Helen Whistberry

I just sent out my March newsletter which touches on this, on the grief of uninterrupted momentum, and how I use a story from my Taino ancestors to help keep my perspective in balance 🖤

The collection is "Escape to Melancholy Bay" by @saltboy.bsky.social

Ian is one of my favorite story writers. He is ridiculously modest but has a talent for creating the most exquisitely heartbreaking quiet tales that illuminate the beauty and sorrow of being human.

books2read.com/u/boXrpp/

I like the idea of #MorbidMarch because things seem rather dark at the moment in so many ways but creativity reminds us of the things we're fighting for.

For the theme #casket, here's the preliminary sketch and finished rendered drawing I did for a friend's short story collection (see comment).

A photo of a small butterfly perched atop a plant with, curled, holly-like, gray-green leaves and brownish patches. The butterfly is upper left, seen from the side with wings folded. The forewings are orange with white marks, and the hindwings have a row of dark spots along the rear margin, with white and orange below. The body is dark with lots of bluish-white hairs.

Western Pygmy Blue butterfly (Brephidium exilis) on one of its host plants, desert holly (Atriplex hymenelytra, a type of saltbush) in the Mojave Desert yesterday. They're the smallest butterflies in North America, with a wingspan just over half an inch. #BugSky 🐙🌿📷

I think it's possible to both celebrate what we're able to accomplish despite chronic physical and/or mental illness while at the same time mourning all that we didn't accomplish because of chronic physical and/or mental illness. Two things can be true at once. Love the struggler not the struggle. 💜

A red dragon perched on a rock in an underground cave based on the story of the red dragon sleeping under Dinas Emrys - Upon being woken it fought and beat a white dragon also buried there.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant hapus / Happy St David's Day!

I thought I'd take this day to share some Welsh art and the stories that inspired them!
Thread 🧵

A Great Grey Owl outstretches her wings wide to slow down. The background is snow covered. Her talons can be seen getting ready to grab the landing post.

The grace and ease with which a Great Grey Owl moves is a sight to behold. Here a Great Grey uses her wings to slow down as she approaches a post to land on. And check out those talons! #wildlife #birds #owls

Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of an eyeless salamander in profile facing right. It is resting on some stylized rocks with its long tail wrapping around in front of its main body. It is drawn with dots and dashes to create form rather than being a realistic portrayal.

Illustration countdown to #WrensAria publication!

5/52 Wren meets a salamander named Scry who offers their service as guide when she is in a dither about where to go next on her quest. (Unexpected new friends assisting a small bird even though she is a stranger to them is a big theme of the book💜)

Process pictures of a pencil drawing depicting the weaving branches and roots of a woodland alive and full of history. This woodland being known as The Golden Wood of Lórien. Within this scene depicted from the books we see a bewildered Frodo and Sam lead by Galadriel to her all seeing mirror, where our little hobbits learn the fate of all who inhabits Middle Earth.

Process pictures of a pencil drawing depicting the weaving branches and roots of a woodland alive and full of history. This woodland being known as The Golden Wood of Lórien. Within this scene depicted from the books we see a bewildered Frodo and Sam lead by Galadriel to her all seeing mirror, where our little hobbits learn the fate of all who inhabits Middle Earth.

Process pictures of a pencil drawing depicting the weaving branches and roots of a woodland alive and full of history. This woodland being known as The Golden Wood of Lórien. Within this scene depicted from the books we see a bewildered Frodo and Sam lead by Galadriel to her all seeing mirror, where our little hobbits learn the fate of all who inhabits Middle Earth.

Process pictures of a pencil drawing depicting the weaving branches and roots of a woodland alive and full of history. This woodland being known as The Golden Wood of Lórien. Within this scene depicted from the books we see a bewildered Frodo and Sam lead by Galadriel to her all seeing mirror, where our little hobbits learn the fate of all who inhabits Middle Earth.

Here’s some process pics of my ‘Mirror of Galadriel’ piece from last year ✏️✏️
Hoping to do some more Tolkien work this year but I’m paralysed by choice..

If you have any scenes you’d love to see depicted I’m all ears!

#illustration #lordoftherings #tolkien

If you're looking to read more Canadian authors, there's a bundle for that! (:

The Cookout: A Speculative Fiction Anthology Sci-fi, fantasy, & horror stories by Black authors, centering traditions of “the cookout” — the joy, the drama, and the delicious food.

omg. We're soooooooo close! Only $752 to go! Onlyhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/androidpress/the-cookout-a-speculative-fiction-anthology

I did not mean to flaunt my potential spring at all of you in colder areas. I’m sorry! We’ll all see spring again soon(ish). I’m trying to keep myself motivated and looking forward, especially since there’s still cold and a “wintry mix” in the forecast

(Wood Frog) #heros 🌿

My son's first movie!🍿 🎥 🖤

He said he was worried the Movie People might take too long with a Sirenhead movie and so he'd just make it. (Not sure if the creepy music uploaded?)

He says he wants to make movies that are Big with monsters for the movie theatres. Honey, I'll buy the first ticket 🎟️ 🖤🍿🎥

"Mutation March, day 1: cephalopod." Watercolor-based illustration of a colorful angelic monster inspired by cuttlefish anatomy. Two large tentacle wings covered in suckers are held aloft. There is a large singular cuttlefish eye for a head, ringed with siphons. Small tentacles cascade down from it, with a beaked mouth on either side. From the striped ruffled body, it gently holds up its two hands. @galusaurus #mutationmarch2026

day 1 of being not afraid...

It is tradition to start the month with cephalopods. They are such beautiful, inspiring creatures. 💖

#MutationMarch2026 #artchallenge #monsterart

Pen and ink illustration of a very round partridge, drawn in black and white, then coloured digitally in painterly tones of blue and brown.

I just missed the recent #BirdOfTheDay birb/borb theme, colouring up this brush-pen sketch of a grey partridge in Procreate at a get-together with drawing friends last week. #birds

Photo of a hand-carved crochet hook made from lilac wood. The bottom of the handle still has the natural bark and some lichen. It sits on a dark background, next to a pink crochet star, a purple fireweed blossom and some honeysuckle greens.

Have I mentioned I also make #crochet hooks? Let's have a look!

Sometimes in the summer I get to spend a few days at my grandparents' cottage all by myself, which is blissfully boring, and usually ends with me finding some new wood to try out. This one's lilac, which turned out to be super-smooth.

Male and female Green Jay’s look alike but we can tell this Jay comes from the south because of its bright yellow belly. “The Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) is a colorful, social bird from the crow family, known for its bright green, yellow, and blue plumage with a black and blue head, found from southern Texas through Central America and into South America.” Our Jay is seen in full profile, facing to our left. They’ve landed on the end small vertical branch and look ready to fly off!

Calling all bird-loving artists! This month’s bird is a Green Jay! 💚 Draw! Paint! Sculpt! We hope you'll join us. Posting day is March 25th.

Rules and Full Size Ref. Photo here: birdwhispererproject.com/participate/

#birds #art #BirdWhisperer

6 purple and white crocuses blooming

Happy March 1st! Only three more weeks until the spring equinox 🌱

Porträt eines hängenden Flughunds

Steil nach oben fotografiert.
#HabariNzuri
#JedeWocheEinFoto KW 09/26

The #MorbidMarch prompts are here!

A Very Queer March rainbow title card

New bundle dropped on Itch. Offer runs from RIGHT NOW to 31st March.

- 63 titles for $60 - save 75%!
- Multiple genres
- You can click on covers to buy individual ones that catch your eye.

itch.io/b/3545/a-ver...

#DiscountBooks #ItchBundle #QueerBooks 🌈📚💙📣📚

Das Aguti ist ein Nagetier, das kräftige Hinterbeine mit ebensolchen Klauen und zierliche Vorderbeine mit entsprechend kleinen Klauen besitzt. Hier hockt es auf den Hinterbeinen, ähnlich einem Känguru, und hält zwischen den Vorderpfoten einen Pinsel, von dem roter Nagellack tropft. Vor ihm steht das geöffnete Nagellack-Fläschchen. Das Tierchen ist mit dem Lackieren gerade fertig geworden, alle Nägel bzw. Klauen sind perfekt lackiert.

#art #illustration #animalmarch #kleinekunstklasse #surrealism #aguti
Neuigkeiten aus dem Tierreich: Das Aguti pflegt seine wunderschönen Klauen stets mit einem Speziallack für Nageltiere.

Aquarell- und Fineliner-Zeichnung zeigt ein Aguti in sitzender Haltung, leicht nach rechts blickend. Das Tier ist in feinen schwarzen Linien gezeichnet, sein Fell besteht aus vielen blattartigen Mustern, die den Körper strukturieren. Um das Aguti liegt ein Aquarell-Hintergrund in hellen Grün- und warmen Ockertönen. Am Bildrand wachsen stilisierte Blätter und Pflanzen, ebenfalls mit Fineliner ausgearbeitet, die eine dschungelartige Umgebung andeuten.

Ab gehts in den #animalmarch mit dem Aguti

#kleineKunstklasse
#ArtCallenge
#wattiskunst

If you see this, post your bird art!

Antler with a wolf head carved into the base

It’s also always a joy to listen to and learn from Perry Ground of the Onondaga Nation. He shared nature art and stories from the Haudenosaunee, like this carving by Stan Hill. #art #Indigenous

digital doodle of a tiny mosquito in the middle of a massive scratchy fire blaze, wearing a tiny purple party hat and holding a red wine bottle the text below says ... yay ... birthday ...

whoop a doodle do...

Books for sale, books for donation

Line around the block, crowded bookstore, what a day!

Well there’s sure a lot of shit going on in the world now. But at JUST the 1 store I was signing at for this event (Once Upon a Crime) we raised an unofficial estimate of ~$5K+ for the Immigrant Law Center of MN & the Women’s Foundation of MN Immigrant Rapid Response Fund.

Love you, Minnesota. ❤️❤️❤️

illustration of a Burmese cat (chocolate brown with orange eyes) lying on side under a blueberry bush

#Caturday 🐱:
Leonard Weisgard (USA, 1916-2000)
Burmese #Cat, n.d.
gouache & watercolour on thick wove paper, 360 x 280 mm
www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/...
#CatsInArt

A colorful painting of an isopod

Late for the #BlueSkyArtShow today. My submission for the #Round prompt is my #isopod painting from a few years ago. They can curl into little balls! #art

Illustration from the Augur issue the story appears in, with an adult hugging a child with lake weeds in the background, and a gray fish spirit in the foreground. Text says, BSFA shortlist news! My story "Of Seagrass Fins and Slippery Fingers," Augur 8.2, is on the BSFA shortlist! A child-stealing lake spirit is no match for a mother who won't give up. BSFA members & Eastercon attendees can vote!

I'm blown away to find out that my short story "Of Seagrass Fins and Slippery Fingers" has made the British Science Fiction Association shortlist!!!

I'm so grateful for everyone who has read and loved this story! 🐟 Story 🔗 and voting info below ⬇️