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greygraphite.bsky.social
Brian
@greygraphite.bsky.social
280 followers 510 following 270 posts
Artist, college drawing instructor, union organizer, amateur Sasquatchologist. 🏳️‍🌈

www.brianrwilliams.com

Creator of the independent webcomic “Orick & Argyle."

www.orickandargyle.com
patreon.com/greygraphite
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greygraphite.bsky.social
I got a job creating coal-powered wildlife for the regime.

#traditionalart #drawing #worksonpaper
“Anthracite Deer,” graphite and charcoal powder on paper. A drawing of a deer in an Appalachian forest landscape with a smokestack where its neck and head should be. The smokestack is belching out clouds of thick, black smoke.
February 5, 2026 at 11:31 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
Top row, pic of me wearing glasses & squinting at a blurry sign. Bottom row, pic of me removing my glasses and now the sign, which reads “You’re 46 today (and you need bifocals)” is no longer blurry
January 20, 2026 at 2:29 AM
greygraphite.bsky.social
Hi, I'm Brian, and here's my digital portfolio for #portfolioday, which comprises mostly of my webcomic "Orick & Argyle," about a Sasquatch and an extraterrestrial who team up to commit acts of civil disobedience in defense of nature.

orickandargyle.com

www.patreon.com/greygraphite
A digital drawing of comic book characters Orick, a Sasquatch; Leona, a mountain lion; and Argyle, an extraterrestrial, rowing across a pond at dusk toward an island with an old church on it. A black and white digital drawing of comic characters Ursula, a human person; Orick, a Sasquatch; Argyle, an extraterrestrial; and Leona, a mountain lion, walking down a set of underground stairs in a cave-like environment. Ursula leads the group with a flashlight. A digital painting of Orick, a Sasquatch wearing an orange scarf and carrying a hot drink of some kind, walking between some trees and saying "boo" to classic movie monsters Nosferatu, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and a werewolf, who cower in fear and run away. A digital illustration showing a Sasquatch reading a book in his cave with his friends, a mountain lion asleep next to the fireplace, and an extraterrestrial laying on a rug watching The X-Files on an iPad. The cave is illuminated by the fire in the fireplace, candles, lamps and glowing crystals. Above the fireplace is a framed portrait of a Sasquatch ancestor. In the background is a bookshelf and a staircase.
January 13, 2026 at 1:39 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
It's another #portfolioday ? Hi, I'm Brian. I have 2 portfolios, in fact -- a digital one and a traditional one. Here's a sampling of my traditional work.

brianrwilliams.com
A graphite and colored pencil drawing on paper of a yellow and green seahorse perched on the couch from the painting, "Portrait of Madame Récamier," bt Jacques-Louis David. A drawing of a woodpecker peeking out from a hole in a tree, which is emerging from the torso of a woman wearing an elaborately-decorated dress and ruff from the Renaissance. A graphite drawing of a woman from a Neoclassical painting, wearing a wig and draped in a shawl, sitting beside a rural landscape showing a river valley. Above the river floats a Mothman-like spirit with glowing eyes. A drawing of Krampus, dragging chains shackled to his wrists and carrying a satchel of twigs on his back, entering the foyer of a fancy house. He looks down the hallway at the viewer, letting his long tongue hang from his open mouth.
January 13, 2026 at 1:26 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 7: Squatchtober.
A digital painting of Orick, a Sasquatch wearing an orange scarf and carrying a hot drink of some kind, walking between some trees and saying "boo" to classic movie monsters Nosferatu, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and a werewolf, who cower in fear and run away.
December 7, 2025 at 5:13 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 6. It's cold this morning!

#digitalart #artandpoetry
I Among twenty snowy mountains, The only moving thing Was the eye of the blackbird. Stanza I from the poem, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," by Wallace Stevens. Artwork: a digital drawing of a blackbird perched on a blue lantern that is placed on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a valley between two snowy mountain ranges at sunset.
December 6, 2025 at 2:29 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 5: Gruss vom Krampus!

Krampus celebrations were banned in the 1930s by the Nazis in Germany and the fascist Christian government in Austria. Therefore, it's canon that Krampus is an anti-fascist symbol.

Graphite and charcoal powder on paper.
Krampus, a furry anthropomorphic creature with a goat's head, long tongue, one cloven hoof, with a satchel of birch branches on his back and iron chains hanging from his arms, stares at the viewer from a hallway. The hallway is elegant, with an arched colonnade and paintings on the wall in the background, implying that Krampus is visiting the home of a wealthy family.
December 5, 2025 at 1:14 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Day4. It's a snowy morning here.

Thank you, @jayispainting.earthskyart.ca for organizing this event -- it's been a pleasure to see so much artwork in my feed!
XIII It was evening all afternoon. It was snowing And it was going to snow. The blackbird sat In the cedar-limbs. Stanza XIII of the poem, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," by Wallace Stevens. A digital illustration of a grackle perched in an eastern red cedar tree in a winter landscape. The iridescence and textures of the bird's feathers is emphasized. On the tree limb beside the bird are pebbles, a quartz crystal and a shell, all with iridescent surfaces.
December 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 3: Orick Mending Bees
Orick, a sasquatch, sits hunched over at a wooden table, holding a magnifying glass and an eye dropper filled with honey. On the table in front of him is a pair of tweezers, a spool of thread and a needle, a jar of honey, and 5 bees resting on tiny pillows. Other bees are flying around him. In the background, against the wall, is a wooden bee hive. The foreground is filled with white flowers.
December 3, 2025 at 8:07 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 2. Still one of my favorite projects: illustrating "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," by Wallace Stevens.
V I do not know which to prefer, The beauty of inflections Or the beauty of innuendoes, The blackbird whistling Or just after. Stanza V from "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," written by Wallace Stevens. A digital illustration showing a red-winged blackbird perched on a twig next to a muddy pond at twilight. The blackbird is calling. Next to it is an old stone with a spiral pattern carved into it. The scene's reflection on the surface of the pond appears to show a moment in the near future: the stone is glowing and the blackbird is flying away.
December 2, 2025 at 1:12 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
Gonna participate in #artadventcalendar this year -- thanks to @jayispainting.earthskyart.ca for the heads-up!

Day 1: Orick's Cave
A digital illustration showing a Sasquatch reading a book in his cave with his friends, a mountain lion asleep next to the fireplace, and an extraterrestrial laying on a rug watching The X-Files on an iPad. The cave is illuminated by the fire in the fireplace, candles, lamps and glowing crystals. Above the fireplace is a framed portrait of a Sasquatch ancestor. In the background is a bookshelf and a staircase.
December 1, 2025 at 1:35 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
I'm halfway through "Will-o-the-Wisp," a story about a Sasquatch, an extraterrestrial, a human & a mountain lion who are following a spook light through the woods. The Will-o'-the-Wisp is also being pursued by wood devils, and the gang has to capture the light before the wood devils get to it first.
Cover image of "Will-o'-the-Wisp," a webcomic. The title is written in glowing green font. Below it are main characters Orick, a Sasquatch; Ursula, a human; Argyle, an extraterrestrial; and Leona, a mountain lion. A page from the comic. Ursula is describing an encounter with a wood devil she had as a child. The illustration shows a flashback to her childhood room where a wood devil lurks outside her window while she cowers under her covers. She says she always thought it was just a nightmare until seeing wood devils as an adult. A page from the comic. Ursula discovers a staircase inside an old tree. It goes down into the earth; the faint glow of the Will-o'-the-Wisp can be seen. Ursula, Orick, Argyle and Leona follow the stairs down. A full-page illustration showing the characters following an underground staircase between stalactites and stalagmites. Ursula is in the lead, carrying a flashlight. Behind her are Orick, Argyle and Leona.
November 30, 2025 at 8:26 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
A digital sketch for a drawing. I love sketching digitally even if the plan is to finish the drawing using traditional media.
A digital sketch of a giant jellyfish floating in the air in front of a large Tudor-style house at dusk. The jellyfish glows orange and pink, and its long tentacles drag on the ground.
October 28, 2025 at 6:54 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
Oh it’s #portfolioday !?

I’m Brian, I like to do drawrings. You can see more at my website: brianrwilliams.com
A graphite drawing showing a surreal scene: in the foreground is a tree trunk with four square holes cut out of it. A man playing a violin emerges from the biggest hole; his arm holding the violin sticks out from another hole. His other arm holding the bow emerges from a hole in a second tree trunk. The violin is on fire. Diamonds and an ammonite are seen in the last two holes in the tree. Additionally, connected to the front of the two tree trunks are three smokestacks belching black smoke and sparks. In the background is an overcast landscape with a meadow, a creek and a forest in the far distance. A graphite drawing shows Krampus stepping into the hallway of a fancy house. Krampus has one human foot and one cloven hoof. He wears a basket of sticks on his back and drags chains shackled to his wrists. He looks at the viewer and sticks out his tongue. A graphite drawing shows an outdoor scene in a desert, with a mountain, clouds, stars and the moon in the background. In the foreground, a woman sits in a carved wooden sleigh being pulled by fantastical creatures whose whiskers the woman is using as reins. A graphite drawing on sepia-toned paper shows a woman wearing a wig and garments from the early 1800s. She stares at the viewer. Behind her is a nighttime landscape with a river, trees and stars. The spirit of the Mothman floats in the sky above the river.
October 14, 2025 at 7:54 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
If you see this post something monochromatic

#traditionalart #drawing
"Carbon," graphite and charcoal powder on toned paper, 2025. A pair of tree trunks in the foreground have square holes cut out of them. Emerging from the biggest hole is a man playing a burning violin; his arms holding the instrument and the bow are emerging from two smaller holes. The arm holding the bow is coming out of a different tree than the rest of his body, revealing the surrealistic and nonsensical nature of the scene. An ammonite and a pile of uncut diamonds are seen in two other cut-outs in the tree. Also emerging from the trees are steel smokestacks belching copious amounts of black smoke and sparks. In the background is a meadow with a creek running through it; along the horizon more trees can be seen. The sky is overcast. Everything in the scene is composed partly or entirely of carbon: the trees, the violin, the diamonds, the steel smokestacks, the smoke, the man.
October 4, 2025 at 9:45 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
Artists, quote with something silly

#traditionalart
“The Hermit II,” graphite on paper, 6x8” oval, 2025. A birch tree grows from the neck of a woman from a 17th-century Dutch painting. She wears an elaborately-embroidered dress and stiff ruff collar. A woodpecker peeks out from a hole in the tree approximately where the woman’s head would have been.
September 24, 2025 at 1:26 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
Tomorrow! My solo show, "Rare Earth," opens at La Luz de Jesus Gallery! @laluzdejesus.bsky.social

This one's called "Alarm Call V," one of a series of absurdist little vignette drawings of birds & rusty old fog horns symbolizing nature's warning signs about climate change

#traditionalart #drawing
Rare Earth, drawings by Brian R. Williams, Friday, September 5 at La Luz de Jesus Gallery "Alarm Call V," graphite on toned paper. A pair of brant geese fly past a fog horn with 5 horns of various sizes, each facing in a different direction. The horns emerge from the top of a rust-stained cylindrical concrete structure built among an archipelago of sharp-edged triangular rocks. Visible at the base of the structure are metal pipes, wheels and drums of uncertain function. A photo of "Alarm Call V" matted and framed in a gold wooden frame.
September 4, 2025 at 2:15 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
Here's a pic of "The Hermit III" framed:
A photo of the above drawing matted and framed in a wood frame with gold accents on the outside edge.
August 23, 2025 at 1:29 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
I also love digital art, and do a fair amount of it myself, but I'm always on the look-out for more traditional-media artists. If you see this, share some traditional art ✏️🦉

#art #drawing #traditionalart
“The Hermit III,” graphite on toned paper, 2025 An oak tree trunk emerges from the neck of a cloak worn by a sitter in a painting by Renaissance painter Hans Holbein the Younger. A barn owl peeks out from a hole in the tree trunk.
August 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
New drawing: "Carbon." All drawings are carbon, of course, but this one is about carbon, too.

#traditionalart #drawing
"Carbon," graphite and charcoal powder on toned paper, 2025. A pair of tree trunks in the foreground have square holes cut out of them. Emerging from the biggest hole is a man playing a burning violin; his arms holding the instrument and the bow are emerging from two smaller holes. The arm holding the bow is coming out of a different tree than the rest of his body, revealing the surrealistic and nonsensical nature of the scene. An ammonite and a pile of uncut diamonds are seen in two other cut-outs in the tree. Also emerging from the trees are steel smokestacks belching copious amounts of black smoke and sparks. In the background is a meadow with a creek running through it; along the horizon more trees can be seen. The sky is overcast. Everything in the scene is composed partly or entirely of carbon: the trees, the violin, the diamonds, the steel smokestacks, the smoke, the man.
August 14, 2025 at 1:20 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
New drawing: “The Hermit III”
“The Hermit III,” graphite on toned paper, 2025 An oak tree trunk emerges from the neck of a cloak worn by a sitter in a painting by Renaissance painter Hans Holbein the Younger. A barn owl peeks out from a hole in the tree trunk.
August 1, 2025 at 9:11 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
New drawing, The Hermit II
“The Hermit II,” graphite on toned paper, 6” x 8” oval A birch tree trunk emerges from the neck of an ornate dress and ruff worn by a female sitter from a 17th-century Dutch Golden Age painting. A woodpecker peeks out from a hole in the tree trunk.
July 26, 2025 at 2:08 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
Happy Portfolio Day! Here's a sample of my traditional-media work. You can see more on my website:

brianrwilliams.com

#portfolioday #traditionalart
A pencil drawing showing a young boy asleep next to a creek in the woods. Watching the boy sleeping are three fantastical creatures made of moss. A rabbit rests beside the boy, an owl is perched on the shoulder of one of the moss men, and a white-tailed deer watches the scene from behind a tree trunk. Client: Worthy Tales Magazine A pencil drawing of a woman driving a sleigh across an alien landscape. Pulling the sleigh are 4-legged creatures whose whiskers are being used as reins by the woman driving the sleigh. Client: Worthy Tales Magazine A pencil drawing of a cat dressed in a hunting suit, partially obscuring his face with a white mask in the shape of a French bulldog's head. On the wall behind the cat are paintings depicting hunting dogs. Client: Drool Magazine A pencil drawing showing a woman dressed in an elaborate Renaissance dress with a ruff poses for a portrait with her pets, two cats and a pug, who are also dressed in Renaissance clothing. On the wall behind the woman are framed portraits of more dogs. Client: Johns Hopkins Magazine
July 8, 2025 at 5:32 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
New drawing: "Ventifact." A ventifact is a stone that's been shaped and weathered by wind-blown sand.

#traditionalart #artonpaper #drawing
"Ventifact," graphite on toned paper, 9 x 12 inches, 2025. A pencil drawing showing a man wearing a two-toned hoodie, buried up to his waist in sand in a desert landscape at dusk. The sand around him has been shaped into ripples by the wind. His head has transformed into a stone with cracks sharp edges all over its surface. The man's hands rest on the sand in front of him. In the far distance are mountains and clouds in the evening sky.
July 5, 2025 at 1:59 PM
greygraphite.bsky.social
"Bow Shock," digital drawing. REX INTERFECTVS EST ("the king is killed") is the titulus above the scene on the Bayeux Tapestry depicting King Harold's death during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The tapestry also shows Halley's Comet, which appeared the same year King Harold was killed.

#nokings
A digital drawing in black, grey and gold, showing an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon king painted in black and while being struck by a comet with a golden tail. The king is wearing chain mail and his hand is shown letting go of a lance. All that's shown of the king's head is his skull, which is being spun in the air by the force of the impact. The skull is still wearing a helmet and a crown. The night sky behind the scene is filled with gold stars. At the bottom of the drawing is an inscription written in gold that reads REX INTERFECTUS EST, meaning "the king is killed." The drawing is inspired by the death of King Harold II of England in 1066 as depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry.
June 14, 2025 at 3:26 PM