Posts Tagged ‘nfs’

Death of a Comet

Wednesday, January 8th, 2014

Death of a Comet, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Death of a Comet, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

This painting feels a little like a Rorschach blot to me — I look and see ephemera, fleeting beauty, something that will melt or shift or fade away. Frost on a dark window. Clouds lit up against a midnight sky. Or the comet ISON that it’s named for, breaking up in the blackness of space after flying, Icarus-like, too close to the sun.

What do you see?

Death of a Comet, 7″x5″ iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Death of a Comet, detail, by Amy Crook

Death of a Comet, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the way the iridescent paint seems to float above the black paper. This paper is made by setting off a chemical process in the paper pulp rather than dying, so the color will stay a rich, soft black for years. Below, you can see it contrast with the shining paint in sunlight, blossoming in the simple frame.

Death of a Comet, framed art by Amy Crook

Death of a Comet, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Hobbits Love Cherries

Friday, January 3rd, 2014

Hobbits Love Cherries, parody art by Amy Crook

“You’re as sweet as a bowl full of cherries!”
The Hobbit parody art by Amy Crook

Bilbo Baggins has a flower-petal bowl full of summer goodness — cherries are perfectly appropriate to Middle Earth New Zealand this time of year! He thinks you’re just as sweet as those luscious little fruits, and I’m inclined to agree.

He’s not for sale, though, so if you want to share his sentiment with someone you love, you’ll have to get him on a card in my Etsy shop.

Hobbits Love Cherries, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Hobbit Valentine by Amy Crook on Etsy

Hobbit Valentine by Amy Crook on Etsy

Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Tea is Love

Thursday, January 2nd, 2014

Tea is Love, Sherlock parody art by Amy Crook

Tea is Love, Sherlock parody art by Amy Crook

There’s just something special about that person who makes you tea when they make their own without being asked. Despite the contentious onscreen friendship, I’ve always thought there must be quiet moments at 221b Baker Street where John and Sherlock get along.

You can get this sweet image as one of this year’s Valentines in my Etsy shop, and give it to someone else you adore to show you appreciate the little things they do for you. Or to suggest they make you tea* more often. One of those.

Tea is Love, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Sherlock Valentine by Amy Crook at Etsy

Sherlock Valentine by Amy Crook
(hedgehog not included)

*I’d love a cup of Earl Grey, thanks.

Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Holly the Organized Elf

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

Holly the Organized Elf,  a comic commission for Beverly Army Williams by Amy Crook

Holly the Organized Elf, a comic commission
for Beverly Army Williams by Amy Crook

When Beverly approached me to draw her an Organized Elf, at first I had a totally different image in mind. But she sent me some great answers and with a little bit of googling, we got our mental images to match. Holly is the mascot for Beverly’s excellent year-long Organized Elf Project, helping to keep you as organized as she is from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. Peace, not perfectionism!

Holly was really fun for me to draw, because I had carte blanche to put whatever oddities seemed to fit in her holiday kit. So, I decided on one of those fabric-lined craft project baskets, on which we put a lovely silver monogrammed plate, and then stuffed it with knitting, wintery fabric, sewing accessories, and even an emergency snowflake template. Because every elf has snowflake emergencies, right?

Beverly sent me the sweetest testimonial, which she’s letting me share with you:

“If we had worked together in person, in the same room, it would have looked something like this:

Me (waving hands in air): I see an elf. An elegant, swank elf. She’s organized. And pretty.

Amy: Here are ten questions to help you get more specific. I want to create your vision.

Me (studiously answers questions): Like this?

Amy: wonderful! (sketches) Does she look like your Organized Elf?

Me: You are amazing. She’s even better than I imagined. (hugs Amy. Kisses sketch.)

The reality is that we worked via email. Still, the process was that easy—I made some big sweeping statements about the ideas I had, Amy asked specific, thought-provoking questions, and from my answers, she sketched, inked, and colored a beautiful illustration that really is beyond what I imagined.

Amy’s professionalism is unparalleled; she meets (well ahead of time) the deadlines she set, and she is straightforward about what to expect. I can’t wait for another reason to work with her!”

If you’d like an illustration of your very own, email me to get started!

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces
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Five for Silver

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013

Five for Silver, watercolor by Amy Crook

Five for Silver, watercolor by Amy Crook

Tuesday seems like a good day for some crows flying through the gloaming. The moon has risen early, gibbous and pale above the evergreens. Soft clouds curl and five black birds fade ghostlike into the shimmering twilight sky.

This is a mix of very different paints that all fall under “watercolor,” with the trees done in pine-scented Christmas paint, the sky textured layers of shimmering Iridescent Moonstone, the moon made of opaque Japanese watercolor, and the birds a translucent black.

Five for Silver, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Five for Silver, detail, by Amy Crook

Five for Silver, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some of the delicate shimmer on the sky, and the painterly brush strokes in the trees and birds. Below, I have it temporarily matted into a frame so you can get a feel for the unusual size.

 

Five for Silver, framed art by Amy Crook

Five for Silver, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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He Knows if You’ve Been Bad or Good

Friday, November 15th, 2013

He Knows if You've Been Bad or Good, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook

He Knows if You’ve Been Bad or Good,
a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook

I’m still hard at writing with NaNoWriMo, but yesterday’s card demanded a companion.

Mycroft Holmes is Santa Claus. It makes perfect sense, in a creepy sort of way, he’s already got Minions to do the work and everything. I’m especially partial to the candy cane striped tie, an everyday acknowledgement of his very special secret role. Even more powerful than being the British Government, sort of!

He Knows if You’ve Been Bad or Good, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. Buy this as a holiday card at my Etsy shop!

two Sherlock holiday cards and a spooky pen made of bone

two Sherlock holiday cards and a spooky pen made of bone

Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Secret Santa

Thursday, November 14th, 2013

Secret Santa, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook

Secret Santa, a Sherlock parody comic by Amy Crook

Despite NaNoWriMo taking over my brain, the holiday cards continue to trickle out of my pens! This one ended up inspiring tomorrow’s comic, in the way that these things do.

It’s Christmas morning at 221B Baker Street, and John’s a bit mystified by the extra gifts that have appeared under the tree overnight from “Santa.” Sherlock is merely disgusted that Mycroft can’t seem to keep his fingers out of Sherlock’s life for one single holiday.

Secret Santa, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. Buy this as a holiday card at my Etsy shop!

two Sherlock holiday cards and a spooky pen made of bone

two Sherlock holiday cards and a spooky pen made of bone

Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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