Liiga Smilshkalne
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liiga.bsky.social
Liiga Smilshkalne
@liiga.bsky.social
7.5K followers 510 following 2.2K posts
Artist from the mysterious and far away land of Latvia. Mostly drawing for Magic: The Gathering these days. Big on shinies and coffee.
She/her

Prints: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/liiga/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/liiga_s_art
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liiga.bsky.social
The art vs the artist’s hand

With a bonus sighting of fuzzy gremlin paws.
A digital illustration for the Magic: The Gathering card "Bottle-Cap Blast". It shows an explosion full of Nuca Cola bottle-caps and fragments of a Fallout lunchbox. A hand partially covered by a very fuzzy cat because the little gremlin wouldn't stop howling about the inferior contents of his food bowl and had to sit on my lap and endure gentle kissies as punishment. He hated every second of it and no lessons were learned.
November 11, 2025 at 6:03 PM
liiga.bsky.social
If you see this, post your bird art 🐦

#birds

Keeping with the crane theme~
"Musaazi", an illustration for the Android:Netrunner LCG. It shows a red gray crane being dramatic in cyberspace.
November 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM
liiga.bsky.social
>:o
An extremely graphic closeup of four of the lewdest pixels ever. Davis, how could you?!
November 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Oh. my. god. look at it, being all.. uh.. somewhat round. Truly, think of the children, what if they see a nipp- ..hang on.

Nonsense aside, gorgeous artwork 💖
An extremely dangerous tiny brush stroke that we must be protected against at all costs.
November 8, 2025 at 5:57 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Bun bun bun bun bun bun; that is all. 🐰
A photo of a small marker drawing on the back of an artist proof, surrounded by dry autumn leaves. The bunny is fussing around with some sweet pea vines while golden butterflies flutter about.
November 6, 2025 at 6:29 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Super excited to be a part of this!!

Here's the first of my three, Tamiyo in acrylics on the back of an Enduring Innocence proof.

Going to elaborate on the meaning and technique in the alt text.
An acrylic painting on the back of a Magic: The Gathering artist proof of "Enduring Innocence", 6.3x8.8cm in size. The "droplets" are raised a bit above the surface - though not too much - and they're made by using teensy tiny glass beads as 'seeds' for volume, and built upon with heavy gel and many, many layers of a shiny medium. There's also symbolism to it that calls for some lore. Tamiyo - like most planeswalkers - has a long and interesting life, but it comes to a tragic end soon after she's compleated by the Phyrexians, when she purposefully allows her friend the Wanderer to kill her in battle. However, her story doesn't end there, as a part of her spirit (a shade) is captured in a memory scroll which eventually ends up on the Duskmourn plane - which is the set that the "Enduring Innocence" belongs to. While Tamiyo's adoptive son Nashi goes to Duskmourn to find her, the shade is continuously drained of her memories by the plane's ruling demon's cultists. When she is found all that's left and the only thing that's allowed her to persist is her love for him. In the end, she asks to be released into the Blind Eternities, and Nashi honors the request. So with that context, I wanted to show Tamiyo with a loving and peaceful expression as her memory fades away into little droplets - maybe Nashi's tears. The flowers are spider lilies since their symbolism is tied to death, remembrance and transformation. They're yellow to go with the "Enduring Innocence" (well and also because yellow and blue together are nice to look at.)
October 24, 2025 at 6:57 PM
liiga.bsky.social
So I was thinking, working from the top might work for this one? To copy the yellow arch one might draw one side on something, and reuse that shape like copying any sketch. It does follow the edge of a very large circle.
The position of the small circles is also defined by the arches.
I hope this is legible! And no, I don't aspire to know what I'm talking about; the repeating pattern of the arch marked in yellow just caught my eye.
October 23, 2025 at 10:17 AM
liiga.bsky.social
QRT with your skull art 💀
A small painting of a deer skull sinking into the void. Its antlers have been snapped off in places, but branches are magically growing out of those spots. There's a green amber egg embedded in the top of its head, sat in a golden nest, and a small bird is looking at it - probably wondering how that got there - with a golden grass in its beak. Also there are butterflies 'cause I like drawing them.
October 12, 2025 at 5:58 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Leave a leaf, take a leaf

QRP with a leaf! 🍁

#LeafPosting 🌿🖌️
A photo of a white fluffy cat wearing a beautiful yellow maple leaf as a fascinator. He's not entirely thrilled by it, but not to the extent of doing something about it.
October 7, 2025 at 6:43 PM
liiga.bsky.social
w/o downloading anything new - where are you mentally?
A digital drawing of two big eyes and a tiny mouth focused on ✨SHINIES✨
October 6, 2025 at 7:15 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Once upon a time I planted the seed of a cherry tomato in a pot, thinking that surely it won't grow very large.

Anyway, here I am pollinating the ceiling tomatoes.
The photo of a hand holding a ruler with a long paint brush taped to it, pollinating tomato blossoms at the ceiling. The plant is a little over 250cm above soil (and the flowerpot is 20 cm tall, it really wasn't supposed to go like this).
October 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
liiga.bsky.social
And here are the effect paints! I added a lot of detail with interference gold, red, violet and blue, and then dotted the stars with glow in the dark paint 'cause watching them light up in the dark makes me giddy.
Another photo of the same painting, this time angled to show the effect paints - you'll notice a lot of extra golden edges that weren't visible head on, and the teeth and stars have magically become a more vibrant blue (and red and violet in spots). And then I turn off the light and BOOM! glow in the dark magic.
September 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Today's artist proof painting - an itty bitty rendition of Leviathan from Final Fantasy (specifically the Dimensions 2 version 'cause it's starry and cool).
Painted in acrylics, with pencil for scale. 🎨
An 8.8cm x 6.3cm acrylic painting (the size of a regular Magic card, that is) on the back of an artist proof. It shows Leviathan from Final Fantasy Dimensions 2 being all twisty and blue in front of reddish purplish space background. The more foregroundish parts have a bunch of gold details, such as scales and spikes and edges of the head fins.
September 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM
liiga.bsky.social
This is why I like painting proofs so much - I'd never painted anything anime up until this request, and now I have! It was super different from my usual, but in a fun way.
🎨🐎
A tiny acrylic painting on the back of an artist proof of a Magic card (Enduring Innocence, to be precise). It shows Oguri Cap from Umamusume standing in the middle of a (narrow) track armed with a giant spoon and delicious treats floating on both sides of her. The text at the top and bottom says "Oguri Cap" in English and Japanese. Pencil for scale!
September 19, 2025 at 6:56 PM
liiga.bsky.social
It's been a couple of weeks and life is back to normal but I'm still thinking of the fun at Magic Mania Lille, held by @magiccestchic.bsky.social .

I realized I hadn't posted the proof painted for Alvar - it was to be something Phyrexian (of course) and it was a treat to draw some body horror.
A tiny acrylic painting the size of a Magic card. It shows a very toothy Phyrexian figure against a dark, goopy background. The raised Phyrexian text in the middle means "song" or "voice".
September 15, 2025 at 5:17 PM
liiga.bsky.social
qrp with something watery 💙
A digital painting of a lone drix figure standing in a shallow pool. Magical threads guided by their hands trace glowing patterns in the sky and are reflected by the water, but the reflection also contains five mysterious moons.
September 11, 2025 at 5:14 PM
liiga.bsky.social
No cheating, post the last pic of your pet (most recent)!
A photo of a white fluffy cat loafing in a magazine basket. Last night he rediscovered it after forgetting about its existence for years and years, and it's now the new top spot.
August 21, 2025 at 11:03 PM
liiga.bsky.social
A bunny proof! Again! 'Cause I really like the whimsy of Bloomburrow. This one is coming with me to Lille for MagicMania.

But if you'd like to get in on the next wave of proof sketches, tomorrow is the day! Info is in the quoted post, and I'm very excited to find out what I'll be drawing.
A little drawing done in acrylics + a fineliner showing a bunny surrounded by extremely lush sweet peas. I felt like it has had enough hardship in life and deserved a happily ever after full of successful gardening - as well as butterflies.
August 21, 2025 at 5:14 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Painted Jace as a ✨constellation✨ on the back of my very starry Island EOE proof. He's coming with me to MagicMania Lille (Aug 30-31).

And, while we're on proofs, my next wave is this week! See the quoted post for details.
A small acrylic painting on the back of an artist proof showing Jace from Magic: The Gathering as a constellation 'cause I've been wanting to explore the idea of people as stars, since we're all made of stardust. Well and also because painting an Island and a Swamp made of stars gave me ideas. Pencil for scale, it didn't participate except as moral support.
August 19, 2025 at 9:39 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Bunny time! Couldn't decide on the treatment for this one, so painted it both ways! They'll be hopping with me to MagicMania Lille, Aug 30-31.

For anyone not going - good news! My next proof wave is this week, hosted by the wonderful @mountainmagesigs.com . See the quoted post for details ⬇️
A painting on the back of an artist proof, showing a cute little bunny holding the blossom of a sweet pea and a butterfly. The colors came out a bit saturated, it's more reasonable in person. A different version of the same bunny 'cause I couldn't decide! Here the leaves along the edges are green instead of negative, and there background is a light wash of golden yellow paint. The outlines are errr outlined with a fineliner.
August 18, 2025 at 7:46 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Another proof - Marwyn! It's the last proof of my very first artist proof wave, now on their merry way across the ocean. Phew!

Next wave is coming soon and will be once again hosted by the wonderful @mountainmagesigs.com, with the first announcement on his discord - link on linktr.ee/mountainmage.
A painting of Marwyn (an elven Magic: The Gathering character) casting the spell associated with Archdruid's Charm. It's done in acrylics and is on the back of an AC artist proof, so it's the size of a regular Magic card. Another view of the same card, tilted to show off the shinies. A keen-eyed viewer might notice the gem on her forehead and the three big ones in the amulet are raised and extra shiny.
August 7, 2025 at 9:26 PM
liiga.bsky.social
My cherry tomato has hit a milestone. And by a milestone I mean the ceiling. It hit the ceiling.
A photo of a very tall potted cherry tomato leaning against a wall for support. It has some fruit on a vine near the middle and a bunch of blossoms up top. Next to it is the leg of a chair that I get up on every afternoon to pollinate the ceiling blossoms.
August 6, 2025 at 10:30 AM
liiga.bsky.social
A little something from a while ago - a wagtail in Netrunner style for a lovely couple.
A digital painting of a partially geometric wagtail holding a cornflower in cyberspace. It's perched on the branch of a twisty, delicate tree.
August 1, 2025 at 8:09 PM
liiga.bsky.social
Liliana is done! Used fluorescent pinks for the fluorescent pink parts and golds for the gold parts and some interference purples for the very obvious magic and the very subtle markings on her skin.

Done in acrylics - the pencil wasn't involved in any way, I just realized it's great for scale. 🎨
A painting of Liliana from Magic: The Gathering on the back of a MTG artist proof card. She's holding a dark spell and looking at the viewer seductively (as is tradition when holding dark spells). The background behind her is dark except for a lot of bright pink accents that look an awful lot like eyes. The same painting but tilted to the side to show the shiny effects (with mixed results).
July 25, 2025 at 6:37 PM
liiga.bsky.social
It's a mere 27C indoors, so as soon as the sun started coming in through the big windows Bucha went to finally get some warmth in this frozen tundra.
A photo of a white fluffy cat sunbathing in a big window, with sheer curtains in front of him.
July 25, 2025 at 12:28 PM