J. L. Barnes

@fishwithatophat

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

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J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· 19d

A little scorpion-crab has some quiet reflection and likes what they see. :) #art

Ink illustration of a blue-green scorpion-crab at the shoreline of an endless desert. Their reflection has a happy little smile.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· 20d

#USPS cuts going as planned.

Error message on USPS.com stating "This service is currently unavailable."

Error message on USPS.com stating "Request Timed Out." For creating a new account. It's super helpful.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· 22d

I haven't given Basil a shirt for the last week or so because it's been so hot... So he's been hiding in his heated crate. Finally I caved and dressed him in a summer shirt so he'd come out. Dogs are weird.

A basset hound in a striped summer shirt hanging out on the couch. He very much prefers to be dressed, because apparently he's a dapper gentleman.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· 23d

Stop scrolling & post 2 characters who bring you happiness

Peter Falk as Columbo. I have seen every episode... uncounted times. It is my happy jam.

Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote.

I was legit named after her. I love all things Angela Lansbury.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· 23d

I've been doing inventory this week and stumbled across this friend based on my pup, Basil. He's doing his best to be a spoopy ghost! Now up on Redbubble: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1823... Pet tax included, of course! #bassethound #spoopy #sausagedog

Cartoon drawing (by me) of a basset hound pretending to be a sheet ghost... but his sheet is a picnic blanket with red checkers. He's saying "rawoo!"

Mockup of the same illustration on a onesie.

Mockup of the reversed illustration on a hardcover journal.

Photo of Basil the basset hound and his best friend, Holmes the grey kitty. Both Basil and Holmes look like they were just caught doing something shocking... like cuddling.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Jul 7

The car's all packed--time for a road trip to @enchanticon.bsky.social! Come hang out with me in St. Louis from 7/10-7/12! All the details and tickets are available at www.enchanticon.com. Vendor Hall open 10AM to 6PM (all days) at St. Louis Union Station. #enchanticon #fantasyart

Map of the Enchanticon convention hall. The portion on the left is "zoomed in" on for the lower half of the page, and shows the DragonCrest Studios booth location as 5C. It's closest to the 20th Street entrance and next to the NEW Ms. Martha's Corset Shoppe.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Jul 2

Some portrait practice from 2024ish! I like to layer Copics and Prismacolor color pencils over each other to get smooth color. I'm reasonably certain I pulled it into Corel PaintShop Pro and tweaked the saturation and brightness up, too! #art #tradart

Head shot illustration of a Caucasian woman with bright pink hair and long pink and blue nails. She has a cuff earring ending in a large mirrored ball. The background is abstract swirls over a red-to-orange gradient; two crystals float in the foreground, one blue and one pink.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Jul 1

Midwest folks: I'm coming to see YOU! (Yes, you specifically. I'll be sad if you're not there.) Catch me at @enchanticon.bsky.social in St. Louis from 7/10-7/12! #art #enchanticon #fantasyart

A composite of two horror drawings and me all dressed up in witchy attire (image on the right). The text reads "Enchanticon 2026, 10-12 July 2026." In the upper left is a picture of a demon/ghost being summoned by a ouija board in a dark attic. The lower left is a totally-friendly lady in a misty forest with white dots for eyes and an umbrella to shade her silhouetted face.

A map of the overall con, with a zoomed-in portion to show where I'll be (booth 4F). It's across from Artist Alley and on the way to the main stage.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Jun 29

I've been madly making more sculpts for @enchanticon.bsky.social on 7/10! I've got a whole line of Pride mice on the way. 😁 #pride #rockart #fantasyart

An army of clay mice headed by a little rock goblin.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Jun 27

Some old pieces for your Saturday! I'm pretty sure I want all these women on MY side... #fantasyart #scifiart #art

Ink illustration of a woman in a purple dress facing off against a shade on neon city streets.

Marker and colored-pencil illustration of a woman facing the viewer in a long metal hallway. She's gesturing down the hall with a gun. About halfway down the hall is a napping cat, who's in no way alarmed by the gun-wielding woman.

Marker illustration of a woman wearing a green flapper dress with a sun-like globe over one hand. On the opposite side, a raven perches on her shoulder.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Jun 27

Starting the day off right in our #Pathfinder campaign. (I'm Scrimshaw, having a Very Dead moment. It'll clearly turn around. We got this.) Hopes and prayers I succeed my recovery check(s). #TTRPG

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Jun 25

Catch me 7/10-7/12 in St. Louis at @enchanticon.bsky.social, where I'll be rockin' it for the first time ever! I hear FANTASTIC things about the con, so I can't wait to see you all! Tickets: www.enchanticon.com St. Louis Union Station Hotel 1820 Market St St. Louis, MO 63103 9 am-6 am all days!

A few illustrations you'll be able to find at the con (a Loch Ness anatomy diagram, creepy mermaid, and dapper bunny), plus all the con details from above.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· May 20

This is a cat checkpoint. Relinquish your most recent cat picture from your phone.

Grey Maine Coon mix leaning into ear scritches.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· May 18

Life when you're a convention artist's dog

Basset hound Basil snoozin' on the couch next to a window. There's a suitcase and a box crowded on his left, a portfolio book behind him, and layers of tissue paper stacked on top of him.

He is not phased.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· May 7

I'm being watched.

A grey cat sitting almost on top of a dapper basset hound, who wears a blue plaid jacket. Both of them are looking intently at the camera.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· May 5

I have no idea what I'm doing here but I like it. #dragons

A dragon lies on a cliff edge surrounded by a surrealistic mix of textures and colors. The dragon has a glowing mane with small pink flowers; its horns and wings are bare branches. In the background, a desert moon meets a snowy mountain.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Apr 17

Creepy in-progress character portrait I was working on today! Hope you're having a great Friday and have a fantastic weekend ahead! #pencildrawing #sketchbook

Light pencil sketch of a man with long blond hair. He has his head tilted to one side and a creepy smile that's made all the creepier by a set of pointed teeth.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Apr 15

There's something oddly awesome about a wicker dragon. If you agree, maybe you wanna check out this lil fren on all the home goods and tees? Stickers, too! And they look smashing on a water bottle. www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1800... #art #dragons #fantasyart

Ink drawing of a woven basket in the shape of a dragon, with little button eyes. The background is a splashed gradient from brown to blue with spatters of dark brown.

The same woven dragon basket as a holographic sticker.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Apr 14

I'm finally getting around to loading up some of the Inktober pieces to merch! Here's our little button mushroom friend, newly available out on Redbubble! :D www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1800... #mushrooms #dragons #cartoonart #fantasyart #natureart

A cartoon dragon crossed with a button mushroom. He's got two little fangs and long, branchy wings. A speech bubble contains a bubbly question mark, because he's just as curious about you as you are about him.

The same mushroom dragon on a black shirt, being modeled by a young black man. He's looking down at the design, and if he could actually see it and this wasn't some kind of template, he'd probably be laughing.

The same mushroom dragon on a canvas tote bag being held by a woman. Her face isn't visible.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Apr 8

I'm working on an art book to collect all my dragon art from over the years... here's one from 2021 I never did anything with: a diamond dragon! #fantasyart #dragons #humanartist

Ink drawing of a diamond dragon. Predominately white, the dragon's crystalline body and wings have pink and blue surfaces to display its angles. It has a long, beaked face, and it's always seemed very haughty to me.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Mar 13

In a completely uncharacteristic turn for me, I sketched out the mech and didn't even draw the pilot yet. But also I got to throw a million colors on it and that pleased me. 😆 Sagarmatha for this weekend's #Lancer game! #characterart #scifiart #TTRPG

Sketch of a large-armed mech that's been digitally splashed with all kinds of colors. It's got overthick arms and armor-like feet.

The text reads:
Hazard Lights
General Massive Systems Sagarmatha

Artist name (@FishWithATopHat) is in the lower-right corner.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Mar 13

Doing a #Lancer mini this weekend and sketching up some character portraits! Here's the prelim sketch on my pilot's first Sagarmatha mech. #TTRPG #scifiart #mechs

Sketch of a mech with oversized arms and vaguely armor-like feet.

J. L. Barnes@fishwithatophat· Mar 13

It's easier to move house when the house moves. Now up as a print on Etsy! www.etsy.com/listing/4341... #walkinghouse #whimsy #fantasyart #ghibli #babayaga