J. L. Barnes
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fishwithatophat.com
J. L. Barnes
@fishwithatophat.com
200 followers 150 following 630 posts
I draw gentlemen animals. I write sci-fi and fantasy. And when I'm not preparing for the zombie apocalypse, I run DragonCrest Studios, 'cause it pays for kibble.

www.fishwithatophat.com
https://www.instagram.com/fishwithatophat/
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fishwithatophat.com
I've no idea if I've already shared this, but here, have a portrait of what's probably my only child character from my books! She's a former orphan who's aggressively cheerful and very pleased with this new concept of "paying for food."
#art #characterart #NoAI
A colored pencil portrait of a young girl with a wide smile. She's waving at the camera over her shoulder. She's pale, with strawberry blonde hair on one side of her head--the other side is shaved, with a red eight painted above her ear. She wears an oversized blue shirt belted at the waist with a tied brown belt.
February 11, 2026 at 8:02 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Made some little clay ravens! Her eyes glow in the dark. 🌟
#art
February 8, 2026 at 4:08 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Today I discovered polymer clay plus the plastic on this light create a very unfortunate chemical reaction.
A magnetic light held at an angle to display its pitted and partially melted plastic shell. Oops.
February 7, 2026 at 11:09 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Ah yes, "Under the Dome," the famous reality TV series... in which a town is cut off from the world by a magical dome.
Picture of Paramount Plus's streaming service showing "Under the Dome" classified as "Reality."
January 23, 2026 at 11:27 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Odd thinks car rides are for dog piles.
A rough collie (Lassie dog) named Odd in the back seat of a car. His front half is draped over a sweater-wearing basset hound (Basil) and his back half is on a German Shepherd (Mouse). The German Shepherd had surgery recently, so he's got a shaved leg and the Cone of Shame.
January 20, 2026 at 11:10 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Baz does not need long legs

He has... flying ears
#dogs
A basset hound bounding through tall (for him) snow. His ears are straight up, because he uses them to fly. He's wearing a blue coat because he's a fashionable pup... and also hates being cold.
January 9, 2026 at 8:33 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Art vs. artist 2025! I didn't draw as much this year because I was busy writing... Whoops. Still got some awesome dragons done in Inktober, though!
#pathfinder #fantasyart #humanartist
A 3-by-3 grid of art, with a picture of me in the middle. From the upper left, the drawings are as follows: a dapper lady platypus (named Flora) with a fan, a dragon made of branches, a Pathfinder character portrait (nagaji woman with a large neckline and a purple background), a gold dragon with a smaller black dragon in the background, a painting of a cat woman having tea, a firefly dragon, a dapper pigeon in a bowler, and a silhouetted dragon flying in a blizzard.
December 31, 2025 at 8:29 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Lies

#books #booklover
Screenshot of a CNN article with the caption "Book lovers have enough books. Get them one of these 32 bookish gifts i..." There is no such thing as "enough books."
December 19, 2025 at 12:41 AM
fishwithatophat.com
I HAVE ROLLED THREE NAT 20s IN A ROW

Please mark this occasion, because this has never happened to me in 20+ years of rolling d20s.
A red d20 that has magically rolled a 20... for the third time in a row. I do not know how this has happened. Clearly I have the luck today?
December 13, 2025 at 8:30 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Day 31: Award. Here's your trophy--you made it to Halloween!

Congrats to all who made it through (or even did some of) Inktober, too! You rocked it!
#Inktober #dragons #art
A flying gold dragon with its tail wrapped around a craggy rock. The background is cloudy and appears to be near sunset. The silhouette of a black dragon is visible in the distance.
October 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Day 30: Vacant. How's this for a vacant stare?

(Side note: She got a little drippy and I went with it. 😅 )
#Inktober #dragons #art #cats
Illustration of a black cat dragon with bright, glowing eyes and a little fang. Flecks of white and purple reflect the dragon's body, and the tail has a glowing white ball at the end. The background is dripping sepia tones, matching the random drips coming off the dragon.
October 30, 2025 at 8:44 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Day 29: Lesson. Today's guest speaker will be lecturing on the art of telekinesis.
#Inktober #dragons #art #magic
A blue dragon with spectacles and a mustache carrying a book decorated with a crescent moon. He wears a plaid vest and brown pants, and has a floating pocket watch beside him. A teacup and plate follow after him, likewise floating, and he carries an old-fashioned candleholder with a lit candle.
October 29, 2025 at 10:21 PM
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Day 28: Skeletal. When you're dead but still festive!
#Inktober #dragons #art
Full-body illustration of a skeletal dragon with white, shredded wings and a white plague doctor's mask. It wears a rainbow gradient cape.
October 28, 2025 at 8:27 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Day 27: Onion. An ogre dragon.
#Inktober #art #dragons
A large, hippo-alligator-looking dragon in the swamp, its mouth open in a roar. It's scarred and has a tattoo on its right shoulder. The necklace it wears floats in the water around its neck, and holds a tiny onion on the end.
October 27, 2025 at 5:11 PM
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Day 26: Puzzling. This fellow is very confused as to why someone's made a stuffed version of his best friend.
#Inktober #art #dragons #puzzling
Cartoon illustration of a very confused green dragon looking at a purple stuffed dragon toy in his hands.
October 26, 2025 at 9:28 PM
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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.
October 25, 2025 at 7:07 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Day 24: Rowdy. Look, you might not know what the fox says... but fox dragons say "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

(They talk in all caps, clearly. They have to make up for their cousins' silence.)
#Inktober #art #dragons #foxes
A bright illustration of a fox dragon bust framed in a circle. Golden wings make up the sides of the circle, with evening colors (purples and pinks) between them. The bright orange fox dragon has her mouth wide open and is side-eyeing the viewer. She has a pair of small antler-like horns and a few brown patches on what otherwise seems to be a furry body.
October 24, 2025 at 6:37 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Day 23: Firefly. Just a lil fren doin' their best!

I love how this one turned out--it kind of looks like part of an animation, almost.
#Inktober #art #dragons #firefly
A cute little dragon based on a firefly. Their front half is orange, with black hindquarters and a long, glowing tail. They have two sets of wings: an outer set that looks like more traditional dragon wings (in black), and an inner set like insect wings that are translucent and veined in gold. The background is indistinct green, and the firefly dragon is perched on a single blade of long grass.
October 23, 2025 at 3:25 PM
fishwithatophat.com
Day 22: Button. A little button mushroom dragon! He is as confused about your appearance as you are about his.
#Inktober #art #dragons #mushrooms
A cartoon illustration of a mushroom dragon. He has a button mushroom cap, tiny mushrooms growing from his tail, and mushroom roots for wings. A little speech bubble contains a question mark, but he otherwise seems pleased to see you.
October 22, 2025 at 8:29 PM
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Day 21: Blast. Energy blast? Snow blast? Look, I'm not sure, but I don't want to be on the other end of it...
#Inktober #art #dragons
Close-up of a blue and green dragon with white energy gathering in its mouth.
October 21, 2025 at 9:37 PM
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Day 20: Rivals. Who do we think's winning this fight?
#Inktober #art #dragons #fantasyart
Two different styles of dragon facing off against each other--a more nature-themed dragon, with leaves for scales and antlers, against a slightly larger spiked, more traditional dragon. Neither looks very friendly.
October 20, 2025 at 9:48 PM
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Day 19: Arctic. I had D&D today and still decided it would be a good idea to do a complicated blizzard dragon. 😅

No regrets.
#Inktober #art #dragons #blizzard #DnD
An ink illustration of a snowy mountain range during a blizzard. A silhouetted dragon flies over the mountains.
October 20, 2025 at 12:17 AM
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Day 18: Deal. He's kind of a big deal.
#Inktober #art #dragons #cards
A King of Spades playing card with a red dragon head and skull mask.
October 19, 2025 at 12:23 AM
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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.
October 17, 2025 at 11:14 PM
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Day 16: Blunder. Just a little moment of inattention while flying through the trees...
#Inktober #art #dragons #blunder
A dragon flies through a foggy forest... straight at a huge spiderweb. It isn't going to end well.
October 16, 2025 at 11:34 PM