Either way, it'll stick with you.
Rose Nightmare, the artist behind Australian brand Haunted Nightmares, hasn't always dreamed of designing her own clothing. In fact, up until earlier this year, she wasn't much of an artist at all, and even after she took up an interest in watercolour painting, she intended for it to be a hobby – until something happened that changed her mind.
"I wish I could say it was some profound moment or something I've always dreamed of, but that wouldn't be true," Rose told me in an interview earlier this month. She went on to describe her experience posting her art online, receiving positive feedback, and eventually entering a T-Shirt design competition for a brand that she loved.
"The design gained interest from close friends and also people online so I took the leap and turn it into my very first shirt!" Rose explained, before summarizing that "it was out of boredom that I started to get creative and it just snowballed from there and I’m just going with it! ... Sorry to disappoint!"
But Rose, and her designs, don't disappoint. In addition to clothing, she creates stickers, accessories, and art prints, all inspired by, in the immortal words of Lydia Deetz, the "strange and unusual".
" I have a page of notes on my phone that I jot down quotes or ideas that pop into my head at any given moment. Later I’ll look into that idea to see if it’s been done before," Rose said about the inspiration behind her designs. "If I feel like it’s a genuine idea or maybe if it HAS been done; do I have another spin on it that suits my taste? If so; then I’ll work on building inspiration for that idea.
"It is a touchy subject when it comes to references for drawing," she continued. "I am still developing my ability and I’ve only started really getting into drawing this year so my skills aren’t the best. I do rely on references to some degree depending on what I’m drawing. For example; people. I suck at proportions on my own so I do need the help of a reference so that I can get the result that I have in my head."
Rose creates digital art on an iPad using the program Procreate. "I like its ease of use and the fact that I can erase and undo or change things without ruining the paper! The timeline for a design varies, but I’ll either smash it out in a day or it’ll be a month long process that I will work on every now and then when I feel up to it because sometimes a design doesn’t always work immediately!"
Although she runs Haunted Nightmares alone, Rose does ask for feedback on her designs before she turns them into products. "Once I’ve either hit a wall with a design or I feel as though I like where it’s at, I’ll send it to my partner to get his thoughts and any adjustments he thinks it might need. I’ll do the same with my friends so I have a well rounded view from varying tastes, that way I know I’ve not overlooked something or missed an opportunity to add something in! I’ll either adjust it accordingly or it’ll stay as I had it because it was awesome already."
Rose's shop is currently pretty new, but she hopes to continue growing it and adding more products. "At the moment, pre made shirts are the easiest to do, put a graphic on it and it’s sweet!" she commented. "But in the future I would really love to design and manufacture my own clothing. I love Victorian Gothic styles but also modern goth street wear so I want to do something to incorporate that but I need to find something else that will make it different from the likes of big brands like Killstar, Disturbia, Punk Rave, etc. Other than fabric stitched into specific shapes to drape over ones body, I want to delve into things for the home and things for pets!"
Until then, Rose is learning as much as she can about the industry she's now a part of – and she's having a good time doing it. "I suppose the best part is having the creative freedom to do literally whatever you want with it!" she told me. "Also, seeing a design come to life and be a physical thing in your hand or seeing someone you may or may not know wearing something you’ve designed. I am still learning when it comes to this business and how to run it, how to market it and how to make these things a real product in a way that’s cost effective but as ethical as possible."
While many small businesses have been suffering because of the pandemic, Rose's business was actually impacted positively – in fact, it's what led to her business being created altogether. "If this pandemic never happened I may never have started drawing and I may never have discovered that want to pursue this business!" Rose explained.
Since she's Australian, Rose's experience with Halloween has been a little different than that of someone growing up in North America. "Australia is a pretty non-event which breaks my heart every year," she said. "I constantly see all these amazing decor items online from places like America and the UK. Not to mention the fact that people go ALL OUT in the US and UK with decorating the house/yard for trick or treating! Kids trick or treat here but again, it’s nothing that big. Most people won’t put up any kind of decorations but still will sometimes keep a bowl of candy ready just in case, which at least is good I suppose!"
However, Rose has hopes of someday experiencing a North American Halloween. "I DREAM of spending Halloween in the US one day and bringing an empty suitcase (or two) for all the goodies I’ll buy," she joked.
If you want to support Rose, you can check out the Haunted Nightmares website and Instagram account.