Krystal Redies is one of the newest members of Artist Co-op, The Guild in Oelwein. After graduating from Oelwein High School in 2001, Krystal went on to get a degree in Graphic Communications from Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa.

Krystal mainly works in digital mediums, using Adobe Illustrator to re-draw photographs, emphasizing tonal depth within the subjects. After a photo has been re-drawn, Krystal manipulates the colors of the subject, into monotones, duo-tones or full color, true-to-life color schemes.

“My favorite kind of subject is a person,” says Krystal. “I think that my art helps show the depth of a person’s face and conveys their character in a much deeper and more interesting way than a regular photograph alone can do.”

Krystal’s first piece ever done in this medium is a portrait called “Augusta,” of which prints are available at the Guild. “I originally did this piece to go on a t-shirt. It’s such a bold kind of art that it lends itself really well to being made into wearable art.”  T-shirt transfers and other kinds of wearable everyday art are also available at the Guild.

Krystal has since worked on various pieces, including portraits of people, pets, cars and other objects. Krystal also does commissioned work, information available at the Guild, by visiting her Loud Mouth Art page on Facebook, or at loudmouthart@hotmail.com.

Krystal enjoys bike riding, watching movies and belting out the classics on Rock Band when she’s not creating art. She is married and lives in Cedar Rapids.