iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Some art through the years of my canine crew. Currently it’s just the two Australian Shepherds.

Acrylic painting of five golden retrievers. Made several years ago.

Acrylic paintings of two Australian Shepherds. Made in 2024.

Ceramic paintings on Christmas ornaments. Two Australian Shepherds and one golden retriever. Gifts for my family last Christmas.

A watercolor of a golden retriever I did in high school. This golden retriever is also on the Christmas ornaments.

010

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

So I'm thinking about coming back to Bluesky to start sharing artists who will be eligible for next year's Hugo Best Pro Artist...

061

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

That’s wonderful! Thank you for telling me!

020

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

I was looking up cliff side towns in Italy while working on it!

010

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I think the sun rays in the background are a little thing that adds so much!

110

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I have finished the giant cityscape portfolio piece! The first image is the full picture, and the other three are detail shots. Countless hours, research into ancient Roman boats, and some shifting around of geography, and I'm very happy with the results.

A Roman inspired city nestled on a rise between two hills, looking down at a harbor.

Close up of the harbor area and some of the main forum.

Close up of the lighthouse in the foreground.

53111

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

That sounds like a cool project!

000

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Thanks! It’s been fun to look up ancient Roman paint colors.

100

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

The work on my giant fantasy city piece continues! Since this is a personal one for my portfolio, I can show you bits and pieces as I work on it. I've got the vast majority of the line art done and most of the colors blocked in. At the moment, I'm mostly focusing on shading.

A WIP of an amphitheater set into the side of a rocky cliff.

A snippet of a Roman-inspired fantasy city as seen from a bird's eye view.

A snippet of a Roman-inspired fantasy city as seen from a bird's eye view, focusing on a temple.

4113

Reposted by Sarah Waites

Jenny with a Green Ribbon Around Her Neck @readingtheend.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

screaming this line into the void: "Entirely too many writers—and a fair amount of readers—think that all you need is two-finger prep, a 'good girl' and a 'you take me so well' and you’re all set."

614123

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

My parents had golden retrievers since before I was born, five total, although not all at the same time. The last of the goldens lived fifteen years. For a golden, she was a bit of a grouch, but she was a good girl. And she really loved her tennis balls.

A golden retriever with a tennis ball on top of her head.

040

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

I’m enjoying the process for sure!

010

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Thank you! It may be a while — I’m anticipating many more hours of drawing little buildings.

110

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Thank you! To be fair, these are cropped to the most complete bits. I have many many more windows in my future.

100

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

I'm working on a new portfolio piece -- a Roman-inspired fantasy city. My goal is for this one to be as much cityscape as map.

Red roofed buildings with a Roman design influence.

691

Reposted by Sarah Waites

Maureen @elvenjaneite.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Another blog post this morning! This time, I have a short list of recently published books with creepy houses: bysinginglight.wordpress.com/2026/04/28/b...

Cover of "Cinder House" by Freya Marske.

Cover of "Rose/House" by Arkady Martine.

Cover of "Not Quite a Ghost" by Anne Ursu.

Cover of "The Last Resort" by Erin Entrada Kelly.

086

Reposted by Sarah Waites

Reactor Magazine @reactorsff.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

"It’s gory and generous, wry and expansive, a monster story that asks the reader to live with multiple conflicting truths, consenting to cut ourselves on their ragged edges." If you ask @readingtheend.bsky.social, everyone should read Hache Pueyo's Cabaret in Flames:

reactormag.com

Hache Pueyo's Cabaret in Flames Absolutely Whips - Reactor

Jenny Hamilton reviews "a quietly astonishing book, one of those books that improves in your estimation the more you think about it"

0147

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Happy #PortfolioDay! My name is Sarah, and I'm an illustrator specializing in maps. I work primarily with authors and publishers, and my maps span contemporary small towns to fantasy worlds. 🌐: theillustratedpage.net/design/portf... ✉️: sarahwaitestx @ gmail

13112

Reposted by Sarah Waites

Christina Kraus @elbenherzart.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

📖 Magus of the Library 📖 Painted for Magic: The Gathering - Secrets of Strixhaven AD: Sarah Wassel Yay, I have finally new art to show. This certainly was an usual card for me to paint. Loved the challenge tho!❤️

311389273

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Thank you! And I love your books. 😄

000

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

I made a new profile picture for myself to use on various social media sites! I wanted something in the same flat color style that I've been using the last few years. This is actually the same method across both my maps and the oracle card deck I'm working on -- the maps just have line art!

A portrait depicting a white woman wearing glasses. It's illustrated in a flat color style.

180

Reposted by Sarah Waites

Joseph Fink, we're going to win @planetoffinks.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

"Earthsea was better" sure, but if Ursula Le Guin was alive and funding Nazis then you would need to boycott her too, whether they're good books is beside the point

457288

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

I’m glad you like it! You’re also welcome to pass along my email. I’m sarahwaitestx at gmail

010

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

That’s exactly the type of work I do! theillustratedpage.net/design/fanta...

140

Reposted by Sarah Waites

Alex Brown 🇵🇸 (they/them) @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

I don’t usually campaign for awards, but this year I’ve decided to go for broke for a Fan Writer Hugo Award. Yay me! 1/

313561

Reposted by Sarah Waites

Heather Rose Jones @heatherrosejones.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

I love when creative people boost others in their field, so I’ll pick up the baton and note that Sarah is also eligible in Best Pro Artist. Check out the fabulous cover she did for my story collection (released 2025). books2read.com/u/bMMqp8

Book cover for Skin-Singer, showing a dark-haired woman with a raven in the foreground.

263

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

My other take away from researching eligible pieces... 1. Update your portfolio. 2. Think about putting year of publication in your portfolio (Have I done this? No, but I might go do it now).

051

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Erion Makuo has done book covers and art for Magic the Gathering! erionmakuo.com

121

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Mary Metzger's illustrations are so enchanting and have such a wondrous fairy tale feel to them! @marymetzgr.bsky.social www.marymetzger.com

The OwlCrate Limited Edition Emily Wilde Set, book three endpaper.

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang hardcover illustration and edge design for Illumicrate.

120

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

I love fantasy book maps, and one of my all time favorite mapmakers is Virginia Allyn! She does such gorgeous, detailed work. www.virginiaallyn.com

120

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Hugo noms are open, and I want to talk about Best Pro Artist! I was making a thread of some never-before-nominated artists... but I quit after three because it's taking an eon to research which pieces were published in 2025. So maybe just share eligible artists here? Here's the three I found!

173

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Are there any threads going around of artists eligible for the Hugo's Best Professional artist? Or should I make one? (if I make one, it will not be today... I've got my own art pieces I've got deadlines for)

010

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

A map I created for the Dungeons & Donuts Kickstarter campaign! Embervale is a city a bit obsessed with dragons... I lost track of how many dragons I drew in here. Some are pretty easy to spot, but I also did little dragon roof gargoyles and wall murals!

An isometric city map titled "Embervale Realm."

000

Reposted by Sarah Waites

Kameron Hurley @kameronhurley.com · 11/11/2025

Convincing you to read my novel by the first sentence. Share yours if you want. (Here's the opening of "God's War". Still my most iconic)

Nyx sold her womb somewhere between Punjai and Faleen, on the edge of the desert. Drunk, but no longer bleeding, she pushed into a smoky cantina just after dark and ordered a pinch of morphine and a whiskey chaser. She bet all of her money on a boxer named Jaks, and lost it two rounds later when Jaks hit the floor like an antique harem girl. Nyx lost every coin, a wad of opium, and the wine she’d gotten from the butchers as a bonus for her womb. But she did get Jaks into bed, and—loser or not—in the desert after dark, that was something. “What are you after?” Jaks murmured in her good ear.

96911

Sarah Waites @illustratedpage.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

Here's a town map I did for Luna Ryder's current cozy fantasy Kickstarter, The Wheel Deal! The "Old Briarhaven" area is inhabited by centaurs, hence the ramps instead of stairs.

A map of a fantasy town titled "Briarhaven." It has colorful buildings, cottages, a market, and surrounding farms.

2124