Moriarity has always approached creativity and illustration on his own terms, whether that’s as an album cover artist, a comic illustrator, or a featured artist for Fingers Duke. Pat’s been at it for decades, adapting to changing times, new technology, and shifting mediums, without sacrificing the raw, hand-drawn style that defines his work.
Early Life and Minneapolis Punk Scene
After graduating from Iowa State, Pat Moriarity ventured north to Minneapolis in pursuit of a creative life. He worked as a guard at the Walker Art Center before landing a job with Twin/Tone Records, an independent label that released records from bands like The Replacements and Soul Asylum, helping define the Midwest punk scene in the 1980s. During his six years in Minneapolis, Moriarity made a name for himself as an illustrator, designing album covers for local punk bands and putting out his own comics. Before long, his comics were picked up by Fantagraphics, the Seattle-based publisher.
Seattle, Fantagraphics, and Freelance Work
After helping a friend move to Portland, Pat took the Amtrak to Seattle to drop in at the Fantagraphics office in the hopes of getting a job as an illustrator. Instead, they hired him on the spot as a graphic designer and art director. While his work became structured, he never stopped creating and publishing comics or illustrating for bands, working on the side with labels like Estrus and Hovercraft Records and cartooning religiously. Eventually, his work was picked up by Nickelodeon Magazine, and by 1998, he became the director of the Comics Journal.
Freelancing always paid better than his work as director at the journal, so he continued to create album cover art at a relentless pace. Eventually, he took the leap of faith and went freelance full-time, moving to Port Orchard with his wife and children.
When I asked Pat about how he approaches work across mediums, he told me that “music-related art is [his] favorite thing to do.” His work in the music industry began with cartoons in the Minneapolis music magazine Your Flesh, which Pat defines as a local punk zine. From there, he’s gone on to design over 200 album covers.
Comics, Music, and Creative Process
Moriarty’s work in the music industry directly influenced his comic work. He even recruited musicians to write story lines for his own comic, Big Mouth. Most notably, Henry Rollins from Black Flag, who contributed several storylines that Pat illustrated. Pat’s comic work became a staple of the punk scene. He’d illustrate comic spreads that were included in album sleeves for albums like Soul Asylum’s Clam Dip & Other Delights.
When I asked Pat how his approach differs when he’s working on his own comics versus album art or a big client like Nickelodeon, he revealed that he didn’t change his style at all; he just made sure to not use profanity when working with Nickelodeon, sharing that his “same kind of goofball sensibility was still in there.”
When it came to album artwork, Moriarity says that early in his career—before he had fully developed his style—he was more flexible and often adapted his work to fit what bands wanted. “I took marching orders and changed my style a lot, like a chameleon, to try to please people,” he says. “But once I solidified my own reputation, people knew they were going to get a crazy Pat Moriarity drawing.”
While discussing his creative process, Moriarity says his first idea is rarely the one he ends up using. “The early ideas are the most obvious—what almost anybody would think of,” he explains. “You have to go deeper, try things that are less explored. It’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall—no idea is too dumb. Get everything out, even the obvious ones, and eventually you start mixing and matching or landing on something new.”
He treats it like a challenge. “I’ll tell myself, ‘That’s a good idea, but what else?’” He says. “I try to see how many directions I can take something instead of just developing one. That’s usually where the more unpredictable solutions come from.”
Moriarity reveals that he doesn’t see himself as a naturally gifted artist. “I change my mind a lot. I erase a lot,” he says. “When I draw, it’s like working with a blob of clay—I have to beat it into shape and keep fixing it.”
Unlike artists who can put down a clean, finished drawing in one pass, his process is iterative. “That never happens with me,” he says. “I’m kind of the king of mistakes.”
Moriarity sees that imperfection as part of the appeal. “If you look at my work, you’ll see white-out, eraser marks—sometimes even pieces of paper pasted over parts I didn’t like so I could redraw them,” he says. “That struggle is part of what gives the work its charm.”
Continuing Work and Fingers Duke Collaboration
Today, Pat’s evolved to work with new technology as he wades into animation. While he prefers to draw by hand, he also works digitally. Recently, he’s worked on animations for two documentaries: Radio Heart, about KEXP DJ Kevin Cole, and Balancing Act, a film about Olympia stand-up comedian Sam Miller.
Somewhere along the way, Pat became close friends with one of our screen printers, Gabe, who had been printing posters and apparel for him long before joining the Fingers Duke team. Through Gabe, we got to know Pat ourselves and eventually became the main printer for his t-shirts, posters, and apparel projects. Recently, we’ve worked with Pat on posters for the Olympia Film Festival and Rainier Beer’s R-Day Celebration, as well as a variety of apparel designs. Pat continues to work, as he always has— prolifically. He continues to illustrate comics and album covers and is a staple of the creative community in Washington.
