When I first started collecting pipes, I knew I would want a custom pipe that would express my particular aesthetic, which is dark, moody, gothic. When I finally decided to make the leap, I turned to my sketch pad and made a number of drawings, from the sublime to the ridiculous. But then I had an epiphany: I would design a pipe with a red-on-black stem, with bats (something of a trademark in my own art) scattered along the surface of the briar, emerging from a single mass at the end of the shank, as if a flock of bats were disturbed and scattered out along the briar. This is the last of those simple drawings:
I immediately dubbed this design as "The Vampire's Wand." What followed next was to find the pipe maker. Rad Davis recommended Stephen Downie, who I didn't know at the time, but a glimpse through his website revealed an extraordinary, eclectic genius. I contacted Stephen, explained my concept, and he accepted the commission. I wanted the red (to suggest blood) on black (Shakespeare was wrong; black tolerates red very well) and he found the perfect stem material, called Black Rose. For the pipe shape itself, I wanted it to reflect the Peterson 107: A large, barrel shaped billiard bowl, thick shank, and a fish tale stem, and a sandblasted surface to suggest castle walls or the stone of a dungeon, increasing the gothic feel of the pipe. This turned out, for Stephen, to be problematic: sandblasting while retaining sharp forms like bats turned out to be difficult, especially the bat forms I submitted to him. I had drawn a series of my trademark bats and he transferred these to the briar.
Despite the difficulties I had laid out for Stephen, he carried it off like a champ, producing a truly unique pipe. Later in the process, I suggested that he use any leftover stem material to make a tamper: I had suggested a tamper based on one of his pipes called "Smoke," but that was only a suggestion, not a requirement--I wanted Stephen to have full freedom to design the tamper as he wished. As it turned out, the tamper did end up resembling the Smoke pipe, and I think it makes a fitting companion to The Vampire's Wand.
I couldn't be happier with the results, and I don't think any other pipe maker could have carried this off like Stephen did. Stephen, thanks so much for a work of art that I will prize for the rest of my life.
PS: Once is not enough; Stephen and I are already discussing another pipe, though not a dark, gothic one like this.
I immediately dubbed this design as "The Vampire's Wand." What followed next was to find the pipe maker. Rad Davis recommended Stephen Downie, who I didn't know at the time, but a glimpse through his website revealed an extraordinary, eclectic genius. I contacted Stephen, explained my concept, and he accepted the commission. I wanted the red (to suggest blood) on black (Shakespeare was wrong; black tolerates red very well) and he found the perfect stem material, called Black Rose. For the pipe shape itself, I wanted it to reflect the Peterson 107: A large, barrel shaped billiard bowl, thick shank, and a fish tale stem, and a sandblasted surface to suggest castle walls or the stone of a dungeon, increasing the gothic feel of the pipe. This turned out, for Stephen, to be problematic: sandblasting while retaining sharp forms like bats turned out to be difficult, especially the bat forms I submitted to him. I had drawn a series of my trademark bats and he transferred these to the briar.
Despite the difficulties I had laid out for Stephen, he carried it off like a champ, producing a truly unique pipe. Later in the process, I suggested that he use any leftover stem material to make a tamper: I had suggested a tamper based on one of his pipes called "Smoke," but that was only a suggestion, not a requirement--I wanted Stephen to have full freedom to design the tamper as he wished. As it turned out, the tamper did end up resembling the Smoke pipe, and I think it makes a fitting companion to The Vampire's Wand.
I couldn't be happier with the results, and I don't think any other pipe maker could have carried this off like Stephen did. Stephen, thanks so much for a work of art that I will prize for the rest of my life.
PS: Once is not enough; Stephen and I are already discussing another pipe, though not a dark, gothic one like this.
I would never truly believe you'd part with the Draculas. That was all tongue in cheek Sparrowhawk 
