Laura
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barklaart.bsky.social
Laura
@barklaart.bsky.social
310 followers 77 following 150 posts
Aussie artist, she/her. Talks too much about drawing, gardening, foraging, knitting, vegan baking, poetry, sci fi, gaming, nature in general etc

tumblr: elbarkla, reddit: lauras_art_account
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barklaart.bsky.social
God this is devastating. 😔 these kids never had a chance
Excerpt of the article link upthread: At a Loss for Words - How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers, by Rachel Sender for APM Reports. Excerpt reads: It was clear to Goldberg after just a few months of teaching both approaches that the students learning phonics were doing better. "One of the things that I still struggle with is a lot of guilt," she said. She thinks the students who learned three cueing were actually harmed by the approach. "I did lasting damage to these kids. It was so hard to ever get them to stop looking at a picture to guess what a word would be. It was so hard to ever get them to slow down and sound a word out because they had had this experience of knowing that you predict what you read before you read it."
November 12, 2025 at 9:33 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
love the storytelling
The corner of, presumably, someone's study. The room has plain beige walls and plain beige carpet. To the left is a white storage rack(?); to the right, the base of a lamp. The room is plain but tidy - no dust, and the floor appears freshly vacuumed. In the centre of the frame is a wastepaper bin: white-painted mesh, lined with a plastic bag. An entire damn laptop is shoved in the top, comically protruding from the rim. It's only rubbish now. Perhaps it always was. Someone snapped this shot to prove a point.
November 10, 2025 at 3:52 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Yes!! What a great surprise, my bestie and I were sure you wouldn't cover it 🧡

(screenshot proof. the chat was "derailed" shortly after:)
Discord screenshot with two participants, "green" and "orange". Green: I was Todd would [cover Life of a Showgirl] but I don't see him doing it, he tends to skip a lotta the big/obvious stuff these days in favour of his historical serieses Which, fair, but sometimes I want a good old-school Yell At Bad Thing vid lol Orange: Yeah I understand and don't expect him to The Todd of 10 years ago probably would have Discord screenshot with two participants, "green" and "orange". Green: [Todd has] evolved and stayed the same, like a crocodile or crab or something [Todd this is a compliment to be clear, we love your simultaneous consistency and improvement, how you managed both I don't know] Orange: Still in the shadows better camera set up though Was thinking about Train the other day
October 30, 2025 at 2:17 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Obligatory:
Tumblr post: a series of Silent Hill screenshots (interactable objects with the player character's commentary), followed by tumblr comments. Screenshot 1: Picture of kitchen sink. Dialogue: "I don't feel like washing my hands right now..." Screenshot 2: Shower head. "This is no time to be taking a shower." Screenshot 3: Washing machine. "It's a washing machine. I don't need that right now." Screenshot 4: Bottomless pit through the bathroom tile. "Enter the hole? Yes [or] No." comment one: I thought this was an art piece as a metaphor for executive dysfunction comment two: it could be
October 22, 2025 at 2:21 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Enjoy the show! 💗 Please accept my most frequently-shared Columbo screencap (great for updating your friends on your projects):
Screenshot of Columbo, the television detective, with his grubby hands all over (I'm guessing) the suspect's beloved typewriter. He says to a man in the foreground (presumably the suspect, probably a writer): "This writing is not as easy as it looks!" Columbo is a master of backhanded comments.
October 17, 2025 at 1:25 PM
barklaart.bsky.social
There's my art warmup for the day! Cheers for the photo 😊🌼
Digital illustration in a watercolour + pencil style. The background is a blend of soft colours: yellow, orange, pink, purple, cyan. In the centre is a happy boston terrier's face. She has brown markings, big eyes and a wide mouth with her tongue out. Surrounding her is the text "ANOTHER GLORIOUS DAY TO BE AMYDOG", decorated with two daisies.
October 16, 2025 at 9:46 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
my favourite:
Photograph of a freshwater lake or pond. Smooth, blue water fills most of the image. In the centre, the front wheels of a submerged shopping trolley break the surface. The wheels hang down from their casters in a sad, lifeless fashion, like the paws of a starving dog begging for scraps. Blades of grass watch on from the bottom left corner.
October 16, 2025 at 5:03 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Today in my garden: first ladybug, first pupa 🐞🐛
Photograph of a bok choy stalk after the plant has gone to seed. Many bok choy plants with vibrant yellow flowers can be seen in the background. The garden is sunny. On the stalk, in the centre of the frame, is a ladybug with unusual colouring: mostly black at the front, with a spotted red section on the back. It shell is bright and glossy in the sunshine. Below the ladybug, a caterpillar pupa hangs in the shadow beneath a small leaf, forming a dark angular silhouette.
October 14, 2025 at 4:08 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
It's giving the Hollow (everyone go watch Scavenger's Reign thanks)
Scavenger's Reign screenshot of the Hollow, a bastard who looks like a human baby crossed an axolotl or something
October 11, 2025 at 2:20 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
He looked so regal in that pic, I had to draw him! Hope that's OK. I'm so deeply sorry for your loss. He looks a beautiful boy who probably purred really loud 🌸☘👑
A digital illustration of an incredibly fluffy cat, drawn in a watercolour-and-ink style. The colours are pastel with lots of yellow, aqua, and cool pink. The cat sits facing us, his bushy white chest contrasting with brown tabby colouring, giving the air of a wise white-bearded king. He has white paws and a white blaze on his face that covers his cheeks and nose. His long, bushy tail curves behind him, adding drama to the seated pose. A gold crown with red gems floats above his head like a halo, sending off radiant lines in the background. He sits on a fluffy white cloud. Around the image is a stylised frame, decorated with red clover (state flower of Vermont) and in the centre, the subject's name: FERGUS.
October 10, 2025 at 11:19 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Such a cute image I had to use it for art practice/warmups, thank you for sharing it 💚🐑
A cosy, storybook-style illustration of two little boys jumping on a trampoline. The trampoline is in a big grassy field with yellow flowers. Two pairs of boots lie in the grass below. Around the trampoline, three sheep watch the boys with serene curiosity, as the forms of other sheep fade into the distance. Beyond the field are distant farms and forests. The boys have joyful faces and their baggy shirts swing around them as they jump. The sky is blue with scattered, fluffy clouds. It's a beautiful day for friendship
October 8, 2025 at 8:42 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
sketchbook studies before bedtime ✍ #art #drawing
A sketchbook page of many human faces, drawn mostly in pink and purple ballpoint pen. The faces have different angles and expressions; that's what I'm practicing
September 27, 2025 at 2:25 PM
barklaart.bsky.social
Been in a horror mood lately I guess
#art #ocean
A digital illustration of an underwater scene. The colour palette is dark, mostly blues and green with pops of orange. In the midground, a diver straddles a giant Maori Wrasse with a saddle, swimming towards the divers in the foreground. Three smaller fish follow the wrasse. The mounted diver holds a lantern and looks concerned. In the foreground, two divers hide behind a temperate coral reef. One looks panicked, either by the crack in his helmet or at the human skull in the opposite corner of the reef. The other waves to the mounted diver, trying to warn them of the danger behind. At the back of a scene, sea monster the size of a bus looms before the dark cave opening. The monster resembles a huge axolotl with angerfish teeth, lionfish-inspired dragon wings, two arms with claws, and a long snakelike body receding into the darkness. Only the eyes and claws are illuminated as it reaches out to snatch the mounted diver.
July 29, 2025 at 1:21 PM
barklaart.bsky.social
the inspiration, per a challenge with a friend: these exact two images. Art's a lot of fun 😁
July 9, 2025 at 3:32 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Drew some new art!! Turned out really well but it had the stupidest inspiration lol #art
A post-apocalyptic illustration with horror overtones. It is rendered in black, orange, and murky greys and browns. In the foreground, the silhouette of a decaying skeletal deer missing its forelegs stands on a dead tree to inspect its two leaves, the only sign of normal life. Its antlered head, a skull with traces of flesh hanging from it, stands out against a giant orange moon in the background. Behind the deer is an industrial cityscape - a chain-link fence, the rubble of fallen buildings, a crane, and mysteries factories and warehouses.
July 9, 2025 at 3:31 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
and bonus:
A comic of a grey kitten in a rainbow sweater saying: "HAPPY PRIDE! I know things are scary out there right now. But we believe you, we love you, and we'll make it through together <3 "
June 8, 2025 at 3:14 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Happy pride 💜♠️ #pride #asexual #art
A digital pride illustration in the colours of the asexual flag. It has a folksy, cosy style, with ink lines and watercolour-style rendering. A happy panda in an Icelandic sweater eats a slice of cake at a table, sitting in an antique wooden chair. The table also bears a white rose in a bottle - the panda is having a romantic dessert date for one. The tablecloth is decorated with diamonds and spades. In the background is a purple curtain pulled to the side. Bright stars decorate the piece. The decorative border has quilt-like shapes in addition to the four suits: diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades.
June 8, 2025 at 3:12 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
spaceship close-up (I drew a perspective grid for the lil guy!)
Prior image cropped to show only the spacecraft. It's a smoothly curved shape with white on top and black below, the sides decorated by orange stripes and a line of strange alien symbols (the craft's name, perhaps)? On the upper deck, looking through the tinted glass dome, are thee people - two yellow three-eyed aliens with tentacle hands, two green-skinned and pointy-eared humanoids, and a human with a moustache-like hairstyle on their forehead. All are excited or otherwise enjoying the view. The pilot is a women in gold and orange uniform with matching headset.
May 9, 2025 at 10:53 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
New art for April! (I'm late!) It's hard to be a sci-fi fan in the age of the technocrat dipshit, but I'm not gonna let them have it 😁 #scifiart #art
A digital illustration of a misty planetscape shrouded in yellow haze. In the foreground, a small spacecraft flies across strange alien trees growing from the rusty red earth. The trees are mushroom-shaped but appear fleshy and prickly, like aloe or another succulent. From the throat of some trees issue gigantic globes of pollen, rising all the way up to the height of the spaceship. A variety of space tourists, both alien and human, admire the pollen from the spaceship's upper deck. In the background, a mountain rises against the green sky, yellow clouds and two crescent moons. The mountain, red and spiked, hosts a great domed city of skyscrapers, connected to two smaller domes with transit tubes. The silhouettes of huge spacecraft are visible in the sky around the city.
May 9, 2025 at 10:49 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Hope you don't mind fanart! I needed a muse for a warmup, and your photos are so inspiring 🍓🌿🌼
Digital illustration in a classic storybook style. A cream-and-gold dog with floppy ears, chest curls, and long curly tail sits among springtime foliage (strawberry plants, native sage etc). He has an innocent, trusting expression. The text "Springtime for Indy" sits below, for all seasons and climates were made for him to enjoy.
April 18, 2025 at 5:26 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
my favourite thing is this quote from John Marshall (the article itself wasn't archived, boo, so I got this from the film's Wikipedia history)
April 2, 2025 at 2:19 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Birthday art for my birthday! 🍰 Happy Aries season
#art #illustration
A circular illustration, digitally painted, in soft blues and pastel rainbow colours. A fluffy white cloud with the face and horns of a ram sits in the centre of the frame. The ram wears a white party hat with polka dots. Surrounding the ram are multicoloured balloons, painted with fun shapes and symbols. Behind the ram is a clear blue sky and pastel rainbow. The piece is festive, but calming.
March 25, 2025 at 12:29 PM
barklaart.bsky.social
and the text-free version:
A vibrant, hyper-realistic digital painting of a close-up preying mantis face on a red background. The mantis is a vivid lime green with yellow highlights and shiny reflections.
March 21, 2025 at 3:57 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Digital painting study featuring MANTIS FACTS 💚 #prayingmantis #mantis #insects
A vibrant, hyper-realistic digital painting of a close-up preying mantis face on a red background. The mantis is a vivid lime green with yellow highlights and shiny reflections. The mantis is surrounded by sparkles. Around the face, the following facts are listed: - I have three extra eyes on my forehead! - We can have beautiful wings! - My face fingers are called my maxillae! - I can catch small birds and eat them alive! - Our males can mate for hours without their heads!
March 21, 2025 at 3:56 AM
barklaart.bsky.social
Drew a houseboat for mice (mouseboat, if you will) #art #illustration #mice
A cartoon illustration in a vintage picturebook style depicting a family of mice riding a houseboat down a creek. The creek is surrounded by grasses, three-cornered leeks, and other greenery. A mouse on a frog with a saddle waves to the family from a mossy rock in the bottom right corner. The boat is made from a decorative biscuit tin and a wooden running wheel. The biscuit tin is pink and decorated with hearts and berries, the text "Berry Delight - Finest Fruit Biscuits" partially obscured by windows cut into the sides. An overall-clad worker mouse leans out the running wheel to catch his breath. The mouse family sit and stand on the top of the boat, enjoying the view. One mouse has a pet grub in a collar, waving its tail. Another pet grub snoozes on the doormat in the sun. The boat has flower boxes filled with scarlet pimpernel. A school of minnows swirls in the water before the boat.
March 5, 2025 at 9:20 AM