Hi! I’m Cris Casa, aka cristalina, an illustrator born in Valladolid, Spain, in july 1995.
What I love the most is telling stories, drawing characters and expressing emotions.
But let me tell you a bit about my story…
I was a very curious kid, always seeking contact with nature and animals, and a cartoon lover. Those stories pushed me to want to live my own adventures.
My creative soul showed up very early, drawing and building things –the plan of my future house and food from play-dough were my faves. But this big part of myself wasn’t enhanced as my family was not related to any artistic field whatsoever, nor I knew anyone working in a creative job. I thought only dead people could make money through art.
That’s why I stopped drawing almost completely in my teenage years, when I felt I needed to focus in “productive” things. Only writing and some doodling remained.
The first ever (animated) movie I saw at the cinema was the argentinian Manuelita, and impressed me so much that I was telling everyone about it. Spoilers and all. It was 2000.
I was also a Disney fan; my Snow White DVD was so scratched as I used to watch the film almost every week.
Heidi was another big thing for me. I related SO much to that little girl full of joy, always letting herself be impressed by the treasures nature had for us. Her seek for human connection and her way of being just a nice sensitive person were everything.
When I watched all studio Ghibli films as a teenager, something clicked. I had a big background watching anime on TV during the 90-00s and now I know that’s why I get so much comfort from anything related to the Japanese culture.
I’ve always loved food too. Such a well-eater kid.
Here in Spain in general, and in my family in particular, food is a HUGE thing. That’s why, when I had to choose a career path in university –a really hard time for me, because I didn’t know anything I REALLY wanted to do-, I chose Human Nutrition and Dietetics. I specialised in vegetarianism and veganism and worked a few years as a nutritionist.
But with the pandemic I got really burnt-out and decided to change my career path.
That’s when I did my Illustration’s Degree back in my hometown, and felt like for the first time, I was approaching little by little the place I wanted to be.
I started drawing regularly again, though I was feeling very rusty, so the degree really helped me get more confident and keep on working.
My first ever big project was a mural that was chosen from an open call of my old High School when I was still studying. That small first step reaffirmed myself and I haven’t stopped drawing since 2021.
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