iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 08/10/2026

Inktober Day Eight: Stinky. A mechanical stinkbug! I associate steampunk with spattered ink and I have no regrets. Total time: ~4.5 hours #Inktober #Inktoberday8 #Inktober2026 #stinky #steampunk

A mechanical stinkbug crawling among a couple of gears on a heavily stained and spattered background.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 05/10/2026

Inktober Day Five: Smack. It turns out a "smack" is a type of fishing vessel, which gave me an excellent excuse to slip a kraken in! Total time: ~6 hours #Inktober #Inktoberday5 #Inktober2026 #smack #steampunk

Choppy seas with a fishing vessel in the middle ground. In the foreground, tentacles burst from the waves. One of the two figures on the boat is pointing in the kraken's direction, 'cause he knows this isn't gonna end well.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 04/10/2026

Inktober Day Four: Cactus. A steampunk cactus wren for a steampunk cactus! Total time: ~6 hours (I think? I lost track.) #Inktober #Inktoberday4 #Inktober2026 #cactus #steampunk

A cactus wren made of metal plates and gears landing on an industrial metal cactus with a smokestack. The steampunk wren has a bird skull lit from within and an additional light on its leg, both of which light the reddish, fluttering fabric around the wren's neck and upper body.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 03/10/2026

Inktober Day Three: Miniature. The tiny witch from Day One makes a surprise reappearance! I'd planned to go a different direction on this one, but our friendly witch volunteered to collect botanicals instead! Total time: ~6 hours #Inktober #Inktoberday3 #Inktober2026 #miniature #mushrooms

A storybook-style ink drawing in which a scarab beetle runs through a meadow of grass and mushrooms while pulling along an orange-and-white-striped hot air balloon. A tiny witch holds her hat in the balloon, which is labeled "botanicals." She's surrounded by her collected herbs and flowers in the basket.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 02/10/2026

Inktober Day Two: Relic! Yet more metallic ink from me, heh. But you gotta have gold for a relic, right? Total time: ~4.5 hours #Inktober #Inktoberday2 #Inktober2026 #relic #spooky

An aged skull half-covered in a brass plate and with one gold tooth. A gold pocket watch with a broken chain rests in one eye socket; the other eye socket holds a shined gold marble. Three lenses splay out from behind the skull.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 02/10/2026

There's a sneak peek of day two's Inktober piece up on my Ko-fi! I try to get a little ahead every year so I can take time off if my head implodes (or other medical issues arise). 'Sneak peeks' are snapshots/progress shots taken whenever I remember. ko-fi.com/album/Sneak-... #art #Inktober

ko-fi.com

Sneak Peeks - Ko-fi.com

Ko-fi lets creators make an income doing what they love with tips and memberships.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 02/10/2026

Inktober day one: Apple! This one is waaay shiny in person and I love it. This year's theme is "steampunk," so I opted for an apple machine that makes... magic? I dunno, ask the witch. She runs it. Total time: ~5 hours #Inktober #Inktoberday1 #Inktober2026 #apple #witches

Ink drawing of a steampunk apple machine. Half of a metal apple appears to be a processing machine on the left, fueled by a liquid-filled apple slice tank on the right. The base of the machine feeds into a chute, and the processed contents are collected in a basket. A tiny witch examines the contents, which float up and out of the basket. Because magic.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 15/07/2026

Now up on Etsy: the laughing mushroom fox with his forest friends! (I'm waaay behind on getting the latest prints up in the shop!) Here's the link: www.etsy.com/listing/4538... #foxes #mushrooms #fantasyart

etsy.com

Mushroom Fox - 8x10, 11x14, or 17x22 Poster - Fantasy Wall Art - Etsy

This Wall Decor item is sold by DragonCrestStudios. Ships from Colorado Springs, CO. Listed on Jul 15, 2026

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 19/07/2026

I've been doing inventory this week and stumbled across this friend based on my pup, Basil. He's doing his best to be a spoopy ghost! Now up on Redbubble: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1823... Pet tax included, of course! #bassethound #spoopy #sausagedog

Cartoon drawing (by me) of a basset hound pretending to be a sheet ghost... but his sheet is a picnic blanket with red checkers. He's saying "rawoo!"

Mockup of the same illustration on a onesie.

Mockup of the reversed illustration on a hardcover journal.

Photo of Basil the basset hound and his best friend, Holmes the grey kitty. Both Basil and Holmes look like they were just caught doing something shocking... like cuddling.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 20/07/2026

I haven't given Basil a shirt for the last week or so because it's been so hot... So he's been hiding in his heated crate. Finally I caved and dressed him in a summer shirt so he'd come out. Dogs are weird.

A basset hound in a striped summer shirt hanging out on the couch. He very much prefers to be dressed, because apparently he's a dapper gentleman.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 07/07/2026

The car's all packed--time for a road trip to @enchanticon.bsky.social! Come hang out with me in St. Louis from 7/10-7/12! All the details and tickets are available at www.enchanticon.com. Vendor Hall open 10AM to 6PM (all days) at St. Louis Union Station. #enchanticon #fantasyart

Map of the Enchanticon convention hall. The portion on the left is "zoomed in" on for the lower half of the page, and shows the DragonCrest Studios booth location as 5C. It's closest to the 20th Street entrance and next to the NEW Ms. Martha's Corset Shoppe.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 13/03/2026

In a completely uncharacteristic turn for me, I sketched out the mech and didn't even draw the pilot yet. But also I got to throw a million colors on it and that pleased me. 😆 Sagarmatha for this weekend's #Lancer game! #characterart #scifiart #TTRPG

Sketch of a large-armed mech that's been digitally splashed with all kinds of colors. It's got overthick arms and armor-like feet.

The text reads:
Hazard Lights
General Massive Systems Sagarmatha

Artist name (@FishWithATopHat) is in the lower-right corner.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 25/10/2025

Day 25: Inferno. I need to stop doing fire in ink. It takes sooo long! #Inktober #art #dragons #inferno

A fierce red dragon flying in front of a fire tornado.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 18/10/2025

Day 17: Ornate. A little prince- or princessling dragon. They're very certain you've never had a fancier friend. #Inktober #art #dragons #ornate

Illustration of a small, multicolored dragon lying down. They have a jeweled crest and wear a gold choker. A small, diamond-studded gold crown floats above their head.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 12/10/2025

Day 12: Shredded. I love me an undead dragon! #Inktober #art #dragons #fantasyart

A green-tinted swamp with an undead dragon perching on a rock. He glows from the inside with malevolent energy and looks... very angry.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 14/10/2025

Day 14: Trunk. Today I discovered one of my pens is apparently a knockoff, because it's not waterproof. 😭 Anyway, *that* was a lot of lines to get to redo... #Inktober #art #dragons #moon

A sepia ink-washed illustration of a dragon lying at the edge of a cliff. The moon is faint in the background. The dragon's horns and wings are made of bare tree branches, and it has a crest of moss and flowers.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 10/10/2025

Day 10: Sweep. Not a good day for the town. #Inktober #art #dragons #sweep

A dragon sweeping a town with fire. The dragon is mostly silhouetted, but has some glints of yellow and red off its scales. Its wings are a semi-transparent grey-brown. In the background a town burns; the skies are filled with thick smoke.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 03/10/2025

Day 2: Weave. This is what I came up with after I promised to do less detail-work. I clearly lied to myself. #inktober #art #dragons #weave

Illustration of a woven basket shaped like a dragon.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 04/10/2025

Day 3: Crown. An actual crown wasn't speaking to me... but the crown of a dragon tree being made into an actual dragon-creature? Yeah, that works. #inktober #art #dragons #crown #trees

A sepia-and-brown-toned tree dragon based on a dragon tree, which is a real thing. Who knew? He's sitting back on his haunches and looking off to the left, with the crown of the tree sprouting from his back.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 01/10/2025

It's officially #Inktober! Which means prepare for daily art, and the daily opportunity to see that ridiculous stage all art goes through before it looks like I did it on purpose. If you wanna catch all the sneak peeks (from all years!), check out my Ko-Fi here: ko-fi.com/album/Sneak-... #art

ko-fi.com

Sneak Peeks - Ko-fi.com

Ko-fi allows creators to make an income doing what they love! 0-5% fees!

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 13/08/2025

Only a few days left... do you have your tickets yet?? 8/15 - 8/17 Times: Friday: 3PM - 9PM (VIP opens 2PM) Saturday: 10AM - 7PM (VIP opens 9AM) Sunday: 10AM - 5PM (VIP opens 9AM) Venue: Broadmoor World Arena 3185 Venetucci Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80906 Website: www.cscomiccon.com

Me dressed as Birds of Prey Harley Quinn (pink halter top under gold overalls) in front of a variety of my drawings. In the foreground two pieces of tape read "COS Comic Con, 15-17 August." The drawings show a variety of horror scenes, a witch, and a lady platypus.

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jeffthestrider.bsky.social @jeffthestrider.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Oof, glad you and the motorcyclist seem to be ok!

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 07/08/2025

Coming soon: me at the Broadmoor World Arena for COS Comic Con! I have new art! I have new cosplay! I have new snark! Come see it all 15-17 August and support all your Internet-local artists! #CSCC #art #cosplay

Me cosplaying as Injustice 2 Harley Quinn in front of a blue background with a repeating banner of "COS Comic Con." In small font, the top row says "DragonCrest Studios" on the left and "15-17 August" on the right.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 02/08/2025

Guess what? In LESS THAN TWO WEEKS, you can come see me at the Broadmoor World Arena for COS Comic Con! I have new art! I have new cosplay! I have new snark! Come see it all 15-17 August and support all your Internet-local artists! #CSCC #art #cosplay

A picture of the artist dressed as Birds of Prey Harley Quinn (gold overalls, bright pink halter top) in front of a black-and-yellow ad for COS Comic Con. The text reads as follows:

COS Comic Con

15-17 August 2025

Friday: 3PM - 9PM (VIP opens 2PM)
Saturday: 10AM - 7PM (VIP opens 9AM)
Sunday: 10AM - 5PM (VIP opens 9AM)

Broadmoor World Arena
3185 Venetucci Blvd
Colorado Springs, CO 80906

www.fishwithatophat.com

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 01/08/2025

Here's a fun one I hadn't loaded to Etsy yet--it's now up in the shop! This was freehand ink, and those flowers gave me fits. 😅 But soooo worth it! www.etsy.com/listing/4341... #art #ocean #fantasyart #surrealism

Illustration of a blue, speckled squid whose tentacles turn into wildflowers. It's upside-down, making it looking like a bouquet.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 22/07/2025

New design up on Redbubble--this was one of my favorites from last year's Fright-Fall! I had a number of people at the last con who loved it, so I figured I'd get it on some swag. 🛑 #art #fantasyart #redbubble

Drawing of a woman with a stop sign in place of her head. She sits on a floating car seat with her hands on her knees.

The same stop-sign-headed woman on a blue apron.

The same stop-sign-headed woman on a phone case.

The same stop-sign-headed woman on a tan t-shirt. The shirt is being modeled by a somewhat smug-looking man.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 15/07/2025

No new Etsy post for today, so instead enjoy these progress and detail shots from a walking house I did last December! The whole illustration was done straight up in ink... Mostly because I'm much too lazy to sketch out all those details and then ink them, too. 😆 #artsky #humanartist #fantasyart

An ink illustration of a walking house with numerous rooms and roofs. A tree with a few birds is on top of the tallest roof. Six "roots" form legs for the house to walk on, and one is lifted as it moves.

A progress shot of the same house with only the front room and three legs finished. I'm detailing another room in micron pen on the left. I'm left-handed.

A detail shot with a finger next to a bear on one of the roofs. The best is about the same size as my fingernail.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 11/07/2025

He's a little late for Pride Month, but he likes to think he's fashionably so. Now up in the Etsy shop! www.etsy.com/listing/1528... #birding #art #finches

A drawing of a rainbow-colored finch on the branch of a blossoming tree. The background is light blue strewn with clouds.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 08/07/2025

New to the Etsy shop: the amphora mermaids! These three were an Inktober piece a while back, but I'm finally working on my print backlog. 😅 www.etsy.com/listing/1394... #mermaids #mythology #art

A pottery-inspired ink illustration with a trio of mermaid silhouettes. The background is the orangish tan of old Greek pottery, and geometric patterns run along the top and bottom in white bands. Each of the mermaids has a different tail style, body shape, and hair style. Two fish silhouettes swim around the mermaids on the outer edges.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 03/07/2025

All set up and Harley-ing at @fanexpodenver.bsky.social! Come at me in Aisle 1400 near the bathrooms! #fanexpo #artist #fanexpodenver #fantasyart #cosplay

Me dressed as Harley Quinn from Birds of Prey, with a pink crop top and gold overalls.

The DragonCrest Studios both at Denver Fan Expo, featuring an array of prints and posters of sci-fi and fantasy art.

A map of the overall floor plan for Fan Expo Denver, with a number of small logos pointing out artist locations. In the zoomed-in version in the lower half of the picture, the following artists' locations are displayed (from left to right): CrayonQueen Creations, Kale's Art, Auxwave Creations, and DragonCrest Studios. The end caps of several rows are also called out for easier recognition of the aisles.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 26/06/2025

Channeling all my art energies over to @fanexpodenver.bsky.social! One week until you can catch me in my array of Harley cosplays. 😆 #fanexpo #artist #fanexpodenver

Me dressed as Birds of Prey Harley Quinn, in gold overalls with a bright pink crop top underneath. The text reads "3-6 Jul" and "Fan Expo Denver," with my tag (@fishwithatophat) at the bottom.

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jeffthestrider.bsky.social @jeffthestrider.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

That article is the funniest thing I've read all week. Won't someone think of the billionaires?!

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jeffthestrider.bsky.social @jeffthestrider.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Transitioning isn't a single decision. If you knew anything about this issue you'd know that. Gender dysphoria doesn't wait until a kid turns 18. You're asking these kids to suffer just in hopes they'll change their mind by adulthood.

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jeffthestrider.bsky.social @jeffthestrider.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Hey, at least a portal didn't open to the spider realm.

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jeffthestrider.bsky.social @jeffthestrider.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Vote no on Cloture! Vote no on the CR! Voting for this CR is voting away the the last of any leverage Dems have on this administration. You WILL see cuts to social security. You WILL see cuts to Medicare if this passes.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 07/03/2025

I've got a con coming up, and you should too! If you're going to be in Colorado this weekend, I'll be at Colorado Cosmic Con selling all the art! #art #harleyquinn #conartist

An ad for the upcoming Colorado Cosmic Con, featuring an image of @FishWithATopHat as classic Harley Quinn. In the bottom left is a drawn piece of a headless girl with a stop sign in place of her head.

The ad text reads:
DragonCrest Studios at Colorado Cosmic Con
Tickets Available Now!

Colorado Springs Event Center
3960 Palmer Park Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909

8-9 March

@FishWithATopHat

A map of the venue for Colorado Cosmic Con 2025. The main entrance, artist alley, and celebrities are labeled. The location of the DragonCrest Studios booth is in the second row from the right, in the middle corner; it's near the panel stage.

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 17/02/2025

If you see this, post a ghost 👻

A ghost kitty under a full moon, cleaning itself on the wall of some stone ruins. Overgrown flowers and ivy show the ruins have been abandoned for years.

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Cryo @cryodraws.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

I'm so deep into procrastination I drew a comic to avoid drawing another comic #ocsky #comics

Al asks if his glasses have been seen. Jack, smirking, puts them on and asks if they make him look intelligent, but from Al's POV he's just a blur. Alfredo stares blankly, unamused.

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𝕲𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖛𝖆 𝕲𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖑 @godivaghoul.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Quote with your Night / Dark Art

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AReSister @azaffle.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Denver Colorado

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J. L. Barnes @fishwithatophat.com · 25/01/2025

Another walking house for you! This one's more of an LOTR-style piece. 😁 Hope you're all having a blast this weekend--we're getting another snow storm... hopefully just a dusting this time? #fantasyart #castles #humanartist