SURVEYS SENT + Pre-Orders Open
almost 6 years ago – Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 10:51:54 AM

Happy day, my lovely Backers!  This morning, I hit the big shiny button to send out all surveys for your Kickstarter Rewards via Backerkit!  The link in your email should direct you to a page where you can fill out your survey questions, as well as purchase any Add-On items you please!  I was able to add even more fun things to the list, including:

• Drawstring bags featuring the Ladies
• Prints of the Ladies and their banner art
  
• The hand-carved masks from the series
• The original watercolor paintings of each Lady

Once you answer your survey, you should get your digital wallpaper pack of Lady of November as well!  Backerkit will also be handling the distribution of the digital book once the PDF is ready, which will be when I complete all of the additional pages (I'll post a notice here when it is available).

You will have until JULY 31ST to answer your surveys!  At this point, I'll be locking surveys and charging your cards so that I can pay the printers to get all of the fun things made for everyone!  By this date, I plan to have all of my additional pages complete and the files ready for the book printer, as well!

NOTE that you will still be able to change your shipping address after surveys are locked and cards are charged!  I will be sending a last minute shipping confirmation closer to the shipping date later on this year once everything is ready to go.

Pre-Orders Open!

If you know someone who missed the opportunity to back the Kickstarter, they can now pre-order a Kickstarter edition of the book here until the end of July!  The Pre-Order shop includes the physical AND digital edition of the book, as well as Add-Ons.  

The Kickstarter edition of the book is the ultimate version of the book!  The Amazon version of the book I have planned for the future will NOT include the foil embellishment or high quality paper weight, making the Kickstarter version the best edition of the book to buy.

Pre-orders will be open until July 31st!  After this date, I will no longer be offering this physical version of the book anymore, with the exception of what I have leftover of the Limited Edition version, which will be offered until the run sells out.  The digital Kickstarter edition will also not be offered at this low rate after this date, making this the best deal I'll have available on the digital files!

In the meantime...

While we wait on all of these gears to turn, don't forget to join me as I work on the pages live on your favorite streaming sites!  I've been streaming about twice a day during the week and have already completed much of the line art for the banner images of the Stretch Goal pages!  Tune in at the following places:

• On Twitch, www.twitch.tv/angelasasser
• On YouTube, www.youtube.com/user/angelicshades

Catch you around the web!  I'll have more updates soon as I continue to work on the extra line art for the book.

PS.

Do you want coloring pages NOW?  Those who pledge $5 or more to my Patreon have access to my library of digital coloring pages, including what I currently have available from the Ladies of the Months series!  I will be posting the new pages for the book to my library on Patreon as soon as they are available, making this the most immediate option if you don't want to wait for your Kickstarter PDF to be posted.  

PLUS, you'll have access to my other Patreon perks (welcome gifts, digital wallpapers, behind the scenes peeks, early access to my videos, private Discord community, etc.).  It's a great place to be where we can get to know each other even better!

Add-On Shop Coming Soon + Art Streaming
almost 6 years ago – Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 06:15:37 PM

I'm excited to let you all know that this morning Kickstarter informed me of the fact that payments are processing and will be transferred to my bank account!  It will take a few days for the payments to finish processing, but once that's done, I'll be able to activate my Backerkit shop so that you can purchase any Add-Ons you've been wishing for (ie. prints of the banner images, extra books, etc.).

The Backerkit shop will require approval from their staff before it will go live, but once it's approved, I'll be posting here to let you all know it's ready to go so we can get your orders in and have everything ready to go before I approach the coloring book's printer!  I've already completed the backend setup of all my items, so all that's needed is for me to complete their shop review. 

Art Streaming

While we wait, I invite you all to join me on Twitch or YouTube where I have been streaming my process live as I create the line art for the Stretch Goal pages that will be added to the book!  You can watch the recordings of one of the streams here to see what it's all about:

I post notices about when I'm streaming on my social media accounts, so stay tuned to my social outlets OR subscribe to follow me on YouTube and Twitch for the best chance at catching a stream where you can chat with me while I draw the line art live!  The recordings of each stream will be posted to both sites afterwards just in case you don't catch the stream live.

Things are coming together and I'm so excited!  Have you already decided what Add-Ons you'll be getting?  I can't wait to roll out this beautiful Backerkit shop to you all!  I'm loving what I'm seeing of it thus far and it's going to make this process very easy for this project!

Hopefully see you all on the stream in the meanwhile!  I hope to have these extra pages done by the end of the month, if I can.

Stay tuned for notice about the Backerkit shop in the next update!

ALL Stretch Goals Met + Project Timeline
almost 6 years ago – Thu, May 31, 2018 at 07:22:19 PM

This campaign ended this morning and I am so very pleased to report to you all that we were able to meet ALL Stretch Goals, which puts the total line art I'll be adding to this book at 61 instead of the original 25!  WE DID IT! Give yourselves a pat on the back!

But what happens now?  The timeline will go a little something like this:

• Initial Payment Processing. Amazon Payments will be processing base pledges immediately. Please make sure your payment info is correct so that your Pledge will be successfully processed!  After a 14 day hold, the funds from the Kickstarter will be transferred to me so I can begin gathering the things I need!
  
  
• Backerkit Store.  During that 14 day hold, I'll be working on getting the Backerkit Store made on my end!  This store will be the place you can purchase extra Add-Ons, like your choice of more prints of the Ladies or the toned paper drawings, bookmarks, additional books, etc.  Any extra items you pay for via the Backerkit Store will be a separate charge than your base Pledge. 
  
  My Backer surveys and digital items will also be provided via Backerkit, where I'll also be gathering your addresses for your items from Kickstarter and your Add-Ons.  I'll post another update when the Backerkit Store is ready and when I'll be gathering addresses!  You should be able to update your mailing addresses until I lock your orders in Backerkit.  More info on this coming soon!
  
  
• Wallpaper Packs. I hope to fulfill the wallpapers in June, as this item is nearly finished and ready to share once I get my store built in Backerkit!
  
  
• Digital Book Delay.  I originally planned to provide the printable PDF in June because I had the base pages ready, but now that I have additional pages to add to the PDF thanks to reaching my Stretch Goals, the digital book will be delayed until I can finish those pages!  The PDF is going to have the basic printable files without all of the front and end matter of the book so you can print and go without all the fuss.
  
  
• More Line Art!  Over the next few months, I'll be working on refining the line art for the header images and the fashion plates.  The chibi versions of the Ladies will need to be drawn from scratch.  I'll be posting here with updates and progress shots along the way!
  
  
• Book Printing.  Once all the line art is complete, I'll be laying out the book and talking to the printer.  I'm working with a local printer, which means less transit and shipping time in-between!  I'll need to produce the prints and other items as well before fulfillment can begin.

I hope to maintain transparency as we move on the next phase of this journey to publication.  Now with the funds to make this book happen, my work has only just begun!  I'll be keeping you all posted along the way.

For now, let's raise a glass and celebrate this victory!  We have the power to make dreams a reality and this could not have happened without you all!  Thanks so much and stay tuned for more updates as things progress!

PS.

For those of you who were curious, ALL but one of the header drawings were claimed via the Kickstarter!  The Lady of Resurrection is the only one that remains.  Now that the Kickstarter is over, this image is first-come, first-served to whoever would like to claim her!  Drop me a line via Kickstarter's Messages if you'd like to add her to your collection!

The Final Lady + Final 24 Hours
almost 6 years ago – Wed, May 30, 2018 at 01:00:30 AM

The final Lady has sashayed onto the scene! Poetic, considering she was the first Lady I ever painted for my birthstone series.  

This Lady for December stands strong against the coming darkness of winter. She brings light and warmth in her footsteps, kindling a fire of mirth and hope in the hearts of mortals. 

Her candle crown draws inspiration from the Scandinavian celebration of Saint Lucy, where she is celebrated as a bringer of light and gift-bearer. 

December's drawing was claimed before I could finish writing and posting this update, but several others have not been!  Here are the drawings still available as of this update:

 If even just ONE of these drawings are claimed, we'll be able to make the first Stretch Goal for adding 12 more pages to the book featuring line art to color of these drawings!  We're a mere $71 short and SO very close!

As we head into these final 24 hours, give yourselves a pat on the back!  I've seen so many of you supporting and sharing and encouraging this project.  It really keeps an artist going!

The updates should slow down a little now that all the drawings are posted.  The next update will be after the campaign ends so I can start telling you about what happens to this project now that we're funded.

More updates soon (but not TOO many...just enough!).

Thanks for being awesome!  I hope you all have enjoyed this journey through the Ladies of the Months during this campaign!  And remember, our journey is not over yet!

FULLY FUNDED + The Lady of Guiding Light
almost 6 years ago – Mon, May 28, 2018 at 02:52:30 PM

I have great news today everybody.  This campaign is now FULLY FUNDED as of last night with 67 hours left to go!  I have a new original to share with you today as well.  This penultimate Lady in the series for the Lady of November has been added to the Rewards tiers!

During the time when the Autumn gate is open and the vale between the living and the dead thins once more, the Lady of Guiding Light acts as a shining beacon. She guides these traveling souls in the form of butterflies back to their peaceful rest in the Underworld with her softly gleaming lantern.

This Lady is near and dear to me, as she is symbolic of my own birth month. She's also become the poster child for this series. Something just clicked when I made her. Butterflies are representative of so much, messengers, spirits of loved ones, the power of change, the realization of potential.  

Her face hidden behind the veil presents tranquillity and knowing. She will always be there for each parting and reunion with our loved ones. It just resonates with me (and apparently so many others).

Now, with our funding goal reached, the rest of the time in this project can be spent raising money towards the Stretch Goals and adding those sweet, sweet extra pages!  Let's do it!

Thanks so much for your support and encouragement during this journey.  It's really meant so much!  I cannot wait to have this collection in your hands!

PS.

For those of you keeping an eye out for Lady of December, she'll be the final Lady's drawing added tonight or tomorrow morning, so keep an eye out on social media if you're hoping to collect her for yourself!