We recently connected with Krystle Rhines and have shared our conversation below.
Krystle , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I have always been interested in art. I started out with very simple tools like a #2 pencil and paper and just kept trying out new art supplies from there. The last 7 years I have been focused on painting. I started with acrylic, then went on to try watercolor and oil. I don’t have a favorite of all of those mediums, it just depends on what I am trying to achieve in the end.
I did go to art school, I think one of the most important things I learned was from my screen printing teacher, he said “art should evoke an emotion”. I’ve had my work described as beautiful and scary, and I’ll take that!
The only obstacles I’ve encountered in learning more would maybe be money to go to art school forever, but that’s only stopping me from learning in a classroom setting. I’ve had the chance to learn and experiment on my own and take little classes here and there, so that has helped me a lot. If you have the drive, you can challenge yourself enough to explore and learn on your own.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Krystle Rhines and I create under the artist name Krystlesaurus. I have always been a creative person from the age of 4 when I painted some snails and tried to sell them to my family for $60 each. I primarily create creepy art for Halloween lovers, but I also paint abstracts, cute animals and sometimes a pretty landscape. I can’t stick to just one medium or style, I like to explore and try new things.
I sort of fell into selling art, because it’s sell it or get a storage unit for all the work I create, so selling it seemed like the more practical option. Currently I sell original artwork, prints, greeting cards and stickers of my designs. I occasionally do take commissions, and that’s fun for me to work with clients to create something they will love forever. For the most part, my clients give me total creative control and there isn’t much in the problem area to solve. The most I do is maybe pick out the best photo to paint for them. The hardest and most rewarding paintings are pet portraits. Those need to look like a specific little baby animal and I do my best to do that with my paints.
I am most proud of how far I have come as an artist and how I can create in a few different styles. I’d want fans to know I truly enjoy what I do. The viewer gets out of my work what I put into it. The paintings I was most excited to create have all sold first because I think that people can feel the joy I put into it. I used to stray away from the super scary artwork, but now I’ve just embraced it. It’s not for everyone, but it’s flattering when I do find the people who are drawn to it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
There are two very rewarding things for me as an artist. Firstly, I find making art more of a puzzle. I have an idea, I want to execute it, but I have to problem solve on how to get that onto canvas or paper. I’ve had paintings that took me over a year to get right, because I couldn’t make my hands do what I had in my head. Through practice, I figured that out and it’s one of my favorite paintings (“Lily Frankenstein” if you are curious).
The second rewarding thing builds off the first, when someone is so connected to my piece that they have to have it. It’s someone appreciating all of my problem solving, all of my hard work, all of my time spent. That is a lovely feeling that my work brings someone else happiness to the point where they want to take it home. I’ve also had customers buy my work as a present, that’s a great feeling too! Once I got to see a video of the gift giving, it was so sweet.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Pricing! I’ve worked in a gallery that also sold prints and merchandise and I would hear the most insane and rude responses like “this much for a print?! How much was the original?” or “That’s too much, I could make that myself” and I just don’t think people understand how much work goes into artwork. We live in an era where things are mass produced to be sold cheaper and faster, now there is AI art that does everything for people and it’s devaluing what true artists do.
Some of us spent our lives perfecting drawing hands, blending paints, learning composition and color theory to create works of art. It’s not quick and easy, I wasn’t born with natural talent, it’s a lot of hard work and expensive art supplies and practice!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.krystlesaurus.com
- Instagram: @Krystlesaurus
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krystlesaurus/
Image Credits
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