Krisren28 is a talented artist from the Philippines. He has a distinct style that lends itself well to the pop culture themes that he uses as the basis of his art. I think it’s a fair assessment to call his artwork cute. He is quite prolific and you can see his artwork on a lot of t-shirt sites.

174 Krisren28 t-shirts on the Shirt List.

His answers are succinct so I won’t preview them here but read on to catch a glimpse of the man behind the artwork.

Krisren28 Interview

Tell us about your name; Krisren28?
Krisren28 is a combination of my name and the name of my (soon to be) wife and the number 28 is a special number for us.

I see on Design by Humans that you are based in the Philippines. Born and raised?
Yes, born and raised.

What do you like most about where you live?
I live in the capital which is Manila so everything is convenient.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I watch movies, cartoons and watch streams on YouTube which helps me a lot in my art.

Do you work full-time in art and design? Do you have a 9 to 5 or are you a freelancer?
I am currently on freelance working on personal projects and client work as well.

About the Artist

When did you start creating art?
Probably by age 6 or 7, I was already drawing my favorite cartoon characters. I remember drawing Batman, Ninja Turtles and some anime characters I watched every morning before going to school.

Do you have a formal art education or are you self-taught?
Yes, I studied Fine Arts at a University in Manila.

Apart from t-shirts, are you involved in other art/design projects?
For now, most of my work are for t-shirts but I also do logo design and Illustration.

You have a very distinct style. How did it come about?
I’m still learning but glad that people are recognizing it. I’m really into cartoons and children’s books so that probably is the foundation for it.

Were you influenced by any particular artist or style?
Yes, I always look at the works of Walmazan and Alex Solis they are amazing and very talented.

Where do you usually get your inspiration?
Cartoons, movies, comics, children’s books, and the shirt sites.

Could you describe your typical design process from concept to completion?
I always do sketching on paper first before rendering it on the computer. It takes 2 or 3 sketches before I scan them then I will work on it in Illustrator or Photoshop.

About the T-Shirts

How did you first hear about t-shirt design contests like Design by Humans and Threadless?
Well, it was 6 years ago when I encountered the works of Christian San Jose online and I thought his works are amazing then read his bio and found out about DBH because he was winning a lot there.

LITTLE GREEN DOODLES was Krisren28’S first print at Threadless

Do you remember your first t-shirt contest win? If so, what was it and how did you feel?
Yes, it was the LGM doodle I did for the Toy Story contest at threadless.com It was an amazing feeling and it started my career in t-shirt designing.

You have had t-shirts printed by Threadless, Design by Humans and Shirt.Woot. These three stores usually print different styles. Do you take this into account before submitting artwork?
Before I wasn’t thinking about it but now I am very aware of what type or style they usually print and it also helps me save time and effort on posting or subbing it on a site that would not print it because they prefer a different style.

You have also had success on the daily sites like TeeFury, RIPT, and ShirtPunch. Who do you usually submit to first? Why?
Well, I submit first at TeeFury probably because it’s the first one to print my design as a daily then second is ShirtPunch then Ript.

You sell your designs on TeePublic, Redbubble, Design by Humans, NeatoShop and Society6.
Which performs best for you?
Which is easiest to work with?
What performs for me best is Teepublic and DBH they also have an easy uploading process.

Of the t-shirts that you designed, which one is your favorite?
It will always be the first one my LGM doodle for Threadless and Toy Story.

Do you wear the t-shirts that you have designed?
Yes. I have a bunch and my newest one is my Puddin’ design from TeePublic.

Have you seen somebody wearing one of your t-shirts in the real world?
I have seen some on IG and a good friend of mine Daniel Arzola send me pics of him with some of our collaboration designs.

Photoshop or Illustrator?
I work more on Illustrator but I also love working in Photoshop.

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About the World

What is the most exotic location you have been to?
I don’t travel that much but we have some exotic places in the Philippines. If I have time will definitely visit them.

Where would you most like to visit? Why?
I would love to visit Japan because I love Godzilla and Anime. I’d also like to visit Movie sets and Art Galleries in the US.

About Other Designers

Which t-shirt designer(s) do you admire the most?
I really like the works of Nicolo Nimor, Chad Manzo, Walmazan, Alex Solis and Naolito.

I see you have collaborated with Daniel Arzola on a Kung Fu Panda design (SKADOOSH) for Threadless. How did that collaboration come about and what was it like creating a design together?
We always collaborate and we have a lot of hits and misses but this one will always be special because it was our first print together (I think) He always sends me 3 to 5 ideas and I pick which I think will work and just so happens this one is the right one and it got printed.

Have you done other collaborations?
Yes with Shadyjibes that was years back we actually won a contest at Lafraise.com that was my first collaboration print.

Who would you like to see interviewed on the Shirt List next?
I would like to see an interview of Dandingeroz and Vincent Trinidad those guys are making headlines right now at shirt sites and deserve to be interviewed by you guys.

Read the Vincent Trinidad Interview | Dandingeroz

Any advice for new designers/artists?
The only sensible way to live in this world is to draw.