Posts Tagged ‘copic marker’

Weeble Wednesday: Mycroft Holmes & DI Lestrade

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Mycroft Holmes and DI Lestrade cartoons by Amy Crook

Mycroft Holmes and DI Lestrade by Amy Crook

I’ve been trying to give my weebles a little more life, so I took on the challenge of drawing Mycroft Holmes leaning smugly with his umbrella, and the put-upon Detective Inspector Lestrade, both from the 2009 BBC Sherlock.

I also made judicious use of photographic references, which I think really captures the features of these actors – it’s excellent practice for making clients into cartoons and vice versa. A year of working to put other people’s faces into cartoon form has really improved my grasp on what features add the most character.

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Cartoon Sherlock & John 2

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Cartoon Sherlock & John 2 by Amy Crook

Cartoon Sherlock & John 2 by Amy Crook

I couldn’t resist drawing up full-body color version of my Sherlock & John cartoons, though I’ve rather exaggerated their height difference here. Somehow it just seemed appropriate to make Sherlock a million miles tall and rail-thin compared to the more solid John Watson.

They’re supposed to start filming the new series next month, with new episodes coming out in the fall, and I’m absurdly excited. I’ve been slowly working my way through the original Holmes novels and short stories (in order, of course!), and I always enjoy spotting something from the show in the books, since the writers are both huge Sir Arthur Conan Doyle geeks. It makes me feel a little better about my own fannish obsessions.

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Weeble Wednesday: Bride of the Mummy

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Bride of the Mummy by Amy Crook

Bride of the Mummy by Amy Crook

This poor lady was stuck as inks for many weeks, waiting for me to get a refill on my colorless blender so I could properly fade the wear and tear on her bandages. I had fun making her as a counterpart to the Mummy, especially since I gave them opposite eyes freed of bandages.

She’s one of the bonus brides from my Monster Heart Coloring Book, of course, and I have just one illustration left to color before those are all done.

Bride of the Mummy, 5″x7″ pen and ink and Copic markers on watercolor paper. $89 with free shipping.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Weeble Wednesday: Brides of Dracula

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Brides of Dracula by Amy Crook

Brides of Dracula by Amy Crook

Now that I’ve got my super-pale-skin marker refilled, I’ve finally started coloring the bonus brides from my Monster Heart Coloring Book. These toothy gals are inspired by the many movie depictions of the three brides that I’ve seen, and some judicious image googling to figure out what styles would have been appropriate for the era, for 50 or 100 years before. I liked the idea that they might still dress in the fashion of their own times, and that each one had been born in a different era.

Brides of Dracula, 7″x5″ pen and ink and Copic markers on watercolor paper. $89, with free shipping.

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Weeble Wednesday: Kristine Beeson

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Kristine Beeson Cartoon by Amy Crook

Kristine Beeson Cartoon by Amy Crook

Kristine Beeson, also known as kadyellebee on Etsy, is a wonderful knitter of shawls and other lovely things. When our paths crossed and she expressed a wistful interest in being made into a Cartoon, I took the opportunity to offer her barter — a shawl for a cartoon! She helped me choose the perfect yarn (a warm, lightweight blackberry-colored cotton), and got right to work so I’d have my shawl while winter was still upon us. I was a bit slower, but I’ve finally finished up her cartoon (alas, I was waiting on marker refills).

She sent me some great photos of herself and her cheeky grin, not to mention her favorite outfit, and despite a bit of a struggle to get my scanner to accept the idea of hot pink, this is a pretty good representation of her and her gorgeous pink-striped hair. She asked for her ubiquitous iPhone, but I couldn’t resist slipping some pink knitting needles into the image, as well.

The pattern she knitted for me is called wren, and you can see her very own wren shawl on her cartoon above, in a soft mossy green that goes great with her eyes. Mine’s a dark purple that’s not quite black, but looks great where it lives on my blue chair, waiting for me to get cold while I’m working. It’s just light enough for me to forget I’m wearing it, but it keeps the cold off my aching shoulders.

Wren Shawl by Kristine Beeson

Wren Shawl by Kristine Beeson

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces
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Weeble Wednesday: Michael Beckwith

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Michael Beckwith cartoon by Amy Crook

Michael Beckwith cartoon by Amy Crook

I’m back to cartooning! I’ve finally gotten the marker refills I was waiting on, and so the first of the new weebles is my code monkey. Michael Beckwith does a lot of the programming for my client sites (and this one, too!), learning all the ins and outs of WordPress development so I don’t have to.

When he asked to be a cartoon, I couldn’t resist adding a few extras — he wanted the piratical wooden leg and crutch for his props, so I also gave him the little pirate hat, and added the monkey on his t-shirt. He doesn’t actually have a wooden leg that I know of, but he’s definitely on the Pirate side of the war against the Ninjas, so that’s good enough for me.

Click here to find out how you can be a cartoon, too.

“Becoming a cartoon was surprisingly painless. A few questions, a picture,
and some patience, and soon enough I was a whole new man. Or, well, cartoon.”

-Michael Beckwith

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
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Naomi’s Ninjas

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Naomi's Ninjas by Amy Crook

Naomi's Ninjas by Amy Crook

Naomi Dunford of Ittybiz has ninjas. That’s right, she’s cooler than all of us, and you don’t even know why yet. A while back, I drew up these little weeble ninjas for the exclusive* use of her Ninjas, who have helped me out several times without having to call in Naomi herself.

Today’s Naomi’s birthday! Well, March 8, who knows when you’re reading this.

As a little gift from the internet, we’re all supposed to be posting about how awesome Naomi is, and how she’s helped us along our path to Ittybiz awesomeness.

I’m in a slightly different position than most of the people she’s helped — my day job was already working at home, already freelance. What happened to me was that the recession hurt my biggest client, and that hurt my ability to pay the rent, and then I discovered Naomi and learned a whole lot about marketing in a short period of time. I’d been spoiled by my early success (I went freelance in 1998 and have had steady work from my biggest client the whole time), and having to suddenly market in order to get work was an unpleasant wakeup.

Naomi made that suck a lot less.

She encouraged me to find in-person ways to network. She answered questions, did SpeakEasy lessons on the things that baffled me, and even helped me plan the art sale that paid for me to attend my Mom’s wedding last year. She’s got a no-bullshit attitude about getting off your ass and getting things done, and without her, I’m not sure I’d have stopped making excuses and started up the site you’re reading this on right now.

Happy Birthday, Naomi. Thank you.

*That means they’re not available under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution, all rights are reserved for the Ninjas.

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of
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