Heather Franzen

I like painting critters. [ blog+shop: heatherfranzen.com ] All work © Heather Franzen. do not use without permission!

[heatherfranzen]

Happy World Frog Day!

Boreal Chorus Frog, Wood Frog, Northern Leopard Frog, and Cope's Gray Treefrog. Acrylic gouache, ACEO (3.5x2.5"). More info on my blog! Each also available in my shop.

[heatherfranzen]

Happy birthday to Pepper! She is 6 years old today (3/17/25) ☘️✨

[heatherfranzen]

In other news, it’s my mom’s cat Pepper’s birthday today (she is 7!!!) and I don’t think I ever shared this newer painting I did of her!

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Reblogs in a chain now get their own notes

The reblog chain is one of the things that makes Tumblr unlike anywhere else. All the notes on reblogs are attributed to the original post, no matter which branch people actually liked or reblogged. We want to keep encouraging conversations, and give contributors the recognition they deserve. 

Soon, you'll be able to like, reblog, or reply to any part of a reblog chain, and that note will go to that reblog's author. Each reblog will have its own counts, instead of one aggregated number from every version of the post. And yes, you’ll be able to like multiple posts in one chain.

If a reblog doesn't add anything, the love flows up to the last person in the chain who did. Your post doesn't lose notes just because people spread it quietly.

Past notes will stay on the original post — we're only changing what happens from here on out. Retroactively re-attributing all of them would be... a lot.

This is just the beginning. More changes are coming as we keep building this out – stay tuned!

[tumblr]

Let's talk about reblog notes.

We rolled out a significant change to how notes work on reblogs, and the reaction has been strong. We're not going to pretend otherwise. 

First things first: We're reversing the change. Your feedback in comments, emails, and especially reblogs, made clear that the rollout created problems we need to address before moving forward. We also should have communicated this differently from the start, and we didn't.

We still believe there's a better version of how reblogs can work. One that gives every voice in a chain the credit it deserves. But we want to get there with you.

In the coming days we'll share more on how we plan to do that,  including ways to work directly with some of you on this and future changes before they ship.

Keep an eye on @staff for updates to come soon. 

[heatherfranzen]

And there’s the reversal announcement. Geez what a way to get me to waste my day ugh I was so distracted and couldn’t focus on anything.

I’m like, so relieved but also very nervous by their response.

Also I feel kind of silly for being a little dramatic this morning, but I hope you all understand 🙈 I stand by what I said in that the most reliable way to follow me work is via my website, but I will continue posting here.

(I have some frogs that I painted and want to show you! Planning on posting them on 3/20 aka World Frog Day.)

[heatherfranzen]

Hi everyone. Regarding the staff update I just reblogged.

I won’t be posting any more artwork until this update is reversed. If the change is not reverted, that’s the end of this account. Tumblr will be added to a graveyard of places up I no longer maintain and I will mourn for it.

As each social media site becomes more unusable, I put more energy and effort into my own website, heatherfranzen.com. I have a blog there. It is and will be forever the best place to keep up with me and all my work.

I would appreciate it if you bookmarked my site/blog.

I would appreciate it GREATLY and love you if you added my website blog to your RSS feed reader (so you don’t have to manually check my site for updates).

—

Tumblr has been my one stable online presence since at least 2010. This account, and my main @yogomagpie, predate my own website. That’s a longass time. I love seeing reblogs and comments on my posts, especially if someone stumbles upon something from 10 years ago. I don’t want to miss future engagement because someone, well-intended or otherwise, reblogs with a comment. This update is telling me that staff doesn’t view tumblr as a site full of PEOPLE but instead a site full of CONTENT. Not to mention the issues of potential avenue for harassment and bullying that many others have mentioned in the comments. I can’t continue supporting a place that does not value and protect its community.

[heatherfranzen]

Learning pixel art for the sole purpose of making little decorations for my neocities site hehe

[heatherfranzen]

Some Singapore Curry Noodles!

[heatherfranzen]

I decided to give mARTch a try this year. Seems like a chill more lightweight art challenge. Day 1 is self-portrait!

[heatherfranzen]

Hi! I was looking for the heavypaint program in the art store and are two. Could you specify if you use Classic or the other? Thank you!!!

Hello! I use Classic Heavypaint! I tried the new one when it first released, but it was still kinda buggy so I went back to the old one. The new one is probably patched by this point, though.

[heatherfranzen]

February has been surprisingly kind of rough. I was hoping to get a lot more artwork done this month but somehow it’s already the 26th? Anyway, here are some color & light studies I did this week. I used references from the r/drawme subreddit. Art program is heavypaint, the best painting app in the universe.

[heatherfranzen]

My final bird for Bird Art Week 2026 (Charismatic Endemics) is the Lesser Prairie Chicken, a grouse found only in the Southern High Plains of the United States. The male prairie chicken’s mating display includes a little dance with stomping feet, a “booming” voice, and inflating two orange-y pink Gular sacs on his throat. They are unfortunately a vulnerable species due to habitat loss, but conservation efforts are being made. Holbein acryla gouache on a wood coaster, 4x4" More details about this bird and my painting process on my website blog!

[heatherfranzen]

The St. Kitts Bullfinch, aka the Mountain Blacksmith, is a critically endangered, possibly extinct songbird endemic to Saint Kitts, an island in the West Indies. There have been some possible sightings, most recently noted in 2021, but nobody has ever been able to take a proper photo of it.

More info about this bird and my painting process on my blog!

[heatherfranzen]

For #BirdArtWeek2026 - #RuleBreakers I chose the bearded vulture because it eats bones. Other animals eat bones, like hyenas, but the bearded vulture lives almost exclusively on bones...like 90% of their diet is just bones!!...and that feels illegal.

[heatherfranzen]

For today’s theme, Bird Success, I painted a couple of sandhill cranes together in the tall grass, with their necks extending up out of the shadows into the golden sun. In the 1930s, sandhill cranes were pretty much wiped out east of the Mississippi River, but have since recovered to about 100,000 individuals in recent years.

Painted with Holbein acryla gouache on a 4x4 in. wood coaster.

[skunts-own-truth]

Had a conversation with some Sandhill Cranes coming home from shopping yesterday! Lovely couple, they were crossing the road, and I rolled down my window to let them know they should be careful. They mostly began walking faster to get away from me, but you gotta be neighborly.

(This is an older photo of Sandhills in my neighborhood, probably not the same couple, but they’re cute regardless.)

[heatherfranzen]

We're over halfway through #BirdArtWeek2026! Today's theme is #SpectacularSeabirds and I chose the American White Pelican. They live in my area and even though I see them all the time, I continue to be awed by how graceful they are in the air.

A bit more about my thoughts and color choices on my blog.

Holbein acrylic gouache on a 4x4 wood coaster.

[heatherfranzen]

For today’s theme, Bird Success, I painted a couple of sandhill cranes together in the tall grass, with their necks extending up out of the shadows into the golden sun. In the 1930s, sandhill cranes were pretty much wiped out east of the Mississippi River, but have since recovered to about 100,000 individuals in recent years.

Painted with Holbein acryla gouache on a 4x4 in. wood coaster.

[heatherfranzen]

My second bird for #BirdArtWeek2026 (#HiddenBirds) is an American Bittern! I've always wanted to see one in the wild but haven't been able to find one yet. They hide too well.

More info about this bird and painting on my website blog.

Painted with Holbein acryla gouache on a 4x4 in. wood coaster.

[heatherfranzen]

My first bird for #BirdArtWeek2026 (#BirdsWithWhimsy) is a tūī in a pōhutukawa! I loved them so much when I was in NZ a couple of months ago!

More info about this bird and painting on my website blog.

Painted with Holbein acryla gouache on a 4x4 in. wood coaster.