And with that we roll into Autumn
As we steadily race through October, I feel we move into the season of the Exmoor Red Deer and in particular the Stag. When I was a kid, one of the highlights of the returning to routine after the freedom of Summer, were spontaneous after school adventures. We would pile into my Mum’s car, with extra layers for the evening ahead and take a windy road out of Tiverton out to the moor. Stopping to pick up Fish and Chips, we’d park up by a bridge over a ford still dappled in shade by the surrounding low hanging beech trees. Eating our meal in the turning sun light and having a potter around in the stream. As the early evening set in we’d head further into the wooded valleys, pile on our layers and explore with the windows rolled down, hoping to hear the Stags bellowing in the distance. If you’ve never heard male deer rutting, then believe me when I say it is a haunting call, primordial and atmospheric in the advancing gloom. When we could hear them loudly, we would stop the car, and shine a torch into the heath and scrubland and watch them shout and battle out for victory over a herd of female deer. Enthralling and terrifying, a true display of natures might. Those Stags are the truest brutal beasts of the Moor’s, but they cut a distinctly majestic silhouette too. Forever etched in my mind, it felt time to go bring the Red Stag into the Lily Faith folde.
Back in the Studio
Inspirational images for the Winter creatures and the preliminary sketch for the Exmoor Red Stag.
Each creature starts with putting pen to paper, creating a series of sketches that start to get a feel for the form of the animal and their silhouette. It is important to get the right stance, because the design once cut will be used across all of my products and not altered for each individual purpose. It will need to be heading in the right direction on the candle carousel, and also scale across from the mini pin to the wreath and plant pot companions. Once I have my preliminary sketches, I simply photograph them with my iPad Pro and then work them into cutting files using my Apple Pencil and the joys of software Adobe Illustrator. Once saved and transferred over to an ancient PC laptop, they are ready to be cut on Big Suze my laser cutter. I will tell you more about her and the rest of the process in another Blog.
Each Stag is hand painted with a series of four layers. Starting with the dark brown toned Gouache to give the illusion of muscle and might. This is followed by gilding the antlers with a rich antique gold watercolour paint, and finished off with highlights and shadows using black Indian Ink and white chalk pen. I am delighted with the striking, yet simple Stag. I could see them skulking in the heath, and striding majestically along hill tops.