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J. L. Barnes

@fishwithatophat.com

200 followers 140 following 580 posts

I draw gentlemen animals. I write sci-fi and fantasy. And when I'm not preparing for the zombie apocalypse, I run DragonCrest Studios, 'cause it pays for kibble. www.fishwithatophat.com https://www.instagram.com/fishwithatophat/

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 1d

Day 9: Heavy. Turns out uranium is the heaviest visible element, so this is my very happy uranium dragon!

Dragons have a lot of cat in them, it turns out.
#Inktober #art #dragons #heavy

A very heavy dragon loafing just like a cat. His mouth is slightly open because he's super happy. (Possibly from a lot of a carbs, because who wouldn't be happy after that?) He's bright yellow and brown, patterned after the colors of raw uranium.

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 14h

Day 10: Sweep. Not a good day for the town.

#Inktober #art #dragons #sweep

A dragon sweeping a town with fire. The dragon is mostly silhouetted, but has some glints of yellow and red off its scales. Its wings are a semi-transparent grey-brown. In the background a town burns; the skies are filled with thick smoke.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 13h

Thanks so much! The flames took foreverrrrrr, heh. 💜

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 14h

Quick reminder that if you're enjoying the daily art and would like to drop in a tip, I have a Ko-Fi! Here's the link:

ko-fi.com/fishwithatop...

Thanks very much to everyone who's liked and shared the Inktober posts so far! You're keeping me goin'!

Buy J. L. Barnes a Coffee

Support J. L. Barnes on Ko-Fi! Get silly sketches, free art, and fun times for the price of a cup of tea--all while supporting your internet-local artist and her crazy medical bills!

ko-fi.com

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 14h

Day 10: Sweep. Not a good day for the town.

#Inktober #art #dragons #sweep

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 2d

Day 8: Reckless. I'm not holding out a lot of hope for that tiny knight. Good luck, though, friend.
#Inktober #art #dragons #reckless

A massive angry dragon looking down upon a tiny silhouetted swordsman.

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 7d

Day 3: Crown. An actual crown wasn't speaking to me... but the crown of a dragon tree being made into an actual dragon-creature? Yeah, that works.
#inktober #art #dragons #crown #trees

A sepia-and-brown-toned tree dragon based on a dragon tree, which is a real thing. Who knew? He's sitting back on his haunches and looking off to the left, with the crown of the tree sprouting from his back.

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

Aubo 🏳️‍⚧️ Shop update 10/18! 🎃 @aubryjoi.bsky.social · 1d

Crisp fall prints comin at ya ⭐️🧡

[ #cuteart #artshop #traditionalart ]

A photo of three art prints surrounded by fall leaves, candy corn, and paint pens. They’re of: three tomato kittens in various stages of ripeness; three pumpkin cats; three candy corn colored chickens.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 1d

I just backed Rigsby WI - Volume 2: Burn It Down, by @secase.bsky.social, on Kickstarter. Because I can't stop reading it, and it MUST BE IN MY LIBRARY. Maybe you should read it too:

www.kickstarter.com/projects/iro...

Rigsby WI - Volume 2: Burn It Down, by SE Case

The second volume of SE Case's Eisner-nominated webcomic about the brutal disaster of being a teen in the early 2000s!

www.kickstarter.com

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 6d

I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but I like his face! 😅 I guess part of the point for Inktober is to create and not judge yourself so much... I'm gonna try!
#Inktober #art #dragons #murky

A swimming wingless dragon in murky water. It has three eyes and swims between beams of light penetrating the murk.

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

PumpkinSpooky 🎃 (COMMS OPEN!) @abobraspooky.bsky.social · 1d

Day-9: Dark Druid
#inktober #inktober2025 #rpg #dnd #druid

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

sean lewis @slewis-phd.bsky.social · 1d

9/31 - Heavy #inktober #drawtober

Colin Ayers dragging along a recently freed Node. Nodes, while vertically weightless, are extraordinarily dense and therefore difficult to move around. Ayers is about to discover what happens when you drag a Node to the edge of a cliff but have no way to slow it's momentum before it slowly floats off into the void beyond.

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

月燼 @moonashesart.bsky.social · 1d

DAY-10
Sweep

#inktober2025 #inktober #traditionalart #Original #art

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

Matthew Tak @matthewtak.bsky.social · 1d

#DailySketch: Heavy

#inktober52 #inktober #inktober2025 #drawing #illustration #art

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 1d

IT DOES. New headcanon.

Veleda_k @veleda-k.bsky.social · 1d

What isn't clear just from the art is that the knight and dragon are actually practicing for a production of Hamilton. Aaron Burr will be the dragon's first major role!

(...I think the knight's pose looks like the logo.)

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 1d

Day 9: Heavy. Turns out uranium is the heaviest visible element, so this is my very happy uranium dragon!

Dragons have a lot of cat in them, it turns out.
#Inktober #art #dragons #heavy

1 2 5

Reposted by J. L. Barnes

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 5d

Day 5: Deer. It's a deer, it's a dragon, it's... a little bit cat. Oops.
#Inktober #art #dragons #deer #cats

A flying deer dragon that's posed a bit like a cat and has a large fluffy tail. It's in a yellow grass field.

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 4d

Day 6: Pierce. Rock on!
#Inktober #art #dragons #punk

A cartoon illustration of a cute dragon in greyscale, with only its lightning tattoo, bright pink hair, and green eyes in vivid color. It wears a leather vest and a has a huge variety of piercings.

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

Col. Boozy Badger @boozybadger.lawyersandliquor.com · 2d

Imagine being so beloved that you have to make a special announcement to reassure the whole world that you’re not dying when your sister asks people to pray for you because you’re not feeling well.

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Reposted by J. L. Barnes

J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 3d

Day 7: Starfish. Meet the Red Dragon Starfish Cactus (which is a REAL THING, hurrah) and its guardian! He is fierce!

...He's also six inches tall.
#Inktober #art #dragons #flowers

A fierce red dragon (clearly unaware of his diminuitive height) wrapped around a red dragon starfish flower cactus, which technically isn't even a cactus at all. (It's in the milkweed family.) River rocks provide the base for the cactus, and a single red flower is the dragon's treasure.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 2d

Day 8: Reckless. I'm not holding out a lot of hope for that tiny knight. Good luck, though, friend.
#Inktober #art #dragons #reckless

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 3d

Day 7: Starfish. Meet the Red Dragon Starfish Cactus (which is a REAL THING, hurrah) and its guardian! He is fierce!

...He's also six inches tall.
#Inktober #art #dragons #flowers

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 3d

... Feel free to hit me with your dragons here and I will love you forever, because I want ALL THE DRAGONS
#art #dragons

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 3d

I wanna see how other PEOPLE draw fierce dragons

Not just mushy pieces blobbed together

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 3d

I'M AWARE THIS IS NOT NEWS

But I'm still screaming into the void anyway

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