Posts Tagged ‘pen and ink’

Cartoon: Jo VanEvery

Saturday, October 20th, 2012

Jo VanEvery cartoon by Amy Crook

Jo VanEvery cartoon by Amy Crook

After the delightful Jo VanEvery got several cartoons from me to use in her work, she’s finally let me cartoon her! We chose a favorite sweater of hers, and the cheerful galoshes she wishes she had, and then added in one of the pigs she raises on their farm and the new lantern logo I created for her site. Or a reasonable facsimile, at least.

I think the galoshes are my favorite part.

If you’d like to be a cartoon, too, check out my page and let me know what item you’ve always wanted. It seems I end up drawing a lot of wished-for (and favourite) shoes!

Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces
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M is for Majuscule and Miniscule

Thursday, October 18th, 2012

M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook

M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook

I like to think of the little m as snuggling up to the big M, miniscule trustingly at the feet of the majuscule. The background on this one seems simple, but the crosshatching like that is always quite time-consuming, especially with a glitter gel pen.

M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold). If you’d like an M of your own, you can find out how to commission one here.

M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, detail, by Amy Crook

M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the green pen shining against the soft periwinkle blue background, with the rich purple and green of the two Ms surrounded by glitter. Below, a shot of the background in progress, to see the way the texture really changed the whole look of the piece.

M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, work in progress by Amy Crook

M is for Majuscule & Miniscule, work in progress by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Santa Hats Are Cool

Saturday, October 13th, 2012

Santa Hats Are Cool, Doctor Who parody art by Amy Crook

Santa Hats Are Cool, Doctor Who parody art by Amy Crook

The eleventh Doctor is very proud of his new headgear. Let’s hope this one survives more than five minutes before getting destroyed.

Santa Hats Are Cool, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper, nfs (sold).

You can still get him on a holiday card at my Etsy shop.

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Skellington Jack Face

Sunday, October 7th, 2012

Skellington Jack face sketch by Amy Crook

Skellington Jack face sketch by Amy Crook

Jack Skellington is dubious about your proposal.

Have a great Sunday!

Categories: Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Tea or Death

Saturday, October 6th, 2012

Tea or Death, a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook

Tea or Death, a Sherlock comic by Amy Crook

John is most displeased to have woken up to find all the tea in the house sacrificed to one of Sherlock’s mad experiments. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake that Sherlock errs on the side of caution and comes home with a nice big box!

Tea or Death, 9″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper, nfs (sold)

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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A Murder of Crows 2

Friday, October 5th, 2012

A Murder of Crows 2 by Amy Crook

A Murder of Crows 2 by Amy Crook

This piece is visually and thematically related to A Murder of Crows, but this time instead of swirling around calligraphy these pen-and-ink crows are coming to rest on some power lines. They were inspired by the convocation of crows that’s often outside my window, including the loud fellow who woke me up this morning by scolding my cat, who just chittered excitedly right back.

I had a tiny frame I got from who knows where that I wanted to make something just to fit, and this murder of seven crows seemed like the perfect flock for the small space.

A Murder of Crows 2, 3.5″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.

A Murder of Crows 2, detail, by Amy Crook

A Murder of Crows 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, there’s a little detail of one of the crows, who was scribbled in with a fountain pen and then smoothed out with a paintbrush and water to give him a soft, almost glowing quality. Below, you can see the piece in the frame that inspired it, nearly as small as my iPhone.

A Murder of Crows 2, framed art by Amy Crook

A Murder of Crows 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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K is for Greek Key

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

K is for Greek Key, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook

K is for Greek Key, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook

It’s a bit cheating to use the Greek Key pattern for K, but it was the option that appealed to me the most. It’s hard to do kerning with only one letter, after all!

I ended up designing my own Greek Key in Illustrator, printing it, and using my lightbox to copy it in blue glitter gel pen onto the K. All the tools of the modern age are getting put to use as I explore the historic art of calligraphic illumination.

K is for Greek Key, 5″x5″ pen & ink, Japanese watercolor, and glitter gel pen on paper.

K is for Greek Key, detail, by Amy Crook

K is for Greek Key, detail, by Amy Crook

Between the color and the glitter, I had a really hard time photographing this piece. The Key pattern blends into the soft blue background to the camera, but of course your eye immediately catches the light. Below, you can see it in a frame, spelling out the word I said when I realized I didn’t have a framed photo for it.

K is for Greek Key, framed art by Amy Crook

K is for Greek Key, framed art by Amy Crook
(with A is for Arabesque and C is for Counter)

Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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