Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

He Means He Forgot

Posted on June 15th, 2013

He Means He Forgot, a Sherlock fan cartoon by Amy Crook

He Means He Forgot,
a Sherlock fan cartoon by Amy Crook

I’m slowly continuing to flesh out my actual purpose-made greeting cards, and this time it’s John who’s got belated birthday wishes for you. He’s already embarrassed to be bringing the card so late, and then of course Sherlock has to pipe up with his own two cents.

He Means He Forgot, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper, nfs (sold). Get them on a card instead!

He Means He Forgot, detail, by Amy Crook

He Means He Forgot, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of John’s blushing face. Below, you can see the art hanging out in a frame, reflecting on life in the surface of my phone.

He Means He Forgot, framed art by Amy Crook

He Means He Forgot, framed art by Amy Crook

 

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Drunk Lizard

Posted on June 14th, 2013

Drunk Lizard by Amy Crook

Drunk Lizard by Amy Crook

I drew this guy while I was watching Lilo & Stitch, and drinking a nice refreshing gin & ginger ale, so he’s got a looseness to him that I rather enjoy. Both his body and his background are done with pen & ink washed over with a water brush, and then more ink added back in afterward. I really like how multiple passes of pen and brush created layers of color and texture in his otherwise simple drawing.

Drunk Lizard, 5″x7″ pen & ink and water brush on paper.

Drunk Lizard, detail, by Amy Crook

Drunk Lizard, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the little spiral toesies, which I actually added in the next day, and the various textured layers of spirals that surround and fill the little lizard. Below, he’s in a frame, hanging out with an orange five-tentacled octopus, because that’s what drunk lizards do.

Drunk Lizard, framed art by Amy Crook

Drunk Lizard, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
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Dark Matter

Posted on June 13th, 2013

Dark Matter by Amy Crook

Dark Matter by Amy Crook, $199

I started working on this piece intending to experiment with it as a background for something else, and then on a whim I added a sprinkling of pink Himalayan salt to the damp page. The end result is a creepy, beautiful scene that made me think of a green world floating in dark space, with dark matter engulfing it. The salt sparkles subtly in the sun, and in fact I have a detail photo of all the subtle texture as my computer wallpaper right now.

Dark Matter, 5″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper, $199 with free shipping.

Dark Matter, detail, by Amy Crook

Dark Matter, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the textures of salt and paper and paint together, the dark colors and tiny glimmers of salt. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, matted on black to help emphasize the wabi-sabi textures of the hand-torn paper edge.

Dark Matter, framed art by Amy Crook

Dark Matter, framed art by Amy Crook

  • Title: Dark Matter
  • 5 in. x 5 in. Japanese watercolor and salt on Arches cover white 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

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
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Happy Jelly

Posted on June 11th, 2013

Happy Jelly by Amy Crook

Happy Jelly by Amy Crook

I know I’ve painted jellyfish before, but I decided my Wall of Squid needed some variety in its betentacled cuteness. This guy is actually a bit more pale in real life than he looks here, soft subtle pale blue-greens that make him look delightfully translucent. He’s not any specific species of jelly, just a cute one, but I did steal the idea of his heart-shaped markings on top from the lovely moon jellyfish.

Happy Jelly, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Happy Jelly, detail, by Amy Crook

Happy Jelly, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a slightly better version of the pale coloring, and of course his cute little heart markings and big shiny head. Below, the happy jelly is dancing in his frame with my iPhone and favorite jellyfish plushie.

Happy Jelly, framed art by Amy Crook

Happy Jelly, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
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Crowned Skull

Posted on June 10th, 2013

Crowned Skull by Amy Crook

Crowned Skull by Amy Crook

After drawing yesterday’s bookmark, I decided to draw a big version of the same image. I actually have a Halloween model skull on my bookshelf, wearing the paper crown out of a Christmas cracker, so he’s been the inspiration and model. His name is Sherrinford, because of reasons.

Personally, I think he would appeal to fans of Game of Thrones, given how everyone dies while George RR Martin drinks your tears.

Crowned Skull, 5″x7″ pencil, pen & ink and water brush on paper.

Crowned Skull, detail, by Amy Crook

Crowned Skull, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the way the black ink separates into greys, blues and browns when I use the water brush to create shading. Below, you can see him in a frame, looking regal and tragic with my iPhone for moral support. Well, and size reference.

Crowned Skull, framed art by Amy Crook

Crowned Skull, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Skull Bookmark 3

Posted on June 9th, 2013

Skull Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook

Skull Bookmark 3
by Amy Crook

There was originally a skull bookmark in this set, and it wasn’t this one! That one got claimed by someone on my list, and someone else asked me to try to recreate it, so I did two more and she picked her favorite. So here is number three, pen and ink and water brush scribbled and smeared on comic backing board. I ended up also doing a full-sized crowned skull as a result of all this thinking about it, which you’ll get to see this coming week.

Skull Bookmark 3, 2″x6.5″ pen & ink and water brush on paper.

Skull Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Skull Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the skull itself up close. This ink tends to bleed out just a bit of blue and brown when it’s wet, so there’s a subtle undertone of color to the pieces that I really enjoy. Below, it’s sitting with my trusty book, and you can see it’s one of the largest of this set.

Skull Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook

Skull Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook
(book not included, book never included in anything)

Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Harvest Bookmark

Posted on June 8th, 2013

Harvest Bookmark by Amy Crook

Harvest Bookmark by Amy Crook

Today’s bookmark started life as a color study for last Friday’s art, Harvest, which in the long run I decided not to color at all. I finished this off with a bit of extra inking anyway, and added it to the pile of bookmarks. I like the warm glow of the big moon and the subtle browns on the figure and background, especially with the bit of added texture on the ground.

Harvest Bookmark, 2″x3″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Harvest Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Harvest Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the texture in the paper, and the crosshatching on the burlap hood. One of the reasons I decided not to color the original piece was to keep the ambiguity as to whether it was a scarecrow or a person being lit by the big harvest moon. Below, the squat little bookmark is resting on the book, looking small and mysterious.

Harvest Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook

Harvest Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
(book not included, do not harvest the book)

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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