Liiga Smilshkalne
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liiga.bsky.social
Liiga Smilshkalne
@liiga.bsky.social
7.7K followers 520 following 2.2K posts
Artist from the mysterious and far away land of Latvia. Mostly drawing for Magic: The Gathering these days. Big on shinies and coffee.
She/her

Prints: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/liiga/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/liiga_s_art
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liiga.bsky.social
Liiga Smilshkalne @liiga.bsky.social · Jan 14
Hi #portfolioday ! I'm Liiga and I do freelance illustration.
My focus is on dreamlike imagery and spells, though I'm no stranger to characters and the occasional scenery.

I've done work for Magic: The Gathering, Android:Netrunner, Bella Sara etc.

🎨 liiga.artstation.com
✉️ smilshkalne@hotmail.com
Illustration for the card "Magma Opus" shows a giant spell in the shape of an elephant that aggressively combines ice and fire magic. A drawing of a rabbit standing in the middle of a whole lot of sweet peas that have started growing over massive swords impaled into the ground. A giant green "flower" explodes atop of a tall mountain and streams of green mana wash down its side, sprouting star flowers as they go. An illustration of the big bad of Magic's Duskmourn set, Valgavoth, enmothifying literally everything. There's a planet inside golden threads and the oceans of the planet are in the shape of a hand and a face pressed against a round glass marble. Going outwards, moths shaped a little like nebulae fly out of their golden 'cocoons', leaving glitchy trails in their wake.
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
darktarou.bsky.social
My entry for Regaliazine! It's truly a delight to see a monster themed zine with so much spooky and sexy art in it!😤🖤✨
November 14, 2024 at 11:15 AM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
liiga.bsky.social
Merry Christmas from Bucha and myself!
A (digitally ensparkled) photo of Bucha - a half asleep himalayan cat - wearing a santa hat.
December 25, 2025 at 1:20 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Merry Christmas from Bucha and myself!
A (digitally ensparkled) photo of Bucha - a half asleep himalayan cat - wearing a santa hat.
December 25, 2025 at 1:20 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Hey artists!! Post some art you made from before Bluesky!! 🎨

This is from... oh wow 2016, didn't think it was that old. Time fies.. ..LIKE OWLS!
A digital painting of a puffed up owl trying to look threatening and not at all cute (which is not easy when you're a puffed up owl, they get so fluffy). It was drawn for Android:Netrunner by Fantasy Flight Games.
December 21, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
wsstamey.bsky.social
Becoming a bog witch for Hazel Ludlow at Black Apple Bog.
2024.
Reference shoot/ setup vs final illustration.
Prismacolor Verithin pencil, oil and charcoal over watercolor wash on paper.
11”x17”.
SOLD
December 20, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
yitanran.bsky.social
Tried a flatter illustration style.
The main character is my OC, inspired by Tang dynasty Chinese dragons.
I also included my pet parrot, as I found their colors matched surprisingly well. #fantasy
December 17, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
juliedillon.bsky.social
Sketch for another watercolor painting I'm going to attempt. It feels nice working on things for myself again 😊
A pencil drawing of a woman with her eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest. Mushrooms grown on her limbs, and slime mold tendrils spread outwards from her body.
December 14, 2025 at 1:51 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Another artist proof! This time - Bucha.

WEH! 🐾
A photo of a pencil drawing of a screaming Himalayan cat, with text underneath that says "Weh! -Bucha". As you may have guessed, Bucha is the danger cloud's name.
December 11, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
nicolegrosjean.bsky.social
I just entered these pieces into the Infected by Art book competition, wish me luck! And good luck to all my friends entering as well!

#yearofthesnake #yearofthedragon #unicorn #paperart
Year of the Wood Snake artwork titled ‘Time for a Change’ in reference to the Lunar New Year Zodiac animals. The red paper and holographic vinyl snake sheds its delicate Tengucho paper skin from the previous year. It is nestled in a laser etched watercolor paper plum tree with copious pink blossoms. The wood surround is also laser cut with shell veneer and 24k gold leaf accents. Year of the Wood Dragon is part of a Lunar New Year Zodiac series and features a cut paper and holographic vinyl dragon emerging from a laser carved wood surround. The green dragon is painted in watercolor and gouache with a wood, paper, and faux jade background. The dragon corners were hand sculpted in clay, molded, and cast in bronze with an antique patina applied. This unicorn piece titled ‘A Gilded Chain is Still a Chain’ is based loosely on the medieval Unicorn Tapestries. The artwork is made of intricately laser cut and layered cloth book papers, embroidered in real gold and silk embroidery threads. The unicorn is painted on cut silk watercolor paper with watercolor and gouache. The piece is embellished with 13k white and 24k yellow gold leaf and vintage glass beads.
December 9, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
paintkatt.bsky.social
Some winter trees for your winter morning 🌲
A drawing of a pine tree with snow A drawing of a snow covered tree Another drawing of a tree covered in snow
December 8, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
anaisfae.art
Another birb on a branch for #ArtAdventCalendar
watercolor painting of a crow perched in a tree in autumn colors. The crow is holding a gemstone pendant in its claws.
December 6, 2025 at 6:13 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Ahh. Nothing brings clarity and a fresh view of your surroundings quite like newly cleaned glasses. 🤓
December 5, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
dustinvanwechel.com
Fresh off the easel, The Last Frontier,” oil on linen, 30”x40”, and headed to The Briscoe Western Art Museum for their annual ‘Night of Artists’ exhibition.
December 2, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
mountainmagesigs.com
Important milestone: $1000 raised so far! Equally important: @benhill.bsky.social, @josiahcameron.bsky.social, @schmandrewart.bsky.social, & @allenpanakalart.com will be playing #MTG for your entertainment! I'll be hosting, providing snarky commentary, & plugging the raffle Twitch.tv/MountainMageMTG
December 2, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
liiga.bsky.social
I think today is a good day to share my second piece for the Magic: The Gathering in Miniature III exhibition that'll be in Gallery Nucleus Jan 31 - Feb 15, 2026:
Elspeth in Bloomburrow with sweet pea wings! 💖 This is done in acrylics on the back of a Swords to Plowshares artist proof.
An itty bitty painting of Elspeth, the planeswalker from Magic: The Gathering, as a white mouse clad in silver armor with golden decorations. She's wearing a white cape and holding a spear that took more than one try to get to look right. Behind her, white sweet peas are arranged in the shape of wings (because Elspeth is an angel) and she's making friends with an orange butterfly. This is on the back of my Swords to Plowshares artist proof, which also involves sweet peas. Pencil for scale!
November 24, 2025 at 7:05 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Will you look at that - it's my birthday and Cyber Monday! So in celebration I set everything - like the cutie below - in my INPRNT store to 35% off for the day. Yay!

www.inprnt.com/gallery/liiga/

Also I'm discovering a meringue cake with cranberry jam and I should've tried this way sooner. Nom 🎂
A drawing of a rabbit standing in the middle of a whole lot of sweet peas that have started growing over massive swords impaled into the ground.
December 1, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
brucedraws.bsky.social
"Things Left Behind", personal piece from 2019 or so. I'm always trying to remind myself to save some time for personal work like this, but I haven't been terribly effective at doing so.
November 30, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
thatzombiecat.bsky.social
Tharaumë, my paladin from the Eberron campaign

#ttrpg #dndart #elfenjoyers #ocsky #art
November 27, 2025 at 9:50 PM
liiga.bsky.social
I think today is a good day to share my second piece for the Magic: The Gathering in Miniature III exhibition that'll be in Gallery Nucleus Jan 31 - Feb 15, 2026:
Elspeth in Bloomburrow with sweet pea wings! 💖 This is done in acrylics on the back of a Swords to Plowshares artist proof.
An itty bitty painting of Elspeth, the planeswalker from Magic: The Gathering, as a white mouse clad in silver armor with golden decorations. She's wearing a white cape and holding a spear that took more than one try to get to look right. Behind her, white sweet peas are arranged in the shape of wings (because Elspeth is an angel) and she's making friends with an orange butterfly. This is on the back of my Swords to Plowshares artist proof, which also involves sweet peas. Pencil for scale!
November 24, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
serenamalyon.bsky.social
Krona, Keeper of Eons - watercolour, acryla gouache on paper with some digital touchups

For Hearthstone's latest expansion, Across the Timeways.
AD: Jim Nelson
A giant, multi-armed figure adorned in gold, skin blue and shimmering like the night sky. 3 glowing eyes surround his head, and his hands wield a golden time-magic. In the foreground we see a floating platform that holds many archways. Stars appear at each joint, he is a living constellation.
November 17, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
kiell-art.bsky.social
If you see this, post your bird art 🐦

#birds
November 15, 2025 at 3:52 PM
liiga.bsky.social
The art vs the artist’s hand

With a bonus sighting of fuzzy gremlin paws.
A digital illustration for the Magic: The Gathering card "Bottle-Cap Blast". It shows an explosion full of Nuca Cola bottle-caps and fragments of a Fallout lunchbox. A hand partially covered by a very fuzzy cat because the little gremlin wouldn't stop howling about the inferior contents of his food bowl and had to sit on my lap and endure gentle kissies as punishment. He hated every second of it and no lessons were learned.
November 11, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
liiga.bsky.social
I had the honor to be interviewed by the lovely PapyMagic about my process as a Magic artist! 🎨
Featuring Bucha and his glare of a million lemons because he hates sitting on a lap.
papymagic.bsky.social PapyMagic @papymagic.bsky.social · Nov 8
Artist INTERVIEW🎙️ : Liiga SMILSHKALNE, Mystical & Magic !👩🏻‍🎨 - EXCLUSIVE
youtu.be/ynE5L16VuGU

Amazing and exclusive interview of @liiga.bsky.social on my YouTube channel: discover the behind the scenes of a #mtg Card through the mystical and magic angle of Liiga

#mtgart #magicthegathering
November 8, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Liiga Smilshkalne
fantasmary.bsky.social
If you see this, post your bird art 🐦

#birds

Do owlbears count? They have feathers.
November 10, 2025 at 4:13 PM
liiga.bsky.social
If you see this, post your bird art 🐦

#birds

Keeping with the crane theme~
"Musaazi", an illustration for the Android:Netrunner LCG. It shows a red gray crane being dramatic in cyberspace.
November 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM