Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

Squiggle Bookmark

Posted on May 13th, 2012

Squiggle Bookmark by Amy Crook

Squiggle Bookmark by Amy Crook

And here we have the perfect bookmark for sketch Sunday, or, ridiculous squiggles like I used to draw on all my notes back in school (you know, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth). I used one of those incredibly silly gel pens with the ink that changes color, and you can see the variations in the color from a bright blue at the top through midnight and ending up a distinct violet shade.

I’m pretty sure I did this whole thing over the course of two conference calls, but yes, it took just as long as you think it did. While I find this sort of pattern makes for a good “fake embroidery” on collars and cuffs in drawings, I don’t think I’ll ever use it for anything quite this big again. Too much squiggling!

Squiggle Bookmark, 1.5″x8″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Squiggle Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Squiggle Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the teeny tiny pattern up close and personal. Below, the bookmark is nestled with a book to show you that no, it’s not small, I’m just slightly mad, as is appropriate for an artist.

Squiggle Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook

Squiggle Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
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Doctor Who Bookmark 1

Posted on May 12th, 2012

Doctor Who Bookmark 1 by Amy Crook

Doctor Who
Bookmark 1
by Amy Crook

I’ve optimistically numbered this 1, assuming I’ll get the urge to do more Doctor Who bookmarks in the future. The Eleventh Doctor is contemplating his lot with his TARDIS parked a bit precariously on a hill, and not liking his options at the moment. But don’t worry, he’ll figure some way out.

He’s the Doctor. It’s what he does.

Doctor Who Bookmark 1, 1.5″x7″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Doctor Who Bookmark 1, detail, by Amy Crook

Doctor Who Bookmark 1, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, a close-up of our pouting Doctor. Below, he’s hanging out with my Free Comic Book Day book from last Saturday’s outing, an excellent reminder that I love sequential art and ought to do more of it.

Doctor Who Bookmark 1, with book, by Amy Crook

Doctor Who Bookmark 1, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Salt Bookmark 4

Posted on May 11th, 2012

Salt Bookmark 4 by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 4
by Amy Crook

The second smallest bookmark for your Friday viewing, this one’s a little shorter but wide enough to win the by a nose on total surface area. (What? You knew I was a nerd.)

This one echoes the flaked-off salt textures in Blue Planet 4, but in miniature, with the smallest pools keeping all of their paint and only the larger four pulling away to show the iridescent green beneath. I gave this one a meticulous background of blue lines radiating outward without ever quite intersecting thanks to the stopping points I snuck in at the start.

Salt Bookmark 4, 1″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Salt Bookmark 4, detail, by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 4, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the textures of salt and paint, ink and paper, and how they all interact on a tiny level (given that the bookmark is barely and inch wide). Below, it’s snuggled up with a book for size perspective, though I’m not sure I’d want to risk leaving blue powder in my books by actually using this one for reading.

Salt Bookmark 4, with book, by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 4, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
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Jellyfish Bookmark 2

Posted on May 10th, 2012

Jellyfish Bookmark 2 by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Bookmark 2
by Amy Crook

More tentacles for Thursday! This bookmark is extra thick, drawn on black mat board rather than the paper I usually use. I drew a rainbow of jellyfish on here, and saved the gold for mysterious floating motes of something in the black depths.

This is the smallest of this week’s offerings, though the paper’s quite thick, making it a very solid little piece of art.

Jellyfish Bookmark 2, 0.75″x6″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Jellyfish Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the sparkle of the glittery pen I used for this set of jellyfish. Below, they’re hanging out with a book to show you how small and unassuming this bookmark is. Just the thing for a small and unassuming book full of secret awesome.

Jellyfish Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook

Jellyfish Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Be the Change Bookmark

Posted on May 9th, 2012

Be the Change Bookmark by Amy Crook

Be the Change Bookmark by Amy Crook

For Words Wednsday this week, we have a very popular and, I think, applicable quote. I decided I wanted more beauty (and spirals!) in my world, so I finally stopped pining after the art I wanted to make and started making art instead.

I’m still working on some of the other changes, like seeing the complexity hiding in seemingly simple issues, but those can be a lot harder. Still, I think this bookmark would make an excellent reminder for someone wanting to see a change in their lives, that the only person who can move your life towards a better one is you.

Be the Change Bookmark, 8″x1.5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Be the Change Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Be the Change Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, spirals! Below, the bookmark on my awesome free hardcover graphic novel from Free Comic Book Day this year. Another good reminder that art and words don’t have to be exclusive.

Be the Change Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook

Be the Change Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Words Words Words
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Tentacle Bookmark 2

Posted on May 8th, 2012

Tentacle Bookmark 2 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 2
by Amy Crook

Tentacle Tuesday meets Bookmark Week once again! Zoisite green and a satiny black combine with thick textured paper to make a very nice bookmark. This one should stand up to all sorts of abuse, though the soft hand-torn edges might get even softer as time goes on.

Tentacle Bookmark 2, 2.25″x8″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Tentacle Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the light shining off the thick black paint at the base of the tentacles. Below, a standard-sized hardback book shows you just how big the tentacles are. Definitely not tentacles for the faint of heart!

Tentacle Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Bookmark 2, with book, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Salt Bookmark 3

Posted on May 7th, 2012

Salt Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 3 by Amy Crook

As you’ve no doubt correctly surmised, it’s Bookmark Week again! I’ve sold almost all of the bookmarks from last time, and since May is Get Caught Reading month, I figured that the time was right for another week of tiny, inexpensive originals to tempt you.

This one and Friday’s were done sort of simultaneously, but since I started this one first it got to be number 3 in the series. I’m using the same mix of paint and salt water as I did for last week’s Blue Planets, but this time in dots and spirals instead. Then I crosshatched the background in a complementary green, which brought out the blue and gave the whole thing a nice visual texture.

Salt Bookmark 3, 2″x6″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Salt Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the sparkle of salt, the shimmer of iridescent paint and the shine of glitter gel pen, offset by velvety black paper and opaque blue paint. Below, the bookmark rests on a book for scale, though I’m not honestly sure this one would do that well as a bookmark — I’ve found the blue paint doesn’t bind to the paper as well as one might hope when mixed with the salt. Chemistry at work, I suppose.

Salt Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook

Salt Bookmark 3, with book, by Amy Crook

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