We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Caroline McFarlane-Watts. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Caroline below.

Alright, Caroline thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was a little girl living in the Oxfordshire countryside, someone gave me some modeling clay at some point. I’d had my head filled with stories about Borrowers (tiny people that live under the floorboards, created by author Mary Norton), and fairies that live in the trees. Some of the first things I made using my clay were little things for the tiny people I thought just might be around. I’d make a miniature cup and saucer and leave it out somewhere, go to bed and then rush over the next morning to see if it had been claimed by “borrowers” or fairies. Nonsense like that. I stress I was really young during those tiny clay making days. In general I loved creating things during my childhood. I’d write and illustrate books and I got my photo in the local paper proudly holding up my book I titled ‘The Witch’s Day’ when I was 6 or 7. I also constructed a sizeable cinema out of cardboard and would screen my “films” within it. My siblings and friends were the audience I subjected to my films which were drawn onto long rolls of architectural paper which I’d hand crank on whilst providing voices. I told my parents I no longer wanted to be an archeologist, but instead a filmmaker, when I was 10.

Caroline, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After attaining my degree in Film in London I worked in film and TV but wasn’t at all satisfied by my paper-pushing desk work and longed to be a hands-on creative. I took the leap, left London and moved to Los Angeles and began working as a movie miniaturist (a role I sort of stumbled into). Within just a couple of years I’d created my own company – Tall Tales Productions, and was making scale movie miniatures, designing character maquettes and making miniature movie props for the entertainment, publishing and gaming industries. It’s a niche industry and it somehow became a great fit for me. My hard work and passion for it must have translated because my work started being featured on the cover of miniature and arts magazines and also videos of me working started drawing clicks. I was fortunate to be invited to demonstrate my miniature making skills live on TV. I was flown to China and gave televised demonstrations. BuzzFeed Studios had me create demonstration videos, one of which went “viral” as their most watched video of the week.

My company, Tall Tales Productions still offers the same precise miniature model and maquette services for various industries but my business evolved during the pandemic. Today the focus is on manufacturing miniature figurines for the consumer market.

The day to day running of Tall Tales is enormous fun. I work with the same overseas factory Disney and Warner Bros use in the creation of their high end hand-painted resin figurines. I sculpt the original prototypes, work directly with the factory, design the packaging which is also produced overseas, import the run of figurines they manufacture for me and then distribute them in 50+ countries. For the runs of figurines I produce domestically, I work with two moldmakers and now employ several painters and we manufacture smaller runs of beautiful, perfectly hand-painted figurines which are sold worldwide. The best part is that these characters are largely based on my passion project Good Witches Bad Witches™. I’m most proud of this world of witches I created and never cease being grateful for the interest it attracts. My witch figurines (and their whimsical pets) are what I’m most known for.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Last year a collection of I think 55 professional cake artists from around the world contacted me with what became the compliment of my year. They asked to use my characters as their theme for their annual competitive cake challenge. I was delighted and it was such a wonderful thing seeing professional cake artists in Greece, Russia, Japan and so many countries create their incredible cake art of my Good Witches Bad Witches™ characters. I work very hard as a small business owner and an artist creating original content, so aside from my weekly sales which keep my business afloat, its things like this which really make me feel such gratitude and make all the hard work feel worth it. I love the worldwide appeal that my business and my characters generate.

I’m also fortunate to be featured in TV shows from time to time. Most recently I was a judge in HBO’s Craftopia and had the task of judging the creative skills of some incredibly talented and imaginative young artists. I never stop being grateful for these experiences.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

During the pandemic my company had to pivot to focusing more on consumer products and less on the services I provide as a miniature modelmaker in the entertainment industry. I am so glad it happened this way because I’m much happier for it and able to focus almost all my energy into my passion project, Good Witches Bad Witches™ and creating consumer products for that instead of say, creating a model set or props for someone else’s vision which might be seen for a few moments on screen in a film or commercial.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tall-tales.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/talltalesproductions
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TallTalesProductions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-mcfarlane-watts
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/caromfw
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/TallTalesProductions

Image Credits
Caroline McFarlane-Watts, David Sudd