Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

Sadboy and the Knob

Posted on July 18th, 2017

Sadboy & the Knob, Inception parody art by Amy Crook

Sadboy & the Knob, 7″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper

I’ve got Slack emoji once again! My darling fellow fans have been eager to populate the chat with the full cast of Inception. Cobb the Knob, as he’s affectionately known, is giving his famous squint that launched a thousand memes. Poor Fischer is crying over his pinwheel and daddy issues, looking very sad indeed.

I feel like there’s some kind of Britpunk band waiting to happen here with the art title, but that might just be the urge to see Robert Fischer looking anything but heartbroken for a second.

These are drawn as close to a square aspect ratio as possible, so that they work as emoji on Slack. Their adorable 2-head-high chibi style conveys a lot of personality in a tiny space.

Robert Fischer emoji by Amy Crook Dom Cobb emoji by Amy Crook

Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Geronimo

Posted on July 13th, 2017

Geronimo, Doctor Who parody art by Amy Crook

Geronimo! 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper

Finally, I’ve finished the third of my commission series I’m calling All the Doctors. My patron’s been very patient with the pace on these!

The eleventh Doctor has belatedly* arrived in his finery, all decked out with his tweed coat and watch chain and the whole later seasons getup. He’s got a different waistcoat, shirt, and tie on than in the promo photos, which I referenced from stills out of the show. I particularly like the polka dots on the bowtie — what’s your favorite detail?

*but not 11 years late

Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Blue Moon 5

Posted on July 8th, 2017

Blue Moon 5 by Amy Crook

Blue Moon 5, 6″x6″ ink wash and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Every painting in the Blue Moon series is vastly different, and in that much this one remains consistent with its predecessors.

Photos can’t do justice to the deep, rich teal and turquoise of the moon and sky here, the ink bringing a glowing clarity to the colors that just doesn’t come through on a monitor. Shining silver stars dot the sky around our big blue moon, and an osprey dives through the light on its way to get its unfortunate prey.

What are you saving for a blue moon?

Blue Moon 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Blue Moon 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the diving raptor close up, all the detail of beak and feather against the blue moon. Below, the painting is in a frame, resting up for its long journey home.

Blue Moon 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Blue Moon 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Cloud City

Posted on July 7th, 2017

Cloud City by Amy Crook

Cloud City, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Rough-textured clouds and rough-sketched buildings make up a surprisingly sublime scene in this newest city.

Clouds dot the landscape, even making a fog from which the city emerges, a mist around which the buildings cluster. The time of day provides the palette, the golden glow of a sun just gone and violet dusk falling down from above, with a brilliant turquoise in between to hold the fluffy white.

What do you see in the sky?

Cloud City, detail, by Amy Crook

Cloud City, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the beautiful shifts of turquoise and purple, blue and a touch of gold, and of course the fluffy clouds at their whitest. Below, you can see it in a temporary frame, just waiting to float into your home.

Cloud City, framed art by Amy Crook

Cloud City, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Dreaming Tree

Posted on July 6th, 2017

Dreaming Tree by Amy Crook

Dreaming Tree, 6″x6″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Lines etched into the paper create the silhouette of a massive tree, its branches weighted down with foliage. The night sky visible in between the curves and shadows of it, cradled within the arms of the tree’s dreams.

Or perhaps the tree is a dream itself, or a keeper of dreams. Each line is a dream, forming the hill, the world, the earth, everything but the shimmering blue-violet of the sky.

You could even consider it dark matter cradling a nebula full of stars, shining out of the far reaches of the universe.

Dreaming Tree, detail, by Amy Crook

Dreaming Tree, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the lines indented into the paper with purple ink shining darkly out of each groove. Below, the scene rests in a frame, protected from the waking world for you.

Dreaming Tree, framed art by Amy Crook

Dreaming Tree, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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Good Evening

Posted on July 5th, 2017

Good Evening by Amy Crook in the Horizons series

Good Evening, 6″x4″ ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

This painting has so much in it for being so small! The trees are loose columns sketched by the breeze and the season. The clouds range from bright pink to rich gold with every shade of orange in between. There’s even a colony of bats heading out for its nightly hunt of pesky insects or delicious nectar.

The red sun is barely a hint as it sinks that last tiny fragment down below the horizon, leaving us for the night where some of us belong.

When it comes to pollinators, are you more of a bat or a bee?

Both. Both is good.

Good Evening, detail, by Amy Crook

Good Evening, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the tiny bats flying off into the golden-orange sunset. Below, this small painting is in its frame, waiting to bring some color to your wall, shelf, desk, or mantel.

Good Evening, framed art by Amy Crook

Good Evening, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Three Gold Fish

Posted on July 4th, 2017

Three Gold Fish by Amy Crook

Three Gold Fish, 6″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Three bright, shiny golden fish swim through a world of lovely purple water and swaying green seaweed. It makes me think of a fish tank, a little bit, or a pond somewhere with the sun filtering down and the plants growing upward.

Everything in this has a little sparkle to it, though the metallic fish are by far the brightest.

This small, strange watercolor would be perfect for a spot that’s too small for a fish tank, but in which you want to see a glimmer of gold and contemplate the peaceful life of a fish.

Three Gold Fish, detail, by Amy Crook

Three Gold Fish, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shine of golden fish, sparkling water, and even the waving fronds have a little of it. Below, the fish are in their tank, er, frame, waiting for their forever home.

Three Gold Fish, framed art by Amy Crook

Three Gold Fish, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles
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