A.C. Esguerra
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blueludebar.com
A.C. Esguerra
@blueludebar.com
540 followers 110 following 300 posts
comics artist + writer in LA. probably inkstained. EIGHTY DAYS (GLAAD nominated, YALSA listed). they/them. blueludebar.com
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blueludebar.com
continuing the fantasy oracle deck thread, here's the blue/water and lavender-grey/air cards i drew 🃏🌊 #illustration #oraclecards #tarotcards [3/4]
eleven cards from the official oracle card deck based on the world of fantasy novel trilogy ROOK AND ROSE by M.A. Carrick. this batch is mostly blue, grey, pink and purple cards. some of the imagery includes: a noose-like knot made of bright red rope against a background of crashing and foaming ocean waves, a tortoiseshell cat leaping down at a passing dragonfly heedless of the large pitcher of water directly under its prey, golden reeds waving unharmed in a stormy gale while a gnarled black tree behind it splinters, a woman draped in lavender cloth and a man dressed in coppery red each holding a bright moon against a starry night sky.
November 12, 2025 at 8:43 PM
blueludebar.com
done 🔏🤘🏽
an ink and watercolor illustration on bristol paper of an elegant, anthropomorphic deer in a princely cloak looming smugly over a white-haired woman in an elaborate ribbon-trimmed dress. delicate rose-like flowers decorate the deer's antlers and frame the composition. more of the same flowers, with sharp thorns, pierce the cloth of the dress around the other figure, pinning her to the ground; she looks annoyed rather than distressed, however. the color scheme is black, muted greys and soft lavender-pinks shot through with accents of bright, saturated blue around the flowers. scattered papers in the background show the thumbnail sketches and color tests for the piece.
November 11, 2025 at 9:53 PM
blueludebar.com
[commission wip] the first wash of a watercolor painting is always so loose and freeing. i missed this feeling. 🦋
the corner of a watercolor painting commission in progress. the ink linework describes an elaborate, ribbon-trimmed dress framed by a tangle of delicate rose-like flowers. an initial wash of watercolor has been painted over the lines: muted greys and soft lavender-pinks shot through with accents of bright, saturated blue around the flowers.
November 10, 2025 at 10:21 PM
blueludebar.com
more of my illustration work on the ROOK & ROSE fantasy oracle deck 🃏🌿 these are the green/earth-themed cards #illustration #oraclecards #tarotcards [2/4]
twelve cards from the official oracle card deck based on the world of fantasy novel trilogy ROOK AND ROSE by M.A. Carrick. this batch is mostly cream, greens and brown cards. some of the imagery includes: a person leaping from a harsh rocky cliff-edge towards a bright red sun, a mossy labyrinth spiraling towards a calm blue pool in its center, a very cute turtle hiding from a downpour in its shell on a rock in a stream, a hand pierced by a bright red poppy, a hand holding a small brass key in front of a heavy carved chest in a darkened room, a woman in a shroud reaching up towards an illusion of shifting iridescent peacock-like colors.
November 10, 2025 at 1:40 AM
blueludebar.com
here's the 45 cards i illustrated for @macarrick.bsky.social's official ROOK & ROSE fantasy oracle deck 🃏✨ first, the fire/red cards [1/4]
twelve cards from the official oracle card deck based on the world of fantasy novel trilogy ROOK AND ROSE by M.A. Carrick. this batch is mostly red, orange and gold cards. some of the imagery includes: floating lanterns in a night sky, intertwined hands with a lavishly embroidered cloth ribbon wound between their fingers, two sisters with dark hair holding swords, a woman with braided hair standing in a reed-edged river pushing a sleeve of her dress down her shoulder to reveal a fire burning from her heart, a traveler's wagon crossing a golden field towards a sunset.
November 8, 2025 at 12:36 AM
blueludebar.com
inking day 🔏
an ink illustration on bristol paper of an elegant, anthropomorphic deer in a princely cloak looming smugly over a white-haired woman in a heavy, elaborate dress. round flowers decorate the deer's antlers and frame the composition. more of the same flowers, with sharp thorns, pierce the cloth of the dress around the other figure, pinning her to the ground; she looks annoyed rather than distressed, however. an ink illustration on bristol paper of a young woman in a puff-sleeved dress trimmed with lace sitting with Bruno from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, in a field of flowers.
November 5, 2025 at 6:28 AM
blueludebar.com
i guess i'll post these here too. my hobby is shooting polaroid 600 instant film. tried some fun filters recently
a square polaroid film photo in a black paper notebook depicting palm trees against an afternoon sky. the photo was taken with a mirror filter on the lens so there are actually three sets of palm trees in the frame, divided by hazy blue transitions. the mirror filter, along with red, blue and yellow color ones, is scattered to the right, along with a tiny stamp of an ace of spades card. two square polaroid film photos in a black paper notebook. the left photo shows a mysterious bluish light as seen shining through thickly clustered, dark tree branches. it was taken with a mirror filter, which is resting on a piece of paper next to it. the right shows clusters of small red flowers draping in curves from a tree against a black background. the red filter used to take it is also on a piece of paper to the right. two square polaroid film photos in a black paper notebook. the left photo is a closeup of a young gingko tree branch, covered with fan-shaped leaves against a dark background. it was taken with a yellow filter, which is resting on a piece of paper next to it. the right shows a large forget-me-not bush at dusk, with a a strip of sunlight catching the tips of the highest flowers. the blue filter used to take it is also on a piece of paper to the right. two square polaroid film photos in a black paper notebook. the left photo shows dappled light and the shadows of a large tree cast upon a large-gridded concrete wall. the right is a picture of a row of massive rectangular floor-to-ceiling windows and round, tiered chandeliers in a dim hall in Union Station, Los Angeles.
October 24, 2025 at 6:51 PM
blueludebar.com
pencilling day
a pencil drawing on bristol paper of an elegant, anthropomorphic deer in a princely cloak looming smugly over a white-haired woman in a heavy, elaborate dress. round flowers decorate the deer's antlers and frame the composition. more of the same flowers, with sharp thorns, pierce the cloth of the dress around the other figure, pinning her to the ground; she looks annoyed rather than distressed, however. a pencil drawing on bristol paper of an androgynous figure whose body is half-transformed into a crustacean, shrimp-like form, standing in a hot springs. bat-like wings emerge from the shoulder blades and the curve of his spine extends into large segmented tail. in one hand, he draws apart a veil covered in droplets of water. his curly hair cascades into his face and down his back as he regards a second figure in the water who is looking up at him.
October 23, 2025 at 4:35 PM
blueludebar.com
life has been very hard lately. but thinking about this coconut horchata i had on the train after a lolita event helps.
a picture of my hand in a black lace glove holding a plastic cup with a red straw containing coconut horchata.
October 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM
blueludebar.com
archway comic panels from THE PRINCE (2025)
a pencil drawing in a sketchbook of an elaborately carved archway. the pillars have leaf and diamond motifs and the top has three curves. a pencil drawing in a sketchbook of an elaborately carved double archway. the twin gothic arches come to a point and are supported by slender, scrolled pillars around which messy ivy is growing.
October 17, 2025 at 6:40 PM
blueludebar.com
painting day(s) ✌🏽 #art #commissions #watercolor
the initial wash of a traditional art ink and watercolor drawing on bristol paper. the color scheme is light shades of blue, pink and yellow. it depicts a somewhat birdseye view of an energetic, androgynous character in a lolita-like outfit with a billed cap, cape, ribboned dress and boots leaping toward the bottom right corner of the piece, a heart-shaped arrow in one hand and a love letter in the other. a traditional art ink and watercolor drawing on bristol paper. the color scheme ranges from warm fiery yellow-orange and reds fading out to gentle grey-greens and ochres. it depicts two catboys, one a long-haired mage with a gentle expression, his arms bearing a fiery staff protectively around the other, a confident-looking swordsman in a long patterned coat with a high collar.
October 7, 2025 at 5:42 PM
blueludebar.com
hey arielle! congrats on your new role. nice to see you around again (i remember you from ham fanzine + cons long ago) 🖤

website: blueludebar.com
availability: late jan/early feb 2026
sequential samples + information in alt text:
four pages from a nonfiction Amelia Earhart comic book for middle-grade and young readers. traditional ink and brush + digital color. Penguin Workshop Books, 2022. four pages from Witch Crossing, a fantasy, all-ages short comic story about witches who cast ink and space magic in a surreal world. traditional graphite pencil. Shortbox Comics Fair, 2022. four pages from Eighty Days, an original graphic novel about pilots in an alternate-1930s world for adult and/or young adult readers. traditional black and white ink + brush. Archaia, 2021. two pages from The City of Poets - Pat Parker, part of a public art poster series interpreting the writing of local poet-activists of color and presenting brief biographies of their lives as one-page comics. traditional ink + digital color. commissioned by the City of San Francisco, 2022-2023.
September 25, 2025 at 1:52 AM
blueludebar.com
inking day
a traditional art ink and brush drawing on bristol paper. it depicts a somewhat birdseye view of an energetic, androgynous character in a lolita-like outfit with a billed cap, cape, ribboned dress and boots leaping toward the bottom right corner of the piece, a heart-shaped arrow in one hand and a love letter in the other. a traditional art ink and brush drawing on bristol paper. it depicts two catboys, one a long-haired mage with a gentle expression, his arms bearing a fiery staff protectively around the other, a confident-looking swordsman in a long patterned coat with a high collar.
September 18, 2025 at 10:50 PM
blueludebar.com
commissions in progress so far 🫡
a piece of bristol paper on my desk, covered in graphite thumbnail sketches of various commissions + notes to myself. above the paper is the Blackwing Pearl pencil i used to draw these compositions and a small metal pencil sharpener.
September 8, 2025 at 6:34 PM
blueludebar.com
the rush of dopamine when the stamp comes out just right 👌🏽
the front of the envelope in the previous post. i decorated it using a deep blue-green ink pad plus a square wooden stamp that's carved with a design of a bird in flight entwined in plants.
September 3, 2025 at 5:08 PM
blueludebar.com
hello good people of bsky. commission books are OPEN! allow me to draw your OCs and faves! i'm in a tight spot, so requests/shares are appreciated. info + form: tally.so/r/3XPZKY
traditional watercolor, ink and brush illustration of Qifrey from Witch Hat Atelier. his robes billow as he leaps to the left, his figure surreally half-in, half-out of a large pair of golden wire-rimmed spectacles against a white background. he makes a sweeping gesture with his left hand, which holds an ink nib out of which ink and water is flowing and turning into crashing waves. just visible in the darkness of the eyeglass on the left is a shadowy reflection. the overall color scheme is white, gold and blue. traditional ink and brush illustration of Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3. he wears form-fitting studded leather armor and crouches on some rotted wooden rafters, backlit by a full moon. he holds the Rhapsody dagger in his right hand while he licks blood off his left hand. an illustration inked with sable brush and painted with watercolor, of Jay Corvidae carrying Fix Vulpes (both from my first graphic novel, EIGHTY DAYS). he wears a flat-brimmed summer hat with a striped ribbon and a suit. Fix's arms are wrapped around him; one hand holds a bouquet of flowers. the color scheme is overall a light, summery lemon yellow-green, with accents of bright blue and orange.
September 1, 2025 at 7:03 PM
blueludebar.com
making letters beautiful with wax seals just to feel something
a flat lay photo of my desk covered with stationery: a set of wooden square tile pattern stamps, ink pads, scissors, rolls of washi tape, alphabet stamps, wax seal supplies, an envelope with a wax seal in progress on it. a wax seal on top of an envelope. the same envelope as the previous picture, now with the finished wax seal revealed: a marbled rose quartz and white-colored wax embossed with a design that looks like a slim twine ribbon.
August 31, 2025 at 6:27 PM
blueludebar.com
i'll do it my way. #bg3 #baldursgate3 #astarion
finished version of the previous image; a traditional ink and brush illustration of Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3. he wears form-fitting studded leather armor and crouches on some rotted wooden rafters, backlit by a full moon. he holds the Rhapsody dagger in his right hand while he licks blood off his left hand. in the upper left is a thumbnail sketch / value study that i inked before making the main piece.
August 29, 2025 at 5:23 PM
blueludebar.com
baldur's gate 3...was so fun!!🩸🖤 #bg3 #astarion #baldursgate
traditional ink and brush linework of Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3. he wears form-fitting studded leather armor and crouches on some rotted wooden rafters, backlit by a full moon. he holds the Rhapsody dagger in his right hand while he licks blood off his left hand. in the upper left is a separate sheet of test paper covered in brush strokes and hatching.
August 28, 2025 at 6:44 PM
blueludebar.com
hello watercolor my old friend
an illustration inked with sable brush and painted with watercolor, of Jay Corvidae carrying Fix Vulpes (both from my first graphic novel, EIGHTY DAYS). he wears a flat-brimmed summer hat with a striped ribbon and a suit. Fix's arms are wrapped around him; one hand holds a bouquet of flowers. the color scheme is overall a light, summery lemon yellow-green, with accents of bright blue and orange. to the right is a separate test paper that has a small color study thumbnail and swatches of paint on it.
August 26, 2025 at 5:46 PM
blueludebar.com
just found out i got into CALA / Comic Arts LA! see you in december 🌴 here's a pic from the first time i went (2016!!?)
a grainy as hell photo of me wearing light-up shutter shades and doing a very queer sort of pose in front of four golden alphabet balloons that spell "CALA", at the event in 2016, when it was still in the Fashion District.
August 26, 2025 at 3:42 PM
blueludebar.com
ahhh nooo! so rude!! im not sure if this would help (since raccoons might be smarter) but i saw my local foragers club squirrel-proof their gardens with clamshell containers from the grocery, like this:
August 25, 2025 at 8:23 PM
blueludebar.com
still got it 🔏
the same illustration as the post above, but now inked with sable brush, of Jay Corvidae carrying Fix Vulpes (both from EIGHTY DAYS) . he wears a flat-brimmed summer hat with a striped ribbon and a suit. Fix's arms are wrapped around him; one hand holds a bouquet of flowers.
August 25, 2025 at 1:52 AM
blueludebar.com
trying to remember how to draw for fun 💐
a tilted and cropped sketch on a scrap of bristol paper of Jay Corvidae from EIGHTY DAYS (2021) carrying Fix Vulpes. he wears a flat-brimmed summer hat with a striped ribbon and a suit. partly visible are Fix's arms wrapped around him; one hand holds a bouquet of flowers. the Blackwing Pearl pencil used to make the drawing overlaps the paper to the right.
August 21, 2025 at 5:42 PM
blueludebar.com
i encourage any artists filling out Patre0n's AI survey to let it rip in the optional comment boxes. here's mine. not my most coherent, but hey. use the voice you have (while you still have it) patreon.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Survey text: How do you feel about other creators on Patre*n using AI? (E.g. For generating media or increasing productivity). My answer: I believe that creators have their own reasons for using AI. Some reasons I can understand, even if I would not make the same choice (i.e. "if I don't post and making my subscribers happy, I can't pay rent”). Other reasons, I cannot ever understand or agree with (e.g. "AI is an acceptable shortcut to artistic fulfillment, clout and success, and even though it plagiarizes the creative work of literally generations of humans it's the future so we should get in on the ground floor"). I also believe that the need to create art in a way that focuses on generating "content" and "increasing productivity"--in other words, in a way that is ever-expanding, profitable and scaling up--is a need manufactured by capitalism. The beauty of creative work is in the way it arises from artists as individuals: how our experiences, choices and dreams over the course of possibly our entire lifetime is transformed and translated, by our skills and tools, into a creative voice and body of work that can express something of ourselves, communicate with others. At no point in this intricate and astonishing process do I desire the assistance of a corporate-owned plagiarism machine to churn out more art, faster, more efficiently, more productively. I don’t make art because I want to become more efficient, I make it because I want to become more myself. If a creator shares these values with me, yet still chooses to use AI, I can only think they're either somehow unaware of its negative impacts (nonconsensual use of people’s images and work whether living or dead, devaluation of artistic labor, environmental and community damage, etc)—or they are in a place where they believe they have no choice but to use it, because it is unavoidable. But it would not be unavoidable if it were not constantly pushed as the default by digital platforms. And we do have a choice. Survey text: Is there anything else you want to share about your views on AI? My answer: I joined Patre*n in 2017 because I believed in its model: share art you made, with people who want to see it, and get a regular stream of income. I have never had a huge following or made a lot of money doing this, but I was happy with the simplicity of the platform, and the way it seemed to value and respect creative work. Perhaps Patre*n is considering “small” ways to implement AI. What’s the harm in a summary or a search bar? What’s the harm in a draw-this-in-someone’s-style generator? To this, I ask: what value or solutions does AI bring to these tasks that doesn’t already exist? If I follow or subscribe to someone’s blog, I read their posts, because I’m interested in what they have to say and how they say it. I don’t get any of that from an AI summary and I don’t want to. Search engines and tags already exist. As for generators, they carry the biases and flaws that their (again: usually plagiarized) datasets do. I’d much rather see a bunch of artists making new art and trying out other styles, with all that would reveal about their aesthetics and idiosyncracies, than click a button and “generate” some averaged-out version of a Google Image Search. These “small” uses of AI do not add value to my experience as an artist or art enjoyer. The one thing I think they do accomplish is that they create something for companies to point at and say “look, people are using it!”, thereby manufacturing the justification for larger, more expansive and more harmful uses of AI. Please, if you are a person reading this, choose art over artifice.
August 16, 2025 at 2:16 AM