simple, beautiful things

talking ice cream and inspiration with artist kyler martz

Next time you’re eating ice cream at Molly Moon’s, make sure you take a closer look at the vessel. Our new single-scoop ice cream cups feature a robin’s egg blue siren as she dives into wavy blue lines over and over again. This charming illustration, along with some freshly designed gift cards and temporary tattoos are the handiwork of Seattle tattoo artist and illustrator, Kyler Martz. Turning the ice cream cup into a never-ending mini mural was precisely Kyler’s goal.

“It’s a unique thing to design for,” Kyler says, holding one of his cups and turning it in his hands. “I wanted something that would look infinite, so from every angle, you were looking at something interesting.”

Kyler lives in Eastlake, where he likes to hide out and draw, or sift through hidden treasures at Mort’s Cabin. Some of his signature sketches include diving girls with bobbed hair and one-piece bathing suits, whimsical nautical themes and old-west inspired figures.

It can be hard to describe Kyler’s aesthetic, but Molly explains it well: “He's motivated by simple, beautiful things." Kyler’s diving ladies were largely inspired by a box of old swim meet patches his mom gave him as a kid. Much of his work is inspired by classic tattoo artistry, old advertisements and children’s book illustrations.

Our collaboration with Kyler has pretty deep roots. Kyler and Molly both grew up in Boise, Idaho which they learned later when Kyler tagged along with his friend Tim to our company’s end-of-summer boat party years ago. Back then, Kyler was primarily working as a graphic designer for a large tech company. “He was this plaid-flannel-wearing, bearded creative kid who doodled things that looked like they should be tattoos,” Molly says. “He was a lot more interesting than his job let on.”

Now you’ll find his art, filled with interesting line work and simple color palettes, all over Seattle. He created the black-and-white Little Oddfellows sign that greets shoppers at Elliott Bay Book Company, and a mural depicting a flotilla of quirky whaleboats at The Whale Wins.

For Molly Moon’s, Kyler created a few charming designs that were familiar to him, but unique to us: boats perched atop dripping ice cream cones and a flapper enjoying some ice cream while lounging on a crescent moon.

“I love ice cream,” Kyler says. “Especially any kind of ice cream that is cookie-related. I have to have some kind of chunk in there. The oatmeal cookie dough ice cream was my absolute favorite. Molly should really bring it back.”

Well Kyler (and all the other oatmeal cookie dough fans out there), it will be back! Be sure to follow us on Instagram for flavor updates. For more on Kyler’s work, visit his website at kylermartz.com.


Kyler Martz temporary tattoos
Kyler Martz limited edition Gift Cards available in most shops.

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