Posts Tagged ‘for sale’

7 Skulls

Monday, March 18th, 2013

7 Skulls by Amy Crook

7 Skulls by Amy Crook

Whimsical cartoon skulls are rolling around on a background full of spirals, with a lovely blue-black painted border that emphasizes the natural torn edges of the paper. Each cartoonish skull has its own character, just like the real ones we all have hiding under our skin.

7 Skulls, 9″x7″ watercolor on paper.

7 Skulls, detail, by Amy Crook

7 Skulls, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a detail of the skulls and the thick, textured paper they’re painted on. Below, I’ve put them temporarily in an 8×10 frame, so you can get a feel for the actual size of the painting.

7 Skulls, framed art by Amy Crook

7 Skulls, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: , , , ,
1 Comment »


Shoulder Devil

Friday, March 15th, 2013

Shoulder Devil cartoon by Amy Crook

Shoulder Devil cartoon by Amy Crook, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper 

Back when I did the Whispering Gremlin for Jo VanEvery, someone contacted me wanting to use it on their website. I couldn’t give them permission, of course, since it was commissioned for use in Jo’s work, but we discussed doing a shoulder devil for the person instead. I did a little sketch of the idea, wanting to draw a young, androgynous sort of figure, but the commission never materialized. I found the sketch in my stuff the other day and finished it up, so here it is for your enjoyment.

Shoulder Devil, detail, by Amy Crook

Shoulder Devil, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the way I used a thicker line on the “real” person, and a thinner pen to ink the wicked little devil whispering its discouraging, misguided words into the person’s ear. Below, you can see it in a frame, the devil reflected in my iPhone.

Shoulder Devil, framed art by Amy Crook

Shoulder Devil, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces
Tags: , , ,


Red 3

Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

Red 3, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Red 3, 7″x5″ abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

This piece is all about courting chaos. I made some artistic choices at the start, and then once it got to a certain point, I stood back and let the process take over, making it a weird collaboration between artist and entropy. There’s an amazing wealth of detail and nuance in the way the paint, paper, and water interacted as they dried. I considered doing something more with it, like tentacles or tiny fandom, but I didn’t want to cover up all that lovely nuance.

Red 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Red 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the upper lefthand corner in detail, the way the different colors flowed and pooled and settled as the paint dried in one of the wettest parts of the painting. Below, the painting is hanging out with my iPhone, making it look cool.

Red 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Red 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: , , ,


Instagram Food

Friday, March 8th, 2013

Instagram Food by Amy Crook, $79

Instagram Food by Amy Crook, $79

After I made my little Instagram Valentine, I wanted to make another card that had that same soft, abstract feeling and expressed a bit of what I love about the service. This time, though, I went for a more “missing you” approach, so instead of a person we get one of the other most-Instagrammed things — food! I painted it in warm yellows, oranges and browns with just a touch of green, to give the feeling of a filtered picture, and put it in a distressed photo “frame” as well.

Instagram Food, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Japanese Watercolor on paper, $79 with free shipping for the original.

The card says, “I like seeing your food on Instagram, but I’d rather see your face in person,” with the words framing the art.

Instagram Food greeting card by Amy Crook

Instagram Food greeting card by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , ,
1 Comment »


Baker Street Crest

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Baker Street Crest by Amy Crook

Baker Street Crest by Amy Crook

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the alphabet, I’ve done another B! I took the design for H is for Heraldry, with all its Sherlock-centric themes, and turned it into a B for 221B Baker Street. There’s actually a lot of John Watson in this crest, almost more so than Sherlock Holmes, with the generosity, loyalty, and martial readiness. Sherlock is in there, too, though, both of them rampant and ready to defend their little kingdom.

I decided not to bling up the gold in this one, sticking to a nice bright, warm yellow to represent the Or field on the shield. This also makes them easier to reproduce, so I’ve got note cards for sale on Etsy with the crest, so you can send your next piece of snail mail in style.

Baker Street Crest, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper.

Baker Street Crest, detail, by Amy Crook

Baker Street Crest, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the detail on the cheerful hedgehog and rather snooty otter. Below, I’ve put it in a frame and you can see how the original stacks up next to my iPhone.

Baker Street Crest, framed art by Amy Crook

Baker Street Crest, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , , , , ,


Sad and Sorry Squid

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

Sad and Sorry Squid cartoon by Amy Crook

Sad and Sorry Squid cartoon by Amy Crook

This little blue fellow is very, very sorry for whatever you did to make him angry. Won’t you forgive him? He’s just blue all over from regretting what he said.

I designed him to go with my other squid cards at Etsy, and I think he’d make a very effective apology.

Sad and Sorry Squid, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Squid Apology Card at Etsy by Amy Crook

Squid Apology Card at Etsy by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: , , , , ,
1 Comment »


Ghost Moon

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Ghost Moon by Amy Crook

Ghost Moon by Amy Crook

I can’t honestly remember now which came first, the Ghost Spirals Bookmark or the trees in this piece. I definitely painted them on the same day, but then I came back to this later and added in the moon, and then in a third pass I added iridescent blue stars with the purple meteor, a shine of subtle iridescent green to the treetops, and silver on the moon.

I’m sometimes torn about using so much iridescent and metallic paint. On the one hand, it feels a bit gimmicky (and can’t be made into prints effectively), but on the other hand I think the pieces are more beautiful with the shimmer and shine. And since the real point of my art is to put more beautiful things into the world, I’ve decided to go with what feels right.

Ghost Moon, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Ghost Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Ghost Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a bit of the green shimmer on the trees, the silver shine of the moon, and the blue and purple stars, shooting and otherwise. Below, I’ve got the piece in a frame, so you can see how it sizes up to my iPhone.

Ghost Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Ghost Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment »


« Or Head Back That Way Drip divider More Art This Way »