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Lauren Sparks

@wingedelfgirl.bsky.social

360 followers 420 following 1.7K posts

Comics illustrator/painter pretending to be a graphic designer🌻 she/her, age 38🌱 Covington, KY, USA🪴 has 2 cats and a garden 🐈🐈‍⬛ Married to @mtscomics.bsky.social🌿 https://linktr.ee/wingedelfgirl

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · Apr 10

Oh! It's #PortfolioDay? Who decides that? How does one know in advance? 😅

I'm a dorky comics illustrator who also enjoys poster and album designs, or anything else related to visual storytelling. I work primarily in ink and watercolor. Let us be dorks together 💖

Concept art, drawn by Lauren Sparks, for the graphic novel "Otis and the Sylva Beast" for Not So Super Publishing.
An 11-year old black boy with round glasses, black clothes, sandals, and a large backpack with sleeping bag tied on top, stands on the bank of a stream shielding his eyes from the sun.

Illustration by Lauren Sparks. An elf woman with brown skin, long thick hair, and ragged handmade clothes and boots, drags a cut-down pine tree along a mountain trail. She carries two bags, and a white squirrel sits on her shoulder. The land and plants around her are covered in snow and frost.

One-panel comic by Lauren Sparks, from the series "Cats Talking Words". Two cartoon cats sit on a grassy area in a semi-urban neighborhood. The first cat says, "The Donut Man. My, I wonder what that shop has". The second cat answers, "A man."

Watercolor artist trading card illustration by Lauren Sparks. The character Morpheus, from the Neil Gaiman comic series The Sandman, on a swirling background of rainbow colors.

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Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Andrew Turley @aturls.bsky.social · 12h

Look folks gen AI videos are out in the wild so if you weren't already being careful about sharing rage bait videos then now is a great time to start

If you can't trace a video back to a trusted source then I recommend leaving it where it is, like a slice of bologna you found on the street

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Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Pam Wishbow @pamwishbow.bsky.social · 12h

If you’re a working artist talking to other creatives I’m begging you to not hide this. I have a parter who makes more and I don’t hide that and try to be as open as I can especially one on one. It’s cruel to not be honest with your fellow artist and give them any kind of false hope or fear

Frank J. Barbiere @fjbarb.bsky.social · 1d

Many full time creatives have “invisible safety nets” like bread-winning partners, trust funds, external support, etc. No shame on anyone, but it creates a false vision of success. The cost of going to cons alone on top of hoping to eat as a freelancer are untenable, IMO.

Samantha Mash @samanthamash.bsky.social · 1d

When people hear that I'm returning to part time work they often ask "are things not going well with your art?"

The problem really is things are going well, but the world is so unstable that I long for some consistency and income that I don't have to pay quarterly taxes on

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 9h

Same!! Me and my partner both have full time jobs"pay the bills" jobs and draw comics on the side. Whenever we teach an art class or whatever, we tell the kids this up front. (And advise that if they want to do art full time, do not take on a house-size pile of student loans in college 😅)

Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Kasey Gifford @kaseygifford.bsky.social · 9h

Some 2025 Cryptids

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 11h

*person reading through all of these relatable situations, chuckling to herself*

Nick Kapur @nickkapur.bsky.social · 23h

Japan's "Mundane Halloween" costume contest is back!

Each year website DailyPortalZ holds a contest where people dress up as something super duper ordinary.

Here's a thread of some of my favorites from the 2025 contest!

#MundaneHalloween

Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Andrea Ritchie @dreanyc123.bsky.social · 2d

Although published almost 15 years ago, Queer (In)Justice by @kwhitlock.bsky.social @jmogul.bsky.social & I has a lot to teach us about the shapes criminalization of trans & queer folks has taken in the past - and the narratives that fuel it - that are relevant to current conditions. Worth a read.

Pup Victor @pupvictor.bsky.social · Aug 29

I was talking to my mom today about the narratives being run about the most recent school shooting, some she had observed herself scrolling through her news feed, and introduced to her to this book.

A tough read, but reality past and present.

A picture of a book titled “QUEER (IN)JUSTICE: The criminalization of LGBT people in the United States” by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie, and Kay Whitlock

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 12h

How sad is it to read that and find it entirely plausible, though? It's petty and childish, like most things he posts 🙃

Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Digit!!! @ Youmacon AA D2 @digitoonie.bsky.social · 1d

Binder clips are like Fallout bottle caps at my table. They're invaluable. My display is being held together by binder clips and prayers

A sign being displayed upwards by binder clips

Extra large stickers being supported by binder clips on the top shelf

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 12h

The "reading makes me smile" batman!!! AHAHAHA 😆 I hope the mini comic con in a few weeks is excellent!!

Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 12h

It's so hard!! I start everything in pencil and think about how it looks in grayscale first, where lines are so helpful... I've tried doing lineless sometimes, but always go back because I think in black and white first. I feel like lineless art works best when thinking of color first, maybe??

Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Razorcake @razorcake.bsky.social · 17h

Welcome to the 2025 Donation Drive

Check out the new sticker/shirt design by Jason Willis and learn how you can donate on the site!

razorcake.org/2025-donatio...

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Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Mel Gillman @mgillman.bsky.social · 14h

It’s a beautiful day in California to vote yes on prop 50

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 15h

Have a great time, this sounds so cozy and fun!! If you haven't found a comix shirt yet you should make one. Would be on-theme 🎉

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 15h

Literally none. 😅 I very rarely beat a thing even ONCE. I'm just not very good ahahahaha 🫠

Captain Neko 🐱 @captainn3ko.bsky.social · 3d

Requote what game this is for you

Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Kytri @kytri.bsky.social · 16h

Anyway Cloumbo standee real?

A cartoon drawing of Columbo, as if he is a character in a 2D adventure game or something.

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 15h

He'd be a fantastic desk mate 🥹
(Or... the worst, depending on how much you enjoy tangents)

Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 15h

Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 1d

I don't think I've done any for a couple years? But while I was walking around our neighborhood a few days ago I saw the beautiful leaves laying around and thought, "here they are, so if we wanna paint them, now's the time!" 😄

Need to paint some character references soon, so perfect warmup!!

Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you!! Started doing this in the fall during covid because I was so depressed drawing was really hard, but just painting something in front of my face somehow worked?? Dunno why, but it's a great warmup after not painting for awhile 🤓

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 1d

You went ALL OUT!! The fabric with fairy lights looks so good!! 😍 we thought about doing something with fabric and light strings outdoors, but I plant lots of flowers in our yard so there's lots of bugs and we didn't want them to get entangled 🥲

Did not even OCCUR to us to just do it indoors 😆

Reposted by Lauren Sparks

Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 2d

Happy Halloween!! I wanna share my favorite fall warmup for painting: autumn leaf portraits. These are done in watercolor!
(Forgot to photo the last one til next morning and the leaf dried up, oops)

Stuck a wet leaf in my fridge last night for this purpose. Started a painting then got real tired 😅

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 2d

These are the decorations you put together?? They look so good!! 🤩

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Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 2d

Thank you!! I love being able to put on 3 skirts to stay warm hehehehehe 😃

Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 2d

Every halloween I think "I should have started a goofy lil cartoon zine a month ago so I could hand it out with the candy" but NEVER think of it far enough in advance...

Am now making a calendar reminder for August of next year. 🤓

Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 2d

Weeeeeird 😰 good job voting though!!! I haven't even looked up if there is an election in Covington, ack. I don't think there is but I need to check.