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zupiz.bsky.social
zupiz
@zupiz.bsky.social
1.6K followers 590 following 110 posts
architect, illustrator, nature enthusiast
probably drawing or staring at a bird .ᐟ
i draw flora + fauna from video games, too .ᐟ.ᐟ

None of us are free until we are all free.

#birds #birdart #natureillustrator
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zupiz.bsky.social
Pacific wren (𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴) 🌿
#birds #birdart #illustration #sciart
Illustration of a pacific wren perched on a branch, its body facing to the left, head pointed slightly upward, and tail pointing up. The background is a warm brown paper, and outlines of various branches are drawn. The bottom left reads “PACIFIC WREN.”
November 29, 2025 at 9:00 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
Sierran treefrog (𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢), one of four native tree frog species in California. Tree frogs are distinguishable from other types of frogs by their large round toe pads, which help them climb!

#sciart #amphibianart #animalart
An illustration of a Sierran tree frog, showing its brownish-green skin and prominent dark stripe through its eye. The view is looking down on the frog, with its body mostly in profile and head pointing up. Its long toes with large round toe pads are clearly visible. The background is a light off-white, with a green watercolor mark going all the way across the page and behind the frog, which is in the center of the page. The bottom write corner reads “Sierran tree frog” and has two shaded circles showing a lighter and darker brown seen on the frog.
November 19, 2025 at 5:42 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
This one especially has my heart 😭
An illustration of an adorable frog sitting with its mouth open little teeth visible, wearing big dark-rimmed glasses, a small yellow crown, and a red cape, arms and legs sticking out with cute wiggly fingers and toes, sitting next to a pumpkin bucket full of candy.
November 13, 2025 at 1:37 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
This one is everything to me 😩
An illustration of an adorable frog sitting with its mouth open little teeth visible, wearing big dark-rimmed glasses, a small yellow crown, and a red cape, arms and legs sticking out with cute wiggly fingers and toes, sitting next to a pumpkin bucket full of candy.
November 13, 2025 at 1:33 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
Black-naped monarch (𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘺𝘮𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘻𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘢)🌀
#birds #birdart #illustration #sciart
An illustration of a black-naped monarch perched on a broken tree stump. The bird is rendered in bright blues and whites, with its signature black crown (hence black-naped) and lores, and blue feet. Its beak is a light blue-black, but is rendered reflecting the light. Its body is facing left in profile, and its head facing right, with wings tucked and feet grasping the perch. The perch is shown only as delicate linework, and a light rectangular frame is rendered behind the bird, moving from light desaturated oranges at the bottom to a light saturated sky blue. Under the rectangle reads “Black-naped monarch.”
November 10, 2025 at 11:59 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
Common raven (𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘷𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘹) ✨
#birds #birdart #illustration #sciart
Illustration of a common raven perched on a branch. The bird is rendered in detail and shown in profile, looking slightly toward the viewer, with its legs staggered on the branch. The branch is only lightly sketched in, and a solid, light grey-blue rectangle frames the bird. The bottom of the piece reads “COMMON RAVEN.”
October 16, 2025 at 1:16 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
Monarch butterfly (𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘶𝘴) ✨ #natureillustration #sciart #butterfly
A specimen illustration of a monarch butterfly, shown both in pencil (below) and fully rendered (above). Three circular color swatches appear the top of the piece, a dark brown, medium and light orange. The bottom of the piece reads “monarch butterfly.”
October 2, 2025 at 6:26 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
These illustrations are from a past mutual aid fundraiser, and we're doing it AGAIN🌻Choose your favorite bird, or maybe the fav of a bird lover in your life? The holidays are nearing ;)!

Starting at $35; check out the link for more info:
ko-fi.com/zupiz/commis...

#birds #birdart #sciart #mutualaid
A rendered illustration of a great blue heron from the side. The head and neck are down and relaxed, and it is stepping forward, balancing on one leg. The wings are a light dusky blue, with dark blue feathers tucked underneath. The head and beak are facing in the direction the bird is walking, with its dark blue crest feathers exposed and flowing behind it. A rendered illustration of an Eurasian Hoopoe from the side, standing on a rocky perch. The bird’s head is upright, with its distinctive orange crest fully fanned out, each feather tipped in black. Its long, slender, slightly curved bill points forward, giving it an alert appearance. The wings display bold black and white patterns, with darker feathers layered along its back. A rendered illustration of a female pilgrim goose standing in profile, its characteristic gray and white plumage visible. The bird’s head is held high, with feather details and soft shading across its body. The feet and beak are a contrasting orange tone. The background is a very light beige watercolor wash, and the ground is rendered slightly in pencil. The words “pilgrim goose” appear on the left side in small lettering.
September 26, 2025 at 10:33 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
Chestnut-eared aracari (𝘗𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘴) 🪶 #birds #birdart #natureillustration #sciart
Illustration of a chestnut-eared aracari perched on a branch, shown from the side with its head in profile and large, prominent yellow and black beak visible. The bird has a chestnut-colored head and throat, dark green wings, and yellow belly with a red band across its chest. A sketch of the bird’s head facing toward the viewer is shown below. Four small color swatches are also shown at the bottom of the drawing. The text “Chestnut-eared Aracari” is written at the bottom.
September 26, 2025 at 5:53 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
California valley coyote in Topanga Canyon before the fires.
Photo of a California valley coyote in August, amongst leaf litter and trees, in Topanga Canyon, California. Only the front of the coyotes body and its head are visible between the trees. Its head is in profile, with its distinct snout and ears prominently shown. Photo of a California valley coyote in August, amongst leaf litter and trees, in Topanga Canyon, California. Only the front of the coyotes body and its head are visible between the trees. It is facing the viewer, with its distinct eyes, snout, and ears shown.
September 4, 2025 at 6:19 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
①③ - ‘Alae ‘ula (Hawaiian gallinule), which translates to “burnt forehead,” is an endangered subspecies of the Common gallinule found only in Hawai‘i (Kaua‘i, O‘ahu). Major threats include habitat loss, contamination, and unnatural predators such as feral dogs and cats.

#avianaugust #birds #sciart
Two illustrations of an ‘Alae ‘ula (Hawaiian gallinule), both drawn in pencil. One is slightly larger, shown walking and in profile, and is rendered in watercolor; its body is dark grey, with prominent red shield on its face, yellow beak, and yellow legs. The sketch below shows the bird wading in shallow water, with only its beak, shield, and legs rendered. The bottom right reads the name of the bird, with three brush strokes, one of each of the primary colors of the bird - dark grey, red, and yellow.
August 14, 2025 at 9:40 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
⑦ - Masked booby (𝘚𝘶𝘭𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢)✨

#avianaugust #birds #birdart #sciart
An illustration of a masked booby, standing in profile, with its head held up and its mouth slightly open. Its wings are closed but hover slightly above its back. The bird is rendered, its white body and dark wings and tail feathers visible, as well as its dark mask and bright orange beak. It also has dark greenish feet. The background is a bright blue with a light blue paint stroke behind the bird to ground the piece. The bottom reads “Masked booby.”
August 14, 2025 at 9:11 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
③ Hawai'i 'akepa - a small, endangered honeycreeper native to Hawai'i. They live high in the trees, and have been driven to elevations 5000'+ to escape mosquitos that carry deadly diseases like avian malaria. Habitat loss also threatens this bird. A rare sight irl!

#avianaugust #birds #sciart
An illustration of a Hawaiʻi ʻakepa perched on the end of a branch surrounded by leaves. The bird is rendered in bright oranges and yellows, with brown wings and feet, and a light yellow beak. The bird is shown in profile, fluffed up and pointing out. The foliage is shown in light pencil lines and is not rendered. In the bottom right corner, "Hawai'i akepa" is written, and a small yellow and orange paint stroke are shown as a graphic.
August 4, 2025 at 5:32 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
② Laysan Albatross – a near-threatened seabird that searches for food across the ocean. Due to pollution, they often mistake floating plastic for prey. This has had a devastating impact, especially at Pihemanu, which hosts over 70% of the global population.

#avianaugust #birds #birdart #sciart
An illustration of a Laysan Albatross skull surrounded by small pieces of ocean plastic, including bottle caps, lighters, pens, a printer cartridge, toys, and a toothbrush. The skull is in the center, and the plastics are arranged neatly above and below, appearing in bright colors - pinks, blues, greens. The background is off-white, with a light lilac circle behind and framing the skull and objects.
August 4, 2025 at 5:30 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
① Day 1 of Avian August is the 'l'iwi, a scarlet-colored honeycreeper native to Hawai'i ✨

#avianaugust #birds #birdart #sciart
A painting of a ʻIʻiwi, a scarlet-colored honeycreeper native to Hawai'i, perched mossy branch with a red ʻōhiʻa lehua blossom painted in the foreground. The bird has vibrant scarlet plumage, a long curving beak, and a dark wing. The ʻōhiʻa flower has spiky red stamens and green leaves and stem. The background features a painted rectangle in a vibrant olive green to frame the bird. Underneath the piece "'l'iwi" is written.
August 2, 2025 at 2:23 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
The foundation of this piece is an original painting, now in the public domain, titled Lake in a Park (1894) by Władyslaw Podkowiński, a Polish impressionist painter. 💫
July 20, 2025 at 2:09 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
Pokémon summer camp 🏕️✨
Four Pokemon, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Psyduck and Pichu, are illustrated into an original painting titled Lake in a Park (1894) by Władyslaw Podkowiński, a Polish impressionist painter. The additions are painted in a similar style and color palette to make it appear as it was always so. Pichu is in a small row boat, hitting a beach ball to Poliwhirl and Poliwag, who are in the water nearby, all looking delighted. Psyduck floats in the air above, suspended by three colorful balloons, with tears in his eyes.
July 20, 2025 at 2:06 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
🌱
A rendered illustration of an old tree stump, surrounded by various grasses. The background is a light beige, with light tones framing the stump, and the text “Franklin Canyon” is written in the upper right corner.
July 16, 2025 at 9:57 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
lil nuthatch study 🪶

#birds #birdart #sciart
A study of an Eurasian nuthatch; the same pose is shown twice, once as a basic graphite drawing, and another rendered in color in a watercolor style. The pose is a 3/4 view with the body angled down and the head angled up. The rendered version shows the blue wing feathers and crown, dark stripe across the eye, and cream-colored feathers underneath. In the bottom right corner, the piece reads “Eurasian nuthatch;” in the top left corner, “60 min.”
July 10, 2025 at 4:33 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
Detail of a Congo grey parrot (𝘗𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘴), one of the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom; they are capable of learning 1000+ words and using them in context!

🪶 #birdart #sciart #birds
Ab illustration of a Congo grey parrot. The bird is shown in a three-quarter profile, its head facing left. Its feathers are intricately rendered in shades of grey. The parrot has a prominent curved dark beak and a light green eye. The background is white with a single light green stroke sweeping across the page, grounding the piece.
July 6, 2025 at 10:09 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
Splendid fairywren ✨(𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴)
🪶 #birds #birdart #natureillustration
A rendered illustration of a splendid fairywren, puffed out and electric blue, crouching slightly on a stick-perch and pointing its body to the left. Its tail sticks up and out, similar to a wren, but it is not technically a wren. Behind the bird are two light blue, to frame the bird. The bottom left corner has text that reads “Splendid fairywren.”
June 11, 2025 at 8:13 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
slowly inching along
An illustration of the birds of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, arranged around the Sheikah eye, which is rendered in a dark blue-grey. The birds are roughly sketched; the ones at the bottom of the composition are on the ground or wading, and the ones above are in flight in various dynamic poses. There are 16 birds in total, varying in sizes, the smallest being the sparrows and the largest being the herons. Next to each bird is its color palette, which is also shown in full at the bottom of the piece. One sparrow is rendered.
June 10, 2025 at 10:48 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
Birds of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
early studies / WIP 🗡️
An illustration of the birds of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, arranged around the triforce, which is rendered in light blues and greens. The birds are roughly sketched; the ones at the bottom of the composition are on the ground or wading, and the ones above are in flight in various dynamic poses. There are 16 birds in total, varying in sizes, the smallest being the sparrows and the largest being the herons. An illustration of the birds of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, arranged around the Sheikah eye, which is rendered in a dark blue-grey. The birds are roughly sketched and rendered (it is a basic color study); the ones at the bottom of the composition are on the ground or wading, and the ones above are in flight in various dynamic poses. There are 16 birds in total, varying in sizes, the smallest being the sparrows and the largest being the herons.
June 6, 2025 at 8:22 AM
zupiz.bsky.social
Back in 2021, my partner and I designed 5 brass keycaps, my favorite being the double stair. We only sold one run of one of the keycaps, because we didn’t have the time or resources to really go for it, but it was such a fun experience. Zero lives on in hearts for now ⛅️
A photograph of a mechanical keyboard with light keycaps and two brass artisan keycaps in a plus (+) and minus (-) shape on the corresponding keys. There are three other brass keycaps on the desk surrounding the keyboard, two are a jack shape, and one has two stairs carved into it. The desk is white and a glass of water and a pair of glasses also sit next to the board. Keyboard: Tofu65 (acrylic) Plate: Polycarbonate Keycaps: TheKey.Company Keyreative Blanks + Akko 9009 (alphas) A close up photograph of the corner of a light grey mechanical keyboard, with white blank keycaps, and a brass artisan keycap on the esc key. The brass keycap is a similar shape to a typical keycap, except it has two small stairs carved into it, one cutting into the left face and one cutting into the bottom face. The background is a wood desk.
May 22, 2025 at 7:09 PM
zupiz.bsky.social
Detail of a great blue heron 🌻

🪶 #birdart #sciart #birds
Illustration of the head, neck, and upper body of a great blue heron, shown in profile, long sharp beak pointed at an angle, head feathers up and out. The background is a light off-white.
May 7, 2025 at 9:50 PM