For as long as Krissy Mast can remember, the arts have been an integral part of her life.
Raised by creatively-inclined parents, she developed an appreciation for color and aesthetics from a young age. This artistic foundation led her to a post-graduation career in art and design, where Mast held various roles that helped refine her skills and vision. Today, as an illustrator and pattern designer, Krissy channels her creative energy into projects for notable clients including Target, Barnes & Noble, and Anthropologie. Her delicate, whimsical illustrations reflect a love of dogs, celebrations, and travel, each piece capturing a sense of playful joy and wonder.
We connected with Mast to hear about her process, sources of inspiration, and some of the most creative gifts she’s given and received.
Describe a typical day for you! Do you have any particular workday routines?
At this point in my life I don’t have that many “typical” days because when you have 4 kids under 6, you are constantly having to go with the flow. In the mornings I get up with the kids and help get everyone off to school. Then I usually do an hour or two of work mixed-in with errands, grocery shopping, etc. Some days I get some tennis in or a quick workout, and then once everyone starts coming home from school I am back in mom-mode until after dinner and bedtimes. Usually the evenings are when I get the most work done, assuming I have any energy left!
What does your workspace look like? Do you keep special objects around for inspiration?
I have an adorable office filled with tons of my own work and samples from clients, a vision board, and another pin board full of art from other artists who really inspire me. Now, I would say 75% of the time my “workspace” ends up being cuddled on the couch with the dog, but I do have an office when I need it!
You’ve worn many hats in the art world. How do your previous experiences inform your current artistic practice?
My first job out of college was as an art director at an advertising agency, and that really helped me from a conceptual standpoint. In that role I learned how to create strong concepts behind my art because most of the work I was doing was for print and video campaigns that had to have a central idea and story. I think a lot of my best art collections now have really strong concepts behind them, and I owe that to my AD days.
Then I moved on to running my own wedding illustration brand, and that taught me a whole new host of skills. When I was running my own company, I had to figure out how to do everything on my own. I ran my own marketing, hired my own employees, created my own products, sourced vendors, etc. I learned that to make space for yourself in a crowded market, you have to have unique strategies to set yourself apart. Those strategies that I learned and developed have all translated into my art licensing career, and I think are a large part of why I was able to find success so quickly.
You have such a lovely palette. Where does your sense of color come from?
I just pick colors that make me happy, and then build off of that! I am lucky to come from a very artistic family – my mom is an interior designer and owns her own custom workroom, my dad is an architect, and now my sisters both have creative careers as well. We were surrounded by crafts and art, and learned to appreciate things like color from a really young age, and so I guess it just comes naturally to me now.
There are a lot of great dogs in your work! How does your own pup inspire your illustrations of dogs?
My dog Brie is so many things to me! She was my first baby before my kids came along. She’s also pretty much my best friend, and constant companion when I am at home working. I grew up with dogs and have ALWAYS loved dogs, for as long as I can remember. My love of dogs is what really inspired me to buy an iPad and learn Procreate. I was seeing all these people posting their own illustrations of dogs on IG and Pinterest and I had this intense FOMO like omg, what am I doing? I need to make cute dog art – I can do that! And here we are.
Do you keep a sketchbook? If so, what does it look like?
I sort of do, but I keep up with it very, very sporadically. I usually keep a list of notes in my phone with ideas for art when it comes to me, and then that list is where I always go back when I need inspiration for something to draw. Sometimes though, when I have a big collection in mind, I will jump into a sketchbook to sketch out what the different parts of the collection might look like.
Since the holiday season is coming up, what are some of the best creative gifts you’ve given and received?
So, first off let me say that gift giving is my love language. Christmas at my house is absolutely and completely ridiculous, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I ran my wedding illustration business we always did a secret Santa exchange within the team, and everything had to be handmade. I got some amazing gifts from my employees, things like homemade dog treats and personalized Christmas ornaments. Probably one of my favorite gifts I have ever gotten was for tickets for my best friend and I to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, from my husband. It was a total surprise and such a fun experience. As far as the best gifts I have given, I once made my little cousin a VERY realistic looking Hogwarts acceptance letter for Christmas, and I was so proud of that. As you might have guessed I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan!
Santa Claus is a character who’s been envisioned by so many different artists. How do you go about designing your unique take on familiar characters like Santa?
I love to draw Santa, but always with my own spin. I like to look at what the current trends are and try to bring that into my Holiday collections. Last year I did a Montana Santa collection that was a huge hit, this year I have a few already in the works, including Strongman Santa with Santa’s Circus and Holly Dolly Disco Santa, who is an icon of all things Pinkmas and Disco Cowgirl.
What advice do you have for artists just starting out?
This is going to sound so cheesy and overstated, but it’s actually so important to me and so I just have to say it. Do not give up. There are going to be a lot of days that you make bad art that you hate, and it is so much easier to just put down the pencil and stop making art. But, the best thing you can actually do is say, wow, ok that was some bad art, got that out of my system, on to the next one. When I started my current art licensing and surface pattern design journey I told myself that the ONLY thing I would commit to was that I would not give up. And I have stuck by that, and it has worked. Oh, and I also want to add that what we often perceive as “bad art” is somebody else’s treasure… I license my “bad art” art to clients all the time and lots of it does very well!
