After Life: Yorkshire artist captures famous TV and book scenes in miniature
Some settings from fiction do strike a chord, delivering a bolt from the blue from our favourite show or a backdrop that sets a book’s narrative.
Castleford artist Jackie Collins is popular on social media as she attempts to recapture some of the most famous scenes in miniature.
There’s the bench, from After Life with Ricky Gervais, as he navigates the pitfalls of grief and the power of talking through loss. Then the chaos and wonder of a Court of Thorns and Roses, bringing to life the characters and in 3D. It’s recreating the scenes that fans never forget.
To Ms Collins, whose social media platform has been seen by millions of people, it’s a form of therapy and mindfulness: “I constantly have TV shows on in the background as I create my miniatures. It is about all the conversations, and all the monologues, that really just get to me. I’ve always been really crafty and creative,” she added. “Essentially, this is a bit of escapism.”
Ms Collins posts on TikTok as @NotTHATJackieCollins, with a nod to the famous author with whom she shares the same name. The 40-year-old creates places from books, TV and film in miniature, with actor Ricky Gervais among those to have shared her images. Her work has generated more than 21m views.
It all began with the crafting of scenes from the game Dungeons and Dragons for her husband.
“That’s when I discovered I quite like creating miniatures,” she said. “It’s just something I enjoy doing. It’s only been six months and it’s seen so much success.”
Ms Collins, who has a teenage son, has worked on projects for Stronger Things, Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass and Crescent City.
She has created Nesta Archeron’s room from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Asterin Blackbeak’s hunter’s cabin from Throne of Glass, the storage cupboard at Griffiths Antiquities from Crescent City, and Violet Sorrengail’s dormitory room from Fourth Wing.
She chooses places which are associated with meaningful moments, rather than the most famous settings, as often these are the ones that strike a chord.
The bench scene from After Life features a headstone and a miniature bottle of wine, inspired by the conversations that were heard here.
People’s emotional response to this piece, she said, only reinforced why she made them.
“It’s the emotional stories behind the miniatures that I’m creating. A lot of people feel they are able to identify with it,” she said. “People didn’t simply recognise the scene. They remembered how those conversations made them feel.”
She creates using a mix of traditional techniques, digital designs, 3D print, and painting, with short videos to share their construction and design. It’s become its own kind of therapy, she adds: “It brings me joy. I enjoy doing it, but also the community online.”