Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
Squid with Mittens
Friday, November 19th, 2010
Squid with Mittens by Amy Crook
This happy little guy is just trying to keep warm. Someone knit him a lovely set of mittens for all his tentacles, and a matching hat. I decided that, since they don’t really have thumbs, squid mittens should just be called squittens. Also, it’s really fun to say.
You can get him or any of my other squid greeting cards at Etsy, or buy his original with the button above.
Squid With Mittens, 5″x7″ pen and ink and copic markers on watercolor paper.
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: christmas, copic marker, for sale, pen and ink, squid, squittens
1 Comment »
Goth Christmas Tree
Monday, November 15th, 2010
Goth Christmas Tree by Amy Crook
It’s that time of year, and I’ve been working on holiday card designs. In addition to my usual stock of Lovecraftian horrors, I decided to do a cheerfully morbid Christmas tree. Skulls adorn the branches and it’s topped with an eye-tipped vine. There’s a bloodstained package among the gifts under the tree, and the curly, swirly, tentacle-ish branches are reaching down to help distribute them.
You can pick up some of these cards for your own holidays at Etsy, or buy the original below.
Goth Christmas Tree, 5″x7″ pen and ink on watercolor paper.
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: christmas, for sale, holiday card, pen and ink
2 Comments »
Whispering Gremlin for Jo VanEvery
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
Whispering Gremlin by Amy Crook,
commission for Jo VanEvery
all rights reserved
When Jo VanEvery came to me asking if I would help create an illustration for her presentation in November, I was excited to draw something new. We went back and forth on just what a gremlin looked like, and we ended up with this little green guy whispering wicked self-doubt into the ear of his human.
This naughty boy likes to undermine his human’s confidence and sow the seeds of indecision, especially in grad students.
Since this is a commissioned piece, all rights are reserved, and it may not be reposted or reused anywhere, except by Jo, of course. Thanks!
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, cartoon, commission, copic marker, gremlin, jo vanevery, pen and ink
1 Comment »
Weeble Wednesday: Zombie
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010
Weeble Zombie by Amy Crook
This morbid fellow is another one of the bonus zombies from my Cthulhu coloring book. I originally had drawn a bunch of these guys for another purpose, but somehow they never got finished until I needed them for the coloring book. Still, I do love the details on this one, from his missing arm to the skull logo on his shoe.
Weeble Zombie, 5″x7″ pen, ink and Copic markers on watercolor paper.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: copic marker, for sale, pen and ink, weeble, zombie
Chocolate Spice Drops
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
This recipe is used with permission from my friend Ellen Fremedon.
I’ve m
ade these several times and they’re always awesome — you can put in whatever assortment of spices you want, but I definitely recommend the fresh ginger and pepper both to get a good bite from the spice.
The texture of these cookies is very soft and cakelike, so they don’t keep for very long, but that’s not usually a problem. They store best in shallow tupperware, with parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking.
6 Tbsp strong spiced tea (I used Republic of Tea Cardamom Cinnamon, but any black or herbal spice tea would probably work.)
1 cup white sugar
1 stick butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp minced ginger (grated, not powdered, but pre-grated from the produce section is fine)
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup good-quality cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and black pepper
Dash of cloves, allspice
Cream together butter and sugar, then add egg, vanilla, and fresh ginger. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and spices. I like to use a whisk for this step to break up lumps, especially in the cocoa.
Blend dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and the tea. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 12-13 minutes. The cookies will puff up in the middle.
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: food, recipe, sharpie marker
Honeycake
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
This recipe started out life in the Winnie the Pooh Cookery Book and then was extensively altered from its original form as a birthday cake.
Basically, every single time I read a fantasy novel, someone is having sticky, delicious honeycakes, and I really wanted to get in on that. But I couldn’t find a recipe that sounded right, so I started with this one and altered it and altered it and messed with it until I got the dense, spiced, super sweet honeyed cake that I’d always imagined.
When this cake is baked up it’s heavy and a bit sticky, and goes wonderfully with a good cup of tea. Experiment to find the just-right baking time for you; my original recipe said 20-25 minutes, but I ended up going about 40 with the white whole wheat flour and that wasn’t quite enough. (Note: I have since had my oven fixed and get shorter baking times these days.)
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (I’ve made this with alternative flours with good results, too)- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cardamon
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup honey (spray measuring cup with cooking oil before adding honey for easier pouring)
- powdered sugar and/or nutmeg, for decoration
Preheat oven to 375° F. Sift dry ingredients together. While mixing, slowly add milk, eggs, softened butter, vanilla & honey. I mixed up the milk, eggs, and vanilla, then alternated milk mixture with honey, adding in the butter somewhere in the middle. When a creamy batter has formed (mmm), pour into 1 greased 9-inch round cake pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes (watching carefully if your oven is at all like mine) or until brown around the edges, and a cake tester comes out with just crumbs and no batter goo.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and/or nutmeg and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Use stencils to create pretty patterns if you’re a big dork or Martha Stewart.
Serves 12 (or 6 if you’re like me).
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: bear, food, honey, recipe, sharpie marker
4 Comments »
Whiteboard Doodles Redux
Monday, November 1st, 2010
My scanner’s on the fritz, so instead of a recipe, you get more expectation-free art from my whiteboard. Lucky you! Photos taken with my iPhone, and therefore of approximately the same quality as the art. 😉
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: nfs, silly, whiteboard
2 Comments »
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