Cantrip Candles' main line of candles boasts a couple scents in the foodie category; Goldwheat Bakery is notable, with its heavy bread and yeast notes, as is Coffee Shoppe, with a chocolatey coffee aroma. However, we've wanted to step into the proper gourmand-scent space for a while... and more in the direction of proper meal offerings.
Along with that, we all have fond connections and memories of series like Redwall, where woodland creatures like badgers and mice live in a medieval countryside setting, or the dark fantasy of The Secret of Nimh, where a brave field mouse saves her family and home!
Drawing from these ideas, as well as so many little fairy and folk tales, we were inspired to make our own line featuring the charm and nostalgia that anthropomorphized woodland critters bring to the table!
So this one's for all of us who made fantastical imaginary feasts for our beanie babies when we were kids.
At the beginning of the development process, we were considering a painted style, more influenced by the older Redwall illustrations that we remember from our childhoods. However, once we settled on our candle vessels, we realized that we had to adjust our art for the size we had in mind. Because we had a limited size to work with, we decided to go with a simpler, more watercolor style that would allow for more rustic stylization.
I had previously been following Anna Lark's work since finding her at a convention's artist alley, and with our updated vision, she seemed like the perfect fit! If you follow @thebeanbaguette on socials (x/twitter, instagram), you'll note the love for rats and other critters, and understand why we were so pleased to work with her! With so much heart and charm, we knew our vision was in wonderful hands.
And so, let's delve into the first of our three FEAST candles: the main course!
Ranger Hawke's Rosemary Pork Pies
We knew we wanted to have a savory candle in this line, and so we decided on having a woodland defense unit, or band, to be the sort of group that would eat and/or hunt for a hearty shared meal! And Christoff, Cantrip's head honcho, loves foxes! (Who doesn't?) It seemed like a perfect match to have a group of musketeer-style ranger foxes settling to chow down!
(Ranger Hawke's name may or may not be a reference to a certain Dragon Age 2 protagonist, a game several of us on the team are very fond of, but you didn't hear that from me.)
In Anna's early development, you can see how these characters started to take shape, and can even spot a Strider-type fox in the background that didn't quite make the cut! It took some deliberation, but we decided that four was a crowd already, and to ensure focus on the meal, some cutting had to be done! However, you'll be able to spot a nod to his presence somewhere on the custom tuck box...
From here, things were truly beginning to finalize. We knew we wanted a food spot illustration on our label as well, and Anna did numerous charming studies and options for us! In the end, there was so much we loved about the concept work that we customized the tuck boxes with Anna's early sketches of the characters and their food! And with some more cleaning up, we ended up with the final look for our Rosemary Pork Pies illustration!
Obsessed with this. The squire fennec fox with his little tongue blepping. The mound of pies. The salivating celebratory ranger. That royal tapestry you might just miss in the background. Step into this warm, cheery hall and dig in!
Check out our other FEAST blogs to get more behind-the scenes looks at the delicious scents that make up the collection!
And check out artist Anna Lark's work while you're at it! 👀🥧🦊