Christian is a self-taught, visual artist from Perú, currently living in Chile. Most of the art pieces Christian showcases online have a glowy and fantastic feel and can be categorized as a contemporary art. Just imagine all of his fantasy characters living in the color space setting with all the imaginary details he puts into his creations.
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Get in touch with Chris
- Behance: https://www.behance.net/krizpi
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krizpii/
- ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/krizpi
Key Takeaways
“Be patient with your own process, be conscious about your own evolution!”
- Chris is trying to transfer his inner world to his art and his entire piece of art tells you a story without need for a description
- Chris moved to Chile from Peru by chance. He didn’t expect to get a job here but one of family members of his ex-boyfriend recommended to go to a publishing company for children books. He went there and got the job on the spot.
- Chris’ style is natural with futuristic, unique elements. He combines his connection with the other artists into his artworks. Sometimes he combines playlists with his art. He wants to invite people and enjoy the whole experience of creating art
- Chris does rough sketches when he needs a ‘break’ from digital art
- Chris is like a pop star who is working on an album. e releases every piece of artwork as a ‘single’
Resources mentioned
- Art books
- Hi-fructose Volume 1 and Volume 2 – posters, textures
- James Jean – Pareidolia
- Art tools:
- Wacom Intuos Pro + Photoshop
- PaintToolSAI for Windows
- CLIP Studio Paint (Manga studio)
- Corel Painter – archaic
- Illuststudio (only in Japanese)
- Chris’ favorite musician Marina and the Diamonds
Special thanks to Chris for joining me today. See you next time!
All artworks by Chris Orillo, used with permission
Episode Transcript
Announcer
Creative, artistic, happy! That’s you. There are endless possibilities for living a creative life. So let’s inspire each other. Art Side of Life interviews with Iva.
Iva Mikles
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the next episode of Art Side of Life where it’s all about how you can turn your creative passion into a profession. My name is Iva, and my guest today is a self taught visual artist, originally from Faro, now living and working in jewelry. Most of his art pieces he showcases online have a glowy and supernatural feel, and can be categorized as a contemporary art. He always tries to combine this natural and fantastic field with unique elements in his art. You can just imagine all of his fantasy characters living in the color space thing with all the imaginary details he puts into his creations. So please welcome Chris_Orrillo, better known as crispy and let’s just go to the interview. When did you first time decided you wanted to be an artist or a designer?
Chris Orrillo
Well, I think I always knew I wanted to be an artist. I mean, I remember my first drawing when I was about five years. And, and I really enjoyed that. I mean, my mom really laughs hard. She’s so so talented. But she she decided to be just just a mom, you know, and she didn’t like divided study art or something like that. But she was so inspiring for me. And I remember that she drove, like, many things for me and my my brother. And I was a bit of the little mermaid went out. And I’m still a big fan of Little Mermaid. And she used to throw me Ariel many times, big bouts of pages full of Ariel. And I used to paint them. And then I decided to draw her. Like, I can do it. She can do it, I can do it. And I drove a little Ariel when I was five. And that moment was so important to me because I felt that there was an I can remember that wasn’t the first row and I did. So then when the time is passing and in. I was throwing like all the time my my mom has sent her some of my old drones in Vail there were still pretty like, oh, well, I really liked that I don’t I don’t understand anything. Like I guess there’s some fishes and weird shape. But everything was related to the see, really, everything was like so what I tried to do right now, but anyway, I always, like failed this connection with art and in. And that was like part of me that I always like felt that was the best thing I can do. And everything around me told me that so that that was like an entire little bubble, living these experiences and making it like big, you know, making it evolve.
Iva Mikles
Yeah, that’s super cool. Because it’s really important to have people around you, you know, like to encourage your art and just you can get the inspiration from so it’s really nice. Did you have also other mentors or someone who inspired you when you were growing up? Or when you started your career
Chris Orrillo
will be besides my mom, probably my grandpa, who was so encountered with painting the painting scene and oil the art in general in Peru. He loved to buy paintings from many Peruvian painters, like they, they he was so supportive with with them. And I didn’t really feel that connection with traditional painting like I don’t I don’t get it like he used to take me to so many art exhibits and we have we had a really nice connection. So we used to talk about our but when I went up those heart exhibits, I didn’t really feel that that was like well, okay, both paintings aren’t that interesting. But now that now I can feel that that was a mason like, who was trying to try to to make me part of it and try and try to give me that that Contact that face to face with a with a with with the paintings. Yeah about that now understand that.
Iva Mikles
Yeah, because maybe it was kind of in the back of your mind. You know when you were a kid you were like, Oh yeah, it’s there. But when you started creating it maybe kind of start coming back.
Chris Orrillo
Yeah, yeah. But that’s that word. That’s what I think I admired a lot. Probably will Disney like he was also one of my mentors. He is amazing. I have no words to describe his work. But he of course was and still is one of my mentors, the way he creates a Thai world that people still believe some he could teleport it from paper or origins create on a screen to the real world. So that’s what I find really, really incredible. Like, that’s true magic for me. Yeah.
Iva Mikles
Because Do you also think about creative worlds, you know, or like stories when you create your illustrations.
Chris Orrillo
I think it’s more like a world like a parallel world where all the orders are leaving, but I try it to, to, to do like a comics and I create characters and tell stories through them. But that doesn’t really work. For me. That’s why I decided that the entire piece of art tells you a story without dialogue or without like a voice or without pages full of you know, characters talking with each other and having my,
Iva Mikles
like, description there or Yeah, so
Chris Orrillo
yeah, that’s what I’m trying to do, like teleport the viewers to my inner universe that I’m still exploring. And they’re being part of it. So like, we are going together with it, because it’s, it’s just a start. And I think, as you said, there, there aren’t a lot to matte paintings on my Instagram, or any gallery that I have online and the steel have a big power to make people feel what I am feeling. So yeah, I really liked
Iva Mikles
because I mean, your use of colors. And the combination is amazing. They kind of feel like they’re glowing, and it’s so colorful, and yet not too busy. So I think that’s amazing. Thank you. I really like it. So what I wanted to ask you as well, which was, which were the turning points or like the biggest decisions in order to take your career professionally? Because of course, you moved as well. That’s maybe one of the things but was there something else?
Chris Orrillo
Well, first, my life was like, a roller coaster a little bit. Um, because I will when I decided to study something. I decided to really bad because there was a career there improved cold and administration and business like international business, that that sounded really good for my family and everybody was so excited about it. I thought, Well, I’m not a bad student, like there was. I was like, okay, okay, I’m going to start it that my family didn’t like the idea of studying something related to art, because they thought that it wasn’t going to be something like I was it wasn’t about it wasn’t. I did. I don’t know how to say that. But they thought that that that wasn’t going to work. Yeah, I had the same lesson. Yeah, yeah, that wasn’t the best for me. Even if they knew that I, I was able to do art and I truly believe in in my talent, but they were like, Please just wait on you started. This is so cool. That carrier is so fancy. And everybody’s going to let let’s do it. So I started that Korea, like for two years. And then I had like, literally opened my notebook and it was full of drawings. I didn’t take notes like it was full of drawings, and people like every time who was telling me why are you studying this like, you are not enjoying it like you have something else to do? So I was thinking, okay, and my family didn’t want an artistic career for me. And that pressure was a little bit complex. But then were an other career that were so creative. And that helped me a lot. That was called the mass media. Then there you have like a mix of things like photography, video, graphic design, stuff like that. Yeah. So that makes was so interesting for me. But it wasn’t exactly something like 30 as deep but with creative and I thought, well, that’s better than the other Ultram. So then I decided to change my career. And that was a big fan, because I learned to I learned another side of what I would, I would like to do in the future as an artist, like I, I learned how to promote myself, like, how to sell my things on the media. So that was the big thing for me. And the other thing was when I moved to Chile, big because I was on vacations like it was visiting an ex boyfriend here. And I didn’t expect it to get a job here. So one of his family members told me, Well, I work at an editorial. They make a lot of content for kids, especially educational content for kids. So why don’t you go there, show your work. And they approve, they have something for you. Right? Why don’t you try it
Iva Mikles
was still during the holiday when you were there?
Chris Orrillo
Yeah, oh, cool holiday. I told her, I have nothing like, I have nothing to show. If you can lend me a laptop or something to show what I do on a screen could be paired. Perfect. And so that’s what I did like, like, I picked some of my old artworks, like, whatever I had. And I showed the team from the editorial and they really liked it. So that told me, Well, we have this, this, this this project and that project. So when do you want to start? That was cool. What’s so cool, but at the same time, there was a fast decision. So it was Take it or leave it. Yeah. And I thought, well, it’s something new. It’s this, this series. So like begun in it’s going to be a nice experience for me. So yeah, I said, yeah.
Iva Mikles
It’s really cool. Yeah. And how then, so you are still in Chile, then they told you like, Okay, we like your style, and you would fit into this environment. And then you flew back then you pack your things and went back to Chile or how did that work?
Chris Orrillo
Well, I stayed. I’m still here like since then. Okay. Yeah, yeah. So how like, my family. I called my family and I told them well, I have a new job here because I had a job in Peru. But that was freelance work. So my boss was so cool. And he, he really understood what I did. So I called him also but when I called my mom, I said, Mom, I have a job. I got a job here. So I will take the CD. Goodbye. So crazy. Yeah, so crazy. And then I called my boss and I told him well, I got a new job here. I’m sorry, but I can’t go to the studio again. Like I’m sorry about it was to take care of live with him. And and I finished a like him, like a game with with my old with the old team from Peru. So everything was fine that like they were they were thinking of new projects. And that’s when I was here in Chile. So there wasn’t a yeah, there wasn’t a problem. So
Iva Mikles
when you borrow the computer where you found some of your artworks, which you maybe had online or something did you put it in a portfolio or you just showed them on online on your show? Like
Chris Orrillo
no, I put them on a portfolio? Yes. Yeah, it made me like two folders. One was like something more closer than they were looking for because they didn’t like my anime style like that. So like, I don’t like Chinese cartoons. Yeah. So, okay, let’s check out the other files. And they liked it. So that time where I was experimenting with many, many styles like I could enema style, or cartoon, like, who is experimenting a lot. And that’s probably one of the things that they liked because of my flexibility. Working many different working on many different styles. So
Iva Mikles
yeah, so you can adjust to their style, which is Yeah,
Chris Orrillo
yeah. Yeah. And that was what they like. Yeah, that’s
Iva Mikles
really good. And so, if we are talking about the visual and kind of the branding, what is the message or the visual language you are always communicating through your work? How would you describe your brand?
Chris Orrillo
Well, my brand like what this crispy say, because I think like, various brand that is involved in what I do, which is called crispy, but when I created it, it was like a pen name, or a nickname that I used to post things on DeviantArt. But now many people knows me through crispy Yeah, like, I kind of just say bye and personality radio, and I didn’t know about CRISPR. Because people like, likes that name. I don’t know. Anyway, so I decided to use that name as my own brand. And, in making it like a package where are coexists together, like, now I’m showing illustrations, but I want it to be a can mix with things that my art can, can be like, I want to work on some fashion projects, photography as well. And I want it to be combined with some some music, like I don’t know how to do music, but I am trying to also give my my followers and my my fans like an entire package where they can enjoy this universe. So besides that, I have tried to create high quality art. And every thing I’m posting on the media, I previously have followed the time when I’m going to post them and an everything is like so, so detailed. So that’s important to me. Also, I want to tell my public to a parallel universes that said, that’s, that includes some futuristic can unique filaments. So I’m always trying to show something different. In a world, that’s probably my own world. So that’s, that’s what I’m trying to do blend some natural elements like natural visual elements with futuristic elements. I don’t want to slip too futuristic or robotic. And I don’t want it to look like too natural and full of, I don’t know, flowers, probably I wanted to, I want to blend two worlds, like make it a balance. And I want to create that sensitive experience. That’s why I’m creating playlists with music that are related to the concept from an hour. Like, I have two playlists online. One of them is called cosmic perspective. And the other one is a Hello new world. They are playlist related to and to all my artworks. So every playlist has music that inspired me through that the process of creating needed that sounds. That sounds like, for me, that sounds like my piece of art, you know, so there’s a kind of synesthesia thing. That by the way, I want to show through my brand. I don’t want it just to be me doing art. I want it to invite people to enjoy it. And it’s an entire experience that I’m still creating. Yeah, no, yeah.
Iva Mikles
Because definitely, I think it’s really great idea to listen to music, which relates to your art piece, because I also heard that some of the artists when they are creating maybe angry character, they listen to these like really angry music, you know, so you get the expression right. And then you you create this nice and flowy shapes, which has this. I don’t know like really relaxed and inspirational feel. So yeah, so that’s really cool with the with the music playlists. And so what I wanted to ask you as well was about the inspiration because you said you are inspired by the music and Is there like other inspiration to use? Or maybe what is the weirdest thing you’re inspired by?
Chris Orrillo
Hmm. Well, the weirdest thing that I got inspired by? That’s a curious question. I’ve been thinking about it like a lot, Mike, what’s the weirdest thing? That’s part? And I remember something very weird. When I was a child, I was so so scared by aliens and that stuff like UFOs and abductions, like, oh my god, I couldn’t even think of that. Like, that was my biggest like, I don’t know, my biggest nightmare was to be inside a UFO with all those little aliens like, but now, I think like, I’m so curious about the world, like, I want to create some kind of alien live on my characters. So probably inspired me. And I tried to make it make you a bad memory in making it a good thing, like, make it inspire me in a good way. So that could be the weirdest thing that inspires me, that inspires me. And what other things that aren’t that weird? Well, I really like to, to check out artworks from many artists on Instagram. Wherever they are, I like to go to many artists, David’s here in Santiago. I love bookstores, a lot of the Art section like I’m always like, spending a lot of a long time looking up the pages and finding new art and in the way that the books are made and stuff like that. I also love photography. I love especially I love like poor trips and fashion photography. I live with a friend who studies in fashion design. Oh, that was so interesting to me. And that’s that is that’s so inspiring to me like photography, fashion, in art from another. Another kind of art is nice culture as well, I found very, very cool artists that can, like what I’m trying to find on that kind of inspiration, that inspiration, like elements are that that vibe that I want to transmit through my work that alien, futuristic and natural and also like, watery in many elements that I have found on other artists in the Mesa like, well, I can feel some kind of connection with them. So that that’s what I am trying to, to find when I’m searching for new inspo but I don’t know I can get inspired but many by many, many things like textures or objects around. Around me especially. I’m, I was so inspired by by this kind of, I don’t know if, if if you know, this hologram picks your like, it’s like, yeah, you know, I’m a fan of that. And I can resist them. Like, I see something like that radius and I don’t know how to say it. In this like, movement, like color movement is so so attractive. Yeah, because
Iva Mikles
it has also these like strange colors and then strange shapes when you think about it. And actually that reminds me of that as well. Where do you say like your art and the feel is the similar kind of
Chris Orrillo
I tried to to to make that kind of effect on my own work. So I don’t know. I am not that conscious of the things that inspires me. But everything can can be inspiring. Yeah.
Iva Mikles
And when you mentioned books, do you have some books which you would like to recommend like must read or something you give as a present?
Chris Orrillo
I love to give books like art books I MSA I love art books. Like I prefer to see images printed on the pages rather than a book full of text. So I can recommend some some books from there’s a book I absolutely love it from Mark Ryden. And it’s a pain book called pigs net, I don’t know how to how to say pigs in it, probably,
Iva Mikles
yeah, we can put them in the show notes afterwards. So you can send me the link and I can put it for, for listeners, you know, so they can directly check it out with Link.
Chris Orrillo
Okay. So that was a really nice book. And there’s, there’s like, a wonderful book like, that I bought a long time ago called High Fructose collected edition. It’s a really, really nice book, I love it. So I totally recommend that kind of books because they’re full of things like you have posters, you have a mask, you have different textures of paper, that’s an entire experience, like that’s what I was talking about. So the poor, do you make you feel part of a different world, like you’re opening that book, which is a black book, with a little pink ribbon. So then you then you open it, and you can, you can find some stickers. Beautiful sticker, mail is wonderful. The pages are incredible. It’s so so good. So I love the kind of boots. And there’s another group that I really like, which is called pareidolia. From the gene. It’s a really, really cool book that shows James Jean, most popular works. And so Mason smells wonderful. And you can see like, a mix of his styles like you can find like an hyper realistic painting from James Jean to what he did for for the fashion industry. So it’s Is that the kind of books that I’m always looking for. And I can recommend for artists, you can touch the real thing, it’s a friend to see it on screen. So if you can buy some books for, for yourself to get inspiration. It’s a good way.
Iva Mikles
Because you have these like full package where you can kind of combine all your senses. So yeah, that’s really interesting idea. And so when you’re creating your artworks, or basically doing all the creative projects, how do you design your day? Or do you plan the whole week?
Chris Orrillo
Well, my days aren’t that interesting. I mean, I work out the editorial, I wake up at 730. Then I go to work. And I spend most of my time, like doing some stuff for the editorial like Brian’s from Carter’s storyboard, or stuff like that. Depending on the project, probably I have work on a fairy tale. And my day is full. But besides that, I am always trying to check my social networks. Like especially my my Instagram, Facebook account, I tried to reply everything, everybody every comment, and like and things like I’m trying to be constantly in contact with my fan base. Yeah. So it’s important to me, like do this every day. Also, I am looking for some inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram. I’m always like, okay, like this. I like the grade boards. It’s important to me. And I used to draw, like some rough sketches. When I have some ideas on my mind. Like, sometimes I’m so intuitive, Digital’s tough, like the pen tablet and the computer. My I don’t know, I there’s an inner voice telling me stop. Take Kapan take a piece of paper and do something like disconnect. Yeah, do it. And I started drawing some sketches on most of the artwork that you share on line started being a very simple sketch. Like, if I could show you you could ever recognize that that was going to be like that. Yeah. So there are some sketches that I do. And I love to read my horoscope. Oh, okay. Yeah, I really, really like to read about astrology, and that kind of thing. It’s hard so attracted to me. It’s what I also try to have that kind of energy in my, in my work? Yeah, like I’m thinking what kind of zodiac sign could be this character or that energy that the for example the the the the artwork called Hello, Hello new world she has these like, like ring around her her head and a bliss inspired by it. I planted my Saturn I think. So this is the kind of things that I want to also teleport to my transmitted to my work. Oh, that’s really so that’s my, my day how I tried to find my day.
Iva Mikles
Yeah. So you create all of your drawings, like in the in the evening or during the weekends? Because then normally during the day, usually you have a full time job working on something else and then you on your personal stuff. You kind of combine Yeah.
Chris Orrillo
It’s, it’s so complex. I mean, I think that I worked as an illustrator to leave as an illustrator. I worked as an illustrator and in that in that editorial, to like to pay my bills, but my real dream is to, to be an independent artist. Like do my own stuff, be my own boss. So that is what I’m trying to do. And I, that is like my, my next goal to be an independent artist, like not, I don’t know if I freelance hard, just because I’ve been there. And I want to combine those worlds, but now I’m fine with that. I mean, I like to work, like from Monday to Friday, and weekends are for just relax and hang out as labor. Well. You know, it’s something so something good or cook, I like to cook. So I I spend my I spend more time from Monday to Friday. So I do the hardest. Yeah, yes. These days are hard. Sometimes. Yeah.
Iva Mikles
And so when you work in the in the studio or in the office, that’s the office work. And for your personal stuff. Do you create it at home? Do you work on a on a tablet? Or do you have another studio for your personal work?
Chris Orrillo
I work everything in the same studio at work. Because sometimes I am like free like I finished many of the things I have to do. So I have time to work on my own stuff. But I also have a personal computer and a personal poem on tablet. So sometimes I throw here in my house. So that depends. That depends. But most of the time I can do both. Like I don’t know how but I can do both. And it’s working. Yeah.
Iva Mikles
And if someone wants to do what do you do now? What would you recommend them to start with? Maybe some tools or mediums? Or kind of compare? What do you started with? And what do you work with now?
Chris Orrillo
Hmm, well, first of everything, I think for me, it’s very important to know or try to find who you are. Just I think that’s the start point. Because it takes time. It takes a lot of time for Overleaf to find what do you want to communicate or what you really want to do? And what do you I don’t know how, what makes you feel comfortable, like the kind of media and stuff but who you are and what you want to communicate through your art. It took me probably 23 years to finally noticed that I was doing are just to be popular to get followers or to try to be cool or to be part of this kawaii anime thing and then everything was like, What are you doing? Like do you really want to do that for the rest of your life? Do you really want to be a Manga comics and go to Anime Expo and Comic Con and that’s the kind of thing that you want to do like you really really desire that. I do really wish to be that kind of artist. And that was so shocking. So when one when when I decided to to turn my eyes to myself and find who I will. I am. Everything was more clear. Yeah, everything was was passing its own lap natural flow. So that’s what I recommend. I also recommend to practice a lot. Yeah. Even if you use a tablet, if you don’t use a tablet, if you have just a pen, it’s not necessary to invest on. So expensive materials at the beginning. Practice, like try whatever you have on hand. So if you have just depend, your depend, if you have oils, use those oils. But the more you experiment, the more media you experiment, the more will you will know, what makes you feel more comfortable with. And then you can decide in the future, what’s going to be like, your, your way. Or if you love everything, do everything for demand at the beginning, experiment. And then you can be deciding and buy new things and invest in better materials. Step by step, I remember my first bend tablet with a brand called genius. And it was so bad. It was so so bad. But once I learned how to use it, everything was so great. Like I created really nice drones with that. So that’s what I also recommend, be patient with your own process. So Paige sososo patient, like some people think, Oh, but I want to be like you I want to be like that artist, and he has a lot of talent. He practiced or she practiced a lot. Yeah, to be where they are. So be patient with your own process. Be conscious that it’s gonna take time. And also be conscious of your own evolution. Like I see. My past I always see the old stuff that I that I did. And I see the evolution, I can see how everything makes sense now. Yeah. So that that’s why I recommend Yeah,
Iva Mikles
it is important to compare with your own work, you know, in the past, and now in the future, not future present. Because, because then you see your progress, and then you it can make you happy because if you compare yourself with other people, then it can be stressful for some. So yeah, yeah. So now you use Photoshop, I guess, in tablet like vaikom or,
Chris Orrillo
yeah, I have an Intuos Pro. And I use just Photoshop. Sometimes I like to use Adobe Lightroom, which is a photo editing program. But just Photoshop is fine for me. Yeah, like I use all the time, I guess my loyal friend. Yes.
Iva Mikles
It seems like a lot of artists are using this program because it’s kind of like a standard in the industry. So it’s Yeah, so it’s easier
Chris Orrillo
in the past, in the past has tried, like poorly more than five programs. I knew how to use equals hi, which is a really cool program for Windows. Mac system doesn’t allow it, but it’s a really nice program. So like, so is it going and there’s another one called Eclipse studio, which looks like Photoshop is a really nice tool too. And there’s another one called painter that I don’t really like too much. It’s the Katie, but it’s in good will as well. What other there was another one called Elissa studio illustrator. I use Illustrator sometimes, but I’m not a big fan of it. Like I really enjoyed the brushstrokes. The real digital painting. Yeah, the flow of the flow. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and that’s what I
Iva Mikles
what was what would be the thing you kind of wish you knew before you started?
Chris Orrillo
Hmm. I think I’m going to go back to the question when you said what, when will I recommend them? And that is what I want to. To. I want I would like to know about me is who I was a time ago, I didn’t know who I was, I was playing to be everybody else instead of myself. Like, I was an anime artist. I was like your toonies. I was everything that not myself. I tried to be like that kind of artist. The other will be a mix of everybody. And I was ignoring myself. Yeah. So I wish I could I could. I could have know who I was, who I am. And, and I probably I don’t know, the history could be different. But but now I find that everything happens for a reason. So that was a time. And I’m working on it.
Iva Mikles
Yeah, by the way, in going back maybe to project? Do you have some new, exciting project coming up or something you would like to share?
Chris Orrillo
Well, yeah, I stopped, like, sharing artwork on media because I’m working on new stuff. And it’s something curious, because when I told you that I liked Marina and the Diamonds, what I liked about her, and what I liked about that kind of artists is the way that they be the way they’re working on their own careers, like they truly believe in themselves. And I’ve seen and I know that art is through her three albums. So that’s what I am, like, trying to do inside of me inside of me. Yeah, I see myself like a little pop star. Yeah, we’re a new album. So I dropped my first album, full of like, total 12 pieces of, of, of our life. An every single artwork, I tried to promote the most like a single, like, I go everywhere with the then like, I shared it everywhere. And now I stopped. So I’m getting a nice bow. I’m trying to create new stuff. But besides that, I’m working on other pilot projects. I’m working with italiane, fashion designer, hiphop common collection, you know, some patterns and stuff, some colorful things that are pretty interesting. And I’m also so excited for a very special online group exhibition that I was invited to be part will be full of amazing artists from around the world. So when I got the invitation, I was like, Are you kidding me that Oh, God. So yeah, it’s going to happen very soon. So I don’t want to say more about that. But when it happens,
Iva Mikles
so it will be sometime after summer or like, when can we expect to see?
Chris Orrillo
Yeah, yeah. Yes. Summer is good. Summer is a good time. Good. to reappear. Okay, cool. Cool. Yeah. So that’s, that’s what I’m doing. And I’m working on new new little project new little artworks. Like I don’t, I’m not trying to be so hard on myself to do any of that. Like everything is it’s going slowly, but once it’s ready, it’s going to be so so good. Like,
Iva Mikles
so cool. For you. Yay. Yeah. And yeah, and now when you so we talked about also the full time job and your personal project, how do you combine your income streams so you have the main job but do you also have income from maybe selling the art prints or other areas?
Chris Orrillo
Yes, I got some, some areas from selling prints. Also, I take some commissions online. And that’s what I think I do. Like I work on little projects that I choose, depending on my time and depending on their flexibility because I first I start telling them that that my possible clients that I have full of work, yeah. So we can be patient. I can work with them like I know my time so I told with them and they say, well, it could take take me like two months or so if they, they can’t understand that I can work with them. But that’s how I combine it. I take to commission some commissions, I work on some will parallel projects, like the one I mentioned you the, the fashion, the fashion thing. So how, you know,
Iva Mikles
do you find the new paid projects, through social media or through friends?
Chris Orrillo
If there isn’t a really important tool for me, that I didn’t know, that was so powerful. And it was Behance. Okay, like most of my friends told me, Well, bam, school, like, you can share your stuff. But when I decided to put everything I had on Behance, and my process and everything, like, I woke up one day, and my email was full of full of people liking my stuff and telling me, Oh, I love it. And my inbox was full of people ever wanted to work with me or had a project. So that was really, really huge for me, because I was like, step by step, like, suddenly doing this thing in everything exploded. Yeah. And that page, made a connection with my other social networks, like Facebook and Instagram. So everything was, was in that kind of triangle. Yeah. And I found clients on Behance. And from Instagram, as well, there, there’s they’re really nice people on Instagram, like, people who have their own projects, like you, for example, who find me on Instagram, and they tell me, I have this product, what they think about it, or blah, blah, blah. So that’s how I make the kind of content. Okay,
Iva Mikles
cool. And when you have more projects like this, how do you decide to say no, and yes, do projects, because sometimes we cannot do everything at the same time?
Chris Orrillo
Well, it’s, it’s hard for me to say no, to somebody who wants to work with me. But this depends on many, many things. Like, for example, the kind of project that they have, if they are looking, looking at my personal artwork on they’re looking at me just as an artist, like, you can draw, so I needed a rabbit, then you can draw me like a little red light. Or I like your own own thing. Your old fan, sorry. And I would like to work with you because I like your styled the way you use the colors or your concepts behind behind your eyes. So that’s important to me. Like if they bribed me, tell me, I love the way you use the color. I want to I want to portray it on my sale, like the ones that you’re sharing online. Of course, I’m I’m going to concede that. I also mentioned you that it’s important for me that the client knows that I’m busy most of the day. So it’s important to tell them that I have not too much time or if if they want to work with me, it’s going to be a long term work. Like they have probably two to be part of a two month period process Yes. Of a week, probably the if I have nothing to do, but they I’m feeling very lucky because most of my clients really understands that, like, okay, there’s no problem I can wait two months, like, let’s keep talking and if you can share me some of the progress. So that’s how I work also, and depending on how comfortable I will be in doing the things that the clients are asking for, like if sometimes I don’t know, I remember something when I used to draw anyway. Most people wants you to draw erotic erotic animus calm, and there’s a lot of money there that like people really pays for that.
Chris Orrillo
So it’s simple order for you to think what makes you
Chris Orrillo
feel happy to work with or what making you comfortable? So if you don’t like that kind of things, you can do it. Yeah. That’s That’s how how I decide, yeah, some of the things I do parallel in my parallel park.
Iva Mikles
Yeah. And can you share like, worst career moment, then what do you kind of learned from it as well?
Chris Orrillo
Yeah, it was a long time ago. Like, I didn’t know when I was like, probably 18. I don’t know, I don’t remember. But I used to work a lot on commissions from DNR, DNR. So I used to do like a list of people per month, like I have two days, days, days these days. And there was a client who always wants those want me to draw, like very complex things like very complex scenes, like, full of characters and stuff. So I used to work with him. And he was like, Cool. And then he told me, you know, I have a big, big project for you, but I really need you to stop working on others. Other stuff, like, if you can cancel art, or all your Commission’s to just focus on my project, it couldn’t be perfect. So we talked and the projects held, or it sounded really good. Like, it was like a comic or something like that. And I thought, well, that that sounds good. And I don’t know, I was so naive. And I told everybody I’m sorry, but I want I won’t work with on your commission. I’m sorry. I can take it. I cannot take it. So I like decided to focus on his burden. I told him, Okay, I’m a hunter. I’m 100% free to work on your project. And he told me, okay, just, we’ll talk about it tomorrow. He just disappeared. Yeah. Great. So I cancelled, like, many, many, many projects, and people, like, some people just ignored me when I came back to tell them, Oh, can we work again, or something like that? So that was a bit painful. Bob, I was so naive, I didn’t really knew that that decision could be like, so complicated.
Iva Mikles
So what would you recommend now for people that they would ask for? Maybe a contract? Or at least like confirming email? Or some kind of, yeah, call to action or confirmation? Or how would you do it now.
Chris Orrillo
Um, it’s important to first have a nays up on yours live, always. Like, don’t be like me and forget about all the projects, just because somebody tells you that they have something huge. Like, think about it. If you can search about the people that send you the email, like if it’s a serious it’s a serious guy or girl who’s contacting you, if there’s a web site, beside the email or stuff like that. And also, as I said, don’t just focus on a single project, you have to consider the map that everything can changes in the last minute. So it’s important to have many different options. And if you have a big one that works with you, that campaigns you in advice, for example, that’s what I do. I most of the time, ox asked for payment and advice because I don’t want to risk to take that kind of risk. So it the client, of course, understand the part we can go ahead. Yeah, but if they don’t, well, I can say well, if what do you think about if we do like 5050 So yeah, this is how how I work?
Iva Mikles
Yeah. So either as the full amount in advance because they already Know what you can do and how you deliver stuff, or you can agree with them like 5050 So I think that’s a that’s a really good advice for young artists so they don’t work on something and they maybe they don’t get paid even if they create the project
Chris Orrillo
and also the people likes to pay when you when the works finished like once the work finished okay, let me think about the payment and I don’t really like that that kind of
Iva Mikles
but you can wait you can maybe share just like a small version of it not full resolution, or just a sketch or some kind of way to show what you did but they don’t have the final product yet if they don’t pay you
Chris Orrillo
Yeah, that could be way but most of the clients once the final version, and then they pay you like I want the the products and then I’ll pay you for it. So it’s important to talk about those things before you start work when you feel like comfortable with that and you think that it’s going to work and they they will give you the time they can pay you and advise and everything sounds good for you. You can take yeah
Iva Mikles
in some of my last questions will be about the future. You talked about it a bit like you would like to work more with the fine art as well and so if you imagine yourself in five to 10 years what would you be doing?
Chris Orrillo
I don’t know I really don’t know my life as I told you was a bit of a roller coaster so I’m I don’t know I would love to move to another city probably I would love to visit probably Europe or you are well I would love to visit those countries and to be more contact with with the art scene from them from there. And I I love to be like living somewhere else I like now I’m feeling that my house is the entire world like I want to share my work my work everywhere so if if I can go somewhere else to share it like to share it but not just through the screen like I want to print things and I want to pain real things and I want like a real art save it like it wants to live that experience and not just an art exhibit as I told you I would like to keep building this fantastic world that’s in serial sensory sensitive world. So I don’t know I probably 10 years I will be creating something probably a little a little bit closer to what will this they have?
Iva Mikles
Yes
Chris Orrillo
Have fun, you know, I want to do something like that. I would love to do something like that. Yeah, to to what I wanted to do with my work also is to junior generate some kind of pleasure because well many many of the things that surrounds us that surround us aren’t that I don’t know you can you like you turn on the TV and you can find like a lot of violence and like many negative is tough. So my my art and the way I work is something that is based on on on pleasure only enjoy the process, even if it’s going to be hard to finish an art based or even if sometimes you feel blocked or whatever it’s based on have a good time and have a good experience. I want to share this experience live like this peaceful, beautiful characters like in Julian feel that those colors and the love that I’m putting on every single piece. So that’s what I want to do in 10 years.
Iva Mikles
That’s pretty cool. And if you think about like this influence or like sharing the joy of creation, what would you like to be remembered for in like 100 years?
Chris Orrillo
I would like to, to, I don’t know there are a lot of things that I would like to be remembered. But I want to, of course, to be known as an entire person, not just my work as an artist, but my work as a person, like, how I feel and how I want to see the world and I, and the message I want to communicate to the world. So I also like I would love I would love to make, or to be like a bridge between the digital and the traditional media, because sometimes some people are, okay, I’m Team traditional. And now I’m 10 digital. And I want to show that them. And I know that there are a lot of artists doing it, but I would love to, to keep building this bridge to connect these worlds because the future is still digital. And all those traditional tools are wonderful. So we can create an entire thing with the best of each world. So I would love to be part of that and or at least do something about
Iva Mikles
it. Yeah, I think that’s amazing. I would like to see like more in the future where like, where you would come and how it will be. And thank you so much for being here and to be here to inspire other people. And for everyone joining us, thank you.
Chris Orrillo
Thank you for inviting me, like, what when you send me the email, I thought, well, this is so so good. I always wanted to talk about it and to share a few things I know about, about art or about how to work. And I want to, to to be in contact with the fan base and especially the the fans that is speaking English like yeah, most of my fans are Spanish or from Latin America and, and I and I want to say thank you for inviting me on your project. It’s so so so good. It’s so
Iva Mikles
cool. So happy to hear. Thank you again. Thanks for joining. It’s super cool. Hope you guys enjoyed this interview. You can find all the resources mentioned in this episode at artsideoflife.com. Just type a guest name in the search bar. There is also a little freebie waiting for you so go check it out. If you enjoy this episode, please leave a review on iTunes hopefully five stars so I can read and inspire more people like you. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to Art Side of Life podcast, because I post new interview every single workday. If you want to watch the interviews, head over to artsideoflife.com/youtube. Thank you so much for listening. Don’t forget to inspire each other. And I will talk to you guys in the next episode. Bye.
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Hi, I am Iva (rhymes with “viva”). I am a full-time self-taught artist behind Art Side of Life® and a Top Teacher on Skillshare. I have 15 years of experience in the creative field as a concept designer, illustrator, art director, and now freelance artist, content creator, and art instructor. My goal is to help you get your creative groove on with Procreate and make awesome art through practical classes, tutorials, Procreate brushes, and guides on art tools, supplies and resources. About me »
