iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Two more new prints for my show tomorrow. The Bearded Vulture was very popular, but it was missing the end of its tail (it went into the spine of my sketchbook), so I drew a tail and combined the two using Gimp.

Bearded Vulture Gryphon drawn in ink and pencil.

Gyrfalcon Snow Leopard Gryphon drawn in ink and pencil.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The next new gryphon print I've picked is the Pigeon-Coon Gryphon. People have been asking me if I have a pigeon print for a couple years now and I can finally say yes!

A pigeon-racoon gryphon in pencil and ink.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

My first new print selection is the mage gryphon which is very similar to my most popular print from the first 100 Gryphons challenge 10 years ago. Everyone loves the rapier gyrfalcon gryphon, though to me the artwork is looking pretty old compared to my more recent stuff.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Not sure if anyone here is in Atlantic Canada, but I'm going to be at Geekorium in Halifax this weekend! Come buy a print or a book, or just have a chat about gryphons and drawing. Now I just need to decide which new gryphons to print...

Geekorium, June 27-28 10am-5pm. Cole Harbour Place, Dartmouth, NS.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Gryphon scribble. Finally plugged my scanner in again, will try to upload a few more sketches soon.

Pencil sketch of a wide-eyed gryphon with its head part-tucked under wing.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Trying something a little wacky.

An ink gryphon with underlying pencil sketch twisting in the air.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

A slightly smudged, fluffy gryphon.

An ink gryphon with underlying pencil sketch.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Drew some more gryphons today, this is the most complete one.

A gryphon twists mid-air with wings outstretched. Brush pen and pencil.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Another couple goofy gryphons.

Prancing gryphons in ink with underlying pencil sketch.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

A few recent gryphons as I gradually come out of hibernation. There are signs of spring everywhere, longer days, birds singing, snow melting... Spring in the maritimes is long, cold and wet, but it is still encouraging to see things waking up.

Pencil gryphon sketches above an ink and pencil gryphon twisting in the air with a star on its chest.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Had a lot of fun with #BirbFest 2026! Ran out of umph part way through, but after drawing gryphons for 100 days straight I figured I needed a break. Here are the birds I finished this month. #BirbFest2026

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Day 23 - White-breasted Nuthatch This was a COVID drawing and one that I am rather proud of. Based on my own photo of one of the birds that nest in our yard each year. This illustration is actually included in the Wingspan fan art pack. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

A bird with a black cap perches up-side down on a rough tree surface. Drawn in brush pen and pencil.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Day 18 - Tufted Jay This crazy looking bird deserves a slightly unhinged drawing. Quick one tonight as I catch up. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

A black and white bird sporting a messy crest with wings held high.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Day 17 - Spangled Cotinga Getting a bit behind, but still want to draw more birds. This one has amazing, bright, shiny colors that are hard to replicate. Plus I can't get that black undercolor showing through quite right. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

An electric blue/aqua bird with a magenta throat. Done with markers and ink.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Day 16 - Eurasian Wigeon We get a few Eurasian mixed in with the local American Wigeon. The males are easy to pick out with their ruddy heads. The females are tricky, comparing head shape can be helpful for ID. Couple rough sketches to show the difference. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

Rough pencil sketches showing American and Eurasian Wigeon ducks.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Day 15 - Short-eared Owl When I first got my current camera I got a lucky shot of this owl. Almost all the shots were blurry, except this one. Quick ink and pencil drawing, not perfect. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

An owl in flight looking back over its shoulder. Ink and pencil.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Day 14 - Silver-eared Mesia Decided to do this one as a gryphon. Silver-eared Mesia combined with Marbled Cat from the same area. #birbfest #BirbFest2026 #art

Colorful bird front combined with a leopard-like cat rear with a long, spotted tail. Drawn in ink and colored pencils.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Day 13 - White Eared-Pheasant An eared pheasant that is white. I exaggerated the 'ear' for which it is named. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

A white pheasant with black wings and tail in pencil and ink.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Day 12 - Common Redpoll The name comes from the red on its head; poll comes from old words that mean head. Those red feathers are actually quite shiny if you catch them in the right light, or can appear dark/black in poor light. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

A finch-type bird perched on an angled branch. It has a red patch on its head. Media: pencil, brush pen and colored pencils.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Here is an inside look at my process on this one. Brush pen ran out of ink part way through. It is a fairly small drawing.

Progress photo showing sketch, marker and partial inking. Brush pen with empty cartridge for scale.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Gryphon sketch from this morning.

A fluffy gryphon looks over its back with wings spread and feathered tail held high.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Day 11 - Mountain Bluebird Sometimes art comes out meh, oh well. To think I considered breaking out my watercolors before I realized how busy today would be. I've seen the Eastern Bluebird, but never Mountain. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

Pencil drawing of a bird perched on a broken branch.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Day 10 - Purple Gallinule We saw this lovely breeding plumage Gallinule in Nova Scotia in 2023 (lost, vagrant bird). The bird reminded us of Kevin from Up. I had this scanned, then that computer crashed, so here is a crappy phone picture instead. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

Colorful rail-type bird with huge yellow feet, blue-purple front and turquoise-green back. Markers are displayed along the left.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Day 9 - Indian Paradise-Flycatcher We saw the very similar African version on our trip to South Africa. A stunning bird. The white morph worked better for my B&W style, but the reddish one is also beautiful. Quick sketch, my hand is not steady enough for that long tail... #birbfest #BirbFest2026

Ink drawing of a bird with a crested black head, white body, and long tail feathers.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Day 8 - Andean Cock-of-the-rock Taking a little break today, luckily this is a bird I did last year as part of my colorful birds series. It was tricky to get the color right; the original is a bright orange and it scanned in as sorta salmon, I had to adjust it some. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

Bird with a bright orange head and upper body and a funny crescent crest obscuring its beak.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

100/100 The gryphon challenge is complete! Daily ink gryphons for 100 days straight to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of my first 100 gryphons challenge. The pressure of wanting to do an extra epic gryphon was getting to me, but I pushed through with this phoenix gryphon. #gryphonchallenge

An intricately patterned phoenix gryphon soars with wings held high.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

With Steller's Sea-Eagle on the mind I decided to incorporate it into tonight's gryphon. This is the second-last daily gryphon, 99/100. #gryphonchallenge #art

Stylized ink and pencil gryphon. The front has white legs and wing patches and the rear is tiger striped.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Day 7 - Steller's Sea-Eagle This one has a story, the bird, not the illustration. I actually saw this bird on the East coast of Canada, 10,000 km away from its native range. The famous Steller's Sea-Eagle showed up in 2021 and is still being seen four years later. #birbfest #BirbFest2026 #birdart

Ink and pencil drawing of a large eagle sitting on a branch.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Day 6 - Northern Emerald-Toucanet This colorful birb deserves more than a sketch, but that is all I have left tonight. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Liked the suggestion of a Gyrfalcon-Snow Leopard gryphon but oof, all those details! I almost gave up on the wings. Ended up more heavily patterned than planned, but still works. #gryphonchallenge

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Any suggestions/requests for the last three days of gryphons? (No guarantees, just brainstorming ideas) #gryphonchallenge

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Day 5 - King Eider Or the Queen Eider as we called her. We dipped on our first trip, but the second time she was right beside a floating wharf. The wharf was covered in gull poop and broken shells, but I laid on my belly anyway to get low-angle photos. Awesome experience. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Ran out of energy tonight, so here is a quick, sketchy gryphon. #gryphonchallenge

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Day 4 - Golden-headed Manakin This bird looks like a fluffy, black pom-pom with a yellow head. Except when he is dancing, he transforms into a sleek, moon-walking, wing-flashing shapeshifter that moves at lightening speed. #birbfest #BirbFest2026

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Day 3 - Razorbill These alcids are truly at home underwater and it is fascinating to see them 'fly' underwater. Their wings make such different shapes compared to when they are flying, elegant, beautiful. #birbfest #BirbFest2026 #birdart

A black and white penguin-like bird swimming underwater, trailing bubbles, with light reflecting off its back.

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Still have a few more gryphons to draw if I'm going to make it to 100. Experimenting with what Cinder would look like in color since I got my markers out earlier. I was tempted to do blue flames around her eyes... #gryphonchallenge

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Day 2 - Many-colored Rush Tyrant I actually drew this bird as part of my 'colorful birds' series in 2024, so I'm going to share that piece since I joined a day late. #birbfest #BirbFest2026 #BirdArt

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Noticed #birbfest pop up and I just can't resist joining in! 1 - Bronzewing Pigeon. Okay, I drew the Crested Pigeon which we saw in Australia so I can reference my own photos, plus it is adorable. It is sort of a bronzewing because it has the trademark iridescent wing patch. #BirbFest2026

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Windswept Like the beach where I saw people doing the polar dip today while I searched for a rare bird in the wind and rain. What a cold day to submerge yourself in the frigid atlantic ocean. #gryphonchallenge

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy New Year! Here's to reaching new heights in 2026. #gryphonchallenge

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

A few 2025 favourites, mostly from the last three months since that is when most of my drawing happens. It is almost time to hibernate again, although maybe not as deeply as usual? Hoping 2026 will have a bit more drawing. #2025ArtSummary #YearInReview #Art

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Looking back through 2025 and found this chaotic Umbreon that I figured I should share. #pokemon

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Saw a Ruffed Grouse displaying in a subdivision today on the Christmas Bird Count. Hard to believe they have all those big, black 'ruff' feathers tucked away under their neck plumage. #gryphonchallenge

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

We have another Christmas Bird Count tomorrow, weather looks iffy. Wonder if we will find anything interesting? #gryphonchallenge

A stylized falcon gryphon with stripy legs and ringed tail

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SunCat @suncatrune.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Balance, daily gryphon #89. I think I prefer Cinder with heavy inking... but it is so easy to loose details that way. This produces a better matchup with SunCat anyhow. #gryphonchallenge

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