Greg “Craola” Simkins

Greg “Craola” Simkins can be defined as an artist, an illustrator, a designer, a videogame worker and a graffiti artist. Indeed he has been using diverse mediums in order to express himself; crayons, pencils, pens, spray-cans, computer tablets, and paintbrushes. His clients are very important actors in different sectors: Disney, Mattel, Juxtapoz, To Die For, Vans, Converse, Gym Class Heroes, Kid Robot, Dark Horse, Pulse International (and many others).

 Animals have a preponderant presence in all of his paintings, reflecting the overactive imagination of the artist who wants to feel like a kid forever. He gets his inspirations from his childhood; growing up with a menagerie of animals, cartoon characters, comics books as well as from the nature in general with the thought that all the elements that exist on hearth will never be able to meet.

With his art, he is taking us into his world, a world of crazy dreams where different creatures are getting together, the world of “The Outside”.

What about his background?  He has been drawing since a very young age. At the age of 18, he started doing graffiti’s under the name of “Craola”. This technique taught him how to paint faster, -how to paint big-, the color theory and the uses of perspective and composition. In 1999, he got a Bachelor degree in Studio Art at the California State University of Long Beach. His work today is mostly composed of acrylic paintings, but you also find t-shirts, toys and accessories designed by him.