“Love is complex and multifaceted, with its share of pain and struggles, but it’s also found in the small moments of everyday life.”
– Krzemińska Monica Ioana (Kart9)
Ioana is a 28 year old (as of February 2025) illustrator and animator based in Poland. She shares her heartwarming animated videos about relationships, love, and life with more than half a million people across her Instagram and TikTok pages.
Kart9, the name by which Ioana is known to hundreds of thousands of people who love her art, might seem cryptic, but the explanation is actually really simple. The letter K is taken from part of her name, the “art” part is self-explanatory, and 9 is the day of the month when Ioana was born. Even though she’s had massive success online, she hasn’t been creating animated videos for too long – just over two years, as of February 2025. Ioana taught herself animation after completing her BA and MA degrees in Book Illustration.
The Cats!
As of February 2025, many of the animations uploaded on the kart9 pages feature two cat characters.
Ioana depicts the various facets of a loving relationship through animated videos (set to carefully chosen soundtracks) featuring these cats. Love is the underlying theme in much of her art, and is a central part of her life. Through the cat animations, Ioana aims to showcase the tiny secret precious day-to-day occurrences in a loving relationship. These audio-visual stories talk about the simple joy of routine with one’s partner – the moments of staying a little longer in bed to cuddle, doing tasks with a smile because one feels loved, and sharing little things and big things, like hopes and dreams for the future. Ioana is very grateful that people find her art relatable and that it resonates with their emotions.
Ioana’s audience loves the cat animations for several reasons:
1. They see themselves in the cats: The animations are sometimes short GIF-style montages, depicting moments from special occasions. They are sometimes longer, and showcase Ioana’s insightful and witty take on love. They are always relatable.
2. The choice of two (very cute) stylized anthropomorphic cats as the main characters ensures that a new viewer does not need a lot of context to jump right in. They’re adorable, they adore each other, and they share heartwarming bits of their lives.
3. The cats are, metaphorically, the stars of their animations, but they also look like stars. Ioana’s unique illustration style gives them angles and points, and they look like they could be put on any Christmas Tree and light it up.
4. The more of the cat animations you watch, the more you realize that Ioana hasn’t gone for the low-hanging fruit; these aren’t low-effort cutesy content bites, but carefully crafted (very) short films that make you go – that’s really insightful, and that celebrates love in a way that’s unique and fresh and not cliché.
5. The cat illustrations and animations evoke feelings of comfort in multiple ways. The visual style is reminiscent of old cartoons – for many viewers, it takes them back to happier, less complicated times. The lovingly crafted environments and backgrounds create a world that’s lived in. Finally, the plots of the animations themselves are carefully drawn from everyday occurrences, and ground us in the familiar, even as the color scheme and feline-ness of the characters make everything seem strange and wonderful.
6. There is always dynamism. Even when our cats are staring out at the sunset, hand in hand, they’re still animated to move, and that tiny decision makes everything feel more alive.
7. The animations create a safe space for individuals or couples to think of love, to talk about love, or to celebrate love. In their quiet depiction of emotional intimacy and silliness and wholesomeness in a non-judgmental universe, they lend the audience some of that magic to bring to their own relationships.
Overcoming Challenges
Ioana knew pretty early on in her life that she wanted to be an artist. But it wasn’t always easy – a few years ago, after completing her BA in Illustration, Ioana struggled to find any work. She felt lost and discouraged, and kept working on her portfolio, trying to get hired, irrespective of whether she found creative fulfillment or not. At her lowest, she even considered changing careers to something totally unrelated to art.
But she was able to turn things around – both through her own talent and tenacity, and through the love and support of her teachers, her friends and family, and those who commissioned her to create art in her style. She is very grateful to all of them, because they encouraged her to keep going and to forge her own path. They affirmed her strong feeling that art was the only option for her. This was once a scary thought, but it now motivates Ioana. The struggles she went through have helped her develop as a professional and as a person.
Another key moment that shaped Ioana as an artist was finding the love of her life. She is married to Jakub Krzemiński and now, outside of creating art, she feels fulfilled in one of the most important aspects of life.
Analysis and Themes
Ioana’s color schemes are unforgettable: fluorescent, saturated hues of purple and orange and pink and violet greet you when you first look at one of her animations, and their brightness recalls both the vital quality of old cartoons and the electric excitement of the cyberpunk aesthetic. It is fitting that a color scheme that evokes images of both the past and the future should be applied to works of art that are very relevant to the present day; Ioana’s work spans all of time.
Every kart9 animation – no matter how short or long – feels cinematic, and a large part of that is the lovingly chosen music. One very unique trait of these short films is that they both sync to the music and have a whole new level of meaning unlocked when you read the lyrics of their chosen soundtracks. The audio track is another big component in Ioana’s storytelling style – and it makes sense that a ten second animation can feel like days and weeks and years in someone’s life, because of the depth of observation, unique depiction in just a few carefully animated frames, and the best possible music for that particular story.
Ioana’s eclectic music taste is on full display in her soundtrack choices, and there are often recurring appearances of artists – for example, there’s a whole series of animations set to Lana Del Rey songs. She usually finds a song that she really likes, and then listens to it on repeat while planning and illustrating. During this process, an idea usually grows in her brain – a really fun synthesis of musical inspiration and her own innate creativity. Ioana also pays deep attention to the lyrics, and Lana Del Rey in particular is one of her favorite artists, whose songs capture all the nuances of love that are a part of the kart9 universe.
The signature kart9 style has evolved over time, and Ioana’s Instagram and TikTok pages are like visual diaries, where you can scroll down to see the change happen in real time. Several recognizable threads run through all her old and new pieces – she has always been drawn to bright, interesting color combinations – possibly inspired partly by the old anime she used to watch. She also gravitates towards simple line art, and even small details like the eye shapes of her characters evoke retro art styles. Ioana feels that her unique art style is like a plant that was allowed to grow freely. We’re excited about how it will continue to evolve!
Storytelling
Over time, Ioana has created multiple fictional universes. Viewers can experience these in unique ways: through short videos that depict the characters in different phases of their lives, personal growth journeys, and relationships. And these vignettes are posted to her accounts amongst other threads following other characters. So following your own favorite characters can be tons of fun, like reading multiple books or keeping up with the storylines in multiple shows.
They also have their own flavors – if you follow Emi’s journey with Vince(nt) and then with Kazimir, it feels slightly different from Ioana’s cat animations, but both share the same DNA: they make you feel like you’ve known the characters forever, they make complex detailed worlds feel accessible and welcoming, and they provide the viewer with a vessel to feel warmth and catharsis and happiness. And it doesn’t even matter if the stories aren’t in chronological order; it’s a very fun storytelling choice to present slices of life set to a soundtrack. We know and love these characters because of Ioana’s “show, don’t tell” art philosophy.
The other animations and stories you can find on k.art9 explore the full spectrum of love and life, and can sometimes be darker than the cute cat animations. Through these, Ioana explores themes such as first loves that are probably not right for either person, morally grey characters, and the fear of being alone. They add richness and texture to her cinematic universe, and underscore the basic theme of human connection. They also seem to inhabit the same world – through landmarks like the metro bench – making it a fun exercise in imagination to think of all of them busily existing in the same city.
The way in which we learn about new characters is refreshing. Instead of a long lore dump in the caption, Ioana chooses to set up breadcrumbs of information about each character through their actions in different situations. It’s a masterpiece of visual storytelling, almost like a puzzle that you slowly solve over time, fitting in clues from their appearance and behavior and speech to piece together a complete portrait. It feels very rewarding for long-term fans to get to know a character over time, and is very close to real life – where there is no game manual or interminable cutscene; we slowly understand people’s deeper natures through many interactions.
World Building
The backgrounds and environments in Ioana’s work are very detailed, and often depict instantly recognizable urban locations. There are metros and subways, cafés and restaurants, arcade games and nightclubs, duck ponds and parks, and multiple views of a cozy apartment. We can all see ourselves in these places, and that’s why her art is so universal. Yes, it talks about love, but it does so against the solid authentic backdrop of life as we know it today.
Ioana’s art depicts a modified version of reality, heavily influenced by the places she grew up in and those she’s visited and loved. She was blessed with wonderful teachers during her time at University, especially her illustration teacher. She always encouraged Ioana to follow her own style, and gave her excellent advice based on what she loved to do. Her support was crucial in boosting Ioana’s self esteem when she needed it most.
Over time, as Ioana’s technical skills have evolved and improved, she has found that she learns best at her own pace. She likes to follow online tutorials, experiment extensively, fail, and try again with complete freedom. For her, the most valuable aspect of her time at University was the availability of guidance, advice, and support.
Process
Even though Ioana’s process may vary slightly from piece to piece, these five steps form the core:
1. Ideation: Ioana finds that she is at her most creative while daydreaming, listening to songs on repeat, and waiting for inspiration to strike.
2. Sketching: When an idea comes, Ioana picks a song fragment, and starts making a rough sketch for either the illustration or animation that she is working on.
3. Reference Images: Each scene has a bank of reference pictures gathered by Ioana.
4. Drawing/Animation: This is the longest step, and involves carefully drawing and animating each scene using Procreate.
5. Final Lineup: In the last stage, Ioana uses After Effects to add music, subtitles, effects, and the finishing touches.
Building a Supportive Community Online
Hundreds of thousands of comments and mini-conversations have sprung from the kart9 TikTok and Instagram pages. In contrast to many comments on the internet, they are almost always affirming and wholesome. Some share their interpretations of the more elaborate animations or talk about how closely they relate to a piece. Some share stories that might not be entirely happy, but then they talk about how seeing that particular video gave them hope. On the posts that mark special occasions (New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and so on), there are as many comments celebrating the occasion as there are remembering people who might be having a hard time and sending them the strength to get through things. Kindness is a key quality of every comment thread, and that probably springs from Ioana’s art, her storytelling style, the themes in her work, the music choices, and her heartfelt captions ane comment replies.
Posts on the kart9 pages also spawn happy rituals. For example, at least 5% of the comments on any reel or video are about how one member of a couple sends each new piece to their partner as soon as it’s posted. And there is also catharsis: the safe space created by Ioana’s art allows people to be comfortable and share stories about their ex-partners, and reminisce about the good times, free of recrimination or bitterness.
Ioana believes strongly that she wouldn’t be where she is today without the support of the community that has grown organically around her art. She is someone who deeply values words of affirmation, and so the sweet and encouraging messages and comments on her posts fill her heart with positive feelings.
Ioana is especially touched when people engage with all her art and all the different kinds of stories she posts, not just the most recognizable series featuring the cats. Of course, with the kitties, Ioana loves hearing how people and their partners relate to the situations depicted. Ther was a time in Ioana’s own life when she wished she had more examples of healthy love stories, and she is very positively impacted when she hears that people are able to access the same heartwarming content through her art.
MiauMiau – The Conversation Cards game
Ioana always has ideas for new ways to present her art, and many of these are interactive. One of her favorite projects is an ongoing app called MiauMiau.
Getting to know new people – whether in the context of new relationships or blossoming friendships – is always a gift. But it can be a challenge to find conversational paths that help you get to know each other deeply, rather than just circling around superficial things and asking each other about the previous night’s dinner.
MiauMiau is an app co-created by Ioana and her husband, Jakub, and it aims to solve exactly this problem, by providing a hundred cards with prompts that help spark conversations, provide starting points for imaginative scenarios, and reveal information to each other. The interactive nature of the app and the fact that there are two categories – one each for couples and groups of friends – means that it can be used by pretty much anyone.
Also, the characters in each card are the same cat characters as in Ioana’s animations, and the art style is, of course, hers – so there is instant familiarity for any fan of her work.
During the process of collaboration on MiauMiau, Ioana and Jakub realized that their skills complemented each other’s very well; he handled the app-related aspects while she worked on the design and illustrations. They love how their talents dovetailed to make the project happen, and they look forward to collaborating further, including on one idea that’s even closer to an actual game.
Having Fun Creating Art
Ioana is prolific: the kart9 Instagram and TikTok pages usually see one new animation release per week, and there are always other projects – plushies, apps, t-shirts – simmering on the stove of Ioana’s creativity. But that doesn’t mean that there’s ever any compromise on quality: Ioana makes sure that she only releases a new piece when she is completely satisfied with it, and if it is a truly inspired work of art. She has often posted less frequently when real life gets busy, or when she needs a break. At the same time, she’s always bursting with ideas, and she loves what she does. Even on her “days off”, she just wants to draw, and she’d love to keep doing what she does, as a full time artist, for as long as possible.
Ioana would like to thank…
…her mom, who was her first and biggest supporter. She is also Ioana’s best friend, the sweetest and kindest person who has always wanted the best for her and trusted her vision, listening while Ioana shared her thoughts about art and life.
She is also infinitely grateful to her husband, Jakub, who helped her fulfill one of her biggest dreams. He continues to support her both as a person and as an artist, and they occasionally collaborate on 3D animations, apps, and more projects to come!
Finally, Ioana would like to thank everyone who supported her from the beginning, when she was doing her first commissions, when she was selling her first prints, her first t-shirts. Many of those early sales were to friends, and she does not forget that. She is also grateful to those who comment or message her with encouraging words every day, ensuring that her heart is filled with positivity.
Ioana’s iconic characters have already become fixtures in the minds of her many fans, and she sells cat plushies, tops, tees, and hoodies, and illustration prints. It is important to her to partner with the most reliable printers and shippers to make sure that everyone gets their little slice of kart9 on time and as they envisioned it in their mind’s eye, and she’s had great success with this so far!
Links
Kart9: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.art9/.
Kart9: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kart.9.
Kart9: Website: https://www.kart9.net/.
Kart9: Merch and Other Links: https://linktr.ee/aghim.
Kart9: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KART9.