Katherine Souza
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kattysouza.bsky.social
Katherine Souza
@kattysouza.bsky.social
1.1K followers 570 following 570 posts
https://www.katherinesouza.art/

Storyteller (illustration, writing, + game design)
Making quests for Elder Scrolls Online
All opinions are my own
(she/her)

Follow me as I trudge through my upcoming fantasy artbook!
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kattysouza.bsky.social
There was a piece in the artbook that just wasn't sparking joy. The storytelling was lacking and the visuals were too similar to a few other pieces. So I found the old sketch it was based off and redid it.

2019 sketch <> Artbook piece v1 <> Artbook piece v2
rain clouds move in over a golden, grassy landscape. black birds land in tree branches. a person leads a winged beast. There is a structure shooting light into the sky value and color studies of a landscape piece. Someone is leading a winged beast while overlooking a ridge. there is a trail below on a cliff side. large pink mountains loom in the background. Next to the person is a bird speared to a rock with a paper pinned behind it. A golden grassy landscape with rainclouds moving in. black birds person on a stone with spears coming from it. Another stone is in the midground with a speared bird and a paper. a person is reading the paper. the person has a lead to an winged beast which approaches the black birds
October 31, 2025 at 7:35 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
The underpaintings keep coming!
A screenshot of a google drive folder with a grid of underpainting thumbnails
October 30, 2025 at 7:45 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
I'm building my own world 🪶

And you can learn more about it @whispersoftruatra on insta. Here are some value/color studies for the upcoming book!

QRP with your world!
A value and color study of an environment with pink-grey structures and water running through them. Strange orange mounds grow around the water. There is a figure with a winged beast on a round structure A color and value study of a rocky landscape catching the light. It is yellow and arid looking in the foregound with large pink-grey structures in the background. A machine crawls up a road. A clue and color study of a desert environment. The orange rocks and sand reflect the bright blue sky. A floating city pours water onto the landscape making an oasis. There are large toads and cacti A goat like person in yellow and black holds up a large metal scythe
October 30, 2025 at 4:18 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Some recent oil paintings. One on the left is a commission for the local bakery (yes I got to eat the cake afterwards) and the other is my Christmas gift to my mother-in-law so don't show this to her.
An oil painting of a squash, a cake, its slice on a plate, a croissant, an apple, and some sunflowers. They sit on a green striped towel. An oil painting of an onion, two zucchinis, three tomatoes, a bowl of elderberries, and a sprig of parsley.
October 18, 2025 at 4:50 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Hey all, I'm still chugging away at artbook underpaintings. If you wanna see more behind the scenes, please give @whispersoftruatra a follow in instagram!
a screenshot of a google drive folder with many image files. They're all in various states of being painted.
October 6, 2025 at 8:00 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Today I had a photoshoot for a very fun commission. Pastries and produce is all Maine made!
various items on a green striped towel and wooden table: sunflowers, a squash, an apple, a sliced croissant and a pink cake with its slice off to the side a slice of cake with pink frosting and flowers a slice croissant with sunlight glowing through it
October 4, 2025 at 7:56 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Alright, I've entered the next stage after color roughs: underpaintings! All 115 pieces will have roughly blocked in colors/textures with acrylics + gouache. Then I will finish them off with oils with final remasters in digital. Breaking apart the process this way has made the artbook less daunting
three gouache vignettes. The left depicts a marble statue, the middle a vellum parchment, and the right a chest in front of a brick wall
September 14, 2025 at 10:59 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
This morning, I officially finished all the color mockups. Gonna take a few days to breathe, then it's time to dive into underpaintings. Stay tuned for more!
A series of thumbnails for graphite drawings, value studies, and color comps.
September 12, 2025 at 1:09 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Welcome to #whisperswednesdays where @goosepoopgames.com and I promote the upcoming Whispers of Truatra artbook! Follow us on instagram (@whispersoftruatra) for more updates
a sea creature with mouth wide open tries to grab a fish. Over the creature says "You, searching for a rich dark fantasy setting with an illustrated artbook". Over the fish says "Whispers of Truatra"
September 10, 2025 at 5:09 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
If anyone is curious, this is something I've done for 12 years! Here are the previous portraits
Various portraits done digitally and in oils of a white woman. The text in the bottom right reads "Self portraits 2014-2021" An oil painting of a white woman submerged into green foliage. Pink drips cover the plants and her face A digital painting of a white woman with glowing red eyes and vampire fangs An oil painting of a white woman with tattoos stands on a red background, her hand is outstretched to an eclipsing sun.
September 2, 2025 at 4:21 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Annual self portrait finally dropped. Didn't quite come out how I wanted, but there's always next year!
An octagonal painting in a wooden frame of a white woman with tattoos. Her body is in the sky and her head is distorted from being under ocean water
September 1, 2025 at 4:47 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
In the process of doing color and mockups for the 110 illustrations that will be in the artbook. It sure is a process... Hoping to be done with these and start painting within the next two weeks.
A series of thumbnails for graphite drawings, value studies, and color comps.
August 31, 2025 at 11:34 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
It's that time of year again
a series of thumbnails, reference photos, and other paintings. There is a larger thumbnail in the bottom right of a woman stand with her head in the sea water
July 31, 2025 at 11:46 AM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Two more practice paintings on scrap paper. One is an exercise in suppressed value ranges and the other a study of some specimens found in my yard (the robin egg was rotten when I found it because starlings kept invading the nest)
a long red dragon over a dark sunset. It casts a massive shadow over a landscape with short trees. thunder clouds are on the right and scrollwork on the left A study of a robin egg, cardinal skull, and an antelope beetle. Their species names are written beside them
July 16, 2025 at 8:55 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Hey artists, QRP with your sketch vs final!
A sketch of a black and white goat standing in a field with a pink sun and moon. A painting of a black and white goat standing in a field with a pink sun and moon. There are pink meteorites falling.
July 13, 2025 at 2:47 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
My awesome coworker @mexicancryptid.bsky.social commissioned this painting a while back and I've forgotten to share it. Projects like this are always a joy.

#painting #illustration
A giant Megatherium stands beside two dramatic pueblo cliffs. It looks joyously into the sunrise. There are small humans in thick grass by a winding creek
July 9, 2025 at 9:19 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
"Computer, Define Joy"
Acrylic + Colored Pencils
16" x 20"
#art #illustration #startrek
Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation stands in a space-y environment with a yellow grid below his feet. He is interacting with various floating LCARS screens
June 26, 2025 at 11:41 AM
kattysouza.bsky.social
So the graphite drawing is from last week. As of today, I finished the base coats of acrylic paint and started adding in texture and detail with colored pencil. Then I rubbed off the masking cement I put on the LCARS elements.
A painting on a desk of a man standing on a yellow grid. There is a sketchbook with color studies next to it and some bottles of acrylic paint in the corner.
June 25, 2025 at 11:47 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
I keep forgetting to post updates on this
A pencil drawing on taped paper of a man seen from below. He is touching control panels, a grid at his feet and orbs floating amongst the panels
June 25, 2025 at 4:25 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Hi hi! I'm Katherine Souza, an illustrator, writer, and game designer in Maine. I make speculative art usually through oil paints! I'd love to work with y'all :)

www.katherinesouza.art
Four knights battling an afanc. They are in the colors black, white, yellow, and red: one is holding an orb of prima materia in the teeth of the monster A female body with a blue keyhole turtleneck sweater raises her glowing hands. She has an asteroid for a head and other celestial bodies float around her. A mouse in a yellow dress holds up a wooden staff with flowers tied to it. She has a grub in a basket on her hip. There are beetles all about her feet. Dog-like beasts surround a party of four people in a field of lavender. One is pointing a ribbed sword at them, another is hiding an egg in the sleeves of her red cloak, the next holds up a large shield, and the fourth has a staff and is eyeing everything closely.
June 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Haven't forgotten this piece. Done with the digital mockup so gonna sketch it onto paper now!
Data standing on a glowing yellow grid amongst blue cosmic space. The grids' squares are also floating to be touchscreens
June 8, 2025 at 8:42 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Another practice acrylic painting. Really forcing myself to try limited value ranges. In this case the toned yellow (seen on the gnome's shirt) is the lightest value. I didn't use any white pigment.
A gnome wearing suspenders and a blue coat holds their red hat while jumping with rabbits
June 7, 2025 at 8:24 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
Definitely gave myself some kind of painful injury during my last abdominal workout.....
Screenshot of Nick from What We Do in the Shadows. Text says "It's my favorite food. I can't eat chips." "food" is replaced with "exercise and "chips" is replaced with "bicycle crunches"
May 23, 2025 at 11:43 PM
kattysouza.bsky.social
qrp with starry art! ✨

An old piece of my catboy OC Thaniel on the left. And then an acrylic painting I was commissioned to make for someone's baby nursery! :D
a blackhaired catboy stands infront of two blue moons. He is holding a blade-gun weapon. There are yellow stripes on his armor and on the weapon A stegosaurus is on a rocket ship blasting through space. There are planets and stars galore
May 22, 2025 at 11:11 AM
kattysouza.bsky.social
So the rain and coldsnap brought more bounty to my garden beds!! I can't believe this!
Some morels popping out between strawberries beside a woodplank path Some morels popping out between strawberries beside a woodplank path 6 morels of various sizes on a paper towel
May 20, 2025 at 9:17 PM