watercolor « Antemortem Arts | Fine Art & Custom Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘watercolor’

Angler Fish 1

Friday, May 24th, 2013

Angler Fish 1 by Amy Crook, $250

After I painted this bloody red background, deliberately deep and dark, I thought that a glowing blue Angler fish would be the perfect thing to go on top of it. I love the contrast between the abstract, color-field-like painting in the background, all matte and dark Japanese watercolors that sank into the textured black paper, and the drawing-like simplicity of the fish on top. She’s got deceptive amounts of detail, from the subtle shading on her creepy blank eye to the deliberate comic “shine” marks around her phosphorescent lure. The paint itself is a little bit shiny, with some duochrome Aquamarine mixed in with the white and turquoise to create a shiny paint that sits on top of the background rather than blending in.

Also, she’s magnificently creepy. Win!

Angler Fish 1, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper, $250 with free shipping.

Angler Fish 1, work in progress, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the murky background painting along with the little pre-sketch I did to fix the design in my head. I didn’t want to pencil directly onto the paint, so I just doodled it on a bit of scratch paper instead. Below, you can see a close-up of the angler’s lure and her shiny paint looking very bright against the matte depths behind her.

Angler Fish 1, detail, by Amy Crook

And finally, you can see the fish in her frame! I keep saying her because, of course, male angler fish are wee, pathetic little things doomed to die in the service of their species. I feel comfortable putting these links off my site here, because none of you ever read this far down, anyway.

Angler Fish 1, framed art by Amy Crook

Title: Angler Fish 1
7 in. x 5 in. watercolor, Japanese watercolor, and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper
$250 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
Frame is not included, but can be added for $50 (shipping included)
Shipping is free anywhere in the world
Payment plans are available, just email me
The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out

Tags: angler fish, black paper, fish, for sale, iridescent, japanese watercolor, watercolor
Posted in Daily Art, Sea Creatures, Series and Books, Shop - Sea Creatures and Other Animals | No Comments »

Monster Naptime

Monday, May 20th, 2013

Monster Naptime by Amy Crook, $250

After last week’s pair of Monster paintings, I decided to do a follow-up to start the week off right. This is, after all, the best perspective from which to deal with the adorable little pests. Once they’ve had a nap, I’m sure they won’t be quite so grumpy.

The clever among you will notice that it’s the artist holding the monsters. The persnickety will notice my part is on the wrong side, which is artistic license. And yes, I do have a nose in real life.

Monster Naptime, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper, $250 with free shipping.

Monster Naptime, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the cranky cuties up close and full of meh. Below, I’ve put myself and my monsters behind glass, and Cthulhu himself came by to hang out. He’s got this sleeping thing down pat, after all.

Monster Naptime, framed art by Amy Crook

Title: Monster Naptime
7 in. x 5 in. pen & ink and watercolor on paper
$250 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
Frame is not included, but can be added for $50 (shipping included)
Shipping is free anywhere in the world
Payment plans are available, just email me
The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out

Tags: for sale, monster, pen and ink, self portrait, watercolor
Posted in Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Shop - Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Shop - People, Figures and Faces, Shop - Whimsical and Strange, Whimsical and Strange | No Comments »

Birdwatching

Saturday, May 18th, 2013

Birdwatching by Amy Crook, $199

I’ve been working on this in amongst the Monster paintings, starting with a rather banal watercolor layer and adding in bold scribbles, shimmery iridescent highlights and even some pencil shading. I’ve grown fond of the odd perspective, of peering at the herons through the grasses, and catching a glimpse of both halves of this couple.

Birdwatching, 6″x4″ mixed media on paper, $199 with free shipping.

Birdwatching, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a bit of the golden wash at the very edge of the sky, and a sheen off several bits of iridescent paint in several colors, from the soft gold along the beak to the blue in the feathers and silvery clouds. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, making it seem more than ever like a peek into some hidden natural wonder.

Birdwatching, framed art by Amy Crook

Title: Birdwatching
6 in. x 4 in. watercolor, iridescent Japanese watercolor, pen & ink, and pencil on Fluid watercolor paper
$199 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
Frame is not included, but can be added for $50 (shipping included)
Shipping is free anywhere in the world
Payment plans are available, just email me
The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out

Tags: bird, expressionism, for sale, heron, iridescent, pen and ink, pencil, watercolor
Posted in Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Shop - Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Shop - Sea Creatures and Other Animals | No Comments »

No No No Monsters

Friday, May 17th, 2013

No No No Monsters by Amy Crook, $250

After sharing Wednesday’s Miasma of Monsters with my friends at the Starship, we all agreed that this trio was a big one for anyone running an ittybiz. First the raggedy, staticky fluffball of “No Energy,” then the red-eyed “No Time and their green friend with his unexpected sharp bits, “No Money.” Definitely a trio that demands attention!

I’m feeling a bit less poorly, myself, but still moving quite slowly when it comes to getting art done and ready to go, so you can expect updates to be a bit erratic until I’m all better. I’m just grateful for Tylenol.

No No No Monsters, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper, $250 with free shipping.

No No No Monsters, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the red glaring clock of the time monster, telling you to stop or go faster, or possibly both. Below you can see them in a frame, looking just as silly as ever.

No No No Monsters, framed art by Amy Crook

Title: No No No Monsters
7 in. x 5 in. pen & ink and watercolor on paper
$250 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
Frame is not included, but can be added for $50 (shipping included)
Shipping is free anywhere in the world
Payment plans are available, just email me
The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out

Tags: for sale, monster, pen and ink, watercolor
Posted in Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Shop - Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Shop - Whimsical and Strange, Whimsical and Strange | No Comments »

Miasma of Monsters

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

Miasma of Monsters by Amy Crook, $250

I swear, whenever I get sicky or ouchie my mood goes down with my physical wellness and I just feel uncreative and awful. Like my immune system is somehow responsible for keeping these critters at bay as well as the microscopic sort. I called this a miasma because that’s what their little cloud of doubt and blah reminded me of, a miasma that fills the mental air and makes it hard to see anything else.

My favorite is the guy in back, who is staring and not saying anything. You know what you did, his magenta evil eye says it all for him, though I’m fond of them all for one reason or another. The guy on the right looks like he’s about to erupt into a temper tantrum worthy of a 3-year-old, where the one on the left is very sternly lecturing you. He uses big words, I bet.

Painting them, I must admit, did help lift the miasma a bit. They’re just so cute!

Miasma of Monsters, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper, $250 with free shipping.

Miasma of Monsters, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see my favorite monster staring at you. Always staring. Disapprovingly staring. Below, he’s still staring out of the frame, so you can see what these guys look like trapped behind glass.

Miasma of Monsters, framed art by Amy Crook

Title: Miasma of Monsters
7 in. x 5 in. pen & ink and watercolor on paper
$250 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
Frame is not included, but can be added for $50 (shipping included)
Shipping is free anywhere in the world
Payment plans are available, just email me
The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out

Heron

Monday, May 6th, 2013

Heron watercolor by Amy Crook

I painted the background for this heron a while back, and then decided to put the bird in by the request of a patron. And by patron I mean my mom, who has already bought and paid for it. Hi, Mom!

Heron, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Heron, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can just see the tiny bit of iridescent paint hiding in the heron’s details, mainly along the crest feather and the darkest bits of the body feathers. Below, you can see it in a frame, proving once again that electronics hate to reproduce certain shades of blue.

Heron, framed art by Amy Crook

Tags: iridescent, nfs, sold, watercolor
Posted in Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange | 1 Comment »

Eihort

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

Eihort watercolor by Amy Crook, $199

Before painting this, I was mostly familiar with Eihort as a Great Old One from the board game Arkham Horror. Afterwards, I looked this horrific monster up and found that yep, it’s pretty awful. Eihort is from one of the later Mythos writers, Ramsey Campbell, and is basically a giant gelatinous mass with eyes that implants people with its brood, which will later hatch and kill them during the end times. Cheerful! But appropriate to the piece of art, I think, especially the part about eyes forming and unforming constantly in its shapeless body.

Eihort, 5″x5″ iridescent watercolor on paper, $199 with free shipping.

Eihort, detail 1, by Amy Crook

The two different paints used are both snazzy special effects paints that change color depending on the angle to the light, and together make the whole painting even more eerily otherwordly.

Eihort, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the green and orange mixing together in strange ways in Eihort’s gelatinous form. Below, it’s lurking in a frame, just waiting to offer you its hellish bargain of freedom for larvae.

Eihort, framed art by Amy Crook

Title: Eihort
5 in. x 5 in. duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper
$199 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
Frame is not included, but can be added for $50 (shipping included)
Shipping is free anywhere in the world
Payment plans are available, just email me
The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out