Posts Tagged ‘pen and ink’
C is for Counter
Thursday, July 26th, 2012
C is for Counter, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
Counter space is the space inside of a letter, whether open or closed. No, I didn’t know that before I started this project, either, don’t worry, but once I heard the term I became fascinated with the idea of fitting an old-school moon in the curve of the C for this alphabet.
C is for Counter, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor, pen & ink and glitter gel pen on paper.
C is for Counter, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shining silver stars in the blue sky, and also a better sense of the shading, which my scanner blew out completely in the yellows. Below, the C is hanging out with the Endless (whose names all start with D, ironically) and the G as well. It’s all ready for a Catherine or Carl to take it home, or perhaps a Mr. Cunningham. I think the framed photo actually has the most accurate color, too.
C is for Counter & G is for Gothic, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, blue, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, illumination, moon, pen and ink, silver, stars, watercolor, yellow
Sherlock & John package doodles
Sunday, July 22nd, 2012
Do Not Bend says Dr. Watson!
sketch by Amy Crook
John is determinedly guarding a package of greeting cards being sent all the way to New Zealand above, and below Sherlock’s adding in an unusual two cents indeed and saying thanks to the buyer.
Yes, John made him do it.
Sherlock says Thanks!
sketch by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: doodle, nfs, pen and ink, sharpie marker, sherlock, sketch
Sherlock Quote Cards
Saturday, July 21st, 2012
Sherlock BBC quote cards with art by Amy Crook
I’ve decided to do a new little line of Sherlock cards at my Etsy shop, which I hope you’re thrilled about, heh. I drew four painstakingly crosshatched corner designs, and then put together a card with one of my favorite quotes from the series. I’ve chosen one quote from each episode, making a total of six cards, which you can to buy in threes (by series, of course) or as a set of six.
Starting clockwise from the upper left, I’ve drawn Sherlock’s much-beloved scarf, curled around a pack of cigarettes which bear a skull and crossbones to indicate poison, or maybe pirates. Then there’s his ubiquitous magnifier, the design fudged a bit to make it more resemble an eye in its own right. It’s surrounded by deadly nightshade, a nod to Sherlock’s profession (and my cat, Belladonna). Down in the lower left, there’s also amanita mushrooms, which are quite poisonous indeed. A mysterious iPhone that might be pink were it not in black and white rests with two large, speckled pills and one shiny bullet. The last set, in the lower right, is Sherlock’s beloved skull (well, I say friend…), along with three books of mysterious origin, though I imagine the biggest one is the volume of fairy tales Sherlock found at a certain crime scene.
The quote above is from my favorite episode of Series 2, not perhaps the best objectively but the most fun by far, The Hounds of Baskerville. I love how Gatiss shifted the plurality from the original title (The Hound of the Baskervilles) and gave it a whole new, equally sinister meaning. I’m using the Sherlock page on Wikiquotes to get the phrasing right, so all mistakes in canon are totally theirs, wot.
Sherlock Quote Cards, 7″x5″ pen and ink on paper, original nfs. But feel free to buy the cards at my Etsy shop!
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: cards, crosshatching, etsy, greeting card, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock
B is for Blackletter
Thursday, July 19th, 2012
B is for Blackletter, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I went Gryffindor with my second letter, bold red and rich yellow, though I chose the red glitter pen rather than gold for my second illumination. My B uses a classic blackletter face, heavy and Germanic, with a bit of whimsy thrown into the illumination for it.
Just as with the A, I let the ink bleed into the paint so the shapes of the letter have a lovely orange fade, and though I used a very bright, pure red on the background, I used a dark red-orange inside the B itself to better offset the glitter illumination.
B is for Blackletter, 5″x5″ pen & ink, Japanese watercolor, and glitter gel pen on paper.
B is for Blackletter, detail, by Amy Crook
The shine on the red glitter is much more subtle and harder to photograph, especially since it goes a bit pink when the light hits it, so the colors in the above detail photo are a bit off in general. Alas. Below, you can see it happily tucked into a frame with my phone to show you the relative size. The central box on these is 3 inches square, but the border and signature rest outside.
B is for Blackletter & E is for Emboss, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, illumination, pen and ink, red, watercolor
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Lone Tentacle
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012
Lone Tentacle by Amy Crook
This dark, intense bluish-violet wash was just asking for tentacles, but after I’d scribbled in the first one it seemed like that was really enough. I just really like something about the way the single, lone tentacle reaches upward toward the light, silhouetted against the violet depths.
Lone Tentacle, 6″x6″ pen & ink and Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Lone Tentacle, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shading detail on the tentacle, the textures of paper and paint that give the piece a murky, atmospheric feel. I liked this shot so much, I’m using it as a wallpaper, in fact. Below, you can see it temporarily tucked into a 8″x10″ frame, hanging out with my iPhone for scale.
Lone Tentacle, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Tentacles
Tags: for sale, pen and ink, tentacles, violet, watercolor
Make Good Art
Monday, July 16th, 2012
Make Good Art calligraphic painting by Amy Crook
Although I think many people have said this before (including several of my prior art teachers), it’s come most recently from Neil Gaiman. I also find the advice later on about freelancing to be very good and very true — to paraphrase, you must do good work, be on time, and be pleasant, and people will continue to hire you; actually, two out of three will do, most days. And thank goodness for that, because some days all three is more than anyone can manage.
I made this very pink wash when I was mucking about with my red palette of Japanese watercolors, going from the color that is almost exactly the same as the Orchid crayon in my childhood set, through a bright fuchsia pink and on to a lovely deep burgundy. I used my poor abused fountain pen to scribble in the lettering, then took my water brush and blurred it out, which gives an interesting effect, especially in the capitals. Next came the gold glitter paint in the letters, and I left it overnight to figure out what more it needed.
It needed tentacles, of course!
I finally found the fourth palette from the same set, which is six different shades of almost-black, so I took the rich plum-purple one and made a row of tentacles reaching up to tease at the lettering. Then, to balance it, I added the gold filigree at the top, and it finally felt done.
My mental narrative for it is a bit like, “Glimpse of the golden vines of Olympus? Make good art! Chased by tentacles from the Depths? Make good art!”
So, that’s my message for you this Monday – whatever form it takes, whatever inspires you, today, make good art.
Make Good Art, 8″x4″ Japanese watercolor, pen & ink, and glitter gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper on paper.
Make Good Art, detail 1, by Amy Crook
This is one of those pieces that’s very different depending on the lighting; the gold almost vanishes when it’s in low light, but it stands out beautifully when the sun hits it, and the thicker paint on the tentacles also has a bit of a gloss here and there. Below, you can see the effect just on the word “Art.”
And for those of you that’ve read this far, have a wallpaper of the above image, with my gloved fingers sneakily Photoshopped out.
Make Good Art, detail 2, by Amy Crook
I put it in a temporary frame so you can see the scale. Given the odd size, you may want to have it custom framed, or put it on a piece of mat board in a larger frame the way I’ve got it shown below.
Make Good Art, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: calligraphy, for sale, glitter gel pen, gold, neil gaiman, pen and ink, pink, red, watercolor
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Onward, Minion!
Sunday, July 15th, 2012
Onward, Minion! sketch by Amy Crook
Fans of ICHC might recognize the octopus in this sketch, though I decided he’d be more amusing atop his minion’s head than a mere hand. His human servant is, of course, thrilled by this.
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
Tags: coloring book, doodle, nfs, pen and ink, pencil, sketch
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