Posts Tagged ‘pen and ink’
Horace
Monday, July 8th, 2013
Horace, an illustration from The Courtship of Julian St. Albans,
by Amy Crook
So, this is Horace! He’s a character from The Courtship of Julian St. Albans, which is a novel I wrote. I decided that one high-stress, low-paying creative career was enough, so rather than go through the normal channels of submission-rejection-etc, I just self-published it using Amazon’s CreateSpace platform. It’s available on Kindle or as a real, physical book, and you can even “borrow” the Kindle file if you’ve got Amazon Prime.
Even better, it’s available for free on Kindle today and tomorrow (July 8 & 9) as a special promotional thing! I’m also going to give away a copy of the physical book tomorrow, so if you covet a signed copy, that’s one way to get it.
The Courtship of Julian St. Albans is something of a hybrid book, a murder mystery in an urban fantasy setting, with a gay romance all wrapped up in the central plot.
Alex Benedict is the main character, and the mage who created Horace. Alex makes his living consulting on magical murders with the Agency, and he’s called in to consult on the murder of Julian St. Albans’ husband-to-be. Alex ends up a part of Julian’s formal Courtship, treading a deadly dance of manners, murder and magic. Horace is a magical artefact, rather than a clockwork machine. He’s hollow in the middle; he carries letters back and forth between the suitor and courted. He might just be my favorite character in the book, and was definitely the most fun to draw!
Horace, 4″x6″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Horace, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of Horace’s details, both the filigree making up his body, and the runes that help him function magically. Below, you can see the bird with the book, and my phone makes three.
Horace and The Courtship of Julian St. Albans,
both by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: consulting magic, copic marker, courtship, filigree, for sale, i made this, julian st albans, pen and ink
3 Comments »
Sunday Round-Up & Plant sketch
Sunday, June 30th, 2013
a whole week full of the artses
A whole week with no skipped days, whee! Monday a stingray swam into the sunlight for us, and Tuesday we dove deeper to look at Cthulhu’s house-anemone. Wednesday I showed off a preview of some of my many works in progress. Thursday there was a visit from Captain Jack Harkness, and Friday another fairytale sky made its appearance. Saturday three obedient service dogs showed off their harnesses for a client.
And now it’s Sunday, and I have another houseplant for you! This one in a proper pot, though its leaves are mysteriously see-through, showing a grey shadow of the pot wherever they cross paths.
another tentacley houseplant
Categories: Daily Art, Sunday Round-Up
Tags: nfs, pen and ink, pencil, sketch
3 Service Dogs
Saturday, June 29th, 2013
3 Service Dogs by Amy Crook for Action Leashes
commission – all rights reserved
After I put these guys on my illustration commissions page, I totally forgot about posting them properly, oops! This trio of doggies were for a coloring book about service animals, and you can see they’re sporting a variety of service harnesses as examples. I have to admit, I found it harder to realistically draw dogs than I do to draw stick-figure humans, but once I got my eyes used to the idea, they came out quite clearly.
3 Service Dogs, 3 5″x7″ pen & ink drawings on paper, nfs (commission). All rights to this art are reserved for the client – no stealing the doggies!
Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art
Tags: all rights reserved, commission, pen and ink
Captain Jack Harkness
Thursday, June 27th, 2013
Captain Jack Harkness cartoon by Amy Crook
I’ve been meaning to do a Captain Jack Harkness card for ages, and this is not that! This is basically the doodled-up character design I did for him, which I decided to ink and color. I was reminded that this specific paper, which is wonderful for inkjet printing, doesn’t take the markers nearly so well, alas. Still, he looks quite handsome in his not-quite-right coat, heh.
Captain Jack Harkness, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper, nfs (sold).
Captain Jack Harkness, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see his crooked little smirk and spiky hair up close and personal. I’m amused at how much practice I already have drawing a greatcoat with a turned-up collar, though this one’s double-breasted, so the detailing is more complicated, but I don’t have to ink that wretched fabric texture, so I’m happy. Below, you can see him all framed up and ready to visit his new home.
Captain Jack Harkness, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: captain jack harkness, copic marker, doctor who, nfs, pen and ink, sold
Kobold Curry Chef
Friday, June 21st, 2013
Kobold Curry Chef for Jefferson, by Amy Crook
commission, all rights reserved
This is one of those comic commissions that was just ridiculously fun to draw. He’s based on one of those in-jokey sort of anecdotes that are only really funny if you were there, but since I was there, I find him amusing. From the half-seen diagram of a chicken catapult to the blind albino cave chicken stiff with fear for his future as ammo, curry, or both, it all amuses me.
For those who wonder about such things, since he’s for personal, non-commercial use, I charged Jefferson the Be a Cartoon price, plus an extra fee for all the many extra props and details. Though not too much more, since I didn’t have to draw pants.
Kobold Curry Chef, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper, nfs (commission).
Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, cartoon, commission, copic marker, jefferson, nfs, pen and ink
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Mirrors
Thursday, June 20th, 2013
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Mirrors, by Amy Crook
I’ve had a note to start this series on my whiteboard for ages, but I finally sat down and worked on this first installment. A Series of Uncanny Fears will visually explore those things that we, as adults, know we shouldn’t be afraid of. It’s an echo of being a kid, feeling a shiver despite our grown-up logic.
Mirrors have been thoroughly demystified by science and yet hold a certain creepy fascination, especially in the dark. Fiction explores mirror worlds, mirror traps, things lurking behind mirrors or traveling through them, impressions left on them or even messages written.
In my bathroom I have a blue canary in the outlet by the light switch to watch over me (no, really!), but I still sometimes turn the lights on properly at 3am when it’s dark and creepy, because of reasons. Mirror reasons.
How about you, what’s your uncanny fear?
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Mirrors, 5″x7″ pen & ink on paper.
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Mirrors, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see that I did go out of my way to make the mirror extra creepy with a skull motif as well as the built-in candleholders. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, with my quill pen and ink bottle for ambiance.
A Series of Uncanny Fears: Mirrors, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: a series of uncanny fears, crosshatching, edward gorey, gorey, nfs, pen and ink, sold, uncanny fears
4 Comments »
He Means He Forgot
Saturday, June 15th, 2013
He Means He Forgot,
a Sherlock fan cartoon by Amy Crook
I’m slowly continuing to flesh out my actual purpose-made greeting cards, and this time it’s John who’s got belated birthday wishes for you. He’s already embarrassed to be bringing the card so late, and then of course Sherlock has to pipe up with his own two cents.
He Means He Forgot, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper, nfs (sold). Get them on a card instead!
He Means He Forgot, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of John’s blushing face. Below, you can see the art hanging out in a frame, reflecting on life in the surface of my phone.
He Means He Forgot, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: copic marker, etsy, john watson, nfs, parody, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sherlock holmes, sold, watson
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