Meet the artists: Kit Erwin
We recently launched a series of new merch for sale, as collaborations between the Wellington Pride Festival and local queer artists. We’d like to introduce you to the artists behind the shirts. Second in our series is Kit Erwin (them/they)!
Kit’s two designs.
Tell me about yourself - what should people know about you?
I'm a non-binary graphic designer and illustrator working out of my home studio here in Wellington! A lot of my illustration and design work draws influence from pop culture and nostalgia, I love drawing little creatures and animals (especially my pets), and I'm a real sucker for a punchy colour palette.
Kit’s self portrait
You're a bit of an overachiever, because not only did you turn in TWO different designs for the assignment, if people grab one of your hoodies they also get additional goodness on the front of it. Can you tell me about your designs? What does Pride mean to you?
There are so many ways to express pride, which made it tricky to settle on one idea, ha!
When concepting, I was inspired by tattoo flash, stickers, metal typography and Y2K design influences as well as (naturally) the big, bold, bright and many-faceted identities in our community and the innate strength, power and creativity held by us against all odds. Pride to me feels like showing this strength and connectedness we have as both individuals and a community, and I wanted to include motifs that reflected parts of our current pop culture landscape and the many ways we express ourselves. I also look for and love little details on merch, so adding details on the front of the hoodies felt like a natural step in my own designs!
Why is WPF important to you?
Having lived in Wellington for the last 13 years, and it being the place where I've come to feel most at peace and able to be authentically myself and celebrate queerness, it’s a very special and formative place for me (and many members of my found whānau). I think supporting and celebrating our vibrant LGBTTQIA+ community in all its splendour is super important, now more than ever with the world the way it is, and WPF is obviously a wonderful place for us to come together and do that.
What other queer media or art have you been enjoying lately?
I’m a big Ethel Cain fan! Her new album is really beautiful, albeit often being a bit of a gut-punch emotionally. I also really enjoyed watching Love Lies Bleeding recently which was a very ruckus ride!
If people want to see or buy more from you, where can they go?
If you'd like to see more, my work is on IG @_kitpix and @kiterwin.design, and my portfolio is over at kiterwin.com. I’m open for commission work currently, but at the moment I'm not selling any physical products. That said, I have a few prints and stickers in the works to keep an eye out for if you like my stuff!
