Posts Tagged ‘nfs’
Cuppa Exuberance
Saturday, April 4th, 2015
Cuppa Exuberance by Amy Crook
I love tea, and I love teacups in all their strange and varied glory. There’s a design for everyone out there, and I decided to take my hand at drawing a few.
The first in a series, this cheerful cup of spring is leaping in its exuberance for life. From sky blue to gentle green, the lovely purple of crocuses and the soft yellow bumblebee, this cup celebrates the changing of the seasons.
I hand-painted metallic gold over certain details, including the word “exuberance” on the teabag tag, just like a real china cup might have.
You can bring a sense of celebration into your life every day with this Cuppa Exuberance.
Cuppa Exuberance, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Cuppa Exuberance, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of golden paint on the lovely purple tea tag, and the soft grey ink I used to for the linework on this pastel cuppa. Below, you can see it tucked into a frame, its enthusiasm gently contained.
Cuppa Exuberance, framed at by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cuppa, metallic watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tea, watercolor
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon
Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon by Amy Crook
This painting is inspired by a line in a Teddy Geiger song, “The sun had fallen for the moon.” I brought it into the present tense to go with the sun’s adoring eyes, and the moon’s sweet blush. The sky is quite pale, the very end of sunset on a day without too many clouds, night just starting to lower its curtain and snuff out the glow of day.
The wobbly white brush calligraphy along the dark horizon adds to the sweetness of the scene, making it feel even more like a fairy tale. The sense of magic and romance fits well with the soft colors of the sky, blues and purples, oranges and golds.
Bring this little start of a story into your life, and spend as long as you like figuring out how their tale ends. The sun has fallen for the moon… but what happens next?
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, 6″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the moon’s shining face, her soft features and the most delicate of blue blushes on her round cheeks. Below, the piece is in a temporary frame, but I think would look best with a custom mat to set off the colors.
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: moon, nfs, sold, sunset, watercolor
What You Deserve
Monday, March 30th, 2015
What You Deserve, a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook
A wonderful friend and patron of mine (hi, C!) recently had a birthday, and since she’s already gotten my other Sherlock birthday cards, I drew her a new one! I decided to let John get one up on his friend here, though you’ll have to wonder what he’s found to make Sherlock’s eyes go that big and round.
The original is safe in its new home, but you can get a card for that very special friend of yours at my Etsy shop.
What You Deserve, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Sherlock birthday card v3 by Amy Crook at Etsy
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: birthday, copic marker, etsy, john watson, nfs, parody, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, watson
Cuppa Confidence
Wednesday, March 25th, 2015
Cuppa Confidence, commission by Amy Crook for Jo Van Every
Another commission for the delightful Jo Van Every! This time it was for her website, where we were trying to find a good visual metaphor for one of her services. I suggested the cup of tea, something calming and confidence-boosting, and added in the “confidence” on the tag in Photoshop later.
After a recent client meeting I realized that one of the things I do for people is help them feel more confident before a big thing. This particular client got short-listed for a job. We had a session before her interview. She hung up feeling more confident about what she could bring to that job, how to communicate that in the interview, who else she could go to for support, and how to ask them confidently. It may be a cliche but a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I talked to Amy about how to capture that outcome in an image and we came up with the Cuppa Confidence. Because tea makes everything better.
-Jo Van Every
I was so inspired by this idea that I’ve started a little series of watercolors around this theme, and you’ll see Exuberance in this April’s Floating Gallery very soon.
Cuppa Confidence, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, cartoon, commission, cuppa, jo vanevery, nfs, pen and ink, tea, watercolor
Raptor
Monday, March 23rd, 2015
Raptor, commission by Amy Crook for Jo Van Every
Jo’s commissioned a lot of things from me over the past couple of years, and this was one of the simplest, though it took some thought before setting brush to paper. She’d found this lovely image of a raptor diving out of its nest on a cliff that we both loved, and I wanted that feeling of the leap without burdening the image with too much detail.
This is what Jo has to say about it:
I recently restarted a yoga practice. Doing sun arms seems to summon an image of me as a raptor taking off from a cliff edge. Which is a wonderful feeling of freedom. I decided to commission Amy to paint it so I can have a reminder on the wall above my computer even when both hands are busy doing something else.
-Jo Van Every
Raptor, 7″x5″ brush and ink on paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, bird, brush and ink, commission, jo vanevery, nfs, not that kind of raptor, sold
Coffee, Tea… or Me?
Monday, March 16th, 2015
Coffee, Tea… or Me? fan art by Amy Crook
One of my lovely patrons is a huge fan of my favorite silver fox, DI Greg Lestrade from BBC’s Sherlock. We haven’t seen nearly enough of him of late, so he’s brought us a little something, and is using the classic line, “Coffee, Tea… or Me?” I’d go for him and the tea, personally, how about you?
Since the original was a commission, he’s off to his new home, but I decided to put this flirty card up on Etsy for those of you who want a little extra charm (and caffeine) in your lives.
Coffee, Tea… or Me? 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Flirty Lestrade greeting card by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: all rights reserved, commission, copic marker, etsy, kim, lestrade, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sold
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Glass Fish
Thursday, March 5th, 2015
Glass Fish by Amy Crook
This translucent fishy is swimming in a lovely blue-green bowl, fins fanned out like tattered silk. There’s just a hint of scales along his body, and his big black eyes and grumpy mouth make him adorable as well as elegant.
His body is a rich, bright orange with hints of red and gold, but you can see the water through the transparent paint.
He’s a bit like a painting of a glass sculpture of a fish. Very meta.
Glass Fish, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper.
Glass Fish, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the elegant sweep of his transparent tail. Below, he’s nestled in a frame, swimming happily in the tiny space. Unlike real fish, paintings don’t need big tanks.
Glass Fish, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: goldfish, nfs, orange, sold, watercolor
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