The cover for Hi-Fructose Magazine Vol. 41 comes from painter Greg “Craola” Simkins, an artist based in Los Angeles. In this post, you can take a look at how he created the piece that would become this cover. See those photos and a video below. Simkins was last featured on HiFructose.com here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlp4bxdY_qE&w=600&h=415]
In a statement on his website, the artist clarifies how he comes up with his imagery: “As our imagination takes over, we tend to leave what is ordinary and go outside of ourselves to visit these places. This is why I paint and what has inspired me over the years to grow as an artist. It is the constant search for what else is on the outside.”
Before embarking on a career as a full-time artist in 2005, Simkins worked as an illustrator for clothing companies and other brands. He also worked on video games like “Tony Hawk 2X,” “Spider-Man 2,” and “Ultimate Spider-Man.” Among his early influences, as a kid growing up in Torrance, Calif., Simkins cites cartoons, animals, stories, tattoos and “mind-numbing trips to grandma’s house.”
Creepy creatures, spindly figures and quirky narratives compose the illustrations of 
