Designed by artist Catherine Rowe, The Twelve Days of Christmas issue consists of 12 delightfully illustrated 1st Class stamps, perfect for all your Christmas cards this year. Each stamp in the collection represents one of the verses in the song, from Twelve Drummers Drumming to the Partridge in a Pear Tree.
The stamps will be issued on 19th October and the collection includes collectable stamp sheets, with gummed and self-adhesive options, a four-page presentation pack folder holding a mint set of the stamps and a First Day Cover, with a full set of the stamps cancelled with the first day of issue using a unique postmark.
There is also a decorative sheetlet with album – a perfect festive gift - and a Christmas card featuring the delightful stamp designs.
Catherine Rowe, who studied illustration at The Cambridge School of Art, has worked as a freelance illustrator, jewellery designer and is now freelance artist. She works with the rare medium scraperboard, using it as an alternative to print making.
She said: 'I wanted to bring a strong earthy, Celtic theme into the project, reflecting the Manx history and traditions. The designs all have a small nod towards the Island's heritage - be it the three armoured legs or Manx tartan. The colour pallet is bold and striking, yet to give that traditional Christmas warmth as well as a natural and earthy feel.
'Producing this many images in a set was very challenging for me - to get all of the colours to work well together required a lot of experimenting and trial and error! Luckily I had the pleasure of working alongside the very talented designers at the Isle of Man Post Office who were wonderfully helpful in their infinite stamp-making wisdom. The project has been a wonderfully exciting process and I am thrilled with the results and the thought of my miniature works travelling all around the world.
'It has been an absolute honour to work on The Twelve Days of Christmas stamp project for the Isle of Man Post Office. It has been great fun and I found it especially interesting working traditional Manx elements into the designs. I hope the public will enjoy the finished product as much as I loved designing it!'
Maxine Cannon, General Manager, Isle of Man Stamps & Coins, added: 'Catherine has created a vibrant visual interpretation of the well-known Christmas song, combining a modern illustrative style with traditional feel and colours. The way she has weaved Manx elements into the stamps makes them unique and distinctive, and they will brighten up the envelope of every Christmas card you send this year.
'In addition to the stamps being available for postal use, with both gummed and self-adhesive options, they can also be purchased in collectable formats, including an album containing our decorative sheet and the eye-catching presentation pack folder, which will make wonderful Christmas gifts in their own rights.'
The Twelve Days of Christmas can be ordered from www.iomstamps.com.
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