The Howliday collection launches (or launched depending on when you're reading this) October 1!
In this collection I really wanted to focus on my love of all things scary and include as many holidays as I could think of. In this post I will talk about the Howliday collection, the inspiration, and my own personal creative goals.
The Howliday Collection
What is the Howliday Collection?
The Howliday collection is a cross between "Holidays" and "horror". I wanted to try and represent in a cheeky and literal way, the horror movies and fall vibes that unfold around the holidays.
While including Halloween specific references was a given, I really tried to expand out a bit to include some other holidays like Christmas, Midsummer, Autumn Equinox, and "vacation" as a more general "holiday".
This collection features hoops inspired by some of my favourite horror films;
- Hocus Pocus
- Midsommar
- Anna and the Apocalypse
- Nightmare Before Christmas
- The Evil Dead
- Black Christmas
- Krampus (in it's various and many forms)
- Silence of the Lambs
I even got a little bit creative with the theme and included an ode to pumpkin spice and an equinox/fall inspired hoop.
The Inspiration
The inspiration for this collection is pretty mundane- honestly a lot of it was inspired by pals of mine who had some brilliant hoop ideas after my first Horror Collection!
After I had completed the Horror collection some friends reached out specifically with the idea for a Midsommar Hoop, The Evil Dead hoop, and a Krampus hoop. I loved the idea, but I tend to work better with a theme/creative goal so I took those ideas and weaved a common thread.
The Howliday Collection was born!
I started with the hoop designs and then ultimately branched out to stickers and then postcards.
It is a bit of an unorthodox approach to this collection but the theme for me meant a little less than the goals I had already in mind.
The Creative Goals
When I am working on an art collection, I usually have a theme and a concrete set of personal creative goals. Each collection I work on is an opportunity to hone my skills and really grow as an artist.
In the Howliday Collection the ultimate goal was small detail and vibrant colours.
I wanted to test the limits on how detailed I could make my pieces, how bright I could make them look and how I could really work on my painting and design skills. This for me meant I needed to work on my digital art skills as well as my painting.
I played with texture, changed up the stitches I typically use, and implemented a lot of colour into every design; sticker, embroidery hoop, postcards, and patterns.
These are the most complicated pieces I have developed and the most intricate; including the patterns!
I don't usually like to compare collections as each collection has it's own goal and is unique in it's own way, but I also think it is a way to look at my own growth.
When I was working on the Pride Collection a goal for that one was the use of colour. I used a watercolour and bright pastels for that on. comparing the two it is really amazing to see how my skills and use of colour and stitching has changed:
It has been so much fun to work on, and I honestly cannot wait to share these pieces with everyone.
That is all!
This collection has certainly been a test of detail and has led to a real growth in my embroidery and digital skills. I am so proud of what I have made, and I hope yall love it as much as I do.
I cannot wait to see what the future brings for my next projects,
Stay weird and wonderful friends,
~Kass