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Samantha Zim

@szim-art.bsky.social

120 followers 93 following 43 posts

Watercolorist • travel sketcher • desert rat🏜️ 👇Prints, portfolio and etc https://szimart.carrd.co

szimart.carrd.co

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jan 26

Hi Bluesky community! I’m an illustrator and sketchbook artist creating on the Colorado plateau and beyond. Let’s see what this platform has to offer🏜️🤘🏻 #watercolor #moleskin #art #painting #desert

Watercolor illustration in a Moleskin journal depicting a dramatic lightning strike over a Redd cliff line in the Utah desert.

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Reposted by Samantha Zim

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 1d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · 6d

Which should I pick for August in my 2026 calendar? Help me choose by commenting:
🧡 for sunflowers (1st option)
💙 for moonflowers (2nd option)
This will be the sixth year running that I’ve printed a calendar, pre-orders open later this month!
#watercolor #sketchbook #drawing

Open moleskine sketchbook showing a watercolor and colored pencil illustration of sunflowers, tomatoes and greens- an abundant garden during harvest season.

Open moleskine sketchbook showing a watercolor, colored pencil and ink illustration of moonflowers- a wide white flower shaped like a trumpet with purple tinged edges and spade shaped leaves.

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · 13d

Last December I found myself in J Tree with a broken arm- the best way to keep from using it was to sit down and paint! Also, I was so excited to spot this roadrunner that I nearly crashed my car into a rock right outside the visitor center 😅
#watercolor #gouache #sketchbook #joshuatreenp #art

Photograph of an open sketchbook with watercolor illustrations of a gold granite rock shored like an egg with a spikey Joshua tree in front of it, a desert tortoise and a roadrunner. National park stamps decorate the lower right corner of the page

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · 23d

@outdooralliance.bsky.social @sierraclub.org @highcountrynews.org for more info on how to comment!

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · 23d

4 days left to submit a public comment on the Roadless Rule- a designation that protects 30% of all National Forest land like old growth forests, critical wildlife habitat, sacred indigenous sites and the aspen grove where I painted this in 2021💚 #watercolor #sketchbook #art #panitning #moleskine

Open moleskine sketchbook showing a watercolor painting of an aspen grove in dappled sunlight. Behind the sketchbook we see the subject of the illustration.

Photo of a summer Aspen grove in dappled sunlight- rays of sun pass through the trees casting long shadows over ferns and wildflowers.

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · 23d

Head to @outdooralliance.bsky.social @sierraclub.org @highcountrynews.org for more info!

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · 28d

My plans for the day immediately went out the window when I stumbled upon this house while wandering through Hanoi last spring. I think you can see why it reminded me so strongly of a Miyazaki film!
#travelsketching #watercolor #moleskine #painting #drawing #urbansketching

Open moleskin sketchbook showing a watercolor illustration of an old French mansion in Hanoi, VT that is overgrown with bougainvillea and festooned with Vietnamese flags. On the balcony two men laugh and drink coffee.

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Sep 5

Thanks so much!🥰

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Sep 4

My second favorite thing about hikes like this one is the view. My actual favorite thing is that you can just carry a water filter and drink bright, magical, ice cold mountain water the entire time you’re out there🤩🏔️
#watercolor #mountains #moleskine #painting #drawing #art #landscape #natureart

Photo of an open moleskin journal showing a watercolor painting of a tall craggy mountain and electric blue lake below it, just below tree line. The slopes of the mountain still hold a few patches of snow despite the date on the sketchbook page being July.

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Sep 1

Although I sketched this in May I always like to try to throw a creek piece in the calendar this time of year as the temps start to dip below 90 and it begins to seem like a reasonable idea to tie in again…

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Sep 1

September’s spread in this year’s calendar was painted from a perch overlooking the road to Cliffs of Insanity in the Creek. My plans for the day changed as I saw my climbing parter’s truck approach the crux in the road, and then turn around!😅
#watercolor #utah #rockclimbing #moleskine #drawing

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Aug 27

Getting back in the groove with a few favorite desert plants! I haven’t painted globemallow is years thanks to emotional damage from the last time, but adding a square brush to my quiver definitely made it less painful!
#watercolor #botanicalart #moleskine #painting #utah #sketchbook #natureart

Open moleskine sketchbook showing watercolor illustrations of three colorful desert flowers- globemallow (a tightly clustered orange flower that grows in stalks) barberry (a holly-like prickly bush with tiny yellow flowers) and paintbrush (a fire shaped red flower that grows in bushy clumps)

Closeup of an open moleskine sketchbook showing watercolor illustrations of globemallow (a tightly clustered orange flower that grows in stalks).

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Aug 25

Fremont barberry doesn’t have the same glamor around it that sagebrush or juniper do, but it’s one of my favorite high desert plants! It is however, kind of a pain in the ass to paint😅
#watercolor #painting #botanicalart #illustration #art #drawing

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Aug 23

Lucked out in July and had three clear days to get at much of an eyeful of Denali as I could! Already dreaming up reasons to head back to the north country, and more time to paint mountains is high on the list🏔️
#denali #moleskine #sketchbook #drawing #travelsketching #sketch #outdoorart #alaska

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Aug 20

This might be one of my favorite calendar spreads so far- hope nobody’s opposed to nasturtiums in the calendar every year! On a related note- I think I’ve got enough flora focused sketchbook work to do a 100% plant-based year…
#watercolor #painting #moleskine #drawing

Open moleskine watercolor journal displaying a colorful painting of nasturtium flowers. Beneath it is a calendar featuring the same artwork, surrounded by watercolor tubes and brushes

Open calendar showing the month of August and featuring watercolor journal artwork of orange nasturtiums.

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jul 8

July’s spread in my calendar this year! I’m a few days late flipping my month over due to being on the road, but still love these pages. Nothing like the high country in the summer🏔️💚
#moleskin #calendar #art

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jul 7

New favorite way to spend time on mass transit! Another stab at curvilinear perspective, this time on the Alaska Railroad 🚞🌲
#traintravel #scenicroute #alaska #moleskin #journalart #sketchbook #drawing #penandink

Photo of an open sketchbook with an ink drawing in curvilinear perspective of the interior of the train car. The photo is taken from inside the train car that is in the illustration. The train car has a glass roof and large windows.

Open moleskin sketchbook with an ink drawing in curvilinear perspective of the interior of a train car with a glass roof and large windows.

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jul 6

Same same🧡

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jul 5

Finally made it up to the north country, and yea, I get it🏔️🌞

The world is still beautiful, even when the weather is tumultuous and the headwinds are stronger than ever before. Do not loose hope- go outside. Breathe.
#moleskin #watercolor #landscape #painting #art #drawing #alaska

Photo of an open sketchbook in front of a hedge of blooming pushki, a body of water and mountains. The sketchbook shows a watercolor illustration of the scene in the background.

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jun 17

Gotta keep myself entertained at least🙃

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jun 17

When art sells in a gallery, the gallery keeps 40% (or more) of the sale price. I’m shocked by how often people outside fine art don’t know this. Gallery rep can be central to an art business, but if you’ve ever wondered why the work you see in galleries costs so much- yea, that’s why

Serena Malyon 🌞🌛 @serenamalyon.bsky.social · Jun 17

What is something that is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?

Illustration pay has not kept up with inflation. We get paid approximately the same dollar amount as an illustrator in the early 2000s. Some of the big companies are the worst for this.

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jun 15

This is beautifully done! What a cute boy☺️

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Apr 24

Glorious day to be alive in the desert🧡🏜️

Thanks to the cutie on trail with the tiger tattoo who gave me her ballpoint pen so I could keep drawing after the trash pen I dug out of my glove compartment sputtered out #sketchbook #drawing #ballpointpen #moleskin #art #desert

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Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Apr 7

Four hours of public transit this weekend= no excuse not to finally take a crack at curvilinear perspective! When given the choice, I’ll always take the train🚃
#sketchbook #drawing #brushpen #moleskin #art #perspective

Open moleskin sketchbook showing a pen and ink illustration of the interior of a train car drawn in five point perspective

Open moleskin sketchbook showing a pen and ink illustration of the interior of a train car drawn in five point perspective, with an overlay of a curvilinear perspective grid to assist with drawing using this technique

Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Apr 6

Wanted to draw something that would make me smile- so here’s a bunch of pelicans attempting to eat humans :)
#moleskin #sketchbook #sketch #drawing

Open sketchbook with funny drawings of pelicans trying to fit their mouths around human’s heads

Drawing of three pelicans in a storm, their mouths open to stretch out their large pouches in the wind

Drawing of a man taking a selfie while a pelican tries to eat his head

Drawing of a kid crouching on the ground while a pelican tries to eat his head

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