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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin

@tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social

41 followers 150 following 32 posts

He/Him A thirty something LGBTQIA+ querying author/illustrator from the PNW! Writing, posting WIP arts, thinking about books! There is nothing more amazing than taking a silly idea seriously.

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · 9d

Some spell card backs for my D&D characters!

Kind of a fun quick exercise to try and boil down their iconic accessories!

#D&D #Illustrator

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Sep 17

So many little doodles lately. Can you tell I've got a brain that's fixated on a fluffy eared French dog?
#D&D #Belfort&Lupin

A small Fennec paladin in a sketchy ink style.

A roguish spaniel shows off his fencing stance

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Aug 10

You're right! Oh man, been too long since I've been conjugating!

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Aug 8

Some more emotion work! Belfort from 'Belfort & Lupin' He is adorable, I love his ears and I may be obsessed with his design!

If you haven't seen the show, give it a watch (In French!) It's beautiful and you learn about Versailles. Plus the cute little gay relationship.

#belfortandlupin

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · May 8

Emotion work! These are always so fun to draw.

#illustrator #authorsofbluesky

A long-earred fennec fox expressing a lot of different emotions!

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Mar 14

I love the shapes in this!! Beautifully done!

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 22

Some /early/ development work on the look of the cast. I always knew I wanted things to be colorful!

#MGlit #booksky #illustrator

A drawing of a photograph of an orange anthropomorphic dog creature. A piece of tape along the bottom reads: Apple. The the side is a notecard with statistics about her.

A drawing of a photograph of a blue anthropomorphic dog creature. A piece of tape along the bottom reads: Pumpkin. The the side is a notecard with statistics about him.

A drawing of a green anthropomorphic dog creature in a yellow dress.

A drawing of a purple anthropomorphic dog creature in a varsity jacket and grey t-shirt. She has flames in her hands.

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 22

Yeah, wow! But what a look when you do!

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 22

These are stunning!

I love the big smile on the mermaid. Amazingly done!

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 22

Forgot the alt-text on these earlier!

Little standies that I designed to be engraved on wood! They turned out pretty adorable if I do say so myself!

#illustrator #dungeonsanddragons #D&D

A large dragonborn barbarian cutout for Dungeons and Dragons.

The backside of a large dragonborn barbarian cutout for Dungeons and Dragons.

A tiefling cutout for Dungeons and Dragons.

A haregon bard cutout for Dungeons and Dragons.

Reposted by TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin

✨#WIPSnips✨ A Daily Writing Share Tag @wipsnips.bsky.social · Feb 20

Guidelines for our first ever Author Hype Event

#WSPit

#WIPSnips has always been about growing community.

You all show up everyday (some since day one) sharing pieces of your writing.

Here's the chance to go beyond snips and pitch your work!

More infographics to come, but here's a start

Text: What? #WSPit. Author Hype Event. Industry Participation welcome. When? February 26, 2025, your time zone. Where? Bluesky only.

Authors: Please do your due diligence to vet anyone who requests your materials before sending it.

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General Guidelines: Regular #WIPSnips participation not required. Pitch must fit in single post. All imagines use alt text. No Generative AI. Published works, thread any links or direct to link in bio. Limit three posts per work. Use appropriate hashtags. Be kind. Like, respot, comments Highly encouraged.

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To make indsutry participation easier or help readers find published books, use the special hashtags to note where you are in the process. You can use only #WSPit but it may affect indsutry visibility.

WIPs: #WSPitW, Querying: #WSPitQ, Agented(but not on sub): #WSPitA, On submission: #WSPitS, Published: #WSPitP

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Other hashtags

Age range - please include: Adult - #a, New Adult - #NA, Young Adult - #YA; Middle Grade - #MG; Picture book - #PB

Optional: Crime - #C; Fantasy - #F; Historical - #Hi; Horror - #H; Humor - #Hu, Lit-fic - #L; Memoir - #Me; Mystery - #M; Non-fic - #NF; Paranormal - #P; Poetry - Po; Romance - #R; Sci-fi - #SF; Thriller - #T; Women's Fiction - #WF; 2SLGBTQIA+ - #LGBT; BIPOC - #BIPOC; Creators who are disabled - #Dis

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 13

I went through a little bit of a Bluey phase... and it's definitely still going.

#kitlitart #illustrator #bluey

Reposted by TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin

Indie Book Spotlight @bookspotlight.bsky.social · Feb 12

Reminder to comment on that art post or fanfic, and drop a review of that book. Telling creatives what you think, even if it’s just a one line sentence, truly does make a difference! And I don’t just mean ‘engagement’. I mean it will make their day. Tell someone when you love their work 🤍

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 11

Back in the day, I wrote a weird little semi-gothic picture book about a victorian fox going to a big-box store. ... It was an absolute mess, but I still love a lot of these older pictures I drew for it. Anyone else remember staring at the fish tanks?

#kidslitart #illustrator

An anthropomorphized fox in a dressing gown sweeps up a broken teapot.

An anthropomorphized fox in a green vest looks up at a large display of fish tanks.

An anthropomorphized fox in Victorian clothing is startled by a large smoke monster rising up above him.

An anthropomorphized fox hands a confused box-mart employee his coat.

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 9

Looking forward to giving it a read!

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 9

"Hopeful Horror" sounds like exactly what I need right now. Snapping up a copy!

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 9

"A shadow, elongated by the morning sunlight, lanced over the destroyed tile floor."

#MGLitArt #illustration #Writer #MGLit

A figure in a cloak and a mask standing amidst swirling fog.

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 9

Some fresh experimental depictions.
Been playing with grayscale values for my illustrations instead of just ink.

#kidlitillustration #illustrator #writer #MGLit

A black and white illustration of a dog-like girl who leans appreciatively out into the breeze.

An ink-only illustration of a dog-like girl leaning out into the wind.

Reposted by TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · Feb 9

I stand with the trans community. Pass it along.

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 6

Some of my favorite design years were for a puppet theater that did stage adaptations of movies.

#illustrator #design

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 5

Has there ever been something quite as creatively inspiring as Dungeons and Dragons? Drawn for members of my Dungeoning Party and for myself!

#writer #illustrator #dungeonsanddragons #D&D

A pink tiefling woman holding honey, as a bee buzzes around her head.

An astonished looking rabbit-folk ranger in an eye-piece.

A dog-folk bard character sheet from D&D

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 4

2024 was a big year for Bluey sketches and this one was my absolute favorite.

#illustrator #booksky #bluey

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TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 4

Gotta keep re-working those drafts.
#writer #illustrator #MGLit #booksky

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 4

Is it Friday, yet?

TJ Rydell-Ahuactzin @tjrydellahuactzin.bsky.social · Feb 4

This sketch for a "really simple" idea ended up spawning a 80k word Middle Grade Novel. There's something kind of fantastic about giving a silly concept a chance to be taken seriously.
#writer #illustrator #booksky #MGLit

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