Conversations with Kitt Roberts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kitt Roberts.

Hi Kitt, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was adopted out of an abusive upbringing at 17 by my high school friend Beau Gutierrez’s loving family. I’ve always had a passion for art, and I’ve always known that it’s what I wanted to do, but they gave me a fighting chance to actually pursue my dreams of becoming an artist. They and my biological half-brothers Dan & Jordan coached me through putting myself through community college in northern California, where I lived and worked on campus to pay my tuition and used my art to earn myself scholarships.

During my time there away from the family & friends I had grown to know and love, I found out that I suffer from C-PTSD due to my past. After three years of school, my struggling mental health forced me to drop out. A little while after I moved back in with the Gutierrezes, Dan invited me to live with him in Burbank, California to kick-start my career. At the time, I had an interest in storyboarding for Animation, so Dan, Jordan, and my sister-in-law J (who all worked and lived in LA) taught me how to network in the world of entertainment.

My first “real” job was as a Production Assistant working with J at Hasbro’s Allspark Animation, and from there I worked my way up the Production ladder at various other Animation jobs and met so many amazing artists. Slowly, though, I realized that the world of Animation can be cruel– so many of the artists I met had more caution than enthusiasm to share about working in that world. I saw firsthand how there can be pay inequalities, unfair working conditions, and rampant burnout. I found myself falling out of love with art.

One Thanksgiving with the Gutierrezes, I had shared a story about how I gave a stick-and-poke tattoo to a college roommate of mine. Soon, my adopted brothers Beau and Garrett had me give us all matching stick-and-pokes, and then their mom Lori asked for her own design. Cousins, friends, and my boyfriend Tyler all followed suit, and before I knew it, the spark that art once held in me had lit up once again. I decided from there on to pursue tattooing as a career.

It was while I was working dayjobs in Animation Production & freelance storyboarding for some networks like HBO Max that I decided to go see a show at The Hollywood Improv Lab starring Mike Falzone “And Friends”. I’ve loved comedy for as long as I’ve loved art, but having no funnybone talents myself, I’ve only ever been an eager audience member. I was drawing in my pocket sketchbook while waiting for the show to start when the The Lab’s bartender Bryan Patrick Moses spied my sketch. I had drawn the marquis outside, which read “TONIGHT: MIKE FALZONE”. He insisted that I show Mike– but when I was shy to do so, he gave me an entirely unexpected (and yet deeply precious) nugget of advice: “Never hide your art.” He then asked me to draw a little sketch of him behind the bar, and I eagerly obliged. After the show, I left the portrait with Bryan and the sketch of the marquis with Mike’s wife Zoja, and I went home to call it a night.

In the morning, I woke up to a flood of messages in my social media– almost all the comedians there that night (and some I hadn’t even noticed at the bar) were messaging me compliments, encouragement, and tattoo design requests. Apparently, Bryan and Mike had shared my art around and the word had gotten out. Soon, Devyn Perry and Avry Ross from Never Ending Comedy were reaching out about hiring me to live draw their next comedy show! It snowballed from there, and now I attend shows for more than just Never Ending Comedy. I get to live draw the performers, venue, and even some of the jokes most weekends at various clubs in LA– and laugh my head off while I do it.

I may not have had a lot of kindness in the beginning of my life, but I have been so deeply blessed by the kindness that followed. I still struggle because of my C-PTSD, and I’m still pursuing tattooing and illustration in my spare time, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities I’ve been graced with and the many, many wonderful souls who have helped a young artist more than she could ever thank them for.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know that anybody’s journey is purely easy (as I’ve shared in my background), but despite the hardship, I’m so glad that I’ve had so many opportunities to grow. I feel like what I’ve been through has helped me become a more rounded, empathetic, and steadfast individual.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve always been an illustrator, first and foremost. The jobs I’ve pursued in my career journey have all stemmed from core design elements that are usually cheery, fantastical, and always thematically rooted in hope. My art has anchored me through the stormiest seas of my life and communicated for me when I couldn’t communicate for myself; therefore, I love communicating other people’s ideas too. I love bold linework, vivid colors, and highly expressive features. I have a strong personal sense of story (which is another reason I love comedy), and bringing that to life in any way, whether that’s for children’s books, tattoos, portraits, live event drawing, logos, merchandise, or any number of the other commissions I’ve done is always fun for me.

Any big plans?
I am a very studious person by nature (despite my nagging penchant for whimsy), so I am always planning for things, making lists, or studying something new. Chiefly, my number one goal in life is to make a living doing art. A starving artist often has a day job to feed themselves while they pursue their passion, and I am no different, but I aim to one day not have to burn the candle at both ends in order to devote myself entirely to my art.

In a less broad sense, I’d love to be practicing tattoos at a shop by 2025 or freelance illustrating full-time. I’d still love to be a part of the comedy scene, making posters, fliers, merchandise, and live event sketches. That feels like something I’ll never wanna give up now that I’ve got it.

In an even grander sense, I’d love to have a house with a secret passageway someday. I also want a 100GAL saltwater aquarium (aquarium keeping is a hobby of mine). In this house with the secret passageway and the aquarium, I’d love to have some adopted kids in a family of my own with dogs, cats, and perhaps chickens in the yard. In this scenario, I would also be absolutely slathered in tattoos.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtsNCraftsKitt
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewholekittandcaboodle
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caru-roberts-adminprofessional-freelanceartist