Zel Howland
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deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Zel Howland
@deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
690 followers 690 following 350 posts
They/them. Posting my horror and fantasy art, fiction, and embroidery. Chronically ill and grumpy about it.

Find my published short stories here: https://duckprintspress.com/about-duck-prints-press/creators-we-work-with/author-zel-howland/
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deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
The Cave of Ten Thousand Gods

#art #tgcf #HeavenOfficial’sBlessing #HuaCheng #hualian
A digital painting of Hua Cheng from Heaven Official’s Blessing, during his time carving statues in the cave of the 10,000 gods in Mount Tonglu. He sits in the lap of one of his statues, a noble-looking Xie Lian holding a sword and looking off into the distance, at ease. Hua Cheng leans back against the statue’s arm with his face turned longingly toward Xie Lian’s. Hua Cheng’s empty right eye socket is on full display, bruised and still bleeding. The statue is slightly larger than life, making Hua Cheng look young and small in its cold embrace.
October 2, 2025 at 5:31 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
A coin for the ferryman.

#embroidery #threadpainting
A photo of a small embroidery hoop with a thread painting depicting a close up of a person’s right eye and eyebrow with a large gold coin in place of an iris and pupil.
September 15, 2025 at 7:01 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Ship-Sinking Black Water

#tgcf #darkart #HeavenOfficial’sBlessing #mxtx

(gore cw)
A digital painting of Black Water/He Xuan from Heaven Official's Blessing. He stands on still waters, backlit by an eerie setting sun, with his head tilted at an unnatural angle. He holds Shi Wudu's decapitated head in one hand by the hair, and is covered in blood spatter. Much of his face is hidden by his hair, but a single, uncannily wide and round eye stares directly at the viewer.
August 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
It’s apparently world embroidery day (which is a thing I found out about thirty seconds ago), so I’ll share two pieces: the first embroidery I ever did (from a kit, with added text because I couldn’t help myself) and my favorite piece I’ve done so far.

#embroidery #fiberarts
A piece of fabric with several clumsily embroidered flowers, surrounded by the text “Live, Laugh, Punch Nazis” in cursive. An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of a young woman kneeling on a floor made of black ooze. Dozens of red hands emerge from the ooze to grasp at her, forcing her to arch her back painfully. Despite that, her heart appears to be glowing in her chest, and her outstretched hand emits a burst of light that illuminates the scene.
July 30, 2025 at 7:37 AM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
guess who got sucked into another fandom #mdzs #cql #theuntamed
A dark blue page of digital sketches, mostly of teenage Wei Wuxian from episode 3 of The Untamed. The first sketch shows Wei Wuxian with limbs akimbo and he climbs over a wall with jugs of alcohol and his sword in one hand. The next shows him grinning mischievously, poised to unseal the jug and start drinking. The next shows him from episode 1, newly brought back from the dead, pointing at himself in apparent confusion. The last sketch is of teenage Lan Wanji from episode 3, holding his sword out and looking stern and disbelieving and Wei Wuxian cheekily tries to push the sword back in the sheath.
July 11, 2025 at 6:09 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Artist! Quote with your evil art

(for a given definition of evil, I suppose)
A digital painting of a woman luxuriously lounging on a chaise, glancing toward the viewer. She wears a fashionable but skimpy white chiffon outfit that is splattered with blood, and holds in her hand a heavy gold chain that matches her jewelry. The chain leads behind her in the shadows, connected to the collar of an elephant-sized wolf looming in the darkness. The wolf is snarling with blood and viscera dripping from its mouth, ready to pounce, and in the foreground a hand reaches out as if the viewer themself is begging to be spared.
June 29, 2025 at 3:21 AM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
did some art of this kid, hope he’s doing ok
A simple black and white drawing of a skater kid flipping someone off. His skateboard has Fuck Ice stamped on the back.
June 8, 2025 at 10:51 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Detailed version:
The same pose of the skater kid flipping someone off, this time colored with cyan, pink, and yellow. The trails from thrown smoke grenades are visible streaking toward him, and the ground behind him is engulfed in smoke.
June 8, 2025 at 8:13 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
#FuckICE
A simple black and white drawing of a skater kid flipping someone off. His skateboard has Fuck Ice stamped on the back. Resist © 2025 by Zel Howland is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International.
June 8, 2025 at 8:07 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Video because the photo doesn’t quite capture the shininess.
June 2, 2025 at 10:10 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
“Polar Bear in a Snowstorm”
Embroidery thread painting.

#embroidery #threadpainting #polarbear #art
A small embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of a polar bear. The majority of the hoop is embroidered with white, so that only the direction of the stitches gives the outline of the bear, with some pale blue for the shadows and dark black for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
June 2, 2025 at 10:10 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
I love this idea! I do digital art as well, but today I’ll share just embroidery because it’s a skill I picked up while bedridden from ME. It takes that much longer to get pieces out (bright lights my beloathed), but I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish through the worst years of my life.
An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of a young woman kneeling on a floor made of black ooze. Dozens of red hands emerge from the ooze to grasp at her, forcing her to arch her back painfully. Despite that, her heart appears to be glowing in her chest, and her outstretched hand emits a burst of light that illuminates the scene. An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of a pair of elegant hands colored in shades of blue. Above the hands are magical sparks that emit swirling purple smoke to fill the hoop. An embroidery hoop featuring a full coverage thread painting portrait of a young black trans person. They are backlit by vibrant blue and red light as they hug themselves with a soft smile. They are shirtless, and their top surgery scars glow with metallic blue thread. An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of an eerie lighthouse in the middle of rough and stormy seas. In the foreground, a woman stands on the rocks with a lantern raised, trying to see the tiny figure silhouetted in the lighthouse’s doorway.
May 26, 2025 at 9:44 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Thanks for the share! My only dragon is currently a WIP, but can I interest you in some Creatures™️ for these trying times?

(ko-fi.com/zelhowland)
A digital painting of a woman luxuriously lounging on a chaise, glancing toward the viewer. She wears a fashionable but skimpy white chiffon outfit that is splattered with blood, and holds in her hand a heavy gold chain that matches her jewelry. The chain leads behind her in the shadows, connected to the collar of an elephant-sized wolf looming in the darkness. The wolf is snarling with blood and viscera dripping from its mouth, ready to pounce, and in the foreground a hand reaches out as if the viewer themself is begging to be spared. A digital painting of a skeletal monster with far too many teeth and disproportionately long fingers. The monster’s skull is eyeless, but a collection of green eyes swirls around the monster’s whole body, most of them fixed on the viewer.
May 16, 2025 at 10:53 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
If you see this qrp with your pink art
#embroidery
An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of a pair of elegant hands colored in shades of blue. Above the hands are magical sparks that emit swirling purple smoke to fill the hoop.
May 7, 2025 at 6:20 AM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Thanks for hosting! I only have two watery pieces to share, but I am thinking about doing something for mermay and all these shares are giving me ideas…
An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of an eerie lighthouse in the middle of rough and stormy seas. In the foreground, a woman stands on the rocks with a lantern raised, trying to see the tiny figure silhouetted in the lighthouse’s doorway. A digital painting of a woman dancing against an art nouveau stylized backdrop of the sea. The focus of the painting is on the woman’s chiffon dress drifting through the water, and the movement of her hair and body and a school of fish swims around her.
May 2, 2025 at 9:20 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Thank you for hosting!

I’m still very proud of my two most recent pieces so I’ll keep spamming them
A digital painting of a dark forest. A woman, pale with white hair and lightning-like marks glowing on her skin, kneels at the center of the image. Her hands are pressed against the roots of a nearby tree, and from them burst frost and spikes of glowing ice. The ice races up the tree to coat the leaves, many of which are now dead and falling, in contrast to the greenery around them. Two squirrels and a deer flee from her, and a rook leaps from the branch, barely avoiding being frozen in place. The woman smiles beatifically at her work. A digital painting of a woman luxuriously lounging on a chaise, glancing toward the viewer. She wears a fashionable but skimpy white chiffon outfit that is splattered with blood, and holds in her hand a heavy gold chain that matches her jewelry. The chain leads behind her in the shadows, connected to the collar of an elephant-sized wolf looming in the darkness. The wolf is snarling with blood and viscera dripping from its mouth, ready to pounce, and in the foreground a hand reaches out as if the viewer themself is begging to be spared.
April 26, 2025 at 8:24 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
If you see this, post your painting/drawing of a dragon 🐲

This guy is still an early stages WIP, but he’s the only dragon I’ve got at the moment! #embroidery #wip
A photo of a stretched piece of black cotton featuring a scene of a western-style dragon attacking a castle. The piece is sketched in white pen, and so far the sky and much of the dragon have been patchily filled in with embroidery.
April 14, 2025 at 11:02 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Thanks for hosting!

I’m Zel, I do a lot of spooky digital art as well as embroidery thread painting!
An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of an eerie lighthouse in the middle of rough and stormy seas. In the foreground, a woman stands on the rocks with a lantern raised, trying to see the tiny figure silhouetted in the lighthouse’s doorway. A digital painting of a woman luxuriously lounging on a chaise, glancing toward the viewer. She wears a fashionable but skimpy white chiffon outfit that is splattered with blood, and holds in her hand a heavy gold chain that matches her jewelry. The chain leads behind her in the shadows, connected to the collar of an elephant-sized wolf looming in the darkness. The wolf is snarling with blood and viscera dripping from its mouth, ready to pounce, and in the foreground a hand reaches out as if the viewer themself is begging to be spared. A digital painting of a dark forest. A woman, pale with white hair and lightning-like marks glowing on her skin, kneels at the center of the image. Her hands are pressed against the roots of a nearby tree, and from them burst frost and spikes of glowing ice. The ice races up the tree to coat the leaves, many of which are now dead and falling, in contrast to the greenery around them. Two squirrels and a deer flee from her, and a rook leaps from the branch, barely avoiding being frozen in place. The woman smiles beatifically at her work. An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of a pair of elegant hands colored in shades of blue. Above the hands are magical sparks that emit swirling purple smoke to fill the hoop.
April 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Rain is dangerous if you’re a creature made of dust!
#dreamwrought
Text reading: To her credit, Rava walked faster now. Galvanized by the storm. Ophelia followed after. Slowed by the spatter of rain. She made herself solid. As solid as possible. Made her outer layers of dust into a shield. As if the rain were no more dangerous than a blood vessel leading her particles toward a doomed human heart. A vain attempt. The raindrops had the force of gravity pelting them down. They carved through her protective layers. Scraped and dragged them down in painful streaks. A raindrop landed on her brow. Dripped into her eye. Blurred her vision. She followed the tug of the tether. Half-blind now. Her foot slipped on the unstable slope. Dropped into a shallow puddle. She hissed, yanked it out instantly. Some of the surface layer scraped off into the water. Left muddy footprints behind as she limped forward. Particles of herself getting torn off with every step. But she couldn’t float anymore to protect them. The water weighed her down. The shackles weighed her down. They were beginning to sink through her wrists. Too much water gathered beneath them. “There,” Rava said. Ophelia couldn’t see where she pointed. Only followed where she led. The rain became heavier. A steady patter of raindrops rather than random spitting gusts. Ophelia’s soaked foot caught on a stone. She stumbled again. This time, Rava caught her elbow. “Just a little further—” she said. The storm broke. Rain poured from the sky.
April 6, 2025 at 10:10 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
I have three styles that I tend to default to: full digital paintings, digital sketches (mostly for character designs), and embroidery!
A digital painting of a woman luxuriously lounging on a chaise, glancing toward the viewer. She wears a fashionable but skimpy white chiffon outfit that is splattered with blood, and holds in her hand a heavy gold chain that matches her jewelry. The chain leads behind her in the shadows, connected to the collar of an elephant-sized wolf looming in the darkness. The wolf is snarling with blood and viscera dripping from its mouth, ready to pounce, and in the foreground a hand reaches out as if the viewer themself is begging to be spared. A digital sketch of a young woman pointing a glowing, magical revolver. She is wearing a long, well-tailored red and white coat over a black outfit with a high lacy collar and victorian heeled boots. Her hair is in a messy bun held together by a screwdriver and a pair of goggles, and she wears a magical glove on her free hand. Her expression is flat, and she has heavy bags under her eyes. An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of an eerie lighthouse in the middle of rough and stormy seas. In the foreground, a woman stands on the rocks with a lantern raised, trying to see the tiny figure silhouetted in the lighthouse’s doorway.
April 3, 2025 at 9:49 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
If you see this, post your green #art 🌿🌱🍃
A digital painting of a dark forest. A woman, pale with white hair and lightning-like marks glowing on her skin, kneels at the center of the image. Her hands are pressed against the roots of a nearby tree, and from them burst frost and spikes of glowing ice. The ice races up the tree to coat the leaves, many of which are now dead and falling, in contrast to the greenery around them. Two squirrels and a deer flee from her, and a rook leaps from the branch, barely avoiding being frozen in place. The woman smiles beatifically at her work.
April 3, 2025 at 7:43 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Happy #transdayofvisibility! If you want to support a disabled trans artist, check out my ko-fi!

ko-fi.com/zelhowland
A digital painting of a woman luxuriously lounging on a chaise, glancing toward the viewer. She wears a fashionable but skimpy white chiffon outfit that is splattered with blood, and holds in her hand a heavy gold chain that matches her jewelry. The chain leads behind her in the shadows, connected to the collar of an elephant-sized wolf looming in the darkness. The wolf is snarling with blood and viscera dripping from its mouth, ready to pounce, and in the foreground a hand reaches out as if the viewer themself is begging to be spared. An embroidery hoop featuring a full coverage thread painting portrait of a young black trans person. They are backlit by vibrant blue and red light as they hug themselves with a soft smile. They are shirtless, and their top surgery scars glow with metallic blue thread. A digital painting of a dark forest. A woman, pale with white hair and lightning-like marks glowing on her skin, kneels at the center of the image. Her hands are pressed against the roots of a nearby tree, and from them burst frost and spikes of glowing ice. The ice races up the tree to coat the leaves, many of which are now dead and falling, in contrast to the greenery around them. Two squirrels and a deer flee from her, and a rook leaps from the branch, barely avoiding being frozen in place. The woman smiles beatifically at her work. An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of a young woman kneeling on a floor made of black ooze. Dozens of red hands emerge from the ooze to grasp at her, forcing her to arch her back painfully. Despite that, her heart appears to be glowing in her chest, and her outstretched hand emits a burst of light that illuminates the scene.
March 31, 2025 at 8:56 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
Sapphic saturday you say? here are my girls!
A digital painting of two women standing extremely close together in a near-embrace. One, Rava, has her back to the viewer, and looks at the other with a kind of fascinated contempt, one arm raised with flame emerging from her hand. The other woman, Ophelia, looks at Rava tenderly, her right hand cradling Rava’s neck, the other reaching behind Rava’s waist to steal the book tucked into her belt.
March 29, 2025 at 8:20 PM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
A digital painting of a woman luxuriously lounging on a chaise, glancing toward the viewer. She wears a fashionable but skimpy white chiffon outfit that is splattered with blood, and holds in her hand a heavy gold chain that matches her jewelry. The chain leads behind her in the shadows, connected to the collar of an elephant-sized wolf looming in the darkness. The wolf is snarling with blood and viscera dripping from its mouth, ready to pounce, and in the foreground a hand reaches out as if the viewer themself is begging to be spared. A digital painting of a dark forest. A woman, pale with white hair and lightning-like marks glowing on her skin, kneels at the center of the image. Her hands are pressed against the roots of a nearby tree, and from them burst frost and spikes of glowing ice. The ice races up the tree to coat the leaves, many of which are now dead and falling, in contrast to the greenery around them. Two squirrels and a deer flee from her, and a rook leaps from the branch, barely avoiding being frozen in place. The woman smiles beatifically at her work. An embroidery hoop featuring a thread painting of a young woman kneeling on a floor made of black ooze. Dozens of red hands emerge from the ooze to grasp at her, forcing her to arch her back painfully. Despite that, her heart appears to be glowing in her chest, and her outstretched hand emits a burst of light that illuminates the scene.
March 25, 2025 at 8:01 AM
deathbycoldopen.bsky.social
I use adorkastock ALL THE TIME, so I just grabbed the first one I could find the reference for!
One of adorkastock’s poses showing a woman kneeling on the ground. A digital painting (using the previous pose) of a young woman with dark brown hair and warm brown skin kneeling in a desert. Her old fashioned shirt and trousers are dusty and blood-spattered, and her hair is almost fully escaped from her messy bun. Her head is bowed as though in defeat, but her fist punches the ground in white-knuckled determination.
March 24, 2025 at 10:52 PM