Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 3

Posted on August 14th, 2012

Tentacle Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 3
by Amy Crook

I’m afraid this lovely green tentacle is already sold! If you were on my monthly newsletter list, you, too would have gotten a chance to call dibs on this week’s bookmarks.

I started with this bright yellow wash that fades from perfectly opaque to nothing at all thanks to my nifty water brushes, and then added in apple-green Sharpie marker designs for the tentacle. Remarkably cheerful for an ancient horror!

Tentacle Bookmark 3, 1″x5″ Sharpie marker and watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Tentacle Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can really see how the cool yellow interacts with the warm cream of the paper, and the intense green of the marker. Below, it’s looking quite bright next to the deep dark blue of my book.

Tentacle Deeps 3, with book, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Bubbling Bookmark

Posted on August 13th, 2012

Bubbling Bookmark by Amy Crook

Bubbling Bookmark
by Amy Crook

It’s Bookmark Week all over again! There are only two bookmarks left from the previous offerings, and one of this week’s is already spoken for — the artist is not responsible for dawdlers missing out on the one they liked and having to buy a larger, normally-priced original instead to assuage their disappointment. I’m totally okay with that, come to think of it.

There’s only one of each of these tiny originals, though obviously I sometimes do them in series within the series. Very meta.

Today’s bookmark is not part of a series, but reminds me of water boiling in a dark blue-black cast-iron cauldron. Snape would no doubt approve.

Bubbling Bookmark, 1″x5″ watercolor on paper.

Bubbling Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Bubbling Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Above is a close-up of the bubbles in all their glory, while below you can see the bookmark hanging out with a book and my iPhone for extra easy-to-parse size comparisons.

Bubbling Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook

Bubbling Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
(book and iPhone not included)

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
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Parseltongue

Posted on August 11th, 2012

Parseltongue, Harry Potter fan art by Amy Crook

Parseltongue, Harry Potter fan art by Amy Crook

Wee Harry’s made a friend! Since he’s a Parselmouth and speaks Parseltongue, the language of snakes, he had no problem convincing this one that he’s not lunch.

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Seven for a Secret

Posted on August 10th, 2012

Seven for a Secret, watercolor landscape by Amy Crook

Seven for a Secret, watercolor landscape by Amy Crook

One for sorrow, two for joy,
Three for a girl and four for a boy,
Five for silver, six for gold,
And seven for a secret never to be told.

Seven for a Secret, 8″x4″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Seven for a Secret, detail, by Amy Crook

Seven for a Secret, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, the seven crows flying in the gloaming. Below, I slipped them into a temporary frame for scale, where they got to hang out in my desk with my iPhone for a bit.

Seven for a Secret, framed art by Amy Crook

Seven for a Secret, framed art by Amy Crook

  • Title: Seven for a Secret
  • 8 in. x 4 in. Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
  • sold

Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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E is for Emboss

Posted on August 9th, 2012

E is for Emboss, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook

E is for Emboss, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook

I did so much measuring and line-drawing for my E I decided to leave in the pencil lines as a sort of underpainting, a decorative structure underlying the letter. Though it’s hard to see in the scan, the whole square is embossed, with gold coloring the embossed edges as well as providing the decoration on an otherwise plain capital. The two greens remind me of marble or malachite, but the gold filigree design really elevates the whole thing to the realm of beauty.

E is for Emboss, 5″x5″ pencil, pen & ink, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on paper.

E is for Emboss, detail, by Amy Crook

E is for Emboss, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the raised edges and shining gold both on the edge itself and in the filigree decoration. Below, I’ve put the piece in a frame with B is for Blackletter. It spells BE! Yes, I’m a dork. You knew that.

B is for Blackletter & E is for Emboss, framed art by Amy Crook

B is for Blackletter & E is for Emboss, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Wordless Weds: Mars Curiosity

Posted on August 8th, 2012

Texture Experiment 1 by Amy CrookDirigible by Amy Crook

Red Planet 2, detail, by Amy CrookFiligree Planet 3, detail, by Amy CrookPositive Space by Amy Crook

Meteoric by Amy CrookWhite Hot by Amy Crook

Mountains of Madness by Amy CrookGate by Amy Crook

Tentacle Reach by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of
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2 Comments »


Tentacle Deeps 41

Posted on August 7th, 2012

Tentacle Deeps 41 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 41 by Amy Crook

These shimmering tentacles are subtle in dim light but glitter brightly in the sun, waving in their periwinkle pond. They’d add the perfect touch of Cthulhu to any girl’s desk or living room.

Tentacle Deeps 41, 5″x7″ Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.

Tentacle Deeps 41, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 41, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the tentacles shining in the sunlight, bright in the the depths of their watery habitat. Below, you can see them in their frame, turned away from the direct light.

Tentacle Deeps 41, framed art by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 41, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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