Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

Midnight Blue Sky

Posted on March 2nd, 2020

a watercolor painting on a metallic photo print of a blue moon, blue-black sky with copper stars, and a flying crow, by Amy Crook

Midnight Blue Sky, 5″x5″ inkjet and watercolor on metallic photo paper

Thanks to weird color results and other misprint issues, these prints won’t be making it into my Etsy shop. Instead, I gave away the best ones and used the remaining three for experimentation!

This one uses metallic blue and copper watercolor to change the sky to a swirling vortex, to turn the stars into an eerie presence, and make the crow’s eye shine balefully out at the viewer.

For anyone who likes corvids and shiny things, this is a great little remix of one of my best recent works.

Midnight Blue Sky, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the copper shine of this crow’s altered eye. Below, it’s framed and waiting for the right home to fly to.

Midnight Blue Sky, framed art by Amy Crook

Midnight Blue Sky, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Ash Ghost zine

Posted on February 10th, 2020

Happy Patreoniversary!

I’ve been on Patreon for 5 years now, amazing! I’ve managed to grow a lovely little community there of supporters and friends, and I’d like to invite you to join with a special offer*.

Ash Ghost zine by Amy Crook

Ash Ghost zine

I’m going to make a limited run of these little zines for my patrons! They’re made by hand, printed right here in my living room as always and lovingly assembled and stapled just for you. The unsettling short story inside uses my Ash Ghost art series as both inspiration and illustration, including a new one created just for the cover.

Every one of these will be signed and numbered, and the edition will be exclusive to my Patreon supporters. You don’t even have to buy one — everyone who is at the $10+ level in February will get one in the mail for free!

I’m also including these lovely bookmarks, which will be available on Etsy afterward (unlike the zine).

Ash Ghost bookmark set by Amy Crook

If you’re not a patron by then, you’ll have missed your window and the zine, but there’s still a bunch of great perks even at the lowest level. Become a supporter today!

Ash Ghost zine, a/p copy, by Amy Crook

*Offer ended on Feb. 29, 2020.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Words Words Words, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Patreon sketches for December 2019 requests

Posted on January 30th, 2020

I’ve decided to stick with my new standard size for Patreon sketches from now on, so everyone gets a standard ACEO (artist card, edition original) aka trading card size piece of art when they make a request. Patrons also get to see exclusive photos, including cat pics, works in progress, and other such shenanigans. Plus, they get the warm feeling of contentment that they support the arts every month!

I’ve also been doing some figure sketch practice, so expect to see more actual people at some point! I’m pretty happy with how the sketches are coming out, even if I haven’t done a ton of them yet.

My commissions queue is full, so I’m working hard on clearing the decks so I can open them up again, as well as finally editing my newest book (it’s so close to done omg), and finishing up some other long-overdue projects. I don’t think it’s possible to feel caught up anymore, but I have hopes that someday I’ll have space to breathe and take on new work!

In the meantime, the January requests post is still open, if you want to join us on Patreon!

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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State of the Cats: 2020

Posted on January 20th, 2020

2019 was a weird cat year for me, with losing Belladonna and gaining Formaldehyde. Pod, I think, would agree — as soon he was off B’s weight gain dry food, he slimmed down and has become practically svelte again, but the blood tests show he’s healthy, just getting a much better diet for his age and circumstances.

Pod turned 11 in September and is officially an Elder Kitty now, and Mallow will be 3 in April, putting her firmly in the young adult category. She’s not a kitten or even a teen anymore, but it’s still a lot more energy than I’m used to. Pod, too, has suddenly had to deal with another cat who wants to play and make friends instead of sleep and seethe.

And now for the part you’ve been waiting for: cat pics!

I can never move again. Formaldehyde has colonized me.

smackypaws!

is this really necessary?

don’t you wuv me?

she’s behind me, isn’t she?

Categories: Words Words Words
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Artist’s Choice: Best of 2019

Posted on January 1st, 2020

Artist's Choice - Best of 2019 by Amy Crook

2020 is here!

It’s been 2019 all year, hasn’t it? But I still made a lot of art, including five Floating Galleries with 9 paintings apiece. Here’s my favorite dozen from the past year!

May 2020 bring us all clarity, compassion, comfort, and joy.

Read the rest of this entry »

Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Words Words Words
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Inktober 2019, part 3

Posted on November 12th, 2019

October continued to be Peak 2019, and the Floating Gallery happened before this, the final round-up of my successful Inktober. Thanks for all your patience and support!

an ink wash painting of a cracked gravestone with an ashy handprint blowing away in the wind by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 23: Ancient, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper

an ink drawing of a dizzyingly detailed spiderweb by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 24: Dizzy, 2.5″x3.5″ pen & ink on ACEO

an ink drawing of an imaginary sausage menu by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 25: Tasty, 2.5″x3.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip, nfs

an ink drawing of a black cat yawning by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 26: Dark (aka “the yawning void”), 2.5″x3.5″ pen & ink on ACEO

an ink drawing of Eevee in a lab coat and goggles by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 27: Coat, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip, nfs

an ink wash painting of a capybara being ridden by a toad by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 28: Ride, 3.5″x2.5″ brush & ink on ACEO, nfs

an ink wash painting of a nude Winter Soldier sitting on a stool, back to the audience, by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 29: Injured, 2.5″x3.5″ ink wash on ACEO

an ink wash painting of a tiny iron man falling into tentacles by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 30: Catch, 2.5″x3.5″ pen & ink and ink wash on ACEO

an ink drawing of a banana, two kiwis, and a peach by Amy Crook

Inktober 2019 day 31: Ripe, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip

Abbreviation decoder ring!

  • wip = work in progress, ie, I’m probably going to color some or all of the drawing before it’s really done
  • nfs = not for sale, ie, it’s a Patreon sketch and already belongs to someone else
  • ACEO = Artist Card, Edition Original, also known as ATC or Artist Trading Card when traded rather than sold, which is a standard size I use for all my Patreon sketches these days

Want to get your own sketches, dibs on art, or just feel the warm glow of being part of my community of supporters? Head over to Patreon and pick a tier to get started! There’s also bonus cat photos sometimes, if that helps.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Growth 13

Posted on November 8th, 2019

an abstract watercolor in oranges and golds by Amy Crook

Growth 13, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

A bright and cheerful change of pace brings us the almost-too-saturated colors of this newest Growth painting.

It owes a lot of its aesthetic to another series, Concentric, but the final image still follows the reaching-out visual language of its quieter predecessors. There’s a sense of light, of motion through space that only a few of its fellow pieces reflect.

The warmth suggests combustion, sparks from a fire, from a meteorite falling and burning on its way to earth. And yet, there’s something solid about the droplets raining down and radiating away from it, so perhaps it will leave an impression after all.

Growth 13, detail, by Amy Crook

Growth 13, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shine and texture of the golden beads of paint floating atop the orange glow. Below, this bright painting is framed in black to set off its gorgeous colors.

Growth 13, framed art by Amy Crook

Growth 13, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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