We hope you’ve been loving the extra subscriber card in the last two issues. In the latest issue, we had a fun illustration by illustrator and designer, Kaitlin Brito (@kbrito_art). For the illustration, she was inspired by a pair of shoes that she was longing for from Lisa Says Gah!, which is honestly so relatable. This month, we had a chat with her about her inspiration and style.

Tell us a little about your art and creative style.
I am an illustrator based in New Jersey, and I love making work with inked lines, bright colours and vintage-inspired textures.

When and how did you first begin making art?
Like probably every artist, I have been making art for as long as I can remember. I have this vivid memory of a trip to Peru when I was about nine years old – I had visited my mother’s family there prior, but I was just a baby at the time, so this trip was going to be memorable. Around this time, I had already had an interest in art so, when I learned that my uncle was also an artist, I was floored. No one else in my family had an interest in art, and here was my uncle a continent away, sharing the same feelings as me. I pinpoint this memory to be the “fuel to my fire” in the pursuit of a creative life and eventually, an illustration career propelled by the encouragement of my loved ones.

How did your artwork (now featured as a frankie poster!) come to be?
This artwork, in particular, was one of the most random pieces I had made for a while! It was one of those times that I felt burnt out from all the paid work I was doing and it had been so long since I made work for myself or even used an actual pen on paper. So, late one night, I took the time just to draw whatever fun things came to mind! For this poster, I had been obsessing over this pair of shoes that were totally out of my budget and I thought: maybe drawing them would ease some of the longing. I’ve always loved drawing shoes and little things, so I think I filled the frame with such things!

Where do you find inspiration and creative motivation?
I love being inspired by the “quirky” facets of people, periods, places, etc. I have a Pinterest board titled “fun”, and it's just filled with the most random imagery. From a kitschy apple clock to a book page scan from a 1970s Halloween costume guide. My favourite kinds of illustrations to make are the ones where I get to overload details and “little moments” of things all over the place! And, most often, the way I become motivated is honestly when I reflect on the past and think of my younger self when I’m feeling stuck and lacking motivation. I remind myself that she would’ve never imagined I’d be doing what I do now and how awesome she’d think it all was, thus pushing me to keep going and pursuing my dreams like I always hoped I could.

What’s next on your ‘to-create’ list?
I’ve really been wanting to make more sequential content for a while now! Like comics or zines, I have so many small writing ideas types in my phone’s note apps for future projects and just hope to find the time soon to do them! Also on my to-create list is to just make more personal work and keep exploring the “silly”.

Where can we see more of your work?
You can find more of my work over at my website or on Instagram @kbrito_art!