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sacredsapling.bsky.social
Sapling 🌱 Print shop open!
@sacredsapling.bsky.social
4.9K followers 420 following 16K posts
#Watercolor artist | Turning my #OCs into fine art ✨ some 🔞 #SaplingArt

genderfluid, 30, ♿️ 🏳️‍⚧️ 🏳️‍🌈 🇪🇸 EN/ES

🩷 Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SacredSaplingArt
🎨 Comm waitlist: https://tally.so/r/3NNaJ0
🌈 Queer history zine @taplingzines.bsky.social
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sacredsapling.bsky.social
8. My favorite piece I’ve ever made is this one. I’m still so impressed I pulled this off with only traditional media (95% watercolor, with lines done in acrylagouache). I want to paint like this again~! And I bet I can even do better now too~
A detailed watercolor painting of Chamuel, a dark-winged angel with brown skin and curly brown hair, holding his injured lover on his lap as sunlight wraps around them from behind. The injured angel, Sariel, has brown skin and straight hair, with damaged lavender wings and chest bandages. They rest together in the clouds, which are stained purple and yellow from a sunlight glow behind them.
November 15, 2025 at 10:09 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
5. I have tried other styles in the past! Mainly with digital art, like either quick doodles (which I still have fun with) or more full paintings (which tire my eyes out too much now). But, here's some digital examples!

I've also done a bit of traditional and digital animation work in the past~
A digital doodle of Gabriel, standing with an arm in his hair. The drawing is with chunky lines and minimal details, showing off the fabric of his cropped yellow sweater and pleated pink skirt, and curly dark brown hair. His skin is medium brown with freckles all over it. A sapphic digital painting of two hands, one white and one medium brown (although missing some paleness on the palm) intertwined with red candy rope, with candy hearts around it over blue a tiled pattern. A digital painting with no lines, of a person drowning in what looks like water, but also a nebula. The person has white hair and golden/yellow skin (an early iteration of Ephiel).
November 13, 2025 at 10:48 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
4. I think my artistic style is defined by vibrant colors (which is influenced by having low contrast in my vision) and a lot of details (flowers, tiles, fabric patterns, architecture).

Then, I tend to make two types of pieces: narrative kinds that set a scene, and decorative tile/floral portraits.
A detailed watercolor painting of Kokabiel, a masculine angel with purple and blue hair and fluffy multicolored wings, flying down through space to catch Ephiel, a wingless golden angel with white hair and androgynous vibes, wearing white robes and gold jewelry. He has a long red scarf sweeping through the painting and a glowing light emanates from his chest, illuminating them in the dark blue background. He looks semi-conscious as he falls through the open space, waiting to be caught and rescued. A detailed watercolor painting of Chamuel, a dark-winged angel with brown skin and curly brown hair, holding his injured lover on his lap as sunlight wraps around them from behind. The injured angel, Sariel, has brown skin and straight hair, with damaged lavender wings and chest bandages. They rest together in the clouds, which are stained purple and yellow from a sunlight glow behind them. A detailed watercolor painting of Chamuel, a masculine angel with medium-brown skin and curly brown hair. He is reclining on the ground on a plush dark blue bed. His right arm, which is partially obscured by large dark pink orchids in the foreground, is propping up his body in a sultry pose. He is gently holding a pink rose, lightly crushed in his left hand. Four of its petals have fallen off, decorating his near-bare chest. He is wearing a translucent, light pink robe that covers his shoulders and drapes over his hip, concealing just enough. With closed eyes, his expression is relaxed. Large, dark-blue wings extend past his calves, and his feet are obscured by a thick pale pink curtain. In the background behind him are three large, light purple orchids. Behind these orchids is an intricate blue and white background of lace, featuring multiple leaf and vine-like patterns and lattice-like hatching. An intricately detailed watercolor painting of nine pairs of hands, all cupped in a du'a posture (an Islamic prayer) around a central circular tile with the writing of 'Eid Mubarak' in both English and Arabic. The tiles are vibrant intertwined swirls of turquoise, soft magenta, purple, and yellow, all surrounded by a vibrant yellow background. The hands vary in shape and color, with three pairs decorated with intricate types of henna (ranging from Egyptian to Malian styles). A few characters have rings, and the woman's hands at the top has a small rainbow pride bracelet. One pair also has Islamic prayer beads cupped in her hand.
November 13, 2025 at 10:41 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
3. The oldest piece of art I have on hand is this travesty xD (Jk it had heart and some early starter techniques I am proud of having all the way back then!)

I made this about 15 years ago
A lined and copic marker drawing of an angel, in very stilted anime style with closed eyes, posed centrally over black and white scripted lyrics of the song “Lips of an Angel.” The angel has purple fabric wrapped around her to conceal her nudity, and her hands are covered up by two simple white wings. She has long straight brown hair, with almost no texture.
November 12, 2025 at 11:19 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Oo this sounds fun (especially to do while resting and unable to paint for a bit!)

One like = one answer 🩷
1. When did you get into art? 2. What art-related sites have you ever signed up for? 3. Show us your oldest piece of art you have on hand. 4. What defines your artistic style? 5. Do you practice other styles/have you tried other styles in the past? 6. What levels of artistic education have you had? 7. Show us at least one picture you drew or sketched recently that you did not put on a public site 8. What is your favourite piece that you have done? 9. What is your least favourite piece that you have done? 10. What do you like most about your art? 11. What do you like least about your art? 12. Have you ever considered taking commissions? 13. Are you looking to pursue a career in art? 14. What do you like drawing the most? 15. What do you like drawing the least? 16. Do you draw more fanart or original art? If fanart, what fandom do you draw the most of? 17. What would you absolutely refuse to draw? 18. What is your purpose for drawing? 19. What medium/program do you use the most in your art? 20. How would you rank your art? (poor, mediocre, good, etc) 21. Do you believe there is such thing as "bad art? 22. List one of your artspirations. 23. What do you think you could stand to improve on? 24. Do you have a shameful art past? 25. Draw a picture!
November 12, 2025 at 9:21 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
the art vs the artist’s hand ✨

(Featuring a hand ‘self portrait’ with Eid henna!)
A detailed watercolor painting of a dark-winged angel with brown skin and hair holding his injured lover on his lap. The injured angel has brown skin and hair, with damaged lavender wings and chest bandages. They rest together in the clouds, stained purple and yellow from a sunlight glow behind them. A watercolor painting of two cupped hands, palms up in a du’a prayer style, above colorful tilework in turquoise, pink, yellow, and white. The left hand features henna, including various symbolism like triangles, swirled linquistic like patterns (although not in Arabic, it’s a personal spiritual thing), and symmetrical round patterns rising up the wrist. There is a silver wedding band too and the nails are short and unpainted.
November 11, 2025 at 8:43 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
#Gabriel is genderfluid and he loves wearing a mix of clothes! You can usually find it in either:

A skirt, with a crop top or sweater

Or a casual baggy t-shirt or hoodie, with shorts or sweatpants.

#OCLore
A digital doodle of Gabriel, a freckled Filipino with short curly brown hair, posed with an arm lifted in a yellow cropped sweater, pink pleated skirt, and blue shoes with ankle high white socks. There’s a hint of makeup on his face.
November 6, 2025 at 4:46 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
💜 Quote your purple #art 💜
Two male Congolese twins, posed in foggy purple club lighting, together for a photo. Nsimba is shirtless, with a blue glowstick around his neck. He has vibrant turquoise ombre two-strand twists, partially covering the burn scars on his face and around his eyes. Nzuzi, who Nsimba is resting his hands on, is making a peace sign and has a cute muted expression with blue lipstick and gold eyeshadow, while in a white mesh shirt with pearls. His hair is in partially tied back dreadlocks. Both of them have bright purple highlights on their skin.
November 4, 2025 at 6:55 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Almost done transferring this sketch! Hoping to get some line art done this weekend too~ #ArtWIP
A photo of a paper showing Nzuzi and Nsimba, two male Congolese twins, on a hospital bed. The room is cluttered, with two beds, shown from a birds eye view. They’re snuggling together, with an IV in Nsimba’s arms and bandages on his face. The drawing is barely visible, except for the parts that are drawn over in pen, about 70% of the piece. The paper is taped to a watercolor pad, with the pens lines having transferred graphite onto the watercolor paper.
November 1, 2025 at 12:17 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Watch out for succubi this Halloween 😈 🎃 #OC #Watercolor
A traditional watercolor painting of a curvy woman with her hands temptingly hovering over a dazed young man's face, a blue light emanating from them. The woman, Na'amah, has short black hair with highlighted tips and two red horns, with Afro-Arab features and a lot of detailed gold jewelry. The young man, Sariel, has short reddish hair and Asian-Arab features, with his torso and right arm dissolving into a feathery mess of a wing. His hand presses against the "screen" as if trying to escape, yet he looks entranced, with two snakes slithering close to him out of the darkness.
October 31, 2025 at 9:05 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
I don’t tend to make much dark art (though have a few ideas for more!), but I do have this one painting~ It was for a Halloween zine, with the succubus Na’amah enchanting my OC Sariel. It was fun (and challenging to paint with watercolors!)
A traditional watercolor painting of a curvy woman with her hands temptingly hovering over a dazed young man's face, a blue light emanating from them. The woman, Na'amah, has short black hair with highlighted tips and two red horns, with Afro-Arab features and a lot of detailed gold jewelry. The young man, Sariel, has short reddish hair and Asian-Arab features, with his torso and right arm dissolving into a feathery mess of a wing. His hand presses against the "screen" as if trying to escape, yet he looks entranced, with two snakes slithering close to him out of the darkness.
October 31, 2025 at 9:03 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Zine decision date with the husband! Preparing myself for many arguments (there are wayyy too many incredible artists and ideas that were submitted!!) 🤣
A photo of a cute pumpkin spice latte and cup of water on a wooden tray, with a laptop showing a blurry spreadsheet in the background.
October 30, 2025 at 8:58 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
#Nzuzi has! It's actually his primary source of income for most of his young adult life (and he did survival sex work before that, starting at an unfortunately young age on the streets).

Despite this challenging start, he ends up enjoying his work and continues on and off in adulthood. #OCLore
A watercolor portrait of Nzuzi, a skinny Congolese man with half tied-back dreadlocks and gold hair jewelry, with a loving close eyed smile and an open yellow and green patterned shirt. He has a few hearts and splotches of pink around him, blending with the sunset on the other corner of the page.
October 27, 2025 at 4:12 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Artists! Quote with your night art 🌙

#ArtTrain #Acuarela
A detailed watercolor full body painting of the angel Kokabiel. He has white pants and Indigenous jewelry, with shoulder-length blue and turquoise hair, multicolored head wings, and two back wings with blue, green, and pink feathers. The background is a painted nebula with some glowing and shooting stars.
October 27, 2025 at 8:39 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Stop scrolling and post two characters that bring you happiness

The tragedies they’ve been through and the way they see deep into the other’s soul will always fuel me 🥲🩷

#OC #Sariel #Ephiel
Watercolor painting of Sariel and Ephiel. Ephiel is leaning against Sariel‘s chest in an embrace with Sariel’s arm wrapping around him. Sariel has brown skin and fluffy brown hair in a bit of a bowl cut and damaged purple wings. Ephiel doesn’t have any wings and has curly white hair and gold skin with a red scarf and white robes. The painting is tender, both of their eyes closed, with floating lights of purple and blue around them.
October 23, 2025 at 9:02 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Some more old traditional ink work, from years ago~! My angel obsession still exists today though.

#Ink #Drawing #ArtSky #SaplingArt #AngelArt
A traditional ink drawing, with a single digital grey flat and two red flat areas, of a female angel with pale skin and thin shoulder-length red hair, pinned against a broad and textured tree similar to a crucifix. Her wings drape down to the ground, following streets of light coming through the tree branches. At the bottom is the word “branches” also written in Enochian, with a red feather in between.
October 21, 2025 at 1:01 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Hi all~! I’m Sapling, a traditional watercolor artist who loves vibrant colors. I usually paint my OCs, who are mostly queer and disabled—and have very in-depth stories too!

I also like painting angels a lot~ 🪽
A detailed watercolor painting of a dark-winged angel with brown skin and hair holding his injured lover on his lap. The injured angel has brown skin and hair, with damaged lavender wings and chest bandages. They rest together in the clouds, stained purple and yellow from a sunlight glow behind them. A traditional watercolor painting of a young Mexican boy with messy hair and lifeless skin, lying peacefully on his side in a green lush field with red geraniums and fluffy white flowers. An intricate watercolor painting of a reclining masculine figure with dark wings in barely any clothing, except stockings, underwear, and a translucently painted silky pink shawl. He has medium brown skin, curly brown hair, and is crushing a rose onto his chest with a lifted and gloved hand. Giant pink orchids, painted with lovely realism, surround him. Some pink fabric falls to the right side, and detailed hand painted blue lace fills the background. A watercolor painting of two male Congolese twins, posing together for a photo at a club with foggy purple lighting behind them—and their skin is highlighted with bright purple. One twin has turquoise ombre twists that partially cover burn scars in on his face, including his eyes, which are tinted blue. He’s muscular and shirtless. The other twin has a partially mesh white shirt on, with long half tied-back locs and hair jewelry, and blue lipstick. He’s making a peace sign as his twin holds his shoulder.
October 18, 2025 at 8:04 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Mine’s Gabriel right now (sorry Nzuzi, you’re temporarily replaced). Gabriel’s a skrunkly genderfluid kid with ASPD, a baby sister who’s basically his child, and is a very talented Filipino chef. Also it has so many freckles and is surprisingly frail. 😅

He/it/she/they pronouns
A tiny watercolor doodle of Gabriel pacing across his bedroom, with only a loose green shirt on, hands in his curly hair. The background is a red and orange gradient, with cropped frustrated ranting in the background. A watercolor painting of Gabriel, a young Filipino adult with masculine features, a lot of freckles, blush, lip gloss, and pink nail polish. He’s sipping bubble tea in a turquoise sweater with a pink background behind him. There’s a star on his cheek and a couple in the background and his curly black hair is highlighted gold at the tips.
October 16, 2025 at 12:25 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
The twins in a hospital in Mbandaka after Nsimba got burned! Nzuzi refused to sleep in his own bed unless the doctors made him. #ArtWIP
A photo of a sketchbook showing Nzuzi and Nsimba, two male Congolese twins, on a hospital bed. The room is cluttered, with two beds, shown from a birds eye view. They’re snuggling together, with an IV in Nsimba’s arms and bandages on his face.
October 16, 2025 at 9:16 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Inclusive #PortfolioDay #ArtShare! Alt text edition!

To join:

💙 Share your Portfolio Day post (only if it has alt text!)

💙 Repost/comment on at least 3 others!

💙 Only human made portfolios!

💙 Share this post!

Didn’t alt text this time? Start building a habit—and repost this for awareness!
A graphic of a watercolor turquoise river, with splashing around rocks, and text in the center reading “Inclusive Portfolio Day Share: Alt text.” Four disability clip art graphics are around it, one of a deafblind cane, one poodle guide dog, one round pair of glasses, and a manual wheelchair.
October 14, 2025 at 7:29 AM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Hi #PortfolioDay! I’m Sapling, a genderfluid watercolor painter and narrative illustrator~ 🌱

I love body diversity, especially queer, intersex, and disabled characters!

Comms: tally.so/r/3NNaJ0

Also, I’m moderating a queer zine with an open call for artists (paid) at @taplingzines.bsky.social 🩷
A watercolor painting of two Congolese male twins posed for a photo together at a club. One is shirtless, with paint on his skin and medium length turquoise ombre twists that partially cover burn scars around his eyes and upper face. His skinnier twin has long dreadlocks with hair jewelry, no scars, and blue lipstick with gold eye makeup. The background is a foggy blend of purples and deep blues. A detailed watercolor painting of a dark-winged angel with brown skin and hair holding his injured lover on his lap. The injured angel has brown skin and hair, with damaged lavender wings and chest bandages. They rest together in the clouds, stained purple and yellow from a sunlight glow behind them. A watercolor of the angel Chamuel snuggling a jackalope-dog-like creature with turquoise fur and pink wings curled up on the ground. The picture is cozy, with a soft gradient of deep teal, periwinkle, and light pink. Paw print stars track along the background. An intricate watercolor painting of a reclining masculine figure with dark wings in barely any clothing, except stockings, underwear, and a translucently painted silky pink shawl. He has medium brown skin, curly brown hair, and is crushing a rose onto his chest with a lifted and gloved hand. Giant pink orchids, painted with lovely realism, surround him. Some pink fabric falls to the right side, and detailed hand painted blue lace fills the background.
October 13, 2025 at 10:13 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Bringing back another very old piece, when ink was my go-to medium! I still have a love for birds eye perspective though~

#Ink #ArtSky #Drawing #SaplingArt
A traditional ink drawing in birds eye perspective, looking down on a cathedral. There are large support columns surrounding the many pews, with an upper floor above them having checkerboard flooring. Detailed metal and tile work is around, with various crosshatched shading. An organ is towards the top of the drawing, as is a pair of woman’s feet standing perched on a ledge.
October 12, 2025 at 6:56 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
More from my older art collection: a rare digital study~ I still absolutely love these color choices!

#LandscapeArt #ArtSky #SaplingArt #DigitalArt
A softly painted mountainous landscape with a dark mountain in the foreground, and a small person in a robe standing on a cliff in the bottom right corner. Before them are four other mountains, fading into a lighter and more vibrant purple, under a sky with soft salmon-pink clouds.
October 11, 2025 at 3:36 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
Today is Angel Day—share your angels! 🪽 #AngelArt #Watercolor
A detailed watercolor full body painting of the angel Kokabiel. He has white pants and North American Indigenous jewelry, with shoulder-length blue and turquoise hair, multicolored head wings, and two back wings with blue, green, and pink feathers. The background is a painted nebula with some glowing and shooting stars. A detailed watercolor painting of a dark-winged angel with brown skin and hair holding his injured lover on his lap. The injured angel has brown skin and hair, with damaged lavender wings and chest bandages. They rest together in the clouds, stained purple and yellow from a sunlight glow behind them. A vibrant watercolor of two angels snuggling. Chamuel, a masculine angel with four dark blue wings with orange tips, brown skin, and curly dark brown hair, is leaning over Kokabee. He’s a jackalope/dog-like spirit with pink wings, turquoise fur, and blue antlers. The background is a soft gradient from dark teal to periwinkle to pink, with some starry paw prints in the back. A watercolor of Chamuel, hovering in a daek sky above burning flames, with crossed arms. Her outfit is regal, with a cropped shirt, golden straps, and small intricate details. All four of Chamuel’s dark blue wings are spread out, illuminated by the fire below.
October 5, 2025 at 12:54 PM
sacredsapling.bsky.social
I had accidentally set this sketch aside for like almost a year…but now I finally finished it~! I’m hoping to paint it soon so you all can see the twins as babies (in the hospital right after Nsimba got burned).

#ArtWIP #Sketch
A photo of a sketchbook showing Nzuzi and Nsimba, two male Congolese twins, on a hospital bed. The room is cluttered, with two beds, shown from a birds eye view. They’re snuggling together, with an IV in Nsimba’s arms and bandages on his face.
October 4, 2025 at 10:14 PM