When did you set up your business and why?
As a graphic designer, I have always had a love of typography and print and work a lot on custom lettering in my job.
Handwritten letterforms can engage us by illustrating and accentuating the meaning of words.
During COVID, a lot of my work was put on hold and all of a sudden there was free time to focus on a pet project which I had always been putting on the long finger; designing and selling lettering prints.
Natalie Moriarty's inky pen collection.
I launched my wall prints in the autumn of 2020 and since then my collection has grown to include over 50 different prints.
Can you explain your process?
I always start with a pencil and sketchbook for prints; working on multiple lettering compositions from a design point of view before settling on a final artwork.
While some of my one-off commissions are completely hand painted, one of my main printing methods is by table-top platen press.
This involves having a custom aluminium plate fabricated, temperatures of 110 degrees and rolls of gold foil.
Natalie Moriarty's gold foil collection.
As well as graphic design, I also studied English and French in college, so often the quotes and sayings in my prints are inspired by the many writers and poets I read, along with a scattering of Irish language proverbs and sayings.
What is your best seller?
My best sellers would probably be my gold foil collection.
What is it about your business that brings you joy?
The digital age has many benefits for sure, but sadly has left many unable to jot down the simplest of notes with anything like penmanship, which is a shame.
There is a great sense of peace when creating art by hand, it focuses the mind in such a calming way that no digital creative suite can replicate.
It gives me great pleasure to design and make unique pieces of art through the waning artistry of handwriting, rather than just using a fancy digital font.
What are your hopes for 2023?
To encourage more people to reconnect with pens and pencils and find their inner artist.
What advice would you give to another start-up business?
Follow your dreams, they know the way!
Visit www.nataliemoriarty.ie.
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