Emily Poole

Call for accountant submissions to do my taxes! To enter, accountants must complete and submit my entire tax return. The winning accountant will not be paid but they will receive a framed copy of my tax return with their name on it.

…oh, is that a weird way to ask for professional services? Huh.

A colorful illustrated poster featuring 22 species of animals and plants found in the coastal redwood ecosystem. Some of the creatures featured are a black tailed deer, spotted owl, weasel, spotted skunk, scrub jay, gray fox, coho salmon, steelhead, chipmunk, ring-necked snake, California giant salamander, shrew, snail, slender salamander, ensatina, banana slug, and pacific wren. Some typical plants in the environment are the pacific trillium, coastal redwood tree, ferns, redwood sorrel, and redwood violet.

Flora and fauna of the coastal redwoods! 🌲🌧️

Thanks for the shoutout!

A gouache painting of a skunk with a bandana holding a slug with a bell around it. They’re sitting on a moss covered log next to a basket of books and mushrooms.

Make sure to put a bell on your slug so you don’t loose them in the forest.

Block print of a wild ginger plant on a piece of green fabric

Block printing is wild because blocks seem to have minds of their own- some like to print smudged and uneven no matter the technique, and some choose to print so perfectly crisp that angels weep. I’m thrilled that my new wild ginger design has decided to fall into the latter category (for now).

A photo of a Dispirited Tiger Beetle, scientific name Cicindela depressula

Motion to make this beetle species I just found out about the official animal of 2025

It always cracks me up when people act like the artwork I do is the product of some sort of unknowable, amazing magic… until I remember that I feel the exact same way about other creative disciplines, like music. How do you DO that?!

GenAI has polluted image search results, especially for animal pics. It’s now basically impossible to find accurate art references.

Enter this: a repository of open-access, AI-free images of wild & exotic taxa. Artists creating *without AI* have blanket permission for derivative/transformative use.

A two-shelf book case filled with various titles of medieval primary sources in translation. On the lid of a small wooden chest right in front of the book case stands a Playmobil pirate holding a map.

The collective noun for books is 'an insufficiency'.

I’ve noticed a couple OR antique stores posting a LOT of shoplifter callouts on social media, and I almost wonder if it’s a self fulfilling prophecy where people are taking it as a challenge to steal from those places so now they’re having a huge problem.

A field guide plate with illustrations of ten wildlife species that can be found in Chicago during the winter, including American Coot, Great Blue Heron, Swamp Rose Mallow seed pods, and more. The illustrations were made using Procreate and have graphite and watercolor components with a muted color pallet.

A plate from my upcoming field guide project, Winter Wildlife of Chicago #scientificillustration #procreate #wildlifeart #queerartist #queerscientist

A digital illustration of a brown pack rat surrounded by tangled sticks and a collection of man made and natural treasures. Two trees arch over the rat with the silhouette of an owl perched in one of the branches. At the bottom text reads “I think I’ll keep it - just in case”

Ever heard of a pack rat? Also known as wood rats, they get their reputation from the various items they cache in their nests. They will collect food items as well as human made trinkets in their nests, called middens. Here’s one I illustrated a while back in procreate.

A holographic sticker with a drawing of a rough skinned newt wearing a blue and white head covering and the caption Mother Taricha

This new sticker is for the herpetologists out there who share my dumb sense of humor.

Oooh I’m a sucker for themed yarn! Beautiful work- I especially love the magpie!

I take way less water to create art than AI. I’m constantly dehydrated.

Yay! I used to love TT but it’s not the community space it used to be and I’m already feeling that vibe I missed here :)

Thanks so much! I’m still learning the interface and I just discovered the setting that doesn’t let me post without adding alt text, which is a fantastic feature. ✏️

Thank you! I’m still figuring out the feeds feature, but I’m excited to get the hang of it!

Oh hi! I have your books! 🪶

Hooray, thank you!

Thank you! That’s a very flattering comparison.

Hello fellow Emily artist 😊 The Burke Museum Store and the Secret Garden Bookshop both sell my stuff!

I’m looking for my nature people here on Bluesky! If you’re a

🍁 scientist
🍁 nature writer
🍁 nature artist
🍁 public lands employee
🍁 outdoors educator

…drop a comment so I can follow you! Bonus excitement for #PNW folks 💚

You know that feeling of transgression you got when you were eleven and stumbled on a corner of the internet you definitely shouldn’t have been on? That’s how I feel when researching e-commerce/integration/product fulfillment. I just paint pictures of slugs, there is no way I’m supposed to be here.

Mixed sense of suspicion/anger/disappointment over how it went down, but also… sort of exhilarated and free? That endless stream of dopamine hits held my brain hostage for four years, and having it taken away is probably a massive gift to my personal health and productivity.

The sun has set on day one of my self-granted art retreat. I spend a lot of time thinking about the most effective ways to invest in my art practice, and I can confidently say that buying time away from routines and care tasks is as measurably worthwhile for me as buying paint or equipment.

Hello Bluesky! 👋
I’m Emily, a Pacific Northwest nature illustrator. I make book art, illustrations for conservation orgs, and my own line of products! Stick with me if you’d like to learn fun facts and see art about PNW flora and fauna (with some side tangents into books, foraging, and fiber art).