D.S. Embree

@ds-embree.bsky.social

74 Followers 109 Following

(he/him) visual artist. earth mage. 🕯️ maker of zines, portraits, and much more. ⏳ visit my website for portrait commissions, prints, merch and creative collaborations. 🔮 https://www.dsembree.com

the third spread. inside the open cafe, the skeleton, wearing the smiling mask, serves a beverage to a giant mollusk as their coworker takes money from a giant snail from behind the counter
photo of a hand holding a zine printed in blue ink. The front cover reads “opening shift”. There is a potion bottle, a mug, and a skull with flaring lights in the eye sockets. The background is a dim swirling pattern.
A hand holds an open zine to a page reading in blackletter “May your oligarch supremacist pedophile cult leaders be castrated for eternity” with an image of a disembodied grinning skull and a skeleton hand holding up a paring knife.
A hand holding a mini zine front cover. The cover reads in blackletter “I Curse Thee, Western Empire”. Through the words, a lightning bolt strikes and breaks a military saber.
A photograph of a hand holding a small portrait of a cat (Hunter). The portrait is a black and white ink drawing. Hunter lays with head turned toward the viewer, and a curled tail. Above the cat in the top left of the portrait is a crescent moon.
a photograph of a framed painting titles “Ghost Deer”, depicting a blue deer lying on the ground, with flames emerging from its antlers and loin area, and smoky energy waves wafting from its body. In the top corners of the piece are an open deer eye and a star emitting ligh rays toward the deer.
a square grayscale graphite drawing with a mottled red watercolor background. The drawing depicts an SUV in the foreground driving on a road with tall trees on either side.
A painting on paper that extends onto its wood frame. The painting is of a fire with a human sitting facing it, wrapped in blankets. On the opposite end of the fire is a squat, fox-like creature and a ghostly woman who is merging with the fire smoke. There are also other entities around the fire, mysterious glowing purple blobs. From behind the human rises a funneled web of yellow energy streaks. In the background is a dimly lit silhouette of branches covering a sliver moon. Along the frame are further visual embellishments: To the left, behind the human’s back, is the profile of a skull sitting within a line of silver tear drops; to the right, an umbilical cord emerges from the fire and ends in an embryo sitting within a line of gold tear drops. To the top, two predatorial, owl-like eyes stare from a silvery face. And on the bottom, the earth and moon orbit around the sun.
a photo of a hand holding up a mini-zine displaying its front cover, with a peacock feather in the background. the front cover of the zine has a black and white ink drawing of an empty, open birdcage. the background is a wash of pink watercolor. the title, “sheltered”, is displayed in collaged lettering.
A photo of a zine lying cover up on a wood table. The front cover is an abstract black ink drawing, the title written in thinly inked letters, with a subtle blue-pink gradient border.
the front cover of a single-edition 7” record. hand inked drawing in blue ink of a kid and an adult reading a book together on a couch, with framed kid’s paintings on the wall above them.
a grayscale ink + colored pencil portrait of a greyhound named Genie sitting and staring lovingly at the viewer. Her name is printed in vertical bold lettering on the left of the portrait.
a 2.5 inch x 3.5 inch portrait of a small black-haired dog named Margie. The portrait is in ink, colored pencil and watercolor and has a pale blue-green background.
a photo of me sitting at my art merch table at LICZ (Lansing Independent Comics & Zines) Fest.
an extremely scribbly, energetic, borderline abstract mixed media work. in the bottom right corner is a small silhouetted figure with raised hands surrounded by lightning arcs. the rest of the piece is a fever dream of dark fantasy elements inspired by lord of the rings, including the eye of sauron, and a barely-visible balrog head.
a mixed media painting of a dragon. the view is mostly of their head, with wings visible on the edges folded forward in a protective stance. the dragon has flaming red/orange eyes and a forked tongue sticking out. the brush work is messy and energetic. the color palette is muted and predominantly sepia, but with a full spectrum of colors contained within. there is a gold & blue border of wavy brush strokes.
a mixed media drawing of a figure being embraced by a skeleton in a long blue robe. the figure is in graphite grayscale with white highlights on the face, and both figures are surrounded by a pink glow against a dark red-purple background. the whole drawing has a sketchy, scribbly feel to it.
a portrait in watercolor, gouache, colored pencil and wax pastel of a maine coon mix cat walking in grass with a purple background.
a photo of myself holding up 3 of my zines
a gouache / watercolor / colored pencil portrait of two women with windswept hair smiling in front of a body of water.
a closeup of a mixed media portrait of a black cat meowing
crude ink brushed lettering, in dark green monochrome and inspired by illuminated text reads “I have no idea what I am doing”. Two boxes at the bottom have pictures: a hand holding a dandelion, and a silhouette of a figure floating, surrounded by ripples.
Stargazers I (Darkstar). A mixed media work featuring a cosmic background with a floating eye, a skeletal hand reaching upward, a scorpion tail wrapped around a small purple door, a purple braid, and a pulsating star. The border contains mismatched, asymmetric collage elements.
a spread from my zine “QUESTIONS FOR THE DARK AGES”. a collage of black and white drawings depicting a tent structure with a building in the background, a tree with a squirrel, and a CCTV camera. words read ‘what does HOME mean to you?’ ‘how do you HONOR your NEIGHBORS?’ ‘how do you PERCEIVE STRANGERS?’ and, within the ‘O’ of ‘HOME’, circular text wrapping around a spider’s silhouette reads “our home will always be shared’
A photo of several zines printed on various bright colored paper.
a fluffy orange cat lying belly up with paws outstretched
a drawing of a very bunched up snake with its head/tongue pointing straight up
a photo of my hand holding a copy of a zine titled “WIZARDS TOWER” on astrobright pink cardstock.
A sepia-toned poster with complex semi-abstract ink work stretching across most of the middle. Words read “LIFE KNOWS NO MASTERS. LIFE BREAKS ALL OPPRESSORS.” Two blood-red flowers twist towards each other to meet in the very middle of the image.
a close up of a mixed media portrait of a green-eyed tabby cat
a photo of uncut zine prints on various colored paper.
A preview video of my hands flipping through my booklet zine “Questions for the Dark Ages”. Featuring full color, very scribbly and gestural artwork made with all manner of pens and inks and pencil and collage.
a detail of a page from my zine “INVENTORY” featuring a cutout pen and ink still life floating over a dark scribbly background. The still life includes a melted down candle in a ceramic bowl, a small textured pyramid, and two ceramic vessels with breasts, one large and one small, containing various objects (dried flowers and feathers mainly).
an ink brush painting/drawing of a crudely depicted skeleton surrounded in abstract environmental brushwork. the skeleton is clutching their head, and the word “Fuck!” is written above them.
A photo of a WIP ink drawing for a zine depicting a cross section of a stone tower. On the roof is a lookout tower, an archway portal, fruit trees and herbs. On the next floor down is a communal bedroom with tiny figures sleeping. In the background of the photo is a black and white cat chilling on a blanket.
a self portrait on a calendar page marked “february” done in brushed purple ink
a graphite drawing of an RPG-style inventory stash, with various objects inside rendered in ink and colored pencil. The objects include a ceramic mug, coffee beans, a moon-shaped gummy candy (possibly thc-enhanced), a purple nug of weed, and a weed pipe.
an ink drawing of a figure in front of a dark background with energetic pencil marks. the figure is covered in stars and other cosmic features and has an energetic aura surrounding them. they reach toward a ray of light above them, but are being held by long, extended arms that seem to be pulling them downward.
a mixed media painting/drawing of a dark scorpion with a glowing red aura floating in cosmic space. between the scorpion’s claws is a singularity with a trail of light trailing into it.
a mixed media drawing / painting of a window with a view toward bright sky and trees. hands grip the windowsill in the dark inner room.
a mixed media painting of a bluish-purple horse galloping. its legs are expressively painted in many blue strokes. behind the horse is a yellow-green sky with dark with storm clouds and magenta lightning. a flash of lightning next to the horse is striking a floating, glowing dark goblet. in the lower right corner is another much smaller black horse running in the same position.
a painting of a blue deer laying down, framed by a brown painted background. the deer has flaming antlers, and energy / smoke emanates from the body. peeking out from the energy is a small, faintly glowing orb. in the top corners of the painting are a shining star with radiating lines reaching out toward the deer, and an open deer eye.
an ink drawing of a cloaked wizard-y figure holding a wooden walking stick / stack and wearing sunglasses and headphones. they are surrounded by a stylized energy aura
a photo of an expressive self-portrait made on a page of a 2025 calendar. The medium is black acrylic pen
an ink wash drawing depicting a polyhedron shape floating in ambiguous dark space. Each face of the polyhedron has a closeup of a demonic facial part, including many eyes, fanged teeth in a grimacing mouth, and a forked tongue.
a photo of a spread of my sketchbook. the left page is a semi-abstracted face made of scrawling pen marks. the right page is densely written text.
A mixed media painting of a horned goatlike humanoid figure in the shadows, with reddish light exposing their face. Their shadowed hand holds a golden tablet with a depiction of a pyramid and a crowned skull on it, the tablet ablaze with bright magenta fire. Above the figure are floating branches with burning candles, and tied strings holding bells and upon which sit three crows. In the foreground of the painting are smoldering flames that envelope the figure’s lower body. Below the painting are various collaged abstract design elements. To the sides of the painting are words that read: A CURIOUS THING, to watch the slow drift away from a gravitational mass. we are cells in a body, held together by electrical impulses and mystery, spooky action at a distance. And one day the spell is broken, the cells die, the body unravels, and the magic is dark, until it becomes again.
A mixed media painting of a humanoid creature wearing gold jewelry and a purple robe, with a catlike face, blue skin and hair that flows upward like water or smoke. Their cupped hands hold a large flame that they hold to their face as if protecting it. Below the main image are abtract collage elements, and on either side are words to a poem that read: WATER, SMOKE, FIRE: Time flows as a river, yes, but also time is in the mud, the sky, in great crashing waves. Your kin is the water of time. Your past is fluid, and your future is your past’s story. With a guiding light, between the fire, smoke, and water, you will return.
a painting of a dark blue-black raven in a cosmic setting. The raven has a crown of stars and cosmic dust, and golden light shooting from its closed eye. tears fall into a prismatic geometric structure, and out onto a dark egg with a golden eye that’s being protected by the raven’s downturned wings. A collection of semi-abstract collage elements are placed below the image of the cosmic raven. Words on the sides of the raven read: LOVE IS intangible, massive, expanding; GRIEF IS a stone so dense it bursts into a trillion tear drops to birth the soul of the universe.
a pencil sketch of a bearded figure in a hooded cloak holding a wooden staff
a photo of the cover of a mini zine printed in green ink, with slime-covered letters spelling “SNAIL MAGIC”
a sketchy black & white line drawing of a disembodied hand
ink wash image with two small rectangles containing abstract imagery with small, starlike seeds. small text in dark boxes reads “Your Body… Showed me seeds…”
snail mucus-covered text reads “snail mage casts Slow Time” a snail with a half melted candle on its back faces off against a skeleton in a pokemon-style battle perspective, with various ambiguous rpg UI elements and symbols surrounding them.
white text against underground dirt reads “a seed grows”. a white seed sprouts a small shoot out of the dirt, with white roots intertwining the words