My STORY
Why I Do it
Hi, my name is Kate Pinto. Yep, like the bean, the horse, and the car. I started Bean Horse Car Designs after recognizing a need and opportunity for wider representation in everyday illustrations. At the time, I was looking to fill my home with images of all kinds of women and uncommon animals, and it was harder to find what I wanted than I expected.
I'm a former Denver Zoo volunteer and longtime animal nerd. I was that kid who stood at zoo exhibits and rattled off facts to strangers before they could even read the signs. I would get super bummed when my favorite obscure animals were never in the gift shop. If I ever created merch, it was going to have the uncommon animals on it. And here I am, mantis shrimp abound!
My goals are to make folks feel seen and valued, make underappreciated animals magical, and hopefully get you to crack a smile, even if it's just with a silly pun. You'll find colorful illustrations, silly puns, uplifting and validating messages, and sometimes a little sass.
The Art
I digitally illustrate everything you see on my iPad with an Apple Pencil. I mostly use an app called Procreate, but sometimes use Adobe Illustrator too. I love digital art because I can mess up as many times as I want, change things up fairly easily, and it is so fun to dabble in all kinds of virtual mediums.
I try to be eco-conscious whenever possible, so all of the greeting cards are on 100% recycled paper with recycled paper envelopes. The art prints are all on either recycled or cotton paper to be as "tree free" as possible.
The Team
Okay, there isn't a team (yet), unless you count the little senior dachshund mix who controls my every move. I run Bean Horse Car from my house in Northern CA, and he runs a tight ship. He also joins me for almost every market and snoozes the day away in his crate under the table.
My other pup, Tembo, recently passed away. He was the heart of the operation and my journey into digital illustration started with portraits of his handsome face. I can still feel him in my office, so his friendly dog ghost is still part of the team.
