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
WIP: yellows and greens and oranges, oh, my!
Posted on August 14th, 2013
I’m working on something a big different for me, finding shapes and strange details in a background and doodling them out over several sessions of drawing.
I’m not sure it’s quite all found its way to fit together yet, but I’m intrigued by what’s coming out without the pressure to finish it on such an immediate deadline.
We’ll see how it all comes together on the 1st!
Categories: Works In Progress
The Winds of Change are Blowing
Posted on August 12th, 2013
My wonderful Starship Commodore Tara Swiger is doing an Exploration Party on her blog, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I’m about to embark on a big exploration here at Antemortem Arts.
I’m exploring a less daily way of giving you art.
The blog is going to be the first thing to change, from daily art posts to less frequent and more blog-like posts. I’ll be showing you all the new Etsy swag as usual, but I’m also going to start writing more about my own enthusiasms, and posting more works in progress. I do so much work that centers in one way or another around what I’m reading, watching and fangirling that I want to share some of that excitement with you.
But yes, this means that Tentacle Tuesdays are no more. Sorry, Gonzo.
The current Art Shop is closing on August 31.
The big art shop with ALL the things in it will be closing at the end of this month. If there’s something you’ve been coveting, now is the time to find room in your budget or arrange a payment plan.
There won’t be any more new art for sale posted during the rest of August, though you’ll still get to see the finished pieces others have commissioned. Actually, there won’t be any more individual art sale posts on the blog at all.
Something wicked this way comes…
Well, not really wicked. Or at least any more wicked than usual.
On the 1st of each month, starting in September, I’ll make a big post of the new art from the previous month. You’ll be able to arrange a payment plan for the piece of art you love most, or buy it outright because you’re just that awesome. I’ll also throw a few select older pieces into the mix, at least at first. It might take me a few months to get the rhythm and flow of it right, but that’s what makes it an exploration.
After Amy-bedtime on the 8th, the “show” will close and I’ll go back to making art and doing commissions and client work, and getting things all ready for the next month. When things re-open on the first, it’ll be an entirely new mix of art, whatever I was inspired to make in the month prior.
If you’re already on my email list, you’ll get a preview a few days early, including the chance to call dibs on things before they go up on the blog.
I’m exploring new email stuff, too.
You can read more about it and sign up here, but here’s the basic gist:
- The old Daily Art emails will be renamed and continue to give you the blog posts, they just won’t be the same thing that you’re used to.
- The Art Patron’s list will give you the inside scoop on what’s new, as well as little private tidbits of info no one else gets.
- The Etsy Customer’s list will be just for those people who want to know about new cards, prints and swag coming out in the Etsy shop, plus coupon codes.
Amy’s still not dead yet on Etsy.
You can still buy cards, prints, and other such swag all month long.
I’m going to do some cleaning up here, too, by retiring some of the old designs next month to make room for the new holiday cards and generally freshen up the place. You’ll get to see new stuff, too — I’m exploring some ideas for new kinds of swag, and even a new coloring book.
It’s a whole new world!
And now that I’ve earwormed you, I hope you’ll come along with me on this new adventure, looking forward to future art and fannish squee. I’m always happy to hear what you think about things, either as blog comments or by email.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: info
4 Comments »
Sunday Round-Up & Minion Sketch
Posted on August 11th, 2013
a week full of cartoons and things. but mostly cartoons.
I had a tiring week of getting up early and doing ALL the things. How about you? Monday I posted a soaring bird of prey, and Tuesday Gonzo made a new friend. Wednesday the delightful Tara Swiger talked about her commissioned art. Thursday Lestrade showed up in the Giant Rats book to relieve Sherlock’s boredom, and Saturday John tormented Sherlock by demanding common courtesy in exchange for tea.
Today I have a little sketch I started while I was pretending to be a cat, and then finished after pretending to be a Muppet. This is my newest dorky fannish obsession — Gru’s Minions from Despicable Me 1&2! The minions are the best part of those movies.
Ba-na-na?
Categories: Daily Art, Sunday Round-Up
Tags: despicable me, minion, nfs, pencil
2 Comments »
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