shafer brown
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shaferbrown.com
shafer brown
@shaferbrown.com
20K followers 770 following 590 posts
flat fantasy and rpg illustration by some queer in the hills of western NC
commissions open - [email protected]
portfolio: shaferbrown.com
tipjar: patreon.com/shaferbrown
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shaferbrown.com
hello #portfolioday

Im a queer illustrator from the mountains of north carolina drawing flat fantasy. I've done work for mtg, videogames, beer labels, podcast art and socks, but my favorite work tends to be personal commissions.

portfolio: shaferbrown.com
contact: [email protected]
2025 - crop from a limited tone fantasy family portrait Two adventurers walk in the rain on a board walk in the woods, one with a bow at the ready, the other excitedly pulling her close. Their cat looks towards the foreground, where a dragonfly rests on a flower. 2025 limited color group commission Inside a smokey dining room aboard a river boat pirate ship, a group of adventurers blow off steam. From left to right, an anxious squirrel has drunken to excess, a spirited otter teases them and toasts. A paternalistic skunk with a metal arm scolds them, while a delirious herbalist rabbit offers a solution, and the groups tinkerer, a sparrow, sits with an impulse of a food fight within reach. 2025 full color commission portrait of a cat office at evening in a dimly lit wooden study, a black long haired cat sits at a desk beginning needlework. She wears a plaid suit and sits in a sturdy chair, her tail wrapping around the frame of the desk. on her desk is a table cloth, and a top that is a whirring fan, a rotary phone, two books, a sake bottle and cup. A short hair siamese cat brings a steaming cup of tea. He wears a grey sweater with a red collar and cuff, and his tail sticks up energetically behind him. 2025 full color commission in a dense forest, a goblin hides behind a rock and summons with the aid of a spellbook 3 spectral birds. On the horizon, a giant white elk turns its gaze towards their hiding spot.
January 13, 2026 at 2:38 PM
shaferbrown.com
dnd character portraits (2022)
limited color portrait of an orc and his pet dragon. with a penchant for mercantile arts his room is decorated with heavy wood furniture, curtains, a lounge and a large chest limited color portrait of a wizard in his study in tones of grey blue and black. he sits at a writing desk, one book set under his arm, another floating with its pages flipping for reference in front of him. the room is devoted solely to study, with a small crawlspace set aside for the bed behind a curtain. limited color portrait of an elf in her beachy bedroom. she sits speaking through a stone in her hand to an unseen listener. her floor is a bed of sand and driftwood, and a window opens to an island beach. limited color portrait of a cleric in his sanctuary. he rests with a large red elk by a stream with floating pine needles.
January 12, 2026 at 2:37 PM
shaferbrown.com
one of the great joys of playing an rpg character for any length of time as an illustrator is inserting them into professional work to help keep ya invested and get a dumb little secret to cherish.
2017 limited color drawing of a stout character with a doctors bag and cane and obscured face limited tone green white and black doodle of a stout character with an obscured face hurling potions at the walls of a city and fleeing limited color interior of an alchemists study. clearly for print, the illustration frames a window and table of materials for the back cover, and the alchemists cauldron, bookshelf, and themself for the front. full color illustration from a canceled board game. the robed figure stands next to a hunched over guard walking away from something off screen.
January 12, 2026 at 2:24 PM
shaferbrown.com
wrote a dnd session for the first time in a couple years and it of course made me think about my own PCs. my first character turns 10 this year
faux papercut doodle of an orc with a red set of mutton chops and a big bag mid stride. thick and thin lined blotty ink doodle of an orc with a red set of muttonchops. his concertina floats above him. faux two tone print matchbox illustration of an orc playing the concertina
January 12, 2026 at 2:16 PM
shaferbrown.com
portrait with church grim (2025)
2025 limited color memorial pet portrait commission of a shrouded image of death stroking the shin of a large church grim, seated in a hilltop graveyard. the palette is mossey green and blue.
January 9, 2026 at 2:34 PM
shaferbrown.com
random encounter (2022)
2022 pet commission in the style of an earthbound battle screen (front facing towards a large enemy sprite, an abstract background), a cat stands meekly with a bindle, stuffed suitcase, and a dream.
January 7, 2026 at 2:50 PM
shaferbrown.com
portrait of cat with bananas (2023)
pet portrait commission - nov 2023. A cat lays upside down on a pillow looking at the viewer, surrounded by plants, vessels, and drapes.
January 7, 2026 at 2:35 PM
shaferbrown.com
carrot thief (2022)
2022 full color pet portrait, a tan cat in overalls and with a bushell and hoe runs from the borders of a neighbors farm, their hat unsteady. in the background are rabbit burrows, chickens and chicks, trees, and shallow ponds.
January 6, 2026 at 2:57 PM
shaferbrown.com
Portrait of a friends dog who got hit by a car and lived (2022)
2022 limited tone pet portrait the dust settles around the aftermath of a swing of a great sword by a small black dog in the middle of the street. he is surrounded by destroyed cars and road rubble. tucky (short for kentucky where he was found as a stray) survived with extremely minor injuries and his owner commissioned this shortly after.
January 6, 2026 at 2:54 PM
shaferbrown.com
2025 year in review/holiday card portrait
multi color 2025 year in review holiday card commission in a 4x6 postcard, a man and woman stand in front of a raging forest fire cradling their cat and smiling. on the desk in front of them is a hawaian shirt, a beer, a macbook, and two coffee cups. around the fire are scattered mementos from their year, magic cards, game controllers, cameras, bananas, seltzer cans, hockey skates, dice, and car keys.
January 5, 2026 at 2:31 PM
shaferbrown.com
(as of yet unreleased) album art commission
2025 limited tone album art commission in red and grey a red deer and his luggage float in an abstract airport interior.
January 5, 2026 at 2:28 PM
shaferbrown.com
honeymoon portrait
2025 limited tone portrait commission. a man and woman lay on their stomachs on the top of a cliff face, overlooking nesting puffins along the rocky shoreline.
January 5, 2026 at 2:26 PM
shaferbrown.com
new years lunch break self portrait
2 tone self portrait. a bust of a person with a shaved head, mustache, and glasses, in a turtle neck and coat.
January 2, 2026 at 7:09 PM
shaferbrown.com
favorite commissions of 2025 (part 2)
2025 limited tone fantasy commission a child leans against the body of a large cat, raising his bugcatching net reflexively as he glimpses a lady bug in a foggy wood. 2025 limited color fantasy pet portrait in a cramped guard house, one long haired black and white cat lounges near a wood stove, his boots and scarf barely off him and his coat hanging by the door. Another, grey and white, pulls on his outer coat and steps towards the door. their shack is full of yarn, leaves, mud, books and notices. 2025 full color commission portrait of a cat office at evening in a dimly lit wooden study, a black long haired cat sits at a desk beginning needlework. She wears a plaid suit and sits in a sturdy chair, her tail wrapping around the frame of the desk. on her desk is a table cloth, and a top that is a whirring fan, a rotary phone, two books, a sake bottle and cup. A short hair siamese cat brings a steaming cup of tea. He wears a grey sweater with a red collar and cuff, and his tail sticks up energetically behind him. 2025 limited color fantasy pet portrait Two tuxedo cats toil away in a tavern. One cleans dishes behind the bar while another consults his notes and balances beers on a tray. The patrons have left playing cards, empty plates and glasses, and other objects around the rear of the bar, gathering in the front in drunken merriment.
January 2, 2026 at 4:48 PM
shaferbrown.com
setting out for something new
2025 full color pet memorial portrait a rabbit searches through their key ring with their burrows door ajar and their bindle packed underneath a pink sky
January 2, 2026 at 2:02 PM
shaferbrown.com
favorite commissions of 2025
2025 - crop from a limited tone fantasy family portrait Two adventurers walk in the rain on a board walk in the woods, one with a bow at the ready, the other excitedly pulling her close. Their cat looks towards the foreground, where a dragonfly rests on a flower. 2025 limited color group commission Inside a smokey dining room aboard a river boat pirate ship, a group of adventurers blow off steam. From left to right, an anxious squirrel has drunken to excess, a spirited otter teases them and toasts. A paternalistic skunk with a metal arm scolds them, while a delirious herbalist rabbit offers a solution, and the groups tinkerer, a sparrow, sits with an impulse of a food fight within reach. 2025 full color commission in a dense forest, a goblin hides behind a rock and summons with the aid of a spellbook 3 spectral birds. On the horizon, a giant white elk turns its gaze towards their hiding spot. 2025 limited tone zelda fan art commission in grayscale on a simple stage, a two piece band plays loud dumb music. A gorons hands and sticks flutter across his drumset while a zora frontman screams into a mic, clutching a horseshoe crab fashioned into a guitar.
December 31, 2025 at 1:54 PM
shaferbrown.com
evening at the cat office
2025 full color commission portrait of a cat office at evening in a dimly lit wooden study, a black long haired cat sits at a desk beginning needlework. She wears a plaid suit and sits in a sturdy chair, her tail wrapping around the frame of the desk. on her desk is a table cloth, and a top that is a whirring fan, a rotary phone, two books, a sake bottle and cup. A short hair siamese cat brings a steaming cup of tea. He wears a grey sweater with a red collar and cuff, and his tail sticks up energetically behind him.
December 22, 2025 at 7:25 PM
shaferbrown.com
pyromancer (2023)
2023 limited tone fantasy pet portrait looking in from a vine covered tower window, we see a black cat conjuring forth fire for warmth, their staff raised and their face illuminated.
December 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
shaferbrown.com
your memory at mealtime
2025 limited tone fantasy portrait by a cauldronin the woods, a wolfman in heavy armor pauses while serving dinner to his dog, seeing the form of his previous pet in his pots steam and fires smoke.
December 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
shaferbrown.com
shift change
2025 limited color fantasy pet portrait in a cramped guard house, one long haired black and white cat lounges near a wood stove, his boots and scarf barely off him and his coat hanging by the door. Another, grey and white, pulls on his outer coat and steps towards the door. their shack is full of yarn, leaves, mud, books and notices.
December 1, 2025 at 9:15 PM
shaferbrown.com
christmas card (2021)
2021 limited tone christmas card commission in a grey snowy wood with red highlights, a family trots back home. A man hoists a tree on his shoulder and cradles logs under his arms, a woman holds a flower in a dome, and their cat leads the way with a shield and lantern.
December 1, 2025 at 4:01 PM
shaferbrown.com
Was Lucky enough to contribute some work to this book by
@eyepatchwolf.bsky.social , big rec to pick it up for anyone in your life who grew up reading articles about games for consoles they didnt and would never own. a real treat to pour through.
The Bizarre world of fake videogames by super eyepatch wolf, in front of an autumnal yard.
November 24, 2025 at 5:51 PM
shaferbrown.com
a short rest in the dungeon (2025)
2025 limited tone portrait with animal companions In a water temple, an adventurer sleeps clutching his sword, drool hanging from his mouth. He sleeps nestled between a broken column, a burlap sack, and his dog. atop the column, his cat gazes at a puzzles solution on the horizon. His dog raises an ear and opens an eye cautiously.
November 19, 2025 at 2:25 PM
shaferbrown.com
fantasy family portrait commission (2024)
2024 limited color fantasy family portrait In tones of gold and purplish grey, A family fishes in a stream in the woods, one member hooking a big catch, the other distracted and noticing their dog getting a snack from their baskets.
November 13, 2025 at 4:42 PM
shaferbrown.com
love doing cat commissions, current WIP for a friend is a little less fantasy flavored than usual

website: shaferbrown.com
commission inquiries: [email protected]
portrait of a cat office WIP in a dimly lit wooden study, a black long haired cat sits at a desk beginning needlework. She wears a plaid suit and sits in a sturdy chair, her tail wrapping around the frame of the desk. on her desk is a table cloth, and a top that is a whirring fan, a rotary phone, two books, a sake bottle and cup. A short hair siamese cat brings a steaming cup of tea. He wears a grey sweater with a red collar and cuff, and his tail sticks up energetically behind him.
November 7, 2025 at 2:04 AM