Samantha Zim
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szim-art.bsky.social
Samantha Zim
@szim-art.bsky.social
130 followers 94 following 45 posts
Watercolorist • travel sketcher • desert rat🏜️
👇Prints, portfolio and etc
https://szimart.carrd.co
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szim-art.bsky.social
Samantha Zim @szim-art.bsky.social · Jan 26
Hi Bluesky community! I’m an illustrator and sketchbook artist creating on the Colorado plateau and beyond. Let’s see what this platform has to offer🏜️🤘🏻 #watercolor #moleskin #art #painting #desert
Watercolor illustration in a Moleskin journal depicting a dramatic lightning strike over a Redd cliff line in the Utah desert.
szim-art.bsky.social
Snuck in a sunset session in the canyon after the morning of demos at Zion Forever’s annual art invitational. Couldn’t ask for better conditions to paint in Utah right now!
#gouache #watercolor #pleinair #painting #sketchbook
November 5, 2025 at 2:53 AM
szim-art.bsky.social
2026 calendars are now available in my shop! 🏜️🗓️

This calendar is a labor of love, and everything between the covers is hand drawn and lettered from the titles to the date grids and numbering.

Quantity limited by my ability to pack and ship them! #watercolor #sketchbook #painting #art
October 29, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Samantha Zim
keithwdickinson.bsky.social
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
October 8, 2025 at 10:29 AM
szim-art.bsky.social
Which should I pick for August in my 2026 calendar? Help me choose by commenting:
🧡 for sunflowers (1st option)
💙 for moonflowers (2nd option)
This will be the sixth year running that I’ve printed a calendar, pre-orders open later this month!
#watercolor #sketchbook #drawing
Open moleskine sketchbook showing a watercolor and colored pencil illustration of sunflowers, tomatoes and greens- an abundant garden during harvest season. Open moleskine sketchbook showing a watercolor, colored pencil and ink illustration of moonflowers- a wide white flower shaped like a trumpet with purple tinged edges and spade shaped leaves.
October 2, 2025 at 4:56 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
Last December I found myself in J Tree with a broken arm- the best way to keep from using it was to sit down and paint! Also, I was so excited to spot this roadrunner that I nearly crashed my car into a rock right outside the visitor center 😅
#watercolor #gouache #sketchbook #joshuatreenp #art
Photograph of an open sketchbook with watercolor illustrations of a gold granite rock shored like an egg with a spikey Joshua tree in front of it, a desert tortoise and a roadrunner. National park stamps decorate the lower right corner of the page
September 26, 2025 at 2:49 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
4 days left to submit a public comment on the Roadless Rule- a designation that protects 30% of all National Forest land like old growth forests, critical wildlife habitat, sacred indigenous sites and the aspen grove where I painted this in 2021💚 #watercolor #sketchbook #art #panitning #moleskine
Open moleskine sketchbook showing a watercolor painting of an aspen grove in dappled sunlight. Behind the sketchbook we see the subject of the illustration. Photo of a summer Aspen grove in dappled sunlight- rays of sun pass through the trees casting long shadows over ferns and wildflowers.
September 16, 2025 at 3:40 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
My plans for the day immediately went out the window when I stumbled upon this house while wandering through Hanoi last spring. I think you can see why it reminded me so strongly of a Miyazaki film!
#travelsketching #watercolor #moleskine #painting #drawing #urbansketching
Open moleskin sketchbook showing a watercolor illustration of an old French mansion in Hanoi, VT that is overgrown with bougainvillea and festooned with Vietnamese flags. On the balcony two men laugh and drink coffee.
September 10, 2025 at 7:56 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
My second favorite thing about hikes like this one is the view. My actual favorite thing is that you can just carry a water filter and drink bright, magical, ice cold mountain water the entire time you’re out there🤩🏔️
#watercolor #mountains #moleskine #painting #drawing #art #landscape #natureart
Photo of an open moleskin journal showing a watercolor painting of a tall craggy mountain and electric blue lake below it, just below tree line. The slopes of the mountain still hold a few patches of snow despite the date on the sketchbook page being July.
September 4, 2025 at 1:51 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
September’s spread in this year’s calendar was painted from a perch overlooking the road to Cliffs of Insanity in the Creek. My plans for the day changed as I saw my climbing parter’s truck approach the crux in the road, and then turn around!😅
#watercolor #utah #rockclimbing #moleskine #drawing
September 1, 2025 at 8:43 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
Getting back in the groove with a few favorite desert plants! I haven’t painted globemallow is years thanks to emotional damage from the last time, but adding a square brush to my quiver definitely made it less painful!
#watercolor #botanicalart #moleskine #painting #utah #sketchbook #natureart
Open moleskine sketchbook showing watercolor illustrations of three colorful desert flowers- globemallow (a tightly clustered orange flower that grows in stalks) barberry (a holly-like prickly bush with tiny yellow flowers) and paintbrush (a fire shaped red flower that grows in bushy clumps) Closeup of an open moleskine sketchbook showing watercolor illustrations of globemallow (a tightly clustered orange flower that grows in stalks). Closeup of an open moleskine sketchbook showing watercolor illustrations of globemallow (a tightly clustered orange flower that grows in stalks).
August 27, 2025 at 3:09 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
Fremont barberry doesn’t have the same glamor around it that sagebrush or juniper do, but it’s one of my favorite high desert plants! It is however, kind of a pain in the ass to paint😅
#watercolor #painting #botanicalart #illustration #art #drawing
August 25, 2025 at 2:42 AM
szim-art.bsky.social
Lucked out in July and had three clear days to get at much of an eyeful of Denali as I could! Already dreaming up reasons to head back to the north country, and more time to paint mountains is high on the list🏔️
#denali #moleskine #sketchbook #drawing #travelsketching #sketch #outdoorart #alaska
August 23, 2025 at 6:43 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
This might be one of my favorite calendar spreads so far- hope nobody’s opposed to nasturtiums in the calendar every year! On a related note- I think I’ve got enough flora focused sketchbook work to do a 100% plant-based year…
#watercolor #painting #moleskine #drawing
Open moleskine watercolor journal displaying a colorful painting of nasturtium flowers. Beneath it is a calendar featuring the same artwork, surrounded by watercolor tubes and brushes Open calendar showing the month of August and featuring watercolor journal artwork of orange nasturtiums.
August 20, 2025 at 1:58 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
July’s spread in my calendar this year! I’m a few days late flipping my month over due to being on the road, but still love these pages. Nothing like the high country in the summer🏔️💚
#moleskin #calendar #art
July 8, 2025 at 8:01 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
New favorite way to spend time on mass transit! Another stab at curvilinear perspective, this time on the Alaska Railroad 🚞🌲
#traintravel #scenicroute #alaska #moleskin #journalart #sketchbook #drawing #penandink
Photo of an open sketchbook with an ink drawing in curvilinear perspective of the interior of the train car. The photo is taken from inside the train car that is in the illustration. The train car has a glass roof and large windows. Open moleskin sketchbook with an ink drawing in curvilinear perspective of the interior of a train car with a glass roof and large windows.
July 7, 2025 at 3:59 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
Finally made it up to the north country, and yea, I get it🏔️🌞

The world is still beautiful, even when the weather is tumultuous and the headwinds are stronger than ever before. Do not loose hope- go outside. Breathe.
#moleskin #watercolor #landscape #painting #art #drawing #alaska
Photo of an open sketchbook in front of a hedge of blooming pushki, a body of water and mountains. The sketchbook shows a watercolor illustration of the scene in the background.
July 5, 2025 at 9:39 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
When art sells in a gallery, the gallery keeps 40% (or more) of the sale price. I’m shocked by how often people outside fine art don’t know this. Gallery rep can be central to an art business, but if you’ve ever wondered why the work you see in galleries costs so much- yea, that’s why
serenamalyon.bsky.social Serena Malyon 🌞🌛 @serenamalyon.bsky.social · Jun 17
What is something that is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?

Illustration pay has not kept up with inflation. We get paid approximately the same dollar amount as an illustrator in the early 2000s. Some of the big companies are the worst for this.
June 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
Glorious day to be alive in the desert🧡🏜️

Thanks to the cutie on trail with the tiger tattoo who gave me her ballpoint pen so I could keep drawing after the trash pen I dug out of my glove compartment sputtered out #sketchbook #drawing #ballpointpen #moleskin #art #desert
April 24, 2025 at 3:14 AM
szim-art.bsky.social
Four hours of public transit this weekend= no excuse not to finally take a crack at curvilinear perspective! When given the choice, I’ll always take the train🚃
#sketchbook #drawing #brushpen #moleskin #art #perspective
Open moleskin sketchbook showing a pen and ink illustration of the interior of a train car drawn in five point perspective Open moleskin sketchbook showing a pen and ink illustration of the interior of a train car drawn in five point perspective, with an overlay of a curvilinear perspective grid to assist with drawing using this technique
April 7, 2025 at 11:06 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
Wanted to draw something that would make me smile- so here’s a bunch of pelicans attempting to eat humans :)
#moleskin #sketchbook #sketch #drawing
Open sketchbook with funny drawings of pelicans trying to fit their mouths around human’s heads Drawing of three pelicans in a storm, their mouths open to stretch out their large pouches in the wind Drawing of a man taking a selfie while a pelican tries to eat his head Drawing of a kid crouching on the ground while a pelican tries to eat his head
April 6, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Samantha Zim
nateforutah.bsky.social
This is Utah in case anyone’s wondering how pissed off people are. I have never seen anything like this.
April 5, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Reposted by Samantha Zim
sltrib.com
“The parks are our gems," one protester said. “Our public lands drive the economy here in Moab, and it is insane that they are literally killing the goose that’s laying our golden eggs, so we’re here to be a voice of support.”
Moab demonstrators join national movement against federal worker firings
“The parks are our gems," one protester said. “Our public lands drive the economy here in Moab, and it is insane that they are literally killing the goose that’s laying our golden eggs, so we’re here to be a voice of support.”
www.sltrib.com
March 2, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Reposted by Samantha Zim
mcapriglioneart.bsky.social
just making my silly little drawings : )
cartoon drawing of a the artist's persona holding a piece of paper that says "my art : )" with a doodle sun in the corner. the artist's face looks sad and exhausted, but smiling. in the background, there's a few cartoon buildings on fire with "literally everything" pointing to it with an arrow
February 25, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Samantha Zim
altnps.bsky.social
El Capitan displays a massive American flag upside down—the traditional signal of distress or extreme emergency.
February 23, 2025 at 6:01 PM
szim-art.bsky.social
I had a really well-worded, adult post written about laying off NPS, National Forest and Dept. of the Interior employees but I’m tired of being articulate about this stuff.

Laying these people off is a mistake. This is stupid. I can’t believe we have to keep saying how important wild spaces are.
February 22, 2025 at 2:06 AM