D.S. Embree

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.

“Welcome to Friends Country” an EP by The Friends, with cover art by me! Go listen to it on a streaming platform of your choice! But also fuck spotify 😘

We're back! ✨

LICZ! (pronounced licks!) is all about celebrating the creators of self-published works, and encouraging new makers to get printing!

Do you make comics and/or zines and wanna join in? Check the link in our bio for our exhibitor application! Send us your deets, we'd love to have you!

One by one, the traveller’s companions appear, each with a tale to tell of their journey. Not every tale is a happy one.

Still, the traveller listens well, and weaves the lessons learned into the great tapestry of the heart.

Earth-home has made another solar rotation, and the traveller chooses to rest in the comfort of the fire. The light wanes and the cold months begin their merciless vigil. The season of death and rebirth is upon us.

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.

Traveller’s Companions
acrylic/ mixed media on paper and wood frame

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.

the zine is opened to the first spread. the left page is a b&w drawing of a submerged turtle with its rear end floating toward the surface of the water. the watercolor background is blue, yellow and pink. collaged text reads “bouyancy. issues.” the right page is a b&w drawing of a curled snake with its tongue reaching up toward a lightbulb with a pull chain. the watercolor background is faint yellow, purple, pink, green and blue. the collaged text reads “I won’t feel a thing”.

the zine is opened to the next spread. both pages are a single spread, with b&w drawings of two lions. a female lion is in a resting position in the background, and a male lion is pacing in the foreground. the watercolor background is pink, orange and yellow, with faint pen patterns of a broken chain link fence. the collaged text reads “The rooted and the restless”.

the zine is open to the final spread. the left image is a b&w drawing of a giraffe hiding behind a tree. the watercolor background is blue and green. the right image is a b&w drawing of a tarantula. the watercolor background is grayscale. across both images, the collaged text reads “ HID DEN”

A mini zine collaboration between my partner and I.

you can learn more about my partner’s many talents here:
rootedinsky.com

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 zine is opened to a spread of two sketchbook drawings. the first is a cyclopian creature covered in stars, foreshortened so the viewer is looking up as the creature reaches toward them. their other hand is behind a mountain, and their head is surrounded by lightning and clouds. the second is another cyclopian creature, huddled on the ground in a sulking position, in an abstract, dark, claustrophobic space.

the zine is opened to another spread of three drawings. the first is a hanging object, that looks like string wrapped around sticks, with something round hanging from the sticks. the second is a very small storage chest. the third is a semi-abstract scene of a volcano spewing smoke, and two figures in the corner huddled together amongst rubble and a strange glowing jewel.

the zine is opened to another spread of two drawings. the first is a pyramid/ziggurat structure being struck by lightning in a dark sky. there is a stone path lined by candles leading to an entrance at the front of the structure. the second is an abstract semi-landscape with an unknown symbol in the middle.

a few pages from a new zine, “ECHOES OF EMOTION FROM DREAMS LONG PAST”. A curated selection of 50-ish sketchbook pages.

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.

the back cover of the 7” sleeve. a drawing in blue ink of a symbolic montage of objects: a bass clarinet with tendrils of smoke on both sides, a large 20-sided die, bat wings, closed eyelids, and feathers.

the inner fold of the 7” sleeve. A white silhouette of a bow and crossed arrows against a blue ink background.

a commission from my friend to make a very special birthday gift. A hand-inked 7” record sleeve to house a single-edition custom lathe-cut 7”.

check out my friend’s music here:

creepchurch.bandcamp.com

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 portrait for Genie 🐾

get in touch with me if you are interested in a portrait commission:

www.dsembree.com/custom-portr...

#animalportrait #petportrait #inkwash #greyhound

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.

an Animal Card for Margie 🐾

you can order one of these custom-made portraits of any beloved animal in your life from my website:

www.dsembree.com/animal-cards

GRZF 2025 will be on August 16th at Fountain Street Church from 12-6!

a photo of me sitting at my art merch table at LICZ (Lansing Independent Comics & Zines) Fest.

A photo of two black and red risograph posters. One reads “FREE PALESTINE” and the other reads “Life Knows No Masters - Life Breaks All Oppressors”.

a photo of a crowd of people, including my merch table, at Lansing Independent Comics & Zines Fest.

A photo of some of my brightly colors mini zines on display.

A few shots from @licz.bsky.social last month. Photos courtesy of Charlie Rose Photography

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.

~Demon Battle~
mixed media (ink, ballpoint pen, graphite, acrylic, wax pastel)
18in x 24in

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.

~Dragon Protector-
mixed media (acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil, wax pastel),
12in x 11in

If you are near Kalamazoo come make some collage art, all supplies provided!

FREE drop-in events:

4/19/25 11-2pm Earth Day Event, Jerico Gallery, Jerico South Building, 1501 Fulford St.

5/10/25 11-3pm World Collage Day, Meader Fine Arts Library, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St.

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.

honor life : embrace death

I like this tree, it is friend shaped

a portrait in watercolor, gouache, colored pencil and wax pastel of a maine coon mix cat walking in grass with a purple background.

a portrait in memory of a very majestic cat friend named Uli

a photo of myself holding up 3 of my zines

if you’re in the Lansing, MI area and you like comics, zines, self published art, and soforth come say hi at LICZ this saturday, 11a-5p!

@licz.bsky.social

I’ll be there, with my little books and drawings and such!

a gouache / watercolor / colored pencil portrait of two women with windswept hair smiling in front of a body of water.

a gouache / watercolor / colored pencil portrait of two women on rocks in front of a lake with a forest line. a woman in the foreground on the left is looking directly at the viewer with green rimmed glasses. a woman further back on the right is lying down face up with an arm covering her eyes.

double portraits of two friends.
both are 8”x10” in gouache, watercolor and colored pencil.

Behind the Zines at the University of Michigan Museum of Art was a blast! Thanks again to the local zinesters who donated zines for our table @monoformcinema.bsky.social @kzoofilmphoto.bsky.social @ds-embree.bsky.social @dzoodak.bsky.social + Qynce & Mel - everyone loved your zines!

woohoo! thanks for doing this!

a closeup of a mixed media portrait of a black cat meowing

a closeup of a mixed media portrait of a tabby cat

a closeup if a mixed media portrait of a calico cat

a closeup of a mixed media portrait of a grey calico cat

some kitty faces over the years.

if you’re interested in a portrait commission of a cat friend or any other type of creature, get a quote on my website:

www.dsembree.com/custom-portr...

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.

Stargazers II (Egg). A mixed media piece with a cosmic background featuring dark hands cupping a large dark red egg surrounded by shards of blue and purple, and asymmetric collage elements on the border.

Stargazers III (Horizon). A mixed media piece with a large, translucent face and hands peaking over an ambigous horizon that is cut through by a tall pyramid shape. It is hard to tell what is land and what is sky. Above the face is a dark rainbow, and one of the face’s eyes is surrounded by a red crescent moon. Within the ambiguous horizon are various shapes and expressive linework.

Stargazers I-III

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 page from my zine “QUESTIONS FOR THE DARK AGES” depicting a face drawn in furiously scribbled marker with textural collage elements coming out of the face’s ears, throat, and forehead. Words read ‘how do you use your VOICE?’ ‘when are you able to LISTEN?’

a couple of favorite pages from my zine “QUESTIONS FOR THE DARK AGES”

A photo of several zines printed on various bright colored paper.

More freshly folded zines!

If you just so happen to be in the Michigan area and just so happen to like zines and comics, come see me and other makers at LICZ in Lansing on April 12
@licz.bsky.social