Helen Whistberry
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whistberry.bsky.social
Helen Whistberry
@whistberry.bsky.social
8.7K followers 1.5K following 12K posts
Pen name for autistic/ace indie writer & digital artist, introvert, worried soul, they/she. 🚫NO A/I!

ART PRINTS: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/whistberry/

threadless tshirts: https://whistberry.threadless.com/

Other links: https://linktr.ee/whistberry
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whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 19: The Loss of Something Very Important

Illustration 19/52

#WrensAria, an intriguing and sometimes impossibly cute illustrated animal fantasy arrives in 2026
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of a tiny shrew almost face on but looking up and slightly to the left with shining eyes. She is wearing a velvet toque with one long white curling feather amid an abstract and symmetrical design of simply drawn leaves.
December 20, 2025 at 3:32 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
For the last #Caturday of #ArtAdventCalendar, here's a pet portrait of Newt which I did for @sadhbhgirl.bsky.social during my #PridePetArt event in June (why does that seem like a hundred years ago now? 😅😭) It was the first one I did because I loved the original photo so much (see it in comment)!
Art piece of a digital painting of a grayish-brown tabby cat with darker black stripes and black at the tip of its tail and light green eyes. The cat is sitting inside a box shaped like an old-fashioned TV set with faux wood grain and drawn on dials and knobs. The TV is sitting on a speckled orange counter with a wall of pea green wallpaper with a retro abstract design in orange and different shades of pea green behind it. There is a small fuzzy toy in the shape of a ball with the blue, white, and pink tones of the trans pride flag sitting next to the cat inside the TV.
December 20, 2025 at 2:47 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 18: The Hermit and the Tree

Illustration 18/52

#WrensAria, an illustrated animal fantasy (which includes delightful characters such as Percy here, who looks innocent but IS NOT!) will be arriving in 2026
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of a small hedgehog looking extremely cute and innocent, surrounded by fanciful, tiny white daisy-like blooms.
December 19, 2025 at 2:43 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
For today's #ArtAdventCalendar, how about the first thing I drew this year.

I remember enjoying the challenge of creating the scale pattern and look. A lot of experimentation and trial and error as with most of my drawings, but I'm pleased with how it came together in the end.
Art piece of a digital painting of an Oscar fish that has a gray face, black fins and tail, and a striking pattern of orange and black scales something like a tiger's stripes on its body.
December 19, 2025 at 1:47 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 17: A Violent Encounter (or Two)

Illustration 17/52

#WrensAria, a charming illustrated animal fantasy with ACTION and SUSPENSE! 😅

Arrives 2026
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of an angry-looking hare mostly in profile facing right but its head is turned slightly as though glaring at something out of view. It is missing its left ear, has a red eye, and is standing on its hind legs with front paws ready to take action. There is a field of lettuce behind it.
December 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
A very smol and cute murder machine for today's #ArtAdventCalendar 😍
Digital painting of a least weasel among a patch of purple and white crocus blooms. The weasel has reddish fur everywhere except under its chin and on its chest where it is white. Has a black-tipped long tail. It is a cute but deadly predator.
December 18, 2025 at 1:12 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
If you see this, post your bird art 🐦
Digital drawing of a fanciful take on a merlin type raptor perched on a gray branch and facing left with its back turned to the viewer to show off its wing and tail pattern but its head is turned partially toward the viewer. Its face and chest are white feathers while the top of its head and back, tail, and wings are light blue with stripes of black.
December 17, 2025 at 6:59 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
That thing cats do when they place a paw gently on an item they are going to push off a table but look to see if you're watching first

That thing cats do where they slow walk directly in front of you, looking back to see if you're following

That thing cats do when they smell something foul

Cats😻
Close up of the face of a silvery gray tabby cat with green eyes and enlarged dark pupils with ears slightly back in an expression that indicates he is contemplating mischief.
December 17, 2025 at 4:01 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Bonus #ArtAdventCalendar post! Not every drawing works out. Gave up on this more realistic barn own after 3 different tries of not being able to figure out how best to render the complicated colors on the feathers. Instead it morphed into the more graphic version on the right. Art is experimentation
Unfinished digital painting of a barn owl with body turned to the right and its face turned more toward the viewer but still looking off to the right. Its head and body have been roughly sketched in and the feathers on its wings partially started but its feet and tail and part of the wing are just blank against a black background. The barn owl in the same position but this time drawn in a stylized fashion with blocks of color and dots and dashes to emphasize wing shape and pattern. It is perched on an upright piece of wood, showing off its long talons against a sky that is blue at the top and transitions through white to pink at the bottom to evoke the colors of the trans pride flag.
December 17, 2025 at 3:39 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 16: A Knight in Grizzled Armor

Illustration 16/52

#WrensAria, a charmingly illustrated and occasionally poignant animal fantasy arrives in 2026
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of the face of a shaggy-haired hound somewhat reminiscent of an Irish wolfhound looking out and slightly to the right. He looks old, ruffled, and worn but his eyes are still bright.
December 17, 2025 at 3:14 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
For today's #ArtAdventCalendar, how about a flamingo... I will never see a pink flamingo or this color combo without thinking of Miami Vice. That tv show had a hold on me back in the day 😂
Semi-realistic digital painting of the top half of a pink flamingo in profile facing left. Its neck is curved around so that its large black beak is resting against its side. The background is a light teal blue at top, transitioning to pink at the bottom.
December 17, 2025 at 12:35 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 15: A Sticky Situation

Illustration 15/52

#WrensAria, a charmingly illustrated animal fantasy that will arrive in 2026
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of the head and neck of a heron-like bird in profile facing right. It has a very long beak and a crown of long feathers emerging from the back of its head. It is drawn in a stylized fashion with dots, dashes and squiggly lines to indicate form rather than being a realistic portrayal.
December 16, 2025 at 3:30 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
For today's #ArtAdventCalendar, a portrait of 4 black birds for my book, Roadkill. This raven, magpie, crow, and rook get the last words in that tale of woe. It makes me happy that I can offer original art along with my words, I say jauntily, as I draw 52(!) illustrations for my current project. 😅
Digital drawing in black ink against a stark white background of four birds in profile receding into the distance. From front to back: raven looking right, magpie looking left, crow looking right, rook looking left.
December 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 14: The Sinking Swamp

Illustration 14/52

#WrensAria, a charming if slightly eccentric animal fantasy arrives in 2026
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of a creature shown in profile facing to the left with a body resembling a seahorse and a dragon-like head with sharp white teeth and red eye.
December 15, 2025 at 2:51 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Bonus Eastern newts to brighten your Monday for #ArtAdventCalendar
Digital drawing of colorful orange Eastern newts against a white background. The newts are in various poses and drawn in a stylized fashion rather than being strictly realistic. They have light blue spots and white lines that evoke the feeling of scales.
December 15, 2025 at 2:10 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Talamanca hummingbird for today's #ArtAdventCalendar

Another more realistic painting I did for the @birdwhisperers.bsky.social monthly prompt. These take a long time to do, but that is part of the pleasure and challenge of it all, something AI proponents repeatedly fail to grasp 🤷🏻‍♂️
Photorealistic digital painting of a hummingbird alighting on a lichen and moss covered piece of wood. The hummingbird's dark wings are extended backward and it has a long gray beak and iridescent green feathers.
December 15, 2025 at 12:51 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 13: A Narrow Way

Illustration 13/52

#WrensAria, a charming illustrated animal fantasy arriving in 2026
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of the front half of a red slider turtle in profile looking to the left. It has a red patch behind its eye and is drawn with a series of squiggly lines and zigzags to suggest form rather than being a realistic portrayal of the animal.
December 14, 2025 at 5:56 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
For today's #ArtAdventCalendar, a bit of nonsense I drew while experimenting with textures. Playing around is a great way to learn 😂
Drawing of a green eel with its tail wrapped around a silver and pink salmon while a large school of salmon fill up the rest of the image. The background is blurred blues and greens to suggest water with a frame in the same colors that creates an interesting perspective illusion.
December 14, 2025 at 3:40 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 12: The Pit of Despair

Illustration 12/52

#WrensAria, a delightful and illustrated animal fantasy arrives in 2026!
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of a small mouse with unusually curly whiskers perched on the back of a hunched-over and worried-looking rat. A small spiny lizard is curled up in front of the rat. The rat is drawn semi-realistically while the lizard and mouse are more stylized with dashes and dots indicating form.
December 13, 2025 at 4:16 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
For today's #ArtAdventCalendar, here's a more stylized drawing I did this year. I liked the idea of a catfish being rooted into the mud by its barbels. Felt folkloric—the wise old catfish communing with the earth... (spell check does not think barbel is a word, but it is! 😂)
Drawing in black ink of a catfish with its head resting on the mud and facing the viewer. Its body is floating upward behind the head. Its barbels (the tentacles under its mouth) are rooting themselves down into the mud in branching shapes like tree roots. The mud and fish's scales are filled in with hundreds of tiny dots to emphasize shape and pattern. There is teal colored water around the fish and at the bottom of the image, below the patterned mud area, is stark white.
December 13, 2025 at 1:13 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 11: A Tumultuous Tumble

Illustration 11/52

#WrensAria, a delightful and illustrated animal fantasy arrives in 2026!
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of the upper portion of a snake rearing up in an S-shape with open mouth and fangs extended. It has red eyes and a long tongue and looks very menacing. The snake is drawn with dots, dashes and triangular shapes to suggest form rather than being a realistic portrayal of the animal.
December 12, 2025 at 4:05 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
For today's #ArtAdventCalendar, here's a metallic or shining starling, a new to me bird that I stumbled across somewhere (probably on here). I love black birds because they are never truly black but instead an iridescence of other colors. And who doesn't love a red-eyed bird?
Digital painting of a metallic starling, a medium-sized songbird that appears black but is shining here with subtle shades of green and purple. It has a vivid red eye and gray beak and is perched on a branch against a dark, starry sky.
December 12, 2025 at 1:22 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
🎃🐸
Whimsical digital drawing of a tiny orange frog in the bottom left hand corner sniffing at a bunch of tiny blue flowers. Other bunches of flowers are falling from the upper right corner in a loose line toward the frog. The background is mostly black with hints of a deep blue toward the top.
December 12, 2025 at 4:37 AM
whistberry.bsky.social
Tried showing one of those bird, squirrel, chipmunk videos on my laptop to my cat who was perched beside me and now he is running around the room looking for all the things that dashed in and out of camera and I feel really bad :(

Gaslighting my own cat 😭
Photo of a buff orange tabby cat sitting on the floor next to a purple fleece blanket and looking confused.
December 11, 2025 at 4:40 PM
whistberry.bsky.social
Chapter 10: Wandering in the Wasteland

Illustration 10/52

#WrensAria, a charming and illustrated animal fantasy novel arriving in 2026
Digital drawing in white ink against a black background of an armadillo facing the viewer and leaning protectively over a pangolin which is curled up on the ground. The armadillo's shell is a series of dots and the pangolin is made up of wavy dashed lines indicating their form rather than being realistic portrayals of the animals.
December 11, 2025 at 2:51 PM