When I was first asked to design some spooky artwork for a Halloween stationery collection, my first thought (aside from an enthusiastic, “Hell yes!”) was: “What does Halloween look like at House of Leaves?”
Using my personal drawing technique — as well as employing the practical purposes of the collection and invoking what I love about Halloween imagery — I wanted to create pieces that would enhance the terrific tools included in our first-ever Writual bundle, from the handy book-band down to the adorable pumpkin paperclips.
In this special collection, you’ll find three items I drew by hand after collaborating on some ideas with fellow Accursed Librarian, Rebecca: custom House of Leaves pumpkin stickers, zombie bookworm bookmarks, and seasonal (haunted) library book trackers. Each is created with the collection’s intention of promoting mindful habits, practicality in function, and enhanced focus — all with a thoughtful, signature style.
The pumpkin logo design was the easiest to draw. I didn’t want to complicate the look with too much texture on the pumpkin itself so as not to distract from the logo. I wanted House of Leaves Publishing to stand out, so I centered it within the shape and added a little more line design to the stem. We often associate pumpkins with an autumnal pale orange; however, I gave it a stand-out shade as a grown-up nod to the nostalgia and magic of Halloween: the bright, rich, semi-red orange color of vintage Halloween paper decorations and blow molds. Wherever it’s placed, it’s sure to pop!
For the zombie bookworm design, I knew it would be something I could really have some fun with. When I think of a worm, I think of squirming; I wanted the design to ultimately look like something crawling around within the book in which it resides. These little creatures have a lot of movement to them and I tried a few different sketches that played with capturing their physicality (without the design looking too snake-like). I toyed with drawing the worm bursting out of the ground, adding some background detail etc. (which you can see in my process reel), but we settled on a die-cut bookmark item to suggest movement. I stripped out any extraneous details and focused on the worm itself squirming around the Print Is Undead tombstone. Being a zombie worm, I did a little research into what the insides of their bodies look like (and I now know more about the anatomy of a worm than I ever thought I would…). Their insides are unfortunately not as complex as humans, which left me with little to display on that front, so I added a few tears and bites into its epidermis, as well as a sickly green color to the exposed areas, to achieve the zombified look. Isn’t it just the cutest decomposing worm you ever did see?
Creating the book tracker was a real treat. I basically thought of what my ideal bookshelf would look like — which meant lots and lots of books! I wanted users to have a generous number of spaces to fill in so that each print they receive would last as long as possible. Using my own library shelves as inspiration, I made a point to vary the sizes of the spaces’ spines to give the scene a realistic look. The bookshelf itself is modeled on pieces I’ve admired while shopping for antiques: big, bold, and beautiful. I knew I didn’t want to just square the top — because where’s the fun in that? — so I gave it a simple arch to brandish the Hex Libris logo and some chunky, regal gothic scrollwork. To give it a seasonal feel, it had to have pumpkins, cobwebs, and the cherry on top: a human skull. These little details are drawn from core designs in my spooky home décor (which you can see for yourself, alongside my tips to trick out your house this Halloween, here: part one; part two). You’ll see little thoughtful additions like imperfect cobwebs, knots in the floorboards, and dripping wax that give the tracker a special charm and dark academia vibe.
All of these designs keep with my line drawing artwork, a style I have always found to be my most comfortable outlet. They’re easy on the eye and match most aesthetics. Being able to contribute artwork for something like this, a bundle of stationery goods that I would personally find at my own desk, has been such a tremendous reward. My hope for all those that get their hands on this exclusive Writual collection is that they find just as much joy in using each item as we did in pulling it all together. There’s both tricks (the good kind) and treats in this seasonal set. Use them wisely… tour the Jessica Rose x HoL-loween Collection and get yours while you can!
Happy Halloween!
Your Accursed Librarian,
Jessica