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barghest-land.bsky.social
avi 🌧️
@barghest-land.bsky.social
4.3K followers 220 following 320 posts
29 ✦ they/them ✦ director, art director in animation field ✦
doing paleo and expedition art. i love pterosaurs!!
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barghest-land.bsky.social
avi 🌧️ @barghest-land.bsky.social · Jan 16
hello late #PortfolioDay !!
I'm Avi! Full time artist, doing direction (and many other things) in animation, and paleoart in my free time.
I'd be happy to work on scientific illustrations and reconstructions! I do both extant and extinct animals and i'm open for some work rn :)
#sciart #paleoart
A large pterosaur Bogolubovia stands on the beach, framed by the dim light of the sun due to a solar eclipse. The sky feels high and is heavily covered with clouds. A solar halo can be seen - it's getting quite cold, and it might just be this pterosaur's last winter. A digital drawing of Eohippus pair, doing the cute horse thing when they scratch and lick each others back. I thought that they could probably do that as well, like modern horses do now. They're colored light brown, with some white parts and warm shading. Almost all the head is white, they have pink noses and pink little hooves, and the main brown fur on their body is a mix of light and dark hairs, so it's quite contrasted. I actually took some inspo from hares for the colors. They stand on the dark background, a star is shining above them; next to the star are two little horses stylized sort of like cave paintings. It isn't anything i based this reconstruction of (also, it was too early for eohippus to be painted like this), just a little thing i wanted to try. A digital drawing of Psittacosaurus sibiricus. There are three of them, running to the left, on a light beige background, all in different poses to study their anatomy in motion. One of them, in the middle, is a male - colored green, with bright red on his head and quills. He's brighter than other two, females, who are colored light brown. They also have a bright spot on the face, but it's yellow and doesn't stand out as much as red on the male. I also gave them just a little, tiny bit of fuzz on the back and neck. It's barely visible and completely speculative, so take it with a grain of salt - I haven't seen it in other reconstructions. Overall, I really like how it turned out. They look silly enough to be good for me A realistic digital drawing with pterosaur embryo, 3 stages of development are shown. The left one is still tiny and barely resembles a pterosaur. It has a big and not fully developed yet eye, a thin neck and a tiny body. The second one, in the middle, starts looking like a pterosaur already. It's a little more developed, has a beak, and already has a thin membrane between the wings and legs. The yolk with blood vessels is also shown there. The last drawing on the right shows the late stage of development, it's already fuzzy, curled up with it's head between folded wings. The exact species is unknown.
barghest-land.bsky.social
Some scans with field sketches from this autumn 🍂
A scanned sketchbook spread with field sketches. Done with acrilyc markers and a black gel pen. A little landscape, sketches of mushroom and a plant, birds, some text... There are also some uhh, dragonfly wings taped to the page that i found in the sand. And a grasshoper leg (don't worry, it was just a leg that i found) and a little feather. A picture of an actual place can be seen as a background under the sketchbook. A scanned sketchbook spread with field sketches. There is a little landscape with a quarry done with acrylyc markers, and a gel pen drawing as a scheme of its layers. Some sketches of early forming pyrite concretions and also excavators in the quarry (don't ask me what the other thing is for, idk how this little tank called, but apparently they use it to even the floor of the area). As a background behind the sketchbook there is a picture of some rocks and branches. From that exact place, of course!
October 25, 2025 at 1:06 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
A lot of feelings that are more than words

(I guess, in a way, #paleoart)
A digital drawing, few simple drawings on a dark background. From top to the bottom, it starts with half of the Earth seen with its continents being placed like in the Middle Ordovician. Below it is a line, showing a process of life - from one little star, to dividing cells, to an embryo (it's all different creatures - fish, dog, tadpole, and a human). Then, series of little drawings, showing different stages of life in different things. A plant emerging from the soil, a larvae, baby birds with their bright open mouths, pregnant horse with a star on its belly, very old human, and a dry plant in a pot with a leaf falling from it. A fossil of a crinoid can be seen on the background, in some places nicely preserved, in some - scattered around, with segments seen as little stars. The text on the picture says: "Let sunshine touch the memory of me again" Following the previous part of it, from top to the bottom: mammal bones scattered around, a fossil of a trilobite on a rock, human remains, a piece of a fossilized plant, little drawing of an ammonite, a part of a thylacine seen in a little square, and in a square next to it - plate with fossilized fish, being shattered. Below them is a line - an ornitomimus running forward, its fossilized remains, and on the right - same remains, but scattered around in little pieces. The text goes through the drawing, saying "I will remain. I will remain. I will remain" The first phrase is written normally, the second is written fast. The last one is poorly written by my left hand, without looking at the screen.
October 14, 2025 at 12:07 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
Having a hard time liking my art atm, even tho i still want to draw stuff. So here are random sketches and studies again
A digital drawing, there are a lot of studies and other little things on one page. Here's a study of a photo of Tom Mckay (can't believe i did it again but he's genuinely fun to draw), study of some plants, kcd2 screenshot (the city one), little studies of oil paintings done by Viktor Vasnetsov and Ivan Shishkin. And a couple of mindless sketches of running wooden horses and um.. Medieval looking snake? Dragon?.. Whatever this thing is.
September 2, 2025 at 10:00 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
Random studies to cope with anxiety. Did it help? Not really. But here they are anyway
A page of random digital colored studies, all things at once. I just put them on one page because they were all over my files. Here's the study of Tom Mckay, some ornaments, flowers, and old oil paintings - two by Arkhip Kuindzhi and one by George Frederic Watts
July 27, 2025 at 8:11 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
Field sketches from the latest expedition. Old quarries, +35C during day, hard road, the loudest thunderstorm ever during the night, and quite a few Carboniferous plants found on the way
A sketchbook spread, with a drawing of an overgrown quarry, done with a bit of gouache and acrylic markers. Was too hot to draw during the day, i was barely searching for fossils. Mostly just laying down in the rocks trying not to die. What a day! Thanks to all the ants biting my ass. My true heroes, didn't let me fall asleep during the heat. Big thanks to them. A sketchbook spread with a couple of drawings of plants, some writing of my thoughts and "Green grass" song lyrics (by Tom Waits, but a version by Cosmo Sheldrake is very close to my heart) A sketchbook spread, with a few sketches of plants an the Eurasian golden oriole. A sketchbook spread, with a few sketches of plants, a little quarry landscape and a plant fossil sketch (it's a little piece, replaced by limonite)
July 18, 2025 at 8:58 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
I'm 29 today! I haven't done #artvsartist in a while, so here it is :) Big thank you to everyone who supports me by sharing my work🤍 Maybe this year I will be lucky enough to do some paleoart work (if anyone wants to recommend me as an artist btw.. wink wink)
#paleoart #sciart and some #fanart ofc
An art vs artist, collage with photo of me in the center, surrounded by my paleo and fanart work.
July 11, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Reposted by avi 🌧️
davehone.bsky.social
I have a new paper out today with Rene and Bruce Lauer with a description of some new and incredibly well-preserved pterosaur soft tissues, including scales from the hands!
archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2025/06/10/n...
June 10, 2025 at 2:10 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
i see people talking about prints - yes, it's possible to get one! i don't work with platforms atm, but i do send printable files to people who tip me so they can print it themselves.
this drawing is quite big (up to ~A2) and the tip is whatever you're comfy with! 🤍
dm me if you're interested :)
barghest-land.bsky.social avi 🌧️ @barghest-land.bsky.social · Jul 6
finally finished my first fanart of #KCD2 :)
a lot of hours, a lot of fun!!
A digital fanart of Henry from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, sitting on a horse, both in armor. The style is an imitation of an oil painting (i tried) and has a frame around it with some silly medieval animals and patterns.
July 7, 2025 at 10:29 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
finally finished my first fanart of #KCD2 :)
a lot of hours, a lot of fun!!
A digital fanart of Henry from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, sitting on a horse, both in armor. The style is an imitation of an oil painting (i tried) and has a frame around it with some silly medieval animals and patterns.
July 6, 2025 at 3:40 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
honse wip :)
July 6, 2025 at 1:07 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
The latest #paleostream flocking! I just wanted to draw clouds. The next personal theme is a secret 👀

Zhejiangopterus, Bolg amondol, Diplobune, Iberomesornis. More info in alt as always!
#sciart #paleoart
Two digital sketches on one page, 20-30 min each (i worked on them just a little after the stream) Top: a stormy scene, the sea is calm for now, there's no waves, but a big storm is coming. You can see how dark it is under the heavy cloud, some leaves flying past the camera as the storm rushes the wind forward... But the leaves aren't the only thing that is flying past... And unfortunately, this thing is not even flying. A dark colored pterosaur Zhejiangopterus (that might just be as tall as you) just... stands there, looking at you, beak forward, not even blinking. It doesn't care about the storm behind. You have a few seconds to decide what to do. Bottom: something to change the mood! A quite peaceful scene, nice golden clouds against the blue sky, and a big lizard Bolg amondol flicking it's slightly blue tongue. The creature itself is grey, with some yellow markings on the head and neck. No ill intentions unlike the creature in the first sketch, i'd say. Two digital colored sketches on one page, 20-30 minutes each. Top: Diplobune at night, probably in the trees (as you can see a couple of branches close to the camera), illuminated by the bright moon behind it. It's very fluffy. Probably very soft to touch too. The creature is kinda deer/kangaroo looking, mostly brown, with some white spots around the eyes, on the neck, and the fur in the ears. Bottom: A holy Iberomesornis. Not literally, but it's flying up in front of a cloud and some iridescence above it, so it looks quite holy if you ask me. Nonetheless, Iberomesornis was a small Cretaceous bird that could fit in your hand. On this drawing it's quite dark, illuminated from behind, but it has quite a few dark spots on the wings.
June 24, 2025 at 12:53 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
finally posting some #paleostream flocking, i keep forgetting about that, whoops

Himalayasaurus, Typothorax, Lunataspis and Kunpengopterus
#paleoart #sciart
Two digital sketches, 20 min each. Top: Himalayasaurus diving down to the bottom of the shallow sea to scratch its neck against the rocks. It's quite dark in there, the sun goes through the water and it's either a sunset or a sunrise, who can tell? It's pretty either way. Bottom: Oh well. It's a sunny day in the Late Triassic. One Typothorax is looking at another, one of them is confused, and the other one is dead. Whoops. The dead one is in the mud - probably got stuck on it's back and couldn't get up. Unlucky one. The alive one stands at the edge of the mud and saying "what". I'd be confused too. Two colored digital sketches on one pages. Top: it's a shore scene - there's water and warm Ordovician sand... and some Lunataspis, little horseshoe crabs. One got flipped on the back by the waves, but don't worry - there's another crab that is flipping it back on its feet. There's also a third crab, doing its best by being cute and just vibing on the shore. Bottom: Ah! Two male Kunpengopterus on a branch, excited about seeing each other. They're white, with some dark stripes going down the neck from the dark head, the crest on their head is bright orange. They sniff each other and getting close, tails up, tense poses - who knows what happens next, maybe they'll be friends. Or else.
May 31, 2025 at 2:03 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
sorry for not posting anything, i'll be back soon (getting used to the horrors of being online again)
May 17, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Reposted by avi 🌧️
barghest-land.bsky.social
a new little star shines brightly above the Siberian horizon.

a little Homotherium latidens, that seems to be just a few weeks old, was found in Yakutia
#paleoart #sciart
A digital drawing of a Homotherium latidens cub, based on a mummy that was found in Siberia. Just a sleepy little thing. It's also fluffy and looks soft (or it does, at least! I did my best). I tried to draw the head from the side just like in the paper to show the resemblance, and also show the unique shape of it's paws. The background is dark, with a few stars that form constellations. There is one little star on the head of the cub, that shines slightly brighter than the others.
November 20, 2024 at 3:57 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
some cool stuff i saw in the forest last sunday!
A scan of a sketchbook spread, with gouache drawings of some stuff i saw in the forest. There are drawings of trees, branches; a few mushrooms here and there and some lichen. The forest at the end of march where i live doesn't have any green yet, unless it's moss or pines; so it's very easy to spot interesting things!
April 2, 2025 at 1:43 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
can't believe this started as a tiny sketch without me planning to finish it. honestly, for how much i like the character, i don't draw him enough. so here we are 🩸
#astarion #bg3
A digital drawing, fanart of Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3. I don't draw him enough!! In this drawing he's holding a big sword with his bare hands (the blood on the sword is probably his too), standing naked against dark background. There are also frames on the left and right of this work, with little drawings. The left frame is a couple of objects telling his story - with a dagger piercing a heart and blood from it dripping on the grave, and a little flower under it. On the right, a few frames with the eyes, almost like vertical animation, are also telling the story. Once a silver relaxed eye closes, the same eye opens again, but now red, expression is close to panic.
March 13, 2025 at 2:22 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
20-30min sketches from #paleostream flocking! Magyarosaurus, Pycnonemosaurus, Platysomus and Palaeoctopus :)
#paleoart #sciart
and some silly alt as always
Two digital sketches on one page. Top: a landscape, inspired by big murals in Moscow paleo museum (Orlov's museum), featuring Magyarosaurus, and a few pterosaurs and other sauropods in the background. Magyarosaurus there slowly goes into the water, looking down on it. The vibe is peaceful, just like a quiet sunrise in the early day during summer. Wish i was there too. Bottom: a portrait of a Pycnonemosaurus walking through a canyon, looking at the camera. The most of the animal is in shadow, but there's a hard edge of light coming from up and behind. This guy looks like he smells like dust, warm skin and a stinky dogs breath. But i love him anyway. Two digital colored sketches on one page. Top: a silly looking fish Platysomus. Just a few swimming there, some are blurred against the dark background. Two of them are close to the camera. No thoughts in their eyes at all. Bottom: a clutch of eggs, with a mother - Palaeoctopus, protecting them. You can only see a few of her arms, so it's mostly about babies. They're almost ready to hatch, and their mother is close to being forever lost in time again. Extant female octopuses die not long after their eggs hatch. And it's actually more complicated than just starvation (if you're interested - there's a lot to read about it!). I don't think we know if Palaeoctopus did that too, but i've speculated that at least they could guard their eggs too.
March 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
maybe it's time to draw another ancient little horse...
March 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
new #paleostream flocking, with Infernodrakon, Araripesuchus, Diprotodon and Thalattoarchon 🌠
#sciart #paleoart
Two digital sketches on one page. Top: a big pterosaur, Infernodrakon, is stretching on the big fallen tree, that goes across the forest like a bridge. Wings are nicely folded together, one leg supports the body and another one is in the air, stretching. The tail is up and fluffy. Forest behind the pterosaur is colorful and you can see the sun coming through the trees. Bottom: just a silly Araripesuchus jumping around, it's captured with the eyes closed and mouth open, so the creature looks extra happy. Yippie! Two digital sketches on one page. Top: Diprotodon standing on the shore, looking at the crescent moon. Thinking about its life and purpose, probably. Also, yes, i've had a "Man..." meme with a horse in my mind. You guessed it right. Bottom: a Thalattoarchon jumping out of the waves, the sun is shining through the clouds, sky golden, and the waves appear green. It's a little study of "The Ninth Wave" by Ivan Aivazovsky.
March 1, 2025 at 4:07 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
i genuinely feel that my art isn't as visible for people here as it used to, idk what to to about it:(
February 28, 2025 at 10:05 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
a little sketch with #astarion cuz i'm not feeling great ;__; ueue
#bg3
A digital drawing; a fanart of Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3. He's looking to the left and a bit down, wearing a shirt that is laced with gold (ish) thread, and has some blood on him, mostly on his neck. There are white flowers on the background, that are connected to the character in the story.
February 27, 2025 at 11:52 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
Field sketches from yesterday's fossil hunt in the cold river. Campfire saved my soul (and body) there
A photo of a sketchbook spread with a few drawings: gouache landscape showing a river mid winter, little drawing of a campfire with food being cooked, and a pen drawing of the river bank. It's more of a scheme, showing where summer and winter water levels are.
February 23, 2025 at 5:21 PM
barghest-land.bsky.social
feeling kinda eh about my art rn, here are bg3 related things as an attempt to feel better. i keep forgetting that drawing people is fun too
#bg3
(Quite) a few digital bg3 related sketches on one page. Some are sketches for a future bigger art, some are here just because i was bored A few digital bg3 related sketches on one page
February 19, 2025 at 8:38 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
been drawing a silly little thing after each flocking and it kinda became a tradition. here, have a bunch of them :D and good night
#paleostream um... and #paleoart i guess
A few silly (heavily stylized and just, you know, not serious at all) sketches of extinct animals sleeping, they often have a blanket and saying something like "honk shooo" A few silly (heavily stylized and just, you know, not serious at all) sketches of extinct animals sleeping, they often have a blanket and saying something like "honk shooo"
February 15, 2025 at 5:20 AM
barghest-land.bsky.social
for todays #paleostream flocking: diictodon, megarachne, revueltosaurus and charnia🌟
#sciart #paleoart
Two digital sketches on one page. Top: two diictodons discovering a natural rock opening in the mossy forest floor. Maybe they'll make it their home? Who knows! Bottom: a megarachne just vibing in the shallow water, with the tip of it's tail sticking out of it, causing little water circles around it. Two digital sketches on one page. Top: revueltosaurus standing on the water edge, probably drinking from the river, as we can see the drops of water falling down it's head. Their colors resemble the pattern of water monitors. Bottom: a bunch of Charnia growing on the rocks, very close to volcanic activity under the water.
February 15, 2025 at 4:40 AM