These are always so fun to watch unfold, how do you usually start your process, if I may ask? For example: Do you write a list of themes you'll be designing around first, or is it just a mash up of halloween vibes, as the inspiration comes, etc.?

Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoy them!
They are a lot of fun!

Honestly, the first few steps are deciding how many I'm going to do, and what artwork I want to include each year. I've overwhelmed myself with them in the past, so I have to be careful with that!
Usually I make a list of monsters I like, or would like to see, and I brainstorm what I think the design will look like, and how I'd like them to come out!
Sometimes I save spooky images or designs I really like from other artists. Maybe an artist did something cool with an outfit that I loved, and it inspired me. I usually have a decent amount of real life, and lore stuff that inspires each monster. Sometimes I collect like a folder for it, so I can feel inspired when I do art of them.

With the monster types, I have a few people close to me who often give me inspiration throughout the year. Actually, one of the bottles this year I've had decided for months because I loved the idea so much! I always want to keep the spooky vibe going, but I try to do new monsters that I haven't yet, but nothing too impossible to guess. It sometimes happens where I have such an abstract idea that I worry no one could guess it, with those I worry it's unfair, but I also know that guessing them is half the fun.

Usually I have doubled the monsters I'm actually going to use, and then I end up whittling the list down to the ones I'm most excited to do art of.


I don't do the actual design until after they are bought because the buyer gets to pick the gender, but I do usually have some distinct features or personality mapped out for each character.
Then I design the actual bottle for the year, because It's like a different series, so I like to have a new bottle design each year.
Last year I tried to have each bottle be different depending on the monster, for example, the Ghost bride from last year was a Champagne bottle. We'll see if I go that route again, because some monsters are hard to make bottles specific for them.

After that I try to fill each bottle with clues, as many clues as I can. Honestly, most of the clues I think people miss, but I put a lot of effort into giving as many clues, even abstract ones, as possible!

Then it's just setting everything up over on discord, and posting about them. I'm terrible about not sharing what I'm working on or marketing myself, so that can be really hard for me.
This year I'm going to try to cross post them on a few different places, which has the chance to be unfair if someone gets outbid, and I'm sleeping or something. So I'm nervous about that, lol

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for such an insightful response! I wasn't expecting anything, but I appreciate such a vivid glimpse inside a creative mind like yours :D
I have reinforced excitement for this year's batch, and I can't wait to see what you come up with! I don't think you have anything to worry about by the way, on the route you and your art are going, I don't even foresee disappointment as a possibility lol

Of course!
I am very excited about them :)
A lot of work goes into them, and they are a favorite of mien to work on.