Edges
Posted on September 2nd, 2013
Edges, abstract art by Amy Crook
Something bright and cheerful for your Monday, whether you’re working or have a day off like many Americans. I’m putting a selection of the new pieces on the blog this week, but there’s even more art at the Floating Gallery and it’s only available until next Sunday!
I had a piece of 10″x8″ watercolor paper that I made a background on in bright yellow, green and darker green, using a spray bottle to make the fascinating layered shapes with their fractal borders like fjords. I used pen & ink on this piece a bit haphazardly at first, and what I ended up with was a work of art that just wasn’t working with itself. So, I girded my loins and got out my tear bar and tore it in half, then took a bit off each piece to end up with two 5″x7″ works of art, and a couple of bookmarks. All of the pieces then got some more work, and Edges is one of the results, the right half of the original.
Edges, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.
Edges, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the little critter I doodled in one corner where the edges seemed to suggest him. He’s smaller than a dime, and says pbth on your size issues. Below, speaking of size issues, you can see the piece in a frame with my iPhone, so you can appreciate the size it ended up.
Edges, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, green, monster, pen and ink, watercolor
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The Art Shop closes tonight!
Posted on August 31st, 2013
If you were thinking of getting anything in my big Art Shop, tonight’s your last chance! I’m taking all those works off the market tonight, and moving in the Floating Gallery* tomorrow.
The Etsy Shop is sticking around
I’ll still sell my greeting cards at Etsy all month long, and I’m already hard at work on new things for the holidays. I’m just changing the way I sell original art on the site.
The Floating Gallery is an experiment
So if you’ve got questions, comments or just want to chat about art, tentacles, or kittens, email me. I’m totally open to your thoughts! Especially about tentacles.
And just to say it again, in case you don’t read subject lines…
The Old Art Shop closes TONIGHT! IS CLOSED!
*If it’s after the 8th of the month, the Floating Gallery is closed until the 1st of next month.
Categories: Words Words Words
Scotty Gets Minions
Posted on August 30th, 2013
Scotty Gets Minions, mashup fan art by Amy Crook
It’s another Minion mashup! This time Keenser gets to enjoy not being the shortest guy in Engineering now that he’s found these useful little yellow guys to assist. Scotty isn’t so sure about this.
Scotty is probably right.
You can share his sentiment on a card from my Etsy shop, of course.
Scotty Gets Minions, blank greeting card by Amy Crook at Etsy
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: copic marker, despicable me, keenser, minion, minions, pen and ink, scotty, star trek into darkness
Mischievous Minions
Posted on August 28th, 2013
Warning: This blog post will contain spoilers for Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2.
If I had to choose a single word for my feelings about the Minions from Despicable Me it would be delighted. They’re not particularly good, or particularly competent, but something about them just makes me smile.
In fact, the best phrase I came up with to describe them was, “innocently evil.” They’re so gleeful when they’re trying to one-up each other, but they love ice cream and bananas and silly costumes. They’ll punch and poke and push one another just to amuse themselves, but they also don’t seem to much mind when they meet with misfortune. They just grin and go along with it, though blowing one another up will be met with glares and possibly a punch in the arm from the soot-stained, injured party.
They’re so wonderfully juvenile, too. They giggle over “Ramsbottom.” They’re totally unsympathetic with one another. They slap-fight and swipe things from each other and ask for goodnight kisses. They’re like a little yellow refinement of childhood, with all the boundless enthusiasm and none of the screaming tantrums. And just like kids*, Gru remembers each and every one of their totally mundane names, while to everyone else they pretty much all look alike.
Even Gru’s occasionally mystified by them, like the scene where they’re working on antigravity serum and Gru looks up and there’s a bunch of them happily stuck to the ceiling, waving down at him. I love how Nefario’s all, “Oops, I meant to close that,” when the one floats off, and yet, no one does anything about rescuing him, though he shows up several times later. But the one that gets shrunk has his BFF that holds onto him the whole time and is very happy when he’s full size again. And there’s the one who gets his head in a jar in the 2nd movie, and wears the jar the whole rest of the movie.
Not to mention the fact that they react to kidnapping by building a bar and serving drinks on their little desert island.
They also speak their own language! And how cute is it when they sing familiar songs in Minion-ese. There’s not much of that in the first one, but there’s more in the sequel starting with the Banana song preview. Boyband mockery! YMCA! And of course the giant off-hours ice cream party complete with a drinking song. Everything is just funnier in Minion-ese.
In conclusion, Minions are awesome and fun to draw. Also, despicable.
*okay, maybe that’s just me and other people’s kids
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: despicable me, meta, minion
The Floating Gallery has a name!
Posted on August 26th, 2013
The Floating Gallery at Antemortem Arts arrives on the first of each month!
I got tired of not knowing what to call the little mini gallery shows I plan to have from the 1st-8th of each month, so I named it the Floating Gallery. The name is a reference to floating markets both real and imaginary, and so I obviously had to have a drawing to go with the name. I was inspired by drawings of dirigibles, pirate ships and of course Ronza*, and so I have an airship full of art coming in for a landing this Sunday.
I sent out my very first Patron’s List preview just now, with 6 new paintings (well, one’s a drawing, but you get the idea), 2 comics, and 6 new bookmarks. We’ll see what’s left when the Floating Gallery officially opens on the first! If you want your own peek behind the velvet curtains, you can join my Art Patron’s List here and get in early next month.
*I do realize only about three of you know who that is, just roll with it.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: dirigible, floating gallery, nfs, self portrait, sharpie marker, watercolor
Mycroft’s Minions
Posted on August 22nd, 2013
Mycroft’s Minions, parody art by Amy Crook
It’s more Minions! Am I the only one who sees these wee pill-shaped dudes and thinks of that old Naprosyn slogan, “Little. Yellow. Different.”?
After pondering the idea of crossing Despicable Me over with some of my favorite fandoms, I couldn’t resist the idea of Mycroft having actual Minions with his own little M logo on their overalls and everything. And then, when trying to figure out a scenario that would be fun to draw, I couldn’t help but imagine Mycroft in my favorite scene from the first movie, down on one knee smooching the Minions goodnight one by one.
This is another one of those ideas that had to be a card, but isn’t really for any occasion specifically, just to put a smile on someone’s face. Unless you know someone who’s actually got Minions, in which case it’s kind of a sympathy card.
Banana?
Mycroft’s Minons, blank greeting card by Amy Crook at Etsy
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: copic marker, despicable me, etsy, minion, mycroft holmes, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock, sherlock bbc, sold
The TARDIS has Minions
Posted on August 17th, 2013
“I hate it when the TARDIS gets minions.”
Doctor Who parody art by Amy Crook
I’ve been all about Despicable Me the past few weeks, as anyone who knows me in real life can attest, so I’m letting the Minions invade my art as well! I just really wanted to draw David Tennant’s crazy hair and particular posture as he surveyed the Minions infecting his poor TARDIS, so I gave the tenth Doctor a handful of Minions to deal with.
I’ve got a couple more of these planned, too, and some of the originals might be available in my first monthly shop opening. And I really need to think of a better name for that little 8-day window of new art. Mini-Shows? Pop-Up Gallery? It’s a work in progress.
I’m keeping up with my plan to post one new card to my Etsy shop a week, and while I’m not sure what occasion this is for, I can guarantee it’ll put a smile on the face of the right recipient.
The TARDIS has Minions, blank greeting card by Amy Crook at Etsy
Categories: Card Design, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: copic marker, despicable me, doctor who, etsy, minion, pen and ink
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