Hey backers!

Just a quick update to let y'all know what all pins have been approved and paid for. Our manu will be providing production photos as soon as they're available, and I'll be sharing those as soon as I have them.

It typically takes 4 - 5 weeks from payment to pins in-hand, so you should expect your next project update early May. Fulfillment will be taking place May/June. I'm scheduled for surgery next week, so I appreciate your patience with any radio silence until then!

In the meantime, I have a new project launching this week! I'm collaborating with two other creators to offer some free pins, so you should totally check them out. This new project will only be live for two weeks! We want to fulfill these Pride pins in time to have them for Pride events, so they'll be shipped out at the same time Spirits pins will ship! If you back Brick by Brick, we'll bundle them with your Spirits pins to save you some shipping. Even if you don't plan on backing, please still click that link. I'm really excited about this 3D brick wall pin, and there's an excellent 3D rendering on the preview page. :D

We've a lot to cover in today's update. So make sure you grab your reading glasses!

The results are in! 
I'll be asking our manu to apply a pearlescent swirl effect to the mountains in the bobcat pin.

All surveys are now locked! This means you can no longer make changes to your reward survey. You can, however, update your address. Addresses will not be locked until we're ready to start shipping. So please feel free to update as needed.

Prior to locking orders and charging cards, we went through all our cross-collab backers and applied shipping credits. I was surprised to see the number! (Below.) It costs us nothing to combine orders, saves our shipping material, and we saved backers over $400 in shipping fees. I know paying for shipping sucks, and I'm just really happy to see this plan worked out and we were able to do that for everyone.

As soon as I send this update, I'll be sending order forms to our manu to put pins into production. I anticipate having invoices paid within the next 48 hours. Then it's typically 4-5 weeks until pins are in hand. We're aiming for fulfillment being late April/early May. 

Quick note: I'll be having surgery at the end of March. So please excuse any delay in communication.

Can I edit my pledge?
No, the time for editing your pledge has passed. Locking orders allows me to get accurate counts of each pin to send to my manu.

Can I still fill out my pledge manager if I haven't already?
Yes! Please! I'm ordering extra of each design so I have some on hand for events, so I should be able to fulfill the few orders that haven't come in yet. If you're going to do something crazy like order 100 of a single pin. Like. Contact me first, okay? lol

What if I want to add more pins to my order?
You can! Just place an additional order through the pre-order store. (Linked on the campaign page.) If you add additional items to your existing order before fulfillment begins (there will be an update), email [email protected] and we'll combine orders and remove shipping costs from the additional items.

ALSO!

I'm going to be at Emerald City Comic Con.
If you're going to be around, stop by and say hi!

Today officially marks two weeks since Pintopia closed, and the cutoff for BackerKit collecting funds. Here's where we stand.

Factoring in the Pay Over Time folks, we're still short of the 9k stretch goal. We're also, unfortunately, short of that $400 goal where I'd feel comfortable splitting the difference and adding the pin anyway. So! If you check out the preorder store or edit your pledge, you'll see that the bobcat pin is available for preorder.

Ignore the "1 Day Left" warning. I have the lock order date set for March 3. The bulk of funds have come through, so ideally, I'd love to start submitting orders next week. :) If you're my parents, and you're reading this, I've already manually added bobcats to your orders. 😘

1.75" - a little bigger, putting it as the same size as the wolf pin.
Hard enamel like the rest of the series.
Two pin post attachment style.

This design is set up to be a foil to the wolf pin:
The wolf is made up of longer strokes with pointed angles, while the details are more round. The wolf is inset in the design, with accents being in front of the wolf at some points. There's a thin border with a dark background, giving the whole pin a deeper feel. Contrasting with the bobcat, where I put the animal at the forefront, with details in the background. The bobcat is constructed with more curves, while the background details are more sharp and pointed. The border is thicker, making the overall design seem brighter in comparison.

The only thing missing is a special effect!

To finish this pin and truly make it a foil for the wolf pin, I plan to add a special effect to the mountains behind the bobcat (the lighter blue that raises above it's head, in the moon position for the wolf!). We can pearl the mountains like the moon, add some glow in the dark (the color would be perfect for a good glow!), add glitter, or make a stained glass effect with a little transparency. There's a poll below, vote for your favorite!

I'll be back next week with an update announcing the poll winner. After that, the next update will be a production update because this train is a-leaving the station! 🚂

Backers.

We're still sitting at over $700 in failed payments. Reminder - our goal is to see $400 or less.

If you're one of these 18 people, I do hope you're not seeing this as any form of harassment. It's just - unfortunately - fact that we cannot fund the last pin design without recouping those pledged funds. If you're able, please do update your payment information so we can unlock the last design. The deadline for this is February 27th.

As someone pointed out, regionalism is something that still absolutely exists. Where I grew up, all large, woodland cats are called bobcats. Bobcat, cougar, and wildcat are used interchangeably. Lynx isn't in the local lexicon outside of textbooks or scientific literature. 

However it's released, the final pin design will be listed as "Bobcat."

This is a deeply personal art series that draws from my experiences growing up in different locales and from my efforts to learn about and honor my Indigenous roots. I've had sketches of all these pins for years, but never developed them due to insecurities and lack of belief in my own art style. I only started putting true effort in development after the loss of a very dear friend; I felt I needed to finally finish my art because he can't make art anymore. The designs you see are as they were intended. They're released exactly how I meant them to be. 

If you no longer want the bobcat pin because it doesn't match your lived experience, that's fine! Really! But I will not be making edits, nor will I be entertaining feedback on that point. 

Thank you for your understanding.

I'll be back with another update later this week.