Discovering new delights with the latest collection
I wanted to create a new collection that focused on creativity but also the history of creativity. I was originally going to create a “Dark Academia” themed collection but felt it wasn’t quite right for the brand so I decided to go down the “Art Gallery and Museum” route. It was a great way to look at existing museums and art galleries, and how they worked and introducing creativity through different eras and movements of art.
I knew the dinos would be visiting their friend Sarah the Triceratops at the museum but wasn’t sure what they would get up to. And I had plans to make the zine much longer and I wanted to incorporate some work by my eldest; This Goblin makes.
One of the things I have always wanted to do is do a collaboration with Roz at Chaos Curios, who makes the most fabulous geek themed candles. We had many fun chats online and video calls about what the candle would be (we are actually doing more than one this year…) and deciding on the right fragrance and the label and the inserts and the colours. Who knew creating a candle was so interesting?
Together we created a candle that exemplified what it meant to be in a museum or art gallery surrounded by history and its significance and impact on contemporary society.
The fragrance we decided on was Pomegranate (a favourite scent of mine), Mandarin (to give a sense of freshness) and Amber to evoke the smells of the old rooms of museums and art galleries.
For the label I used portraits of the dinos I actually painted a couple of years ago! The label design informed the final look of the collection, still leaning into the Dark Academia vibe but more on brand with what I was wanting to achieve.
The skill that went into the candle was more than just pouring some hot wax into a tin, there were inserts which included wax moulded coins and a book along with two metal fossil charms. There was also an artist's palette on the first attempt but it took Roz a while to create because it needed the individual colours in wax to be added and that would have driven the final cost up. So we decided to scrap it and stick with the fossils, treasure and book.
What's really fun about the fossil charms is that as the wax melts they sink underneath and disappear when it’s solid again. They reveal themselves again as the wax melts just like real fossils!
For the zine I decided to listen to suggestions and make it longer, the first 11 issues of the Adventures of Derek and Irene are 8 pages, containing a short story, a puzzle page and a colouring page. But Issue 12 was going to be a whopping 22 pages!
That meant the story could be longer and I could add some extras such as an article and I even asked my eldest, Charlotte who is an illustrator going by the moniker This Goblin Makes to contribute a comic that carried the theme of art and creativity. And they absolutely knocked it out of the park!
Creating a comic is no short feat but Charlotte illustrated something that was perfect and fit the message of the zine and collection. We even created a sticker from the final message of the comic and it had to include sparkles!
Working with fellow creatives is a joy and privilege and I hope to work with other creatives in the future (including Roz and Charlotte) because that was FUN. And that's what this is about, having fun and working with your friends to bring joy to everyone.
