Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

Kittenish

Posted on September 15th, 2014

Kittenish by Amy Crook

Kittenish by Amy Crook

A while back I asked some friends for sketch prompts, and this is the first of three quite adorably silly suggestions I was given. After I sketched them, I couldn’t resist inking and coloring them, and so we have James Bond getting a face full of kitten fur from his Quartermaster.

Remember, real men head boop kittens.

The original was sold in September’s Floating Gallery, but you can get a card in my Etsy shop.

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

00Q Kittenish greeting card by Amy Crook on Etsy

00Q Kittenish greeting card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Categories: Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Step Into the Light

Posted on September 8th, 2014

Step Into the Light by Amy Crook

Step Into the Light by Amy Crook

I challenged myself with this piece to start with pink instead of blue, and still make something that spoke to me visually the same way Invent the Universe does. The light ended up in the center, more of a tunnel than a pathway, inviting you to step through and see what it’s like out in the light.

Step Into the Light, 8″x8″ Japanese, traditional, and metallic watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Step Into the Light, detail, by Amy Crook

Step Into the Light, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the gold lettering catching the sunlight and putting the white of the paper to shame. Below, you can see the painting in its frame, waiting for the right wall.

Step Into the Light, framed art by Amy Crook

Step Into the Light, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of, Words Words Words
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Say My Name

Posted on September 7th, 2014

Say My Name, a Hastur parody comic by Amy Crook

Say My Name, a Hastur parody comic by Amy Crook

The King in Yellow showed up recently in pop culture True Detective, though we never did get a properly otherwordly connection to Hastur and his pallid mask. Names have power, and saying someone’s name three times has long been a traditional way to summon that which you perhaps didn’t really want in your living room. But Hasur is there for you this holiday, whether you like it or not.

Say My Name, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. Visit my Etsy shop and get a card with a relatively harmless Hastur of your very own.

Hastur holiday card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Hastur holiday card by Amy Crook on Etsy

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Midnight

Posted on September 6th, 2014

Midnight, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Midnight by Amy Crook

This piece is a sequel of sorts to Winter, but it’s black instead of white, iridescent and shiny instead of softly matte, complexly layered instead of simple. This painting holds the layered mystery of the midnight hour, velvety darkness cradling the shining blues, reminding us that there’s always another layer, another path, another point of view.

Midnight, 5″x7″ iridescent, interference, and traditional watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Midnight, detail, by Amy Crook

Midnight, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shine of blue partially obscured by the black that runs over and through it, but can’t completely obscure the bright metallics. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, sun lighting up the highlights and shadows drawing you into the depths.

Midnight, framed art by Amy Crook

Midnight, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Flying V

Posted on September 5th, 2014

Flying V by Amy Crook

Flying V by Amy Crook

You can tell I really miss fall, because this is the second painting this month with the lovely dead trees. This time it’s a V of geese flying in the distance, taking the last breath of summer south with them so winter can finally come.

Last month, two patrons were interested in Sleep Until the Sun Goes Down, and the one who didn’t buy it told me she’d have preferred geese. Fortunately, I have that power, and now she’s happily bought her own spooky trees.

Flying V, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Flying V, detail, by Amy Crook

Flying V, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the geese making their way across the sky in their even formation. Below, you can see them in a frame, hanging out with my iPhone so you can see how tiny they really are.

Flying V, framed art by Amy Crook

Flying V, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Drowned and Dreamt

Posted on September 4th, 2014

Drowned and Dreamt, abstract art by Amy Crook

Drowned and Dreamt by Amy Crook

This gorgeously morbid piece of abstract art was inspired by the opening credits to Skyfall, and the colors and textures of the blood in the water. I used several washes to give the background its grainy fade of blue-green, and then two colors of opaque Japanese watercolors for the reds, and I’m quite pleased with the final effect.

Drowned and Dreamt, 4″x8″ watercolor and Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Drowned and Dreamt, detail, by Amy Crook

Drowned and Dreamt, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the brightest reds and the way they interact with the green background where they’re thinner and more translucent. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, an eerie tribute to a visually stunning film.

Drowned and Dreamt, framed art by Amy Crook

Drowned and Dreamt, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Glacial Melt

Posted on September 3rd, 2014

Glacial Melt, abstract art by Amy Crook

Glacial Melt by Amy Crook

The snowy white paper melts into a beautifully subtle array of blues, like a glacier giving way to summer, sending water and debris out to join the ocean. I really love the way the two different paints reacted to one another, giving a broad range of color and texture in the simple shapes.

Glacial Melt, 5″x5″ watercolor on watercolor paper.

Glacial Melt, detail, by Amy Crook

Glacial Melt, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the texture of the paper like snowdrifts with the barest blue shadows in the hollows like sunlight on snow. Below, you can see the painting in a frame, bringing a breath of coolness to the end-of-summer heat.

Glacial Melt, framed art by Amy Crook

Glacial Melt, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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