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cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
Ren Varela
@cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
2.1K followers 170 following 2.3K posts
A Latine dark fantasy, horror, and surrealist artist, illustrator, storyteller.
#DarkArt
🚫 No A/I ; 🚫 N/F/Ts

Nonbinary | Pronouns: they/them

📧 Contact: CobaltCorvusStudio@gmail.com
🌐 https://bio.site/CobaltCorvus
🥫 https://ko-fi.com/cobaltcorvus
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cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
Ren Varela @cobaltcorvus.bsky.social · 4d
Hello, #PortfolioDay!

I'm Ren Varela, a freelance artist that specializes in dark, slightly surrealist fantasy illustrations, and character & creature designs.

I am open for work & interested in creating art for TTRPGs!

💼 Portfolio
🖼️ Print Shop
🪙 Tip Jar
✉️ Contact: CobaltCorvusStudio@gmail.com
A collage image of six different dark art paintings done by the poster of various skull headed humanoid figures, most with their skulls floating above dismembered torsos and other mystical features. A collage of various digital paintings and drawings that are portraits of a cowboy character, one features a female character. A collage of two different images featuring the same character. One is a portrait of a ghostly male character that is mostly in shadow except for his face. He has dark hair, blue skin and glowing eyes. The other features different portrait angles and one almost full body pose. A collage of three different digital paintings. One is a portrait of a headless figure in a suit and tie with two glowing halos of different sizes floating where the head would be. Second is of a jackal skull floating above the neck of a dismembered, semi-human, teal torso. Last is of a giant, four-armed, skull-headed figure floating in a large thunder cloud with several bolts of lighting generating from its hands and the cloud as sunlight shines from behind it all.
Reposted by Ren Varela
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
Interesting.
2024, Ren Varela
Digital (Clip Studio Paint)
🖼️ #art #DarkArt
A digital painting of a skull headed, glowing eyed figure that is just a disembodied torso and a floating left arm, figure pondering a tiny, dark orb set in front of a black background.
January 23, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
Hm.
2020, Ren Varela
Digital (Clip Studio Paint EX)
🖼️ #art #DarkArt
A digital painting of a skull headed, glowing eyed figure that is just a disembodied torso and a floating right arm, pondering a glowing orb set in front of a black background.
January 21, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
Infernal 02
2022, Ren Varela
Digital (Clip Studio Paint EX)
🖼️ #art #DarkArt
A digital painting of a haloed human skull floating above a dismembered torso that glows from within, a pelvic bone floating beneath it, shards of perhaps garnet float around it like shattered wings.
January 20, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
Infernal 01
2021, Ren Varela
Digital (Clip Studio Paint EX)
🖼️ #art #DarkArt
A digital painting of a demon-like creature with a human skull that has Jacob's sheep horns and a glowing inner fire in it's diminishing torso.
January 20, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
I can't remember if I properly introduced this creature, but this is my original creature/cryptid, Inkcap Beast, that I created for Creatuanuary 2019.

#repostober #DarkArt #art #cryptid #OriginalCryptid #CreatureDesign #イラスト 🖼️
A black and white digital drawing of a large mushroom creature that is shaped like a giraffe and based on inky cap mushrooms, walking through a foggy scene.
October 16, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
owllog.bsky.social
David Lynch Forever.
David lynch standing in his home David lynch painting David lynch sitting by a piece of his art David lynch standing
January 16, 2026 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by Ren Varela
tinylongwing.bsky.social
I got to do the cover art for this year's #LordHuron discord zine project, themed around the idea of surreal, spooky road trips. And of course, everyone's favorite jukebox is there lurking in a place it shouldn't be. 🎨
Illustration of a roadside motel sign advertising vacancy ahead - though no motel is seen here. The Out of This World Motel suggests it has gas and a cafe. The sign itself looks like a classic 1950s flying saucer with a beam of light shining downward. Behind, the sunset is blotted out by a huge cloud crawling with lightning along distant mesas and mountains. Prickly pear cactus are silhouetted in the light. To the left of the motel sign is a glowing jukebox with no clear power source. Above the clouds, a sea of stars begins to glow as night settles in.
January 15, 2026 at 5:02 PM
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
I'm actually really enjoying using StoryGraph for tracking my reading! Also trying out some reading challenges as well. :3
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social Ren Varela @cobaltcorvus.bsky.social · 18d
Alright, I think I'm pretty much settled in to using StoryGraph for all my book related things.

If any of you would like to follow me there and stalk my reading selections, feel free! (Especially so I can look through your reading selections as well. 👀😂)

app.thestorygraph.com/profile/coba...
January 15, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
maggiemcneill.bsky.social
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open, period.
angeloslh.bsky.social Sarah Ford 🐍🎨🖥️ Time Zone Era @angeloslh.bsky.social · 3d
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open 'just to do quick research'
January 15, 2026 at 3:43 AM
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
A fabric study from 2020.
A digital painting of some fabric hanging, draped on an invisible string.
January 14, 2026 at 4:10 PM
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
I still have slots open for sketch portrait #commissions!

ko-fi.com/c/e636e1d6a7

#ArtCommissions #CharacterCommissions #bsnm
Sketch Portrait
Commission available on Ko-fi.com
ko-fi.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
phantalantern.com
Happy #PortfolioDay. My name is Vexus M., a North American based professional illustrator, comic artist, and 2D animator. I specialize in monster girls, abstract concepts, and chapter covers. If you consider that a fit for your projects, please contact me at phantalantern@protonmail.com.
Hemlock from rhythm beat em up "Dead As Disco" strumming his electric guitar. Howl's Song official book cover illustration. Abstract illustration with strong saturated colors depicting pain and grief. Surge the Tenrec and Amy Rose the Hedgehog drawn in a storyboard cinematic shot. Dialogue in green text has Surge saying, "You're right. I'm not him- I'm better." They are dressed formally in a party setting.
January 13, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
xenianth.com
Hey #PortfolioDay I'm Xeni and I make surreal body horror art. My work is available for commercial licensing, prints, and apparel.

🔹 Website
🔹 Licensing
🔹 Prints
🔹 Merch

#art #DarkArt #horror
Digital color illustration in saturated greens and yellows, title at bottom: Avolition's Gaze. A human figure sits looking up toward the sky, their neck turned up and to the right side. They have long masses of hair cascading down in front of their body to flow down off the bottom of the canvas. Their hands rest delicately in the flowing nest of hair, their right in their lap and their left on their chest. In place of their eyes are blooms of fingers unfurling from their fused centers. Beams of light pour from/to their finger-eyes. Twisting, gnarled roots and vines fill the space behind the figure, with the shapes of hands formed in the roots reaching upward. The piece is not shaded, using intricate line work and flat colors over a paper texture base. Digital black and white ink illustration using extensive fine contour hatching. A huge swirling tangled mass of gnarled roots fill the entire canvas, spiraling down into a black pit. A pair of hands are grasping onto one large root-tendril while the entire rest of the person is engulfed in more twisting roots and being pulled down into the pit. Digital black and white ink illustration, title at bottom: The Host of Anguish. The subject is a humanoid creature shown from the waist up, with at least 6 arms and a horse skull head on a long neck of stylized plant roots. More hands and arms are emerging from its expansive, twisting and tearing flesh to cover most of the lower half of the canvas. All of the hands are grabbing and reaching out as if in crisis. A large, deep hole is in its upper chest, torn flesh as its border. The piece is shaded using extensive, precise crosshatching. Digital color illustration in warm to purple tones. Title at bottom reads: Unfettered. The entire canvas is filled with massively long, undulating strands of hair, generally flowing from top left to lower right. An equine creature jumps up and away from the mass, some hair strands twisting and flowing around and from it. Its long neck is made up of smaller twisting hair strands, and more hair flows from its head, withers, and fetlocks. Its face is a smooth full-face mask shaped to fit a human's face. The center of the mask is mostly covered by a large, sideways simplistic eye with a pinpoint pupil looking forward.
January 13, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
double-4-designer.bsky.social
Happy #PortfolioDay!

I'm Double-4 here. I'm a trans and AroAce artist that draws different fan art, Greek Gods and Goddess, and adoptables.

Carrd: double-4-designer.carrd.co
Kofi/Adoptables Shop: ko-fi.com/double_4_des...
Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/double_4_d...

#art #artsky #portfolio
A collage of different creature adoptables. The top row has a gothic merman, next is a transgender merperson wearing a crown, and then just a sunset colored tail mermaid last. The bottom row is a narwhal merman, a dragonfly, and a autumn themed woman in a fancy dress. A collage of different adoptables. Some are creatures while others are just human. The top row has a green demon creature with long arms, a golden knight with a big sword in one hand and a shield in the other, and last is a summer themed girl in a fancier dress. Both her hair and dress is water. The bottom row has a fairy wearing a monarch butterfly, pumpkin headed cheerleader, a winter themed guy in many layers, and last is a cottage core outfit girl holding a book and pen. March, from Fields of Mistria, working away at his forge. There is a brick building with a really hot fire going on in the background with a chair and a bag of coal by it. To the left of it, is a table full of different bars of metal. In front of all that, is March hammering away at a piece of gold on the anvil. A bald, black skinned female, with a bright red heart around 1 eye, and red lips. She is wearing a light pink dress with a red heart covering her chest. The heart has a gold patter on it. She is wearing gold sandals the goes up to her knees. She is standing in the middle of the water on a sea shell. There are more seas shells behind her to make it look like she was walking on them like stepping stones.
January 13, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
stinasdemons.com
Hello #Portfolioday!
I'm StinaMarie, and I make creepy and not-so-creepy art with traditional mediums. I have created book covers & book illustrations, commissions, and sell prints & originals. 😈🎨🦇🩸

🎨 stinasdemons.bigcartel.com

#DarkArt #TradArt #Illustrator #Horror
A watercolor illustration of the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" - a young woman stands against a wall with a gas lantern in a darkened room, and off to the side, enclosed in shadows, a silhouette of a woman is running. Watercolor illustration of a misty forest with a giant moon in the background. In the foreground a large skeletal tree stands watch. Watercolor and ink illustration of a decrepit looking house that looms ominously against a stormy sky. A tree stands in front of it. A gouache illustration of a ghost flying through space.
January 13, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
mindistortion.tv
Hi #PortfolioDay!

I'm Manuel and I make mostly spooky art using charcoal and digital means!

🎨 mindistortion.tv
🛒 inprnt.com/gallery/mindistortiontv/
Messy mixed media charcoal portrait of a guy with a big teethy mouth staring at the viewer with beady little eyes. The paper is crumpled and stuck with pieces of masking tape. Digital impressionist painting of three wanderers in a serene, hazy landscape. Digital painting of a stormy night at sea. Charcoal drawing showing the silhouette of three planets in front of the milky way.
January 13, 2026 at 5:23 AM
Reposted by Ren Varela
yulkradness.bsky.social
Hello #PortfolioDay again!
I'm Julien, a freelance italian artist who works on illustrations, concepts and book covers with an intense love for dark fantasy themes and portraits! 🖤

Open for work at:

✉️ arcadiojulien@gmail.com

COMMS: yulkradnesscommissions.carrd.co

Vgen: vgen.co/yulkradness
"The great hunt". Illustration piece I did for Paul Scott Canavan's mentorship. It represents an haunt scene, the hunter is mounting a big white tiger with piercing white eyes -sign that she's blind- which is roaring as she's sprinting through the action. The hunter has heavy clothing on, inspired by the Mongolian and Slavic clothing. He has long black hair moved by the wind, and he's holding a sword in his hand, ready to defend his wood. The environment is a snowy wood, old trees and branches all around the scene, as the white snow covers them. The sun is setting, and the overall atmosphere looks pinkish, lightened by the lights of the time of the day. Pink, yellow and blue shading on the sky, as the clouds move, forming interesting shapes. Illustration I made for S.A. Harian's book Briardark. The scene is showing a young woman wearing a blue coat lost in an heavy atmospheric forest in which the trees tangles with each other and the roots are everywhere on the ground. The woman is sitting - knees down - on the grass, the look on her face seems scared and hurt while she tries to extract a glow arrow from her chest, dripping blood as she's looking at the viewer, terrified. Next to her, on the grass, there's a bloody knife almost hidden. Illustration I made for S.A. Harian's book Briardark. The image is showing a deer skull in a central composition, with songbirds on its horns. The songbirds are chirping and flying around, with white flowers and climbing plants intertwined around it. Portrait compilation
January 13, 2026 at 9:36 AM
Reposted by Ren Varela
vendyjurikova.bsky.social
Oh, it's #PortfolioDay on my Birthday 🥳!
How nice! My name is Vendy. I'm a traditional artist, and I like to draw cute things, creepy things, and everything in between
Would love to illustrate kids' books, covers, and TTRPGs, TCG,s or any other cool projects

#fantasy #ilustrations
Ilustration of frog riding snail, its messanger and snails is riding cosmic speed and have candles on its back. With autunum beeriees in baground Illustration of a stag in a winter landscape. Stars in his antlers are casting pastel light on the snow Illustration of a maskmaker and her collection of magical masks. Some of them are fantastical, some of them are creepy. All powerful Ilustration of small autunum crritters on black backgground
January 13, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by Ren Varela
acloudboiii.bsky.social
Hi hello #PortfolioDay !!

I'm Anan and I'm a dark fantasy illustrator based in Italy 🍝
I'm currently working on both private commissions and illustrations for the indie game project Bladesong!

Looking for more opportunities in the fantasy space 🖤

🔗anansk-links.carrd.co
📧anan.so.ka@gmail.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by Ren Varela
fonscordi.bsky.social
Hello #PortfolioDay
👁✨️👻✨️👁

I'm Grace, and I like to paint cosmic horror, surrealism and fanarts.

🖼Full gallery:
ko-fi.com/fonscordi/ga...
🤍Donations:
ko-fi.com/fonscordi
"A murder of crows murdering on a train to collect crowns for the crowned crow" Better brush your teeth after eating all that candy, you don't want a murder of crows to steal them. Happy Halloween! ____ A group of crows is called a "murder" A teeth with a cavity is repair with a "crown" A guy with a crow like mask and a golden crown is sitting on a train holding a bag full of teeth, a group of crows is around him stealing teeth from other passengers to give them to the crow king. "The Happy King" A man with a crown and a halo forced to smile by two hands while a creature is emerging from his chest "The wood dwellers" "You are not from here are you?" ____ A child like creature with a dress, an apron, and the head covered in a burlap sack is standing holding a bucket dripping red liquid in one hand, and a rope in the other. The rope is holding a creature without he body of a pig, the mane of a lion, 4 horns, and a face with black eyes and a bright red third eye. "The creation of the synthetic messiah" And if the ancient Gods fail us, we will create our own, with our own morals, and our own ideas of divinity. _______ A humanoid creature is in the center of the image, cables coming out of its body from where the arms are supposed to be, they tied it to a cross. Cables come from its stomach and conect to an artificial cristal womb below, where a deformed fetus with a glowing red eye is suspended in liquid. Is the depiction of an artificial god being created. In the background there's a stormy unnatural sky and electrical poles with twisted cables.
January 13, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
phasemoth.bsky.social
Hello #PortfolioDay ~! 🤘💀

I'm PhaseMoth, a UK based fantasy & horror artist specialising in high detail inking & crosshatching. I've worked for various bands designing merch & completed my first book cover recently.

I'm looking for commercial work~!

phasemoth.com

#horror #darkart #illustration
A photo of a holographic vinyl sticker I designed featuring a Seraphim-type Furby angel! A digital illustration of a feathered plague doctor type creature, facing towards the left. It has boney hands and arms which you can see through it's tattered clothing. A digital illustration of Mothman hiding in some trees. The full moon can be seen behind him, and I highlighted his eyes in red. A tshirt design I drew for the band "Eyes of a Nihilist". It features a big toothy beholder!
January 13, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
pitoyatux.bsky.social
Hey #Portfolioday !!

I'm Pit! Tattoo and skull enthusiast 🖤

ko-fi.com/ptx930
www.inprnt.com/gallery/pito...
January 13, 2026 at 1:08 PM
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
Hello, #PortfolioDay!

I'm Ren Varela, a freelance artist that specializes in dark, slightly surrealist fantasy illustrations, and character & creature designs.

I am open for work & interested in creating art for TTRPGs!

💼 Portfolio
🖼️ Print Shop
🪙 Tip Jar
✉️ Contact: CobaltCorvusStudio@gmail.com
A collage image of six different dark art paintings done by the poster of various skull headed humanoid figures, most with their skulls floating above dismembered torsos and other mystical features. A collage of various digital paintings and drawings that are portraits of a cowboy character, one features a female character. A collage of two different images featuring the same character. One is a portrait of a ghostly male character that is mostly in shadow except for his face. He has dark hair, blue skin and glowing eyes. The other features different portrait angles and one almost full body pose. A collage of three different digital paintings. One is a portrait of a headless figure in a suit and tie with two glowing halos of different sizes floating where the head would be. Second is of a jackal skull floating above the neck of a dismembered, semi-human, teal torso. Last is of a giant, four-armed, skull-headed figure floating in a large thunder cloud with several bolts of lighting generating from its hands and the cloud as sunlight shines from behind it all.
January 13, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Ren Varela
stinasdemons.com
Here's my newest piece!
Readers of horror will hopefully get what short story inspired it.

This was very challenging for me, but I think I pulled it off. 😈🎨🦇
An artwork inspired by the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. A young woman stands against a wall holding a gas lantern in a room enclosed in shadows. In the upper right, darkened corner is a silhouette of a woman running.
January 12, 2026 at 11:01 PM
cobaltcorvus.bsky.social
Now reading "The God of the Woods" by Liz Moore via my local library.
⚡📚 #BookSky
Image of the the book cover for "The God of the Woods" by Liz Moore that features the title superimposed over a close up of a painting of a forest scene with something that looks like pink paint dripping down the center of the cover.
January 12, 2026 at 7:42 PM