for an owl, and I’m the one who decided it needed to be a hungover owl. I mean, it is Monday.
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: nfs, sharpie, sharpie week
Fairytale Sky 7
Friday, June 28th, 2013

Fairytale Sky 7 by Amy Crook
So, instead of painting the moon and mist and stars on black paper, this time I painted a mysterious sky of nearly-black colors, then added in the silver mist and stars and milk-white moon. I love the way the moon and mist picked up the background colors, especially the bloody cast to the moon’s shadows. A subtle addition to the series, with shine on the metallic mist and stars but not too much fancy paint this time around.
Fairytale Sky 7, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover white paper.

Fairytale Sky 7, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see brush strokes in the silver paint, which ranges from thick enough to stand off the paper, to thin enough to barely be visible on the dark background. Below, the painting is hanging out with my iPhone, showing off its spirals.

Fairytale Sky 7, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: fairytale sky, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, nfs, silver, spirals, watercolor
Kobold Curry Chef
Friday, June 21st, 2013

Kobold Curry Chef for Jefferson, by Amy Crook
commission, all rights reserved
This is one of those comic commissions that was just ridiculously fun to draw. He’s based on one of those in-jokey sort of anecdotes that are only really funny if you were there, but since I was there, I find him amusing. From the half-seen diagram of a chicken catapult to the blind albino cave chicken stiff with fear for his future as ammo, curry, or both, it all amuses me.
For those who wonder about such things, since he’s for personal, non-commercial use, I charged Jefferson the Be a Cartoon price, plus an extra fee for all the many extra props and details. Though not too much more, since I didn’t have to draw pants.
Kobold Curry Chef, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper, nfs (commission).
Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, cartoon, commission, copic marker, jefferson, nfs, pen and ink
A Trio of Dancing Squid
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

A Trio of Dancing Squid by Amy Crook
I had originally thought of doing fatter, cuter, cartoony squid on this lusciously bright green background, but then when googling around for inspiration I found some pictures of swimming squid that were sleek and small with big golden eyes. And so we have this little trio, swimming past some big, mossy rock or perhaps a wall in some ruins somewhere. They’re painted in a shimmery turquoise with green-yellow eyes, and a scribble-painted dark teal for shadows and outlines. I imagine them cheerfully unaware of their audience, just twirling and dancing around as they swim on by.
A Trio of Dancing Squid, 7″x5″ watercolor, Japanese watercolor, and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

A Trio of Dancing Squid, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sun shining off the iridescent paint. Below, you can see them in their frame, hanging out with some aquatic friends.

A Trio of Dancing Squid, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, duochrome, green, iridescent, japanese watercolor, nfs, sold, squid
Drunk Lizard
Friday, June 14th, 2013

Drunk Lizard by Amy Crook
I drew this guy while I was watching Lilo & Stitch, and drinking a nice refreshing gin & ginger ale, so he’s got a looseness to him that I rather enjoy. Both his body and his background are done with pen & ink washed over with a water brush, and then more ink added back in afterward. I really like how multiple passes of pen and brush created layers of color and texture in his otherwise simple drawing.
Drunk Lizard, 5″x7″ pen & ink and water brush on paper.

Drunk Lizard, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the little spiral toesies, which I actually added in the next day, and the various textured layers of spirals that surround and fill the little lizard. Below, he’s in a frame, hanging out with an orange five-tentacled octopus, because that’s what drunk lizards do.

Drunk Lizard, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, green, lizard, pen and ink, spirals, water brush
Happy Jelly
Tuesday, June 11th, 2013

Happy Jelly by Amy Crook
I know I’ve painted jellyfish before, but I decided my Wall of Squid needed some variety in its betentacled cuteness. This guy is actually a bit more pale in real life than he looks here, soft subtle pale blue-greens that make him look delightfully translucent. He’s not any specific species of jelly, just a cute one, but I did steal the idea of his heart-shaped markings on top from the lovely moon jellyfish.
Happy Jelly, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Happy Jelly, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a slightly better version of the pale coloring, and of course his cute little heart markings and big shiny head. Below, the happy jelly is dancing in his frame with my iPhone and favorite jellyfish plushie.

Happy Jelly, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: copic marker, for sale, jellyfish, pen & ink
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