Author | Lightnews

Karen Sim

@ksimartist.bsky.social

420 followers 780 following 180 posts

Creature artist and illustrator from Nanaimo, Canada. Dog-mom to a fur-missile, caffeine-fueled bibliophile, and a Tamer of Squonks! Open for commissions Traditional and digital. NoAI (*hisss) Creator of “Oliver the Squonk” http://www.karensimart.com

www.karensimart.com

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · 2d

It’s darkly perfect! 10/10- no notes 🩵🩵

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · 2d

Affogato break for me and my table manager “Ty-Ty”. We got a WHOLE CORNER! Only a couple of hours left at the Haunted Holiday Market- but we’re loving the vibes!

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · 3d

Getting my Christmas/Halloween mashup spirit on! Hope you can come say hello!
Wellington Hall, Nanaimo ~~~

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · 7d

Keep a little “creepy” in your Christmas this year! One day only….

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · 7d

Hot on the heels of the Victoria Halloween Markets, comes the Haunted Holiday Market, back on my home turf in Nanaimo!
Hoping to have a couple more “felt mini squonks” along for the ride this time too, so there’s another excuse for you to swing by and say hello! 😉

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · 8d

All set up in my little nook at the Halloween YYJ show in Victoria! Had a little time yesterday to show Oliver the Squonk around town, between downpours, and sweetened the deal with matcha and ganache.
Today’s day two- last chance to come say hi before we vanish back home….

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · 12d

Next Halloween show is rolling up! Back to Victoria, BC this weekend for Halloween Market YYJ! @halloweenmarketyyj.bsky.social
Some new merch, some new projects, aaand I’m currently a pain-addled baggie of human soup, so we’ll see how long I last 🫠

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · 23d

All set up and ready to rock! This place is already so beautiful, but now we get to ghoul it up!
Bonus! Come down for a sneak peek of the first ever squishy version of Oliver the Squonk! Perhaps even more to come?…. 😉

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Oct 3

I have some new merch in mail limbo, but with a little luck (and some naproxen and meditation apps), I may be able to get a new piece ready in time…

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Oct 3

It’s been a crushing last couple of weeks, and I’m now essentially a corpse, animated through the power of coffee, necessity, and spite… BUT! More importantly! I’m back in Victoria for the Crafts from the Crypt Fair!

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Sep 23

It darn well is, ain’t it? 🩵

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Sep 22

Some days, it just be like that…
Don’t forget to unplug and go breathe the outside air if ye can 🩵

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Sep 9

*also, just a WIP for y’all to show ye I’m still working… 😉

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Sep 9

Sometimes I like to ramble. And sometimes I decide to actually jot down my thoughts on the questions I keep getting from other artists at shows and workshops.
SO! This one’s for my fair friends who’re looking for good references and inspiration!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/references-aka-138533875

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Sep 4

The heat has really been rough, despite my efforts to “toughen up”, but Oliver the Squonk has been coping at least- and we have gotten some gorgeous skies out of it at least?

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Sep 4

First event in a couple of months is coming up quickly! I have a couple little newbies being shipped, but the most fun will be playing with my ever changing setup. If you’re in Nanaimo this Saturday, dip in and say hello (and watch the chaos!)…

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Aug 21

#oliverthesquonk #squonk #cryptid #traditionalart #pencilart

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Aug 21

In the meantime, it looks like Oliver hasn’t quite grasped the concept of masking up when the air is seriously “bleh”, but we’ll keep at it.
Seriously…. We all kinda smell like jerky versions of ourselves here…

Be well, my friends! 🩵😶‍🌫️

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Aug 21

The smoke has finally eased off at least, though the smell lightly lingers… It’s been an awkward last couple of months, but my next show is fast approaching, so I’m pulling things together once more.

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Aug 19

Ok, this is objectively brilliant!

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Aug 13

Great plan until the early evening unleashed an outside temperature spike, and a “refreshing” waft of second-hand forest fire. Fingers crossed for our Port Alberni neighbours 😥

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Aug 13

After getting most of my to-do list done today, I realized just how overheated I’d become in the house, and after some relaxing creature-doodling, the house coyote demanded time in the shade, water, wind.

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Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Jul 10

Am I to somehow create the worlds skinniest charcoal stick that isn’t hard enough to only gouge lines on concrete, or so soft that any attempt to sharpen it will crumble it like the Dark World’s feta??
Sigh….. a good sign to go outside, eh?…

Karen Sim @ksimartist.bsky.social · Jul 10

Ahh the familiar feeling of needing a pencil extender… Also, why are the “blackest blacks” reserved for paint?

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