Sign in

Amelia K. Bates

@ameliakb.bsky.social
57 followers 69 following 17 posts

✦ senior designer at Grist dot org [posts & opinions are my own] ✦ illustrator & craft goblin 🐌 ✦ fuck AI portfolio ☞ ameliabates.art

PostsRepliesMedia
Amelia K. Bates @ameliakb.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
One of my coworkers wrote about the late Wendell Berry and I jumped on the chance to do a portrait of him. I don't often get to do portraits at work, so being able to draw this (and with traditional media!) was a pleasure.
Colored pencil portrait of Wendell Berry with clouds and stars above him, and falling leaves and a wood duck in flight on either side
100
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
teagan white @teaganwhite.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Echoes • 16” x 30” • gouache & watercolor on paper Based on my 2024 residency in the wilderness of Minong (Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior)
greyscale painting of a sandhill crane among burned trees with fireweed silhouettes as silhouettes in the foreground
13868245
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Reports From Unknown Places @clever-reports.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
We report: last week, we stood outside at night for hours on end during the peak of the Perseids. Tonight, the sky is even clearer, and we would do it again - had the temperature not dropped by half since. Even our jacket feels a little flimsy after a few minutes of staring up.
Digital painting of the Milky Way framed by some brightly lit branches. The leaves on the branches are green, pale yellow and brown in certains spots. The sky is full of stars.
013349
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Olivia When @oliviawhen.com · 21/08/2026
I feel sad I can’t make other people understand what I find endearing about unpolished things and human fumbling. I feel like people gave up so much it can’t even be properly accounted for, and for what?
A yellow dog is resting their head on a table peeking over at many rough drawings. There are lots of little dogs, some doing magic, some with health bars, one with a sword. There's a big sun, clouds, and grass to denote the environment. 

Text reads: "I like every placeholder drawing even if you hate it."
336968
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Olivia When @oliviawhen.com · 21/08/2026
Doggust day 20: Some things lost to AI. 📝 #doggust2026
A yellow dog is amazed looking at a poster on a pillar that says "graphic design". Below is a close up of the poster. There's a yellow dog on it at an old computer an the text above says either "graphic design is my passion" or "graphic design my is passion." It's unclear, due to the graphic design. There are several pull tabs below that just say "help." 

Text reads: "I like every weird handmade poster."
43427819
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Lucy @lucyxiv.boontavista.com · 21/08/2026
exploding a data center is not enough. I need to hear ChatGPT die while saying it’s afraid like in 2001
161787495
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Samantha Mash @samanthamash.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Now that Pomona is settling, the financial crunch of her illnesses has hit my bank account. We are down nearly $2500 after all the vet visits, which is a little mind boggling So I'm hosting a "We Love Pom" 25% off everything sale at my shop: samanthamash.etsy.com Please share if you can🧡
Photo of a gray kitten with medium length hair laying on prints and stickers of art with her tongue out a littlePhoto of a gray kitten with medium length hair playing with prints and stickers of art
3360267
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Samantha Mash @samanthamash.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Did this piece recently for Mother Jones for their article "Should We Kill One Kind of Owl To Save Another?" You can read it here if you wan to learn more about this issue that is impacting wildlife in the Pacific Northwest www.motherjones.com/environment/...
An illustration of a Northern Spotted Owl and a Barred owl clashing in a dark moonlit wooded space over a long red string that they each pull on as it wraps around their bodies and the enviornment
7703185
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
mothcub @mothcub.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Shan't be doing anything.
A girl stands, peacefully smiling. Text reads: "I don't want to do anything ever again in my life thank you I won't be doing anything".
342541154
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Jesspooka Kant 🎃 @jessdkant.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
A lot of people don’t realize the dust bowl wasn’t a natural phenomenon. It happened when agrobusiness interests dramatically transformed the plains without regard for drought, and created vicious dust storms that choked whole families to death. That’s what I think of when I read about data centers.
352232976641
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Rob Sheridan @rob-sheridan.com · 20/07/2026
MULDER [slapping down plane tix]: Hope you packed your rain coat, Scully. SCULLY: Seattle? Mulder it's the weekend, what- MULDER [handing her a file] Confirmed sightings, Scully. This is big SCULLY [eyes wide]: My God Mulder, what am I looking at here? MULDER: The locals are calling it.. JIMOTHY
4375571671
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Matt Emmons @secondatbest.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Oh to be an opossum getting a hug from a ghost
3615184
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 06/07/2026
Heat waves. Thanks to @climateadam.bsky.social's most recent video, which helped inform this comic and gave me the kick I needed to make it.
2126811543
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Laura Jedeed @laurajedeed.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Hot take: lecturing people about their a/c use and commercial airplane flights is a psyop to make us feel climate doom instead of climate rage
9510184
Amelia K. Bates @ameliakb.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
I've followed Samantha's work for years & I'm so happy that she was available to work with me on this project. She was a delight to work with, so patient with the many edits that happen with these kinds of projects, & the art is just stunning. I hope we can work together again in the future!
110
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Carey Pietsch @careydraws.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
No, seriously, #makeaterriblecomicday #makeaterriblecomicday2026
You used to draw because it was fun, right? 
When did you stop?
How can you get that feeling back?
No, I’m serious.
If drawing isn’t play for you anymore, why?
And, more importantly:
What are you going to do about it?
271595556
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Reports From Unknown Places @clever-reports.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
We report: there is a warm bit of wind tonight, but in comparison to the daytime temperatures, it feels like a crisp one. We find goosebumps on our arms. All of the outside smells have been stripped down to their earthiest components: hot dust, dry grass, salt.
Digital painting of a dusk landscape: long, dark blue clouds stacked on top of one another, distant mountains in the dark, and in the foreground, tall grass lit yellow from outside of the frame.
013543
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Kasey Gifford @kaseygifford.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
What the fuck is it good for? Im asking sincerely. Medical people say its shit for diagnosing, its utter garbage for creative fields, it cannot teach and hallucinates false answers, programmers have to fix its code half the time, businesses find it doesn't help productivity and it causes psychosis.
15547432046
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Knits With Cats @knitswithcats.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
A photo of algae with white letters in the upper left: Pantene Color of the year 2026 and a paint chip appearing box with a solid block the color of the algae labeled Pantone #658a2a American Flag Blue.
7590032478
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Kurbs @kkurbs.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Please Use AI
PLEASE USE AI
Shawn Smucker
Be sure to use Al when making your next, I don't know, meal plan, for example. Definitely do not call your friend who loves to cook and ask her for her favorite recipes or tips or ways to save time making meals, because you will end
up talking for longer than you had hoped, hearing, perhaps, about her father's cancer diagnosis or how lonely she's been or even what she's planted in her spring garden and then lost with the early frost.
77181416122
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
alice @aliceduke.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
nest builder process - without the hours of dithering about lighting
14111
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
The Sun, XIX |shop & comms open @thesunxix.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
It’s pride month. Time to hire my trans ass and buy my trans art linktr.ee/thesunxix #art #illustration #pride #shopsmall
Picture of some bookmarks and t shirts with the same printed illustration on them of a woman sitting suspended on threads Picture of op’s top surgery congratulation card designDigital illustration of a crowd of people carrying a huge poppy flower together. The people all have different skin tones. The woman in the front left side, sustaining the poppy by one of the petals with one hand is in a dark green Kurdish YPJ uniform and military boots. Behind her is a parent with their child on their shoulders, also sustaining the petals, and further behind two dancers. There is also an old man carrying a newspaper under his arm. Further back on the right side, holding the stem, a woman with a red cloak with her hand on a child’s shoulder. The child is playing guitar and singing. In front of them another woman has her hand on a child’s shoulder, who is walking assisted by crutches. There is also a man playing he trumpet and a woman with a dachshund on her leash, and another wearing a keffyeh. Further back from left to right there is a pregnant woman, some old men, also singing, and a group of black women, one with an Afro, one with a shaved head and one with braids. Lastly, in the center, there is a person wearing a safety hat who is holding onto a string connected to a white, red and green kite with keffyeh patterns.
The whole illustration has this palette of black, red, and different greens, and the texture reminds colored pencils and pastel.Picture of op’s art prints, original drawings and paintings and stickers scattered together on a desk
25519
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Róisín 🏳️‍⚧️ @roisin.northsky.social · 02/06/2026
In an unexpected move, Mohammed Ben Sulayem's FIA have decided to celebrate Pride Month by removing straight zones for this week's Monaco grand prix. No straight mode allowed this weekend in Monaco. Happy Pride!
gpfans.com
Why is there no straight mode for the Monaco Grand Prix?
Straight mode has been a feature of F1 in 2026 so far, but it will not be present at the Monaco Grand Prix
07221
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
The Sun, XIX |shop & comms open @thesunxix.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Happy Pride, fuck the police, prisons shouldn’t exist, borders are stupid, wars are even stupider, resisting colonial violence with violence is resistance. Queer people are the most revolutionary out of all peoples. #pride #illustration #art #queer
An illustration of a pride protest. Queer people of all skin colors, ethnicities and body types run from left to right. The person in the middle, with olive colored skin and white hair buzzed short, tattoos and big pink boots is carrying the progress flag and wearing a keffyeh. The black woman beside them, wearing purple jeans and a red bralette, with hair in braids, is speaking into a megaphone and yet another white person beside them with top surgery scars is holding a sign with the words “the first pride was a riot” on it. There’s also a drag queen, with a big pink wig and dress, a woman wearing a hijab, a black woman on a wheelchair, a man with cochlear implants with his raised fist in the air, and many more people. Lots of them are holding bricks and high heeled shoes. 
0441173
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
🌜Sara Kipin🌛 🔜 LBX Table #629 @sarakipin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
I think we’re long past the “ai bad because of stealing” argument and fully in the “ai is also actively and tangibly destroying our planet why are you even trying to use it as an art tool at this point” stage
6786703734
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Marianne Martin @mariannemartin.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Artists, it looks like Adobe might be doing very questionable things at the moment by auto-enrolling you into a more expensive AI-heavy "pro" plan (potentially even charging you for opting out after the fact, which I should hope is illegal). Be vigilant 🧵 see further posts below
4823632
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Brandon “Bouncing Beebles" Kirkman @kirkmanbrandon.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
I feel like this one image alone solidifies why I’ll never understand AI: this little guy was made by a human, centuries ago, but but now their art still exists. They’ve personified their love of making a little guy for people to still experience, this was a part of them they made and lived on
6518157
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Do donate, however, directly to member stations, which is where much of the journalism happens anyway.
316980
Amelia K. Bates @ameliakb.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
probably the silliest and most fun illustration I've done in a while, thanks to @trueref.bsky.social. I'd forgotten how much I love figure drawing and it was so nice to enjoy drawing (for myself) again #TrueRefDT013
illustration of a reclining female figure with the head of a minnow
432168
Amelia K. Bates @ameliakb.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
latest freelance work: some #sciart for a postdoc to use in presentations. because of a lot of work I've done for Grist, I am now an infectious disease artist
digital illustration with oil pumpjacks, fungal spores, mosquitoes, and ticks in a desert setting
030
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
DBJ @deadblossomjesse.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
7 dollar gas. Well, I guess I'll buy an electric car. Oh those are 60 thousand dollars? Well at least electricity is cheap. Oh the government won't build solar panels because it's "Too transgender"? Well at least wages are going up. Oh the idea of jobs is fake now? Well at least everyone is happ
361161063788
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Olivia When @oliviawhen.com · 02/05/2026
Job hunting in a hostile environment. ✨
A three panel comic done in mostly a blue-purple ink. Frame 1: The artist, a tired person with their hair in a bun and a bag on their shoulder standing in the awning of a bus shelter. There's an ad on it that says "STOP HIRING HUMANS", above a woman whose face has been replace with the word "AI".
Frame 2: The bus comes, it's wrapped in an ad that also says "STOP HIRING HUMANS." The artist has a blank look. 
Frame 3: A plane has now arrived above the bus and the human. It's carrying an ad banner that also says "STOP HIRING HUMANS".
81175415577
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
𝔾𝕆ℝ𝔸ℕ @gorangligovic.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Not that either of the options is good or healthy but frankly I think using ai for inspirarion and reference is even worse than letting it render stuff out. I think the initial kernel is the most personal thing, what you choose to depict and how; fighting your improficiencies to get it out
14675135
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Julia Serano @juliaserano.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
if Anita Bryant was still alive and promoting Florida orange juice, you couldn't pay me enough to drink it. how is Harry Potter any different? here is a timeline of JK Rowling's transphobia: web.archive.org/web/20241225... & here is where her HP money is going: www.advocate.com/news/jk-rowl...
advocate.com
J.K. Rowling uses Harry Potter wealth to fund anti-transgender organization
This is where "Harry Potter" profits are going.
3123811115
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Gretchen Felker-Martin PRE ORDER CHIMERA 2.16.27 🍉 @scumbelievable.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
boiling the planet and all of us alive to make games look more like those cellphone apps that steal your data while showing you airbrushed catalog models saying "I'm pregnant, and it's the king's!"
8815187
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
DREW WISE @drewwise.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
🩷 ɪᴛ'ꜱ ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴇꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ! 🩷
71178544909
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
hunter 🪚🥩 @fleshatronach.bsky.social · 30/01/2024
8847260
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
A massive bloom of rimu berries in New Zealand fueled a mating surge among the critically endangered Kākāpō. spklr.io/6044E87xp 📸: New Zealand Department of Conservation
The team hopes enough chicks will survive this year to bring the world Kākāpō population to 300—a major milestone for a species that was teetering with just 51 individuals in 1995.
191420334
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Kim Myatt⁷ @ysvyri.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
I need another 2000 views on my videos in the next week to remain monetised after I took time off to grieve for my dad. Here's a link to my most popular video, so you might enjoy it if you give it a watch; youtu.be/n-mCCaaxQH8
11364192
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Hartford Yarn Works @hartfordyarnworks.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Just me? Loving this as one of the new styles of subversive Crosstitch kits we just got in…. Feels relatable. Hartfordyarnworks.com #Crosstitch #SubversiveCrosstitch #ShopSmall #FiberArts #SmallBusiness #Subversive #Craft #Crafts #Needlepoint
A picture of a cross stitch kit, which looks in the style of old-fashioned Crosstitch samplers.  This one says live, laugh, love all of which have been crossed out and below it instead it says stab, stab, stab!
14610
Amelia K. Bates @ameliakb.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Show your range ✨ (silly portrait of my dog vs. scientific illo for work vs. embroidery art)
A goofy illustration of a dog with its tongue out, with colorful circles behind itHighly detailed realistic digital illustration of an Aedes aegypti mosquitoDetailed realistic embroidery art of an orange tabby cat on peach colored fabric
020
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Hartford Yarn Works @hartfordyarnworks.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
We’ve restocked several styles and added a bunch of new styles of Subversive Cross stitch kits!!! Find them at hartfordyarnworks.com #Crosstitch #Subversive #SubversiveCrosstitch #crafts #shopsmall
A Crosstitch kit that says “nobody thought the revolution would start in Minneapolis… Except Prince “A Crosstitch kit that says “what a fucked up time to be alive. “A Crosstitch kit that says “roosters wake up and scream because they know “They cross stitch kit that says “this too shall pass, but like holy fuck “
3550187
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
The Sun, XIX |shop & comms open @thesunxix.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Hope this happens soon ☺️ (This is the illustration for March’s A6 print for the Patreon mail club!) #illustration #digitalart #art
A parade of animals. 
The animals are all wearing masks, except a raccoon and seagull, wearing nothing, and a pig wearing a balaclava.
Some mice are carrying a body bag covered in tarp and secured with scotch tape and rope, to their left a fox and raccoon carry two money bags on their backs. A grey wolf carries a crown, and next a red cat is carrying an ornate plate with Donald Trump’s head on it. Just above it, a seagull is shitting on the same head. Besides them, a pig is carrying a decorated scepter.
The image is framed by two flowers with overreaching vines, and under it the text “we are all in this together”.
24419
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Remember the LMAO @ass.golf · 28/02/2026
Demented Old Pedophile Assaults Iran To Distract From His Pedophilia
320743
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
David Lynch saying ‘One day, the sadness will end. But I don’t think today’s the day.’
1068581868
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Harriet - Pumpkin Spite @akaharriet.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
we can kill them all if we just work together and ✨believe💫
Headline: "Microsoft Scales Back AI Goals Because Almost Nobody Is Using Copilot" by Jan Martindale Dec. 10 2025
246228798269
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 14/02/2026
I strongly feel that fundraisers should rely more on pettiness.
1138889
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Pip Wren @lollibeepop.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Happy Valentines day! 🩷🎀✨️ Aside from the people in my life, my biggest love has always been the creatures on our planet
An illustration of a Valentines of a Horseshoe Crab that says "Never change"
- described as living fossils, these arthropods have been around for over 250-300 million years with little changes (with similar fossils dating back to 450 million year). While "crab" is in their name, they are actually not crustacians and are more closely related to arachnids.An illustration of a valentines card with a dung beetle that says "love the shit out of you".
- (this one is specifically the flattened giant dung beetle): these scarab beetles are found all over the world except for Antarctica. They use animal droppings for food and a place to lay their eggs (so their babies will awaken to a delicious meal!). Dung beetles are usually separated into three categories: tunnelers, rollers, and dwellers depending on how they interact with the dung.An illustration of a valentines with a Sea Pig that says "Hit by cupigs arrow".
- (or Scotoplanes): these are a species of sea cucumber that live in the deep sea. The Sea Pig got its name from its pink colored body and its interaction with the muddy sea floor. They spend their days searching through the mud looking for pieces of dead algae and animals to consume. You can find large amounts of them gathered at whale falls.An illustration of a valentines with a Bombardier Beetle that says "my love for you is explosive!"
- (this one is specifically Pheropsophus verticalis): an excerpt taken from Australian.museum, "When threatened, the Bombardier Beetle uses a special gland at its rear end to mix together two chemicals, resulting in an explosion with a loud popping noise. The beetle produces temperatures of over 100 oC in the gland, which acts as a specialised, reinforced explosion chamber. Up to 80 explosions may be produced over a four-minute period."
I highly recommend watching a video or reading up more on these guys, they're very cool.
2320127
Reposted by Amelia K. Bates
Koboldscrossing @koboldscrossing.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
happy valentines day send this to your lover or someone you hate
A wonky car with the text “you drive me crazy”
210220