Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
Forest Dragon
Monday, March 26th, 2012
Forest Dragon by Amy Crook, all rights reserved
I swear, this commission took all the time in the world, but I will admit I’m happy with the results. I was pretty sure I would be once I got it past the ass point, but you never really know until it’s all done. Molly is very happy indeed, and I hope she gets well soon so she can come collect it!
“All I had was the idea of a dragon in a forest and I was so lucky to have Amy bring what I really had in mind to life. And with the snap shots of the progress along the way I got to be more and more excited by the final result. The details of the scales are my favorite part.”
Forest Dragon, 24″x18″ oil paint on canvas, nfs (commission).
I’ve taken a bunch of detail shots for you, just so you can appreciate the awesomeness.
Forest Dragon, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the sun shining through the Dragon’s spines and onto the texture, iridescent scales. Below, another shot of sunlight, this time streaming through the trees and making the leaves appear translucent.
Forest Dragon, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Sunlight and shiny things are a bit of a theme, which is apropos for a dragon, I think.
Forest Dragon, detail 3, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the wings, which are translucent and let the trees behind them show faintly through, as well as the dragon’s ridges. Below, an oblique close-up of the tail so you can see the physical texture of the scales, and the more visual texture on the hoard of gold.
Forest Dragon, detail 4, by Amy Crook
If you’re considering a commission of your own, email me! I’ve got a few things in the queue already, but I’d be happy to talk about putting your painting next in line.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, commission, dragon, iridescent, nfs, oil paint, oil painting, tree
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Baby Squid
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012
Baby Squid, cartoon art by Amy Crook
Sometimes, I have to make art just so I can put it on a card in my Etsy shop, and this is one of those times. I’m trying to expand my offerings over there to something that isn’t quite so holiday-dependent. Thus we have a gender-free, geek-positive baby cards. I actually made two versions of this one: one is blank with just the image, and the other says, “Congratulations, it’s a…” on the front, and on the inside finishes with “Well, Congratulations, anyway.” Yes, I can even be sarcastic in the face of those giant soulful eyes.
I did have fun trying to make the cutest widdle squiddy you ever did see, though. The original would be awesome in a baby’s room somewhere, trying to out-cute the offspring.
Baby Squid, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper.
Baby Squid, framed art by Amy Crook
Above I have him put into a frame so you can imagine how it would look. Below, you can see what he looks like on the snarky version of the card.
Baby Squid greeting card by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: baby, cartoon, copic marker, etsy, pen and ink, squid, weeble
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Zen Teapot
Thursday, March 1st, 2012
Zen Teapot, brush drawing by Amy Crook, $59
I love the specific shape of the round bodies of certain teapots. This one isn’t perfect by any means, but the imperfection adds to its beauty to me. Despite a part of me that is all about the perfectionism, I really do dig wabi sabi and the beauty in flawed, damaged or wonky things.
Zen Teapot, 7″x5″ brush pen on paper, $59 with free shipping.
I really like how peaceful this one looks in a frame, like it would fit pretty much anywhere and just make you feel that much more Zen about life.
Zen Teapot, framed art by Amy Crook
Want to chat about something? Comment here or email me.
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: brush pen, for sale, zen
Cthulhu & Spider’s Delight Necklaces with Polymath
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Cthulhu Necklace, collaboration with Shannon Henry
They’re almost ready!
Shannon Henry of Polymath Design Lab has been working with me to create a pair of awesome laser-cut necklaces. Cthulhu is in hand-dyed green leather, and the spiderweb (below) is made of black acrylic. We’re taking pre-orders for the first run, which will ship in March.
Check out Cthulhu and Spider’s Delight on Etsy!
Spider’s Delight necklace, collaboration with Shannon Henry
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: collaboration, cthulhu, etsy, necklace, polymath, shannon henry, spider, spiderweb, weeble
Sunset Bees
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
Sunset Bees by Amy Crook
Somehow, when I don’t know what to paint, bees keep coming to mind! I suppose they do figure in two things I love quite a bit, Winnie-the-Pooh and Sherlock Holmes. Who can forget “In Which We are Introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees, and the Stories Begin”? And Holmes’ desire to retire to Sussex and keep bees is equally famous, though in the modern day I keep wanting to see him take up urban beekeeping instead and have box-hives on the roof.
This painting was a bit of an experiment with using watercolor ground to prime over the gesso on the canvas, and then using watercolors for the painting. The color tended to sink into the grooves and dry pale, which gives the sky a dreamy feeling of a sunset seen obliquely through the branches, and the bees flitting overhead.
Sunset Bees, 2.75″x2.75″ oil paint on canvas with 5″ wooden easel.
Below you can see the painting tucked into a bookshelf with my Pooh and Piglet bank, though in this case it looks a bit like Pooh is protecting Piglet from a horror of bees. Hah.
Sunset Bees with easel, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: bees, for sale, tiny painting, watercolor
Get Well Squid
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
Get Well Squid by Amy Crook
A friend of mine is in the hospital right now, so I drew up this little guy and printed him on a card to help cheer her up while she undergoes treatment. I’m not sure how he’s going to get that bottle of pills open without a helping hand, but he sure looks like he could use them, poor guy.
Get Well Squid, 5″x7″ pen and ink and Copic markers on paper. Get him on a card of your own at my Etsy shop.
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cartoon, copic marker, for sale, pen and ink, squid, weeble
L is for Lestrade
Friday, January 13th, 2012
L is for Lestrade by Amy Crook
Happy Friday the 13th! I bring you a fourth adorably morbid installment in my Baker Street Tinies Edward Gorey/Sherlock pastiche commissions. Lestrade is taken directly from H is for Hector in the original book, though Hector wasn’t texting at the time of his untimely demise.
I highly recommend clicking to see the image larger, if only so you can appreciate my absurdly painstaking work. The original is sold, but there are cards (and soon prints) available in my Etsy shop.
L is for Lestrade, 8.5″x5.5″ pen and ink on paper, sold.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: baker street tinies, crosshatching, edward gorey, lestrade, nfs, pastiche, pen and ink, sherlock
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