Aleksi Gray @ The Bard and the Messenger
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alakotila.bsky.social
Aleksi Gray @ The Bard and the Messenger
@alakotila.bsky.social
4.2K followers 400 following 1.6K posts
I make webcomics! Read SPIDERSILK on Tapas ✨ Enthusiastic about flowers, elves, armor, fantasy thieves, and satyrs 🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ He/They. ✨ Sometimes NSFW. ✨ Freelance Editor, BG artist
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alakotila.bsky.social
Felt like sharing some random creative hobbies -- I consider myself a comic artist, illustrator and writer first, but you've gotta have hobbies! These tend to be floral (surprise!!)
Photograph of a rug in progress (being woven) on a loom. It has stripes of various shades of pink and white. Photograph of a hand holding a small bouquet of flowers. It features a white Icelandic poppy as well as some small wildflowers in bright yellows and purple. Photograph of a mannequin head with a flower crown on it. The flower crown has faux maple leaves in colors like purple and white. Dark purple flowers, dusty pink foliage, and faux thistles round out the crown. Photo of a wreath. It is made from foraged items such a pine branch I found in the ditch. It also contains dried florals and foliage from farm stands or my yard. It includes other foraged items such as asparagus fern and seed heads. Dried citrus, rose hips, cinnamon sticks, and a bow top it off.
November 10, 2025 at 9:04 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Sohrab and Prentice are from my webcomic SPIDERSILK -- currently on hiatus, but there's like 700 pages ready to binge!

spidersilkcomic.com or tapas.io/series/spide... to read!
A graphic of a book cover titled "Spidersilk". It shows two armored characters with long hair. One wields a sword and wears heavier armor, the other hangs back, looking fondly at the character in front. He wears lighter armor. Themes, tropes, etc are written around the book with arrows pointing to it. They ready: huge character cast, fantasy romance, "well dressed queer disasters", swords and sorcery ish, 700 pages and counting, so much cute romance, friendship, asshole potions master, armored chicken-looking magic summon, found family, gaaaaaaaaaay, thieves guild!
November 5, 2025 at 8:39 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
These two 🧡
Illustration of two men with long hair embracing. They wear simple tunics and stand with their foreheads touching. The elf on the right wears a flower crown on his long black hair, and he holds a bouquet over the shoulder of the red-haired fey on the left. Colors are soft and reminiscent of fall. Characters are from Alakotila's comic Spidersilk.
November 5, 2025 at 2:14 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
QRP with your meme redraws!
A laughing alien man with a helmet on. He appears to be in the cockpit of some kind of craft. The text below him reads: I am a genius! Same image from before only his expression has changed, like he might be in trouble. The text now reads: Oh no! Meme redraw of a fairy man standing in front of a presentation. He holds a mic and is pointing over his shoulder to the slide, which reads: "I am a dumb bitch with terrible taste. I will never change. I will never improve. That is a promise." Meme sketch redraw of an armored elf holding a tuba right against a taller man's face. We can see his horns sticking out from behind the tuba. The tuba has text written on it: "Inquisitor's Flirting Style" And the man facing down the tuba says: "So... Listen. I've caught the hints..."
October 23, 2025 at 6:19 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
I've been testing out a few mediums. Color pencils and markers work great! I think the alcohol-based markers work better, and I love how color pencil + markers work together.

Here's one of my color pencil pages!

Links for book and stuff: linktr.ee/alakotila
Photo of an open coloring book with a pack of color pencils nearby. The coloring page has been completed, and the art depicts a fairy man in colorful, layered clothes. He has dark skin and long locs. His wings are yellow. He holds a staff with several colorful flags and ribbons adorning it.
October 22, 2025 at 5:18 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Show me how you draw armor 💖
Illustration of a man sitting crosslegged on the ground. He holds his face in his hands as if embarrassed. He wears light leather armor with a green hood and a full fluffy cape about his shoulder. Illustration of a unicorn centaur. He wears layered armor in pink and blue with a metal cuirass. He is adorned with bells, ribbons, feathers, and leaves, and he carries a pike. The flow of the illustration is dramatic, with ribbons and his hair flowing freely. Stars and little adornments dot the solid black background. Illustration of an elf taking a sword out of its sheath. He wears light leather armor in red and gold. He wears a dusty gray scarf and wears his long wavy hair loose. Fabric and long belts at his waist flow in the wind. A cloudy but bright sky is at his back. Illustration of an elf with long black hair in armor. He holds a sword, examining the blade. He wears medium armor in gold and off-white, with sun motifs on the shoulder. Dark leather and cream-colored cloth cover the scale armor beneath. His right wrist is wrapped in cloth, he wears a fur collar with a golden brooch, and has multiple piercings in his long ears.
October 5, 2025 at 11:30 PM
alakotila.bsky.social
My new coloring book "Fabulous" (A Fancy Fantasy Guys Coloring Book) is available! My local bookshop confirmed they're able to order it, so folks should be able to order at their bookshops too ^^

Cover image may not be showing up yet, so I'm attaching a pic:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fabulous-a...
Image of a coloring book cover. It depicts a smiling satyr wearing colorful, patterned clothes in greens and pinks. he wears bells and tassels and ribbons and wields some type of spear. His long blonde hair is in a braid and he wears flowers in his hair. The cover title is "Fabulous" and it reads "A coloring book by Aleksi Gray" in the lower right corner.
October 4, 2025 at 8:05 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
I've always wanted to have totes available and started offering them at local cons last year -- the florals do really well! No one wants to admit to being a freak I guess lmao

I also have a tendency to make weird, subtle fan merch. Ah...well... That's on me.
A totebag with a quote from Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3 that reads: "Well, apparently there's a limit. Somewhere between a nice summer's day and the full, concentrated power of the sun." The font is stylized to emphasize words as he spoke them, alternating between very stylized and bold capital letters in the style of live, laugh, love typography home decor. A photo of totebags against a forest backdrop. The top two tote bags depict colorful Iceland poppies and various types of yellow sunflowers. At the bottom, dried florals hang on the rack behind the poppy tote, and the Astarion quote bag from the previous image is barely visible. In the lower right, one more bag. It depicts a mass of colorful orange-yellow, curling tentacles reaching up and covers much of the tote bag.
September 28, 2025 at 10:06 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
September 26, 2025 at 7:59 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
I'm still on hiatus, but today is Spidersilk's BIRTHDAY 💖 It launched on September 17th in 2011! 💖

There are 700+ pages to read if you wanna get caught up while I catch my breath. Find it on spidersilkcomic.com or tapas.io/series/spidersilk!
Image of a book centered against a purple background. Themes and tropes contained within are written around the outside, with arrows pointing back at the book. These include: thieves guild, huge character cast, gaaaaaaay, fantasy romance, swords and sorcery, so much cute romance, and more! Image of two armored characters kissing in a snowy background. They both have long hair and pointed ears. The text overlaying the image reads "fantasy thieves and romance. Read SPIDERSILK on spidersilkcomic.com and Tapas!" The hashtag button on it reads #ILoveWebcomics
September 18, 2025 at 2:44 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Medium tests in my new coloring book! Water-based markers, solo. Hmmm not my favorite, but then, I like alcohol-based markers more in general. I liked color pencils + markers quite a bit in this book!

I'll test alcohol-based markers solo and report back haha
Photograph of an open coloring book. The illustration is a lively ink drawing of a satyr with long hair and layered, patterned clothing. Markers are lined up beside the coloring book. Photograph of a hand holding up a coloring book. The cover image depicts a satyr in layered clothing and adorned with ribbons, bells, and tassels. His long hair is in a braid, and he holds a staff of some sort. The coloring book title is "FABULOUS", and text on the lower right reads "a coloring book by Aleksi Gray."
September 15, 2025 at 1:35 PM
alakotila.bsky.social
The fancy lad coloring book proof turned out great! I've done a test run of color pencil + marker & gel pen. Worked perfectly!

Overall, nearly ready. I'll let you know when it's available, and you should be able to order it in at your local bookshop!
Photo of a coloring book behind held up against a backdrop of plants and floral accessories. The illustration on the coloring book shows a satyr in layered fancy clothes with several different patterns, mostly in pinks and greens. He is decked out in ribbons, bells, and florals as well. Photo of a coloring book held open. The illustration shows a mischievous looking satyr in a big hat and fancy layered fantasy clothes. He also has a lot of accessories by way of bells and ribbons, and holds a large scythe-like staff. A photo of the coloring book interior. This illustration depicts an owl harpy. He has long hair in twists, and he has variety of patterns on his layered fancy clothes. He also wears bells and bows and has a giant feathered cap. Photo of the coloring book held open. This one depicts a centaur. His long hair is in a braid, and he wears a poofy hat with feathers. He has ribbons and cords and tassel accessories, as well as patterned garments.
September 8, 2025 at 7:11 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Started working on Spidersilk again. Just brushing up old pages for its second edition (there's no rush). ALMOST forgot how much I like drawing / writing this nerd
Illustration of a man sitting carefree on a swing in a field of flowers on a sunny summer day. He has medium brown skin, long wavy black hair, and has a flower crown on his head. He wears slim-fit green pants, lace-up boots, and a billowy tunic tucked into his waistband. Tattoos on both arms are visible to the wrist.
September 1, 2025 at 9:40 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
oh Surprise! One of those things I've been working on is almost ready! I'm going to release it near the end of September!
A coloring book cover. the title is "Fabulous." It depicts a smiling, fancy satyr man wearing a bunch of striped and layered clothes in greens and pinks. He has a long blonde braid and holds a pike weapon. "A coloring book by Aleksi Gray" is on the lower right of the cover.
August 22, 2025 at 11:34 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
This wasn't as funny as I had hoped, but if you like queer fantasy romance and ... I guess trees ... have I got the book for you!!
Text overlaid on an image with two characters. The image has a soft, romantic fantasy vibe. The text reads: "First six words from the first six chapters of... The Bard and the Messenger." "1. Something cold and round slapped Laibrook's" "2. Einar startled awake and took a" "3. Laibrook was now far from the" "4. They entered a forest with massive" "5. Raindrops pattered on the forest canopy" "6. They stargazed for so long that" Text at the very bottom reads "coming fall 2025"
August 15, 2025 at 8:54 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Hey! I'm an artist and writer. I make queer fantasy and lots of fancy clothes and flowers. Probably too many elves and satyrs.
🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✨💖⚔️🌻
Webcomics: Spidersilk (ongoing), Fell Swoop (complete)
Novels: The Bard and the Messenger (coming this fall)
linktr.ee/alakotila
A book cover titled "The Bard and the Messenger". It depicts a character with wings jumping up and hugging another from about the shoulders. The bard has an instrument at his side, a huge flower crown on his head, and may be singing. The elf he is hugging looks calm and steady. The messenger wears armor with a huge fur cape and holds a bow. The title is in swoopy, romantic font, and the image has a vibrant, warm feel. Digital artwork depicting a satyr diving down to kiss his merman love. The colors are soft, mostly in blues and greens, with hints of pink clothing detailing on their sleeves. They both have long hair with braids and ribbons, and their clothes are patterned and layered. Photo of an open graphic novel. It's space fantasy, showing a tense conversation with the alien team leader and a human medic. The background is colorful and the armor is fanciful. illustration in pen and ink with gold paint texture accents. It shows two men with pointed ears and light fantasy armor with flowing capes. The background is a dark sky with gold clouds, and they seem weightless against the background. It has an almost romantic feeling.
August 9, 2025 at 7:51 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Are any of these books you enjoy?

Maybe you'll be interested in mine! The Bard and the Messenger is a about a disastrous bard trying to find his path in life and music and the quiet messenger trying to keep his head down and just do his job!

#booksky #fantasy #elfenjoyers #queerbook #queerfantasy
A graphic of six books. It shows the covers for "A Song for You & I", "Peter Darling", "Legends & Lattes", "Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love", and "That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf". A book cover titled "The Bard and the Messenger". It depicts a character with wings jumping up and hugging another from about the shoulders. The bard has an instrument at his side, a huge flower crown on his head, and may be singing. The elf he is hugging looks calm and steady. The messenger wears armor with a huge fur cape and holds a bow. The title is in swoopy, romantic font, and the image has a vibrant, warm feel.
August 9, 2025 at 7:20 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Hey, artists! How do you draw elves?

Here's one. He's in a short comic of mine, coming up this year (I hope)! #elfenjoyers
Illustration of an elf bound in shibari with a bunch of flowers and foliage tucked into the ropes. He wears casual white pants, tall boots, and a yellow tunic tucked into his waistband. He has long black hair pulled back, and looks slightly over his left shoulder towards the viewer.
July 31, 2025 at 1:20 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
I am working on my coloring book of fancy guys and he was so majestic I had to color him like omg
illustration of a brown-skinned merman with a yellow/gold octopus style lower half. He wears fancy layered fantasy clothes with many, many bows and ribbons tied onto his billowing sleeves, his flag staff, and limbs. He wears mostly blue and gold with a leather corset at his waist. His long dark hair is styled in messy braids.
July 29, 2025 at 10:38 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Some top-tier beta reader comments for the Bard and the Messenger 😂💕

i can't explain Laibrook any better than this
Screenshots of comments that read "don't do it Laibrook." and "Don't do it dumbass." and finally "Dumbassssssss" The images are against a backdrop of water.
July 29, 2025 at 12:26 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Main characters for The Bard and the Messenger 👀✨

I love disaster queers
Drawing of a character trying to lick another character's arm. He has open fey wings and wears a colorful jacket. A screenshot of a tweet over it reads: "You're acting weird" and then "okay, well first off, I'm not acting" Drawing of an elf with a fur cape and light armor looking off to the side. He isn't very expressive but looks content. A screenshot of a tweet overlaid on the image reads: " 'why suck the strap' why look at a sunset. why listen to your favourite song. why stop to smell the flowers. come on now"
July 28, 2025 at 1:43 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
This is what serious artwork of Laibrook looks like, but somehow the scrappy stuff just... has something!! That gremlin energy I think
illustrated image of a man with long wings and a cape wandering carefully through a night forest. glowing lights accompany him. tall, colorful plants and flowers surround him, and a starry sky shines overhead.
July 27, 2025 at 8:54 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Artwork capturing Laibrook's personality 💕 So beautiful, so relatable
sketchy drawing in pink of a guy with cicada wings sitting in a tree screaming. he has a goofy, blank expression. another guy in armor and a hood flinches and looks nervous about whatever is happening behind him.
July 27, 2025 at 8:52 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
If you see this, post a flower

#elfenjoyers #OCs #ocsky #art
Illustration of an elf on his knees. He wears a simple yellow top with tall boots and white pants. He is bound in green rope with many colorful flowers tucked into the ropes. He looks over his shoulder towards the viewer. Illustration of several types of seed heads on a black background. These include lotus, poppy, and more. The drawing has an energetic feeling to it. Drawing of tulips after a spring rain on a dark background. Drawing of two men with long hair in a dance pose against a floral backdrop. They wear shades of brown and white with simple fantasy garb. Both wear gold accents. One is an elf, the other a satyr. The colorful floral background includes large poppies, juniper, and more.
July 24, 2025 at 4:06 AM
alakotila.bsky.social
Progress post for the coloring book -- almost done! One more fancy fantasy guy left to go. www.patreon.com/posts/octopu...
Screenshot of an illustration. It shows a portion of an octopus mer's lower body, a flag, and various ribbons and cords.
July 16, 2025 at 1:26 AM