Through The Portal

July 2026

Meet Satwika Kresna, a multi-disciplinary graphic designer and art director who splits his time between Jakarta and Semarang, Indonesia. Over the last few years, Satwika's work has been finding its way onto some of the biggest stages and pages in music, entertainment, and publishing, with a visual language that effortlessly merges figurative studies with astronomical mysticism to create intricately layered, surrealist dreamscapes.

Leaning heavily on our Halftone Zine Machine image-processing kit to bring graphic tactility to his clean airbrush shading, Satwika's work has a transportive quality that always rewards a second look.

 

 

First thing you ever got paid to draw?

An illustration for a local comedy band. It wasn't a huge job, but getting paid for something I drew felt pretty surreal at the time.

Vector, raster or both?

Both. I like having both tools available and usually pick whichever one feels right for the project.

What’s your creative superpower?

Tight deadlines. Somehow I do my best thinking when the clock is ticking. :))

 

Dream client?

Creating artwork for either Queens of the Stone Age or Nine Inch Nails would be a dream. Their music has such a strong visual identity that it would be an exciting challenge to contribute to it.

True Grit tools you can’t live without?

Halftone Zine Machine. It has become one of those tools I keep coming back to because it adds character and texture in a way that fits my work perfectly.

Layers: organized or chaos?

Organized. Mostly. The closer the deadline gets, the more that organization becomes a suggestion.

 


Sketch on paper or straight to digital?

Both. Sometimes I enjoy the freedom of sketching on paper, while other times it’s faster to jump straight into digital and develop ideas as I go.

Complete this sentence: Generative AI is

SKYNET! (Ask Sarah Connor)

 


EXPLORE SATWIKA'S FAVORITE TOOLS 




Last book you read?

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. It completely changed the way I think about rest, productivity, and the importance of a good night’s sleep.

Last band/artist you saw live?

White Shoes & The Couples Company.

 



Satwika Kresna is a graphic designer and art director based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Select clients include The Los Angeles Times, Bonnaroo, Netflix and Odesza.
Website  |  Instagram

Explore some of Satwika's favorite True Grit Tools here