Posts Tagged ‘pen and ink’
Knitty Monster
Sunday, July 1st, 2012
Knitty Monster sketch by Amy Crook
Most of the time when I sell a Coloring Book I just have to guess what the recipient might like, but this time I knew it was going to be a birthday gift for a friend. So, I drew her a cheerful sort of monster, happily knitting from its own shaggy coat.
May you spend your Sunday doing whatever makes you happiest!
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: coloring book, doodle, nfs, pen and ink, sketch
Fairy Godmother Cartoon
Saturday, June 30th, 2012
Fairy Godmother commission by Amy Crook
I’ve been working with Jo Van Every to create some illustrations she can use in her lectures and with her clients, and this generous lady is one of them. She wanted a fairy godmother to help people doing grant proposals and other academic career thinking to really sit down and wish for whatever they could possibly want, to help un-limit their thinking. We made sure the bag was separate so she can use it for exercises by itself, too, and she’s even got a version that’s just black and white for people to use as a coloring book page.
Cool, huh?
This is what Jo had to say about her illustration:
“I help social science and humanities academics with grant proposals, individually and in workshops. Unlike scientists, humanities profs often have difficulty figuring out what they need the money for. Their frugality muscles are pretty well developed and they sometimes get stuck in a loop where they can’t imagine even asking for more money because they aren’t sure they can justify that. For a recent workshop I asked Amy if she could do a Fairy Godmother that I could use in an exercise to get them thinking about money. Fairy Godmothers don’t ask you to write proposals and justify your budget. They just grant you money, though sometimes they have rules about using it by midnight or whatever. I put different sums of money on cards in a bag and got each small group to pick a number out of the bag and then brainstorm all the research they could do if the Fairy Godmother granted them that amount. Now I use it with individual clients, too. I encourage them to try different numbers on that loot bag and dream.
“The magic thing about a Fairy Godmother is that once you’ve played with just being granted this amount of money, it’s easier to work on the piece where you make a case for how important this work is and justify spending that much money.”
If you’d like something nifty of your own, consider my Be a Cartoon service. As you can see, you don’t even have to use it to become a cartoon yourself if you don’t want to!
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces
Tags: all rights reserved, commission, copic marker, fairy, jo vanevery, nfs, pen and ink
Pomegranate
Thursday, June 28th, 2012
Pomegranate watercolor by Amy Crook
This would be one of the pieces full of little tiny spirals (as were both this week’s prior art posts, really) that caused me to Instagram my poor ace-bandaged wrist instead of posting art on Saturday. Well, this combined with a work project that involved a lot of sustained precision trackpad work, anyway. Two things that really don’t go together, apparently!
Speaking of things that caused me trouble, it’s very hard to find a good quote about pomegranates not from the Bible. I was very pleased to finally find this quote from a translation of Homer, though I swear pomegranates figured in more stuff in English class.
I originally painted this as another mostly-circular wash, but when the shape and color started to become decidedly pomegranate-like, I embraced it. The spirals are like the seeds, to me, the mystery hiding inside the lovely fruit. The quote came last, and as you can see below, the word “glows” was done with two shades of red and a nice little smear to create a halo.
Pomegranate, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Pomegranate, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, the glow, both in the inner line work of a brighter red, and the soft pink smear around it created by running an eraser over the still-wet ink. Below, you can see a close-up of the spirals and the way the burgundy ink interacts with the various shades of watercolor beneath it.
Pomegranate, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally here what it looks like in a frame, just waiting to bring a bit of glowing mystery to your home, or the corner of your office. The frame isn’t included, but I’m happy to add it in for a small additional fee.
Pomegranate, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: calligraphy, for sale, pen and ink, pomegranate, spirals, watercolor
Tentacle Reach
Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
Tentacle Reach by Amy Crook
One of the colors I have in my flower-shaped Japanese watercolor palette is a vivid, almost fluorescent orange that makes a surprisingly subtle wash. I started doing another Tentacle Deeps with the red pen on the orange wash, but i liked the reaching-out gesture of the first crosshatched tentacle so much I decided to do something a little different.
I grabbed my Apricot fountain pen and brought another tentacle down from above, the two of them not quite touching as they try to cross the distance. The result echoes a lot of iconic images without actually copying any of them.
Also, there’s spirals.
Tentacle Reach, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Tentacle Reach, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the crosshatched tentacles and the aching space between them. The red pen has a fatter nib, and its ink tended to bleed more where the paint wash was denser, which gives the orange tentacle a more ethereal feel by comparison. Below, you can see them tucked in a frame, hanging out with my jellyfish phone for scale.
Tentacle Reach, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Tentacles
Tags: crosshatching, for sale, orange, pen and ink, tentacles, watercolor
Jellyfish Deeps 2
Thursday, June 7th, 2012
Jellyfish Deeps 2 by Amy Crook
Jellyfish, jellyfish everywhere! Well, okay, just here and on my phone, but still. Somehow getting Jellyfish Deeps put onto my phone as a custom Gelaskin inspired me to make a sequel. I rescued another paper from the pile of awful, added another layer of watercolor and salt, and then let that dry into something far more pleasing. Once that was done, it was time for the white gel pen and jellyfish.
I like drawing these jellyfish, too, they’re like happy little aliens floating serenely amidst the currents and formations in the deep of ocean or maybe outer space. Also, tentacles.
Jellyfish Deeps 2, 5″x7″ pen & ink, salt, gel pen and watercolor on paper.
Jellyfish Deeps 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see that the salt on this piece is just a scattering of texture and sparkle rather than solid formations like some of the pieces. Below, the piece is cuddled up in my desk with my phone for size reference.
Jellyfish Deeps 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: crosshatching, for sale, gel pen, jellyfish, pen and ink, salt, tentacles, watercolor
Conjoined or just Annoyed?
Sunday, June 3rd, 2012
Conjoined Twins sketch by Amy Crook
I’m not sure if this is really twins or just some really strange dress-up, but either way the one on the right is really not thrilled about it all.
Hope your Sunday’s awesome!
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces
Tags: coloring book, doodle, pen and ink, sketch
Octopus Loves Boba
Saturday, June 2nd, 2012
Octopus Loves Boba cartoon by Amy Crook
This cheerful octopus shares with me a deep love for boba tea, also known as bubble tea or pearl milk tea. I would totally drink this every day if I could afford the habit, but much like some people’s expensive coffee habits, I’ve kept myself weaned down to once or twice a week for the most part. It makes a good reward for getting out of the house and doing my errands instead of staying inside like the hermit I am, heh.
I have a houseguest coming next week (eek! peoples!), so I foresee a lot of boba in my future. And possibly another Sharpie week, heh.
Octopus Loves Boba, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper.
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: cartoon, copic marker, for sale, mmmmmboba, octopus, pen and ink, tentacles
« Or Head Back That Way
More Art This Way »
