Posts Tagged ‘commission’

Commission: Winter Octopus

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Winter Octopus Commission for Gretchen by Amy Crook

Winter Octopus Commission for Gretchen by Amy Crook

Aside from my own, I did get to do one other winter card this year as a commission. Gretchen (proud owner of Nugget) saw my Squittens card design and asked me to draw her up a cheerful cephalopod all her own. We decided on cool wintry colors, and having him making snowflakes as a proper activity for a cute little octopus celebrating the season. The hat was a last-minute addition that gave him a bit of extra interest, and really pulled together the whole theme of the piece.

She’s gotten her cards sent and received by now, so I thought I’d give a last bit of holiday cheer by sharing the art with you.

Winter Octopus, 5″x7″ pen and ink and copic markers on watercolor paper, nfs.

Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
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Watercolor Ornaments

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

2 Watercolor Ornaments by Amy Crook

2 Watercolor Ornaments by Amy Crook

A few years back I painted a bunch of one-of-a-kind cards for a friend, and these were two of my favorites. The metallic paint I used for the designs didn’t scan too well, but it does give you the sense of glittery reflectiveness with all the false colors scattered in among the gold and silver. I was trying not to spend more than 15 minutes or so on each card, though I’m pretty sure I cheated on the red ornament’s intricate gold designs.

Happy Holidays!

Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art
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Custom Character Moleskines

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

Custom Character Portrait Moleskine Cahier Plain Journals by Amy Crook, $29

Custom Character Portrait Moleskine Cahier Plain Journals by Amy Crook

Get your favorite character put on a pocket journal just for you — or give one as a gift certificate for the holidays. Take notes with Spock, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, or whoever tickles your fancy.

These are available in two styles, the soft pencil sketch or stark Sharpie marker relief, as shown above. One character per journal, please.

Cahier Journals sport a heavy-duty kraft brown cardboard cover, with visible thread stitching on the spine. Inside each journal you’ll find acid-free paper pages and a spacious pocket for notes or clippings. Size: 3.5 x 5.5 in. (9 x 14 cm), 64 plain pages each, last 16 sheets detachable.

Custom Moleskines – $29 apiece, with free first class shipping. Priority Mail shipping is available, or I can send you a pdf gift certificate if you’d like to give one as a gift!

Or read on to see examples of all the ones I’ve done so far (all sold, I’m afraid!). (more…)

Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Wedding Invitations

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Wedding Invitations by Amy Crook

Wedding Invitations by Amy Crook

When my Mom decided to get married at short notice, she actually arranged everyone’s attendance by phone — it was a small wedding of just immediate family, so mainly she had to work around everyone’s schedules in time for me to get a reasonably-priced flight out. She asked me to make wedding invitations as sort of a keepsake for everyone, and after a bit of prodding added the descriptors “bright green swirls” to her vague request of “something nice.”

I picked up the cardstock first, simple non-folding cards with a nice embossed “frame” that I’ve faked in here in Photoshop. Names & details have been changed, of course, but this is what I came up with. I first made two sets of swirly, romantic designs in watercolor and scanned them, then I ended up deciding on the lighter green and making them into transparent Photoshop files so I could layer them in InDesign. I printed them by hand at home the same way I make my holiday cards, on my high-quality inkjet printer.

The project (which was my wedding present to them) ended up being a fun combination of fine art, design, and actual production work. She was pleased with the final product, and I kept forgetting to make this “generic-ified” version so I could post them to the site.

If you’re interested in having custom design done for you, you can take a look at my portfolio over at Not Dead Yet Studios or just drop me a line to discuss your project. My December is pretty full, but I’d love to work with you to make something beautiful and functional to fit your needs.

Wedding Invitations, 5.5″x8.5″ hp inks on cardstock, not for sale.

Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
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Whispering Gremlin for Jo VanEvery

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Whispering Gremlin by Amy Crook, commission for Jo VanEvery

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
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Chibi Catherine Caine

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Chibi Catherine Caine by Amy Crook

Chibi Catherine Caine by Amy Crook

The latest of my cartoons is the awesome Catherine Caine! She asked for a chibi, which I haven’t gotten to do many of, and I had a lot of fun drawing her irresistible grin while she gave the world a big giant hug. I find this wonderfully appropriate, since Catherine’s enthusiasm for everyone and everything is unassailable by anything but rain.

She’s an Aussie, so instead of a cartoon North America as is usual around these parts, I got to draw a cartoon Southern Hemisphere, which was an interesting challenge since I’m less familiar with the necessary features of the geography there. One of my deep dark secrets is that I’m terrible with the whole social studies realm — geography, history, the works.

Catherine’s red corduroy trousers were striped with one of my awesome refillable Pilot fountain pens from Japan, which is my new favorite place to get art supplies. I almost forgot her awesome spiky ear plugs, since they were hidden in her hair in the photo I’d chosen for drawing her face, but she reminded me.

I love the bright, primary look of this piece, simplified and full of every bit of cheer that Catherine herself showers us with on a regular basis.

Stay Awesome, Catherine!

Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
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Naomi’s Jack, and her Monster

Friday, October 8th, 2010

Naomi's Monster by Amy Crook

Naomi's Monster by Amy Crook

Back in May I offered three slots to draw people’s Monsters, so I could by Havi’s Monster Coloring Book. It’s taken a while to get both of us connected (she’s a busy one!), but I finally have the third one done, for Naomi Dunford of Ittybiz.

Naomi didn’t have a specific Monster she wanted colored, so she sent me some pictures of Jack and we talked a little, and I did a sketch for her of this friendly little hill monster offering Jack a pink rose (Naomi has a thing for pink roses. Who knew?). It took a while to get it from idea to finished product, but I love the cheerful green and pink result, a non-creepy monster for her to hang on the wall.

Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
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