Strathven

@strathven

31| he/they | No AI/NFTs | creator of The Gray Old Trees:

451 Following1,724 Followers1,393 Posts

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Strathven@strathven· 26d

Opening 2 slots for sketch pages! DM if interested~ - SFW only - Not first-come-first-served - Please read my ToS before inquiring: thegrayoldtrees.com/commission-t...

Commissions for sketch page artwork.

Head: $30 unpainted, $45 painted
Half-body: $45 unpainted, $70 painted
Full-body: $65 unpainted, $95 painted

Strathven@strathven· 27d

I think they like each other!~ #dragon #art

Digital illustration of my dragons Junebug and Finch cuddling in a flowery meadow.

Strathven@strathven· Jun 5

Post an album you’ve listened to 100+ times. Set the world on fire~🎵

Strathven@strathven· Jun 3

A bundle of Alastairs~

Strathven@strathven· May 23

Gotta recommend Moon! Nice little claustrophobic psych-drama. Also if you're into video games at all, SOMA is absolutely masterful.

Strathven@strathven· May 21

Quote with a fictional band that isn't Spinal Tap. TAKE CONTROOOLLLL

Strathven@strathven· May 18

Dragon!

Strathven@strathven· Apr 5

Day 5: Mountain This took *so long* to ink! Worth it, though~

(An older strip, as evidenced by the character designs.)

"How about you?" Daisy asks Junebug. "What got you started as an artist?"

"Oh, I don't recall," he replies. "It's like I hatched with a brush in my hand."

"Well, what makes you keep doing it, then?"

Junebug turns toward the shore of the magnificent alpine lake they were passing. They stand on a bed of fallen leaves, looking out toward a ridge of craggy mountains dominating the opposite shoreline, rising up from a dense forest. A short distance away, a small tree has dropped some leaves onto the surface of the water. Junebug gestures toward all of it.

"This!"

Strathven@strathven· Apr 2

Day 2: Bloom (I missed day 1, whoops!)

(An old comic, as evidenced by the character designs.)

Junebug and Finch walk together in a meadow full of wildflowers. "This is incredible!" says Junebug. "Flowers as far as the eye can see!"

He suddenly recoils when he notices a honeybee nearby. "Ugh, but do there have to be so many bees?"

Finch, amused, replies, "I mean, yes, if you want the flowers."

"Hmph," Junebug huffs. "I *guess.*" He doesn't look happy about it.

Strathven@strathven· Mar 28

My gay little genderless dragon~

Digital illustration of Junebug in a forest about to sketch a ladybug.

Digital drawing of Junebug being scared by a wasp.

Strathven@strathven· Mar 20

Show somebody who absolutely rocks a hat and isn't Indiana Jones.

Strathven@strathven· Feb 26

For @gapinginnuendo.bsky.social!

Strathven@strathven· Feb 21

Commission for @unclearpowerplant.com!

Strathven@strathven· Feb 16

Dragonposting!

A green dragon smoking from the nostrils and giving a wicked grin.

Junebug in a meadow at night, surrounded by fireflies.

Junebug in a forest, clutching a pencil and sketchbook whilst eyeing a bright red ladybug on a flower.

Strathven@strathven· Feb 6

The Art of the Dragon by Patrick Wilshire & J. David Spurlock This is a fine and beautiful collection of dragon artwork along with extensive discussions on the subject with artists like Jeff Easley and Michael Whelan. I'm sure I'll be grabbing this book off my shelf a lot!

Strathven@strathven· Jan 30

Deer-ly Beloved Pt. 64: Assurance Deer-ly Beloved Pt. 65: Outro And with that, this story arc is complete!

"Did I do something wrong?" Daisy begins to say, but is suddenly interrupted by a passing Clover kissing her on the cheek. "Don't worry about it, dear," says Clover, walking inexorably into the woods. "Yes, *ma'am!*" replies a now reassured and very happy Daisy.

"Bye Daisy! It's been a pleasure!" calls Junebug, waving his farewell to Daisy as she turns to join Clover. "See you later, little dragon!" she replies.

"Such a lovely couple!" Junebug says to himself, starting on his way home. Before he gets very far, he's startled by singing coming from the direction of the two deer. "In youth from rock to rock I went/From hill to hill, in discontent..."

"Clover?" he says, turning back to see.

Clover and Daisy walk side by side, as Clover sings, "...Of pleasure high and turbulent,/Most pleas'd when most uneasy;/But now my own delights I make,/My thirst at every rill can slake,/And gladly Nature's love partake/Of thee, sweet Daisy!"

(These lyrics are from William Wordsworth's poem "To the Daisy".)

Strathven@strathven· Jan 27

Face reveal! Wrong answers only.

Strathven@strathven· Jan 26

Commission for @dex.nullpat.ch!

Digitally-painted portrait of a whitish fluffdragon with purple scales and horns. The horns curve toward each other and cross near the tips.

Strathven@strathven· Jan 24

Commission for @xinjinmeng.neocities.org!

Digital painting of a gently-smiling blue dragon against a warm background.

Strathven@strathven· Jan 22

If you see this, post your painting/drawing of a dragon 🐉 ...Or three!

Digital illustration of Disney's Figment.

Digital illustration of a green dragon giving a wicked grin.

Pencil drawing of a somewhat smug dragon.

Strathven@strathven· Jan 20

Digital illustration of Junebug being startled by a hornet.

A warning label that reads "FRAGILE - HANDLE WITH CARE"

Strathven@strathven· Jan 14

Visitant by Arsis. I've pretty much already been doing this for the last few weeks, haha.

Strathven@strathven· Jan 9

The Deer-ly Beloved story arc has concluded, and with it, this stage of my art journey. On to the next one!

Hey y'all!

The long, very long, a little too long story arc Deer-ly Beloved is finally at its end! I've finished the strips and uploaded them for patrons, and when they go public on the 30th, they'll be the last TGOT comic strips for what will probably be a long time. And with that concluded, some changes are coming!

The biggest of these is that The Gray Old Trees will no longer be a regularly-updating comic strip. It's very time- and energy-intensive to make, and I want to have the freedom to work on other projects with other characters and settings. That said, this isn't the end of TGOT! It's still a series that is very dear to me, and I have more stories to tell with it. Those stories, though, may not take the form of traditionally-inked strips of the sort I've made up to now, and I won't be committing to any timeframe for production or release. If I have the idea and the inclination, I'll work on it; if not, I have other projects I'm excited about.

Speaking of which, I can't wait to get those going now that I'll have the time to work on them! I've made some character studies and illustrations already, some of which I've posted here. There's a thrill to starting a new series that I haven't felt in a long time, and I'm really enjoying myself. I'm looking forward to exploring these new creative avenues and sharing them with y'all!

Time to get drawing~
-Strath

Strathven@strathven· Jan 4

Artists, quote with your faces ✨ I love drawing reptilian smiles and scowls!

Strathven@strathven· Dec 31

This has been such a huge year for my art journey! I really started getting into digital art around the beginning of the year, and just kept going with it. It makes art fun for me again, and removes a lot of the friction I had working with physical media. Looking forward to making more in 2026!

A digital painting from March 2025. It wasn't the first digital illustration I posted this year, but it was the first one where I really attempted the sort of painterly style I wanted. While I don't think it's a bad piece by any means, I think it's pretty clear I wasn't very comfortable with digital media at this point.

My most recent piece, a digital illustration of Figment from about a week ago. By this time, I've been able to play around with more brushes, get more familiar with drawing on a tablet, and generally experiment with various techniques for color and texture.

Strathven@strathven· Dec 30

Patreon plug! I post all my sketches, studies and WIPs over there, so if you'd like a look behind the scenes, that's the place for it! 🍄 patreon.com/StrathvenArt 🍄

WIP shot of my painting of Alastair that I finished a few weeks ago.

An expression sketch of Alastair that was posted to my Patreon last month.

Strathven@strathven· Dec 27

QRP with your artwork and share what other passions/jobs/hobbies you have! ✨️ I'm a big roller coaster nerd and horror fan! I'm also a musician, though I mostly just noodle around and haven't released much.

Digital painting of my anthro lizard Alastair out in the woods. He's wearing a pentagram necklace and an Amityville Horror t-shirt.

Strathven@strathven· Dec 19

I don't know why this thing has such a direct line to my amygdala but it really does ;;

SOMA's main menu, showing the creepy face as it appears fairly early on.

Strathven@strathven· Dec 15

If you see this, we IMPLORE YOU to post a picture from whatever device you're using without explanation.

Strathven@strathven· Dec 2

🍂