Cherry Riot Co.

I make bold, creature-driven illustrations with a soft spot for the strange, spooky, and scrappy. I’m drawn to animals, especially prehistoric ones, and I like giving them enough personality that you can imagine what they’re thinking. A tilt of the head or the way a creature carries its weight can tell you a lot about who it is. Those are usually the details I spend the most time getting right. My work draws from American traditional tattoo flash, linocut, and graffiti. I like thick outlines, rough textures, and silhouettes you can recognize from across the room. I spend time looking at how animals are built and how they move. That helps me decide what to exaggerate, what to simplify, and what needs to stay recognizable. I want the finished piece to feel lively, even when the creature is sitting perfectly still. I approach lettering the same way I approach drawing. I think about where the words sit, how they move through the composition, and whether the shapes of the letters can carry some of the humor. I like giving the lettering enough personality that it feels at home alongside the creatures I draw. There’s usually some affection underneath the darker parts of my work. I enjoy drawing things with teeth, claws, and armor, and finding a little softness or humor in how they carry themselves. The pieces I feel closest to are the ones where I can look at a creature’s face and imagine exactly what would annoy it.