Hi everyone, this is Midnight Springs posting on his behalf again. He was discharged on Monday almost exactly 72hrs after admission and we are now in Pittsburgh for Tekko. I drafted this entire thing for him on Thursday when he still couldn't really use his hand, but he's able to now, so next post will be him again!
There are a couple designs that needed some edits in the proofs. For the most part, they're all fine but we also have some samples further along to show you, which show what's up.
These samples are majority still just metal that is showing the mold details, there hasn't been a lot of cleaning up done.
1) chocolate bonbon:
The area of transparent enamel (the goo of the bonbon filling) couldn't just be hanging out there like in the original, it needed a thin line of raised metal at the bottom of its body. Its mandibles also are super small so that cut out area there will be basically "recessed" instead.
2) lemonade has to have a different backstamp on it because it's majority clear enamel, and it had to be increased to 50mm so that the details could come through (the clear enamel requires thicker outline metal apparently...) If lemonade's size difference is a huge issue with people we can work out swaps or refunds. The enamel in it is just showing the only solid/opaque coloring!
3) He wasn't warned when first being quoted that the boba pearl legs of the boba spiders were questionable even though we inquired, and the transparent enamel portions had to be made larger to work out...so their proportions have changed slightly.
I know it looks like the taro has no cut-outs around the head but I promise it does, it's the exact same mold as the strawberry. This is with some random metal flakes still attached and that gets cleaned off for final pins. These are still 35mm, the issue for lemonade was mostly that the space between the pearl eyes is really tiny...
Blueberry is approved so far, doesn't have printing yet.
Same for strawberry!!
Caramel apple's mold was made wrong, not according to the proof, and that's being changed.
The stars for the dango are already made which was super fast, but for some reason they attached jump rings over 2x as large as they always do to my (MS) jewelry...I had a talk with them and they're fixing it. So that will be shown next update.
Otherwise, everything is still as indicated in the last update, thank you!!
-Midnight Springs (approved of by CC)
OOPS, P.S.: The above sign-off also means there's no NEW info about surveys. I'm sorry about the misleading title, I have no idea why I did that. We'll both know more soon since he's recovering well!
Hi all, (FIRST - I have survey details below in the backer only section!!! Please skip straight to that if you only want to know what's up with that extended timeline.)
I have been negotiating the proof details with my manufacturer ever since paying for them, so it's been a few weeks now. There were issues with some of the details getting lost due to the size and honestly I'm frustrated, because I asked when I was getting them quoted if the size would be an issue with any of the smaller details and she said no. Well, she didn't check. This sort of thing happens constantly so I need to stop being surprised and just adapt. As a result, though, I was really firm about maintaining as much as I possibly could in my original details, because the whole campaign was ran on the impression they'd look like the art!
So here is what had to change:
Elfling's right index finger is now metal "shadows" because those enamel spots were too small to fill, and the loop for her dangle is a bit bigger which personally I don't mind at all.
Spider witch's pupils are now going to be black print because the decreasing size of the eyes means the smallest ones don't have room for enamel fill if the pupils are metal. I absolutely should have anticipated that and that is totally my bad.
For similar reasons, Shinigami's pupils are now going to be printed black Xs but were metal before.
Gorgons' snakes' tongues will be slightly thicker than indicated, and because of the beveling that happens with pins they will look sort of tapered(?) at the sides. I wasn't sure how this would work out but again, I was reassured the initial art was okay after all... Given that the outlines of the pins will also be a bit thicker due to the polishing process they shouldn't look odd.
Here are the approved proof versions of the above (ignore the metal looking grey, it's just to make it easier to distinguish):
Please ignore the colors, manufacturer proofs are notorious for good reason for looking super weird color-wise. The important thing is that all pantones are correct, which they are.
Everything else will turn out as expected! Teeny tiny cut out areas in the artwork shouldn't be expected to go all the way through but they'll still look like holes from the front, however due to the beveling I mentioned there will be very few holes all the way through the backs of pins on the ones with the tiniest cut out details. That is something I knew would be the case from the start as this is my 8th year designing pins, but since I'm mentioning changes I want to point out that this isn't one (with an example).
This pin is super dusty but it's ON the pin not inside the enamel or plating, I didn't notice until zooming in just now; I actually had these pins made through this manufacturer years ago and they came out 90% totally perfect!
As you can see, from the front they do look like cut-outs, and it doesn't detract from the design at all that they aren't visible holes on the back because of it.
Also, the hearts for the Elfling pin have been in production for a couple of weeks! All of the proofs I'm given from them are always gold, please rest assured it WILL be black.
Here is also a comparison example of my 12mm hearts that are similar that already exist, unfortunately I felt they were way too big for the pin which is why I paid a new mold fee to have these done in 8mm instead.
Those smaller hearts without the + are also 8mm, for comparison. These are my syringe earrings.
Now that everything is approved, physical production on the factory floor is finally beginning!
I also want to show what the frosted mascot charms turned out like:
manufacturer sample
They don't have the matte surface texture that I wanted, but the visual effect is still a frosted acrylic appearance and I'm pleased with that. The purple is slightly darker/more saturated than my mockup appears on some screens, I hope the difference is acceptable!
As far as the sequel campaign goes, I've been dealing with some acute health issues that pretty much came out of nowhere so I haven't been able to do a whole lot of cleaning up of the art. Instead, now I just have a lot of different sketches rather than any designs having been fully finished yet:
(kuchisake onna - inspired by techwear and the "straightjacket chic" thing that an alarming number of Reverse: 1999 characters have got going on)
She's like 1/3-1/2 done - I focused on her hair, face, and right hand first as you can tell... Left arm's anatomy needs to be adjusted and then clothing can be finished, which will allow me to finish the rest of the hair as well.
(harpy - inspired by a delinquent/yanki aesthetic and feminine rage in general)
this is my FIRST sketch for her so she's maybe 1/7 done. She will take a LOT more time, probably 6 more hours and will be very big. As you can tell it feels like it's been 20 years since I last drew any kind of braids so that will take me forever, as will her feathers...I want to do them more anatomically correct/detailed than Baphomet's, since I was basing hers off of some of his statues, but we'll see. Because of her size she will be expensive and likely one of the final SGs, to ensure I have plenty buffer by then in case a lot of pledges fall through.
(k/gumiho (either letter is technically correct) - She will also be really big like the harpy...man. I personally like my pins to be pretty petite so I'm going to feel overwhelmed by these designs so we'll see how long it takes me to finish her.)
I'm going to work the fox bead into the design somewhere and give her an outfit that looks kind of cozy. As you can tell, her braids look awful so far too. I ORIGINALLY drew her as a cyclops and HATED it so that's why the hands and chains are fully lined, I redrew everything other than that because I did like the pose and hair I came up with. She will also take probably 4-5 more hours...
Dullahan and Mummy's proofs have also already been approved, and I'm now armed with all of the knowledge from this current back-and-forth that just resolved so I'll be extra careful finalizing these new designs. That should speed things up a bit next time...
Mermaid is finished now except for probably having to change up the flow of her hair/tentacles so those cut-outs are more achievable.
I was going to edit the water shadows but I changed my mind... and since her skin will be glittery "sand" its shadows will be under the glitter pearl effect too and NOT solid print on top of the pin.
I'm still working on the pose for my geode lady (name not final lol...) cross collab design, so I don't have any sketches I like of that done yet. Next non-survey update I will post my progress with the above designs, hopefully my edited Onmyouji, and the fixed Mermaid cut-outs. I will hopefully have 5 finished designs by then (in addition to Dullahan/Mummy) and a working presave page for the next campaign.
Thank you for reading! The backer-only portion is next:
I very, very strongly value honesty and transparency so I'm a little upset with myself for making this decision, but I really want to bring all of them to life: I'm going to try a pt 2 campaign later.
I think that Gorgon (so close!!) and TV Cat are very likely to be unlocked through these surveys, as long as there aren't a ton of failed pledges (I'll know in a few days). My goals do include buffers in case of failed/declined pledges so 🤞.
My goals for the other campaign would include Dullahan, Mummy, Angel, Mermaid, a Harpy, demon Onmyouji (she was actually the first pin I drew but I dropped her because her clothes were stressing me out lol), and I'd like to try to pin the jirai kei Succubus I made for a recent coffin button.
I have about 40 of her so she will be available in limited qty in this survey!
The reason I mention honesty and transparency is because I hate if I've falsely instilled a sense of urgency in anyone, I really did intend for this to be my last pin-centric campaign. 😣 I guess it's not technically a lie since it's more of the same thing...
I won't start building the 2nd one until I have the moths fully shipped out (their last remake batch is being made currently) and once the paws are at least halfway sent out (some have gone out w/moth packages already, remakes of those flawed ones are still in progress). It'll be a short runtime of about 2 weeks also. I'm going to try to get them made before tariffs go back to over 100%...but that might be impossible.
I've been increasingly very ill for most of my life and designing these pins has brought me a joy I haven't experienced creatively in years due to burnout, so I'd really like to get them all made if possible, at least the ones I've already "pinned" (so Harpy and Succubus I don't feel as strongly about, technically both are drawn but need to be reworked entirely in order to become pins).
Thank you for your sincere support of this campaign and the joy these designs have brought me 💗 I hope you might consider supporting part 2 as well!
PS: I expect surveys to go out LATE this month or the first week of July. I will be paying for the funds-raised pins as soon as I receive these initial funds in 2 weeks, but since I'm hoping to fund Gorgon and TV Cat via surveys they, if met, will join production after surveys are charged (I'll give them 2-3 weeks before charging depending on how fast they're filled). Meaning I may get them shipped separately and orders containing them could potentially be relegated to back of fulfillment queue, but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't meet assumed Halloween fulfillment date. However, depending on when I can launch pt 2 I may be able to combine some pledges for later fulfillment if requested.
We hit our base goal! Thank you so much to everyone!!! im so excited to see everybody's (mine included) pins be brought into reality, I appreciate everybody's support. Strawberry spider is next, now let's see how many stretch goals we can hit! 😊🕷🕸
Hey all, please refer to the previous post about delays in the survey process (he's been discharged now but we're otw to tekko in about 16 hours so I don't have more than this that I can do). Thank you for well-wishes!
The following have been approved but minor edits are being made to some, those have an additional caption explaining what!
These are JUST samples. This is to show the enamel colors and make sure the molds look correct even after polishing/grinding down. They have not been plated yet OR printed on. Please also keep in mind that the mica glitter portions get clear enamel over them (not exactly the same thing as epoxy) which is why they currently look like soft enamel.
Please ignore any defects in the enamel, these are rushed specifically to make sure that there's no last-minute changes needed and aren't cleaned up.
Fully approved to move forward:
The print will cover her metal in her bangs when it is applied
Edits need to be made:
1) GHOUL: I have to re-buy her mold because I accidentally approved a proof where her flame isn't transparent...🥲 but I want to show the effect of all the recessed metal, including her eyes! Her pupils are half-height so they're still sunken in. Despite their initial hesitation with her I am super happy with how the details were captured. I will also ask them to lighten her hair a shade. It will look sooooo good when she has the darker plating and the transparent flame.
2) BAPHOMET: there are 2 spots that are the wrong enamel color, she's otherwise fine!
3) ELFLING: I've been assured the jump ring hole will be drilled out for all mass produced pins and they make pins with chains ALL the time so I trust that, but I pointed it out anyway as it's very obvious. The blue circle shows an area that's supposed to be a tiny "tunnel" (faux cut-out as mentioned in an earlier update), so that's getting adjusted. I think they just mistakenly filled it and that the mold doesn't actually have to be changed.
The mini bat is also approved so far, and I've just received notice today that the bat charms are shipping to me this week.
This is happening so quickly that I think I'm actually going to ask her to slow down with the pins because I don't want another debacle like the last step of the cat paws being rushed (those who know, know).
Just wanted to share before taking off for the event. I will post his WIP spiders soon for him since he still can't use his hand really. Talk soon!
I'm posting on behalf of Cryptic, he's been in the ER for going on over 36hrs, 24 of those already having been on IV antibiotics, and they want to keep him on them an additional day at minimum. An injury he got presumably at work started doubling in severity every day until it became a clear emergency, this was the 2nd time in an ED for it but the first time that it was taken truly seriously. He had to have a minor surgical procedure on his right (dominant) hand, is now staph, and can hardly use it.
In a couple days I will post again on his behalf about how the pin proofing process went and a couple changes that had to be made (namely lemonade is now 50mm tall but I'll explain why, and we can offer compensation if that's not acceptable). I got sent manufacturer WIP photos of most of his spiders, since we're using the same manu, this morning - so I can include those in the update!
Because of this, we had to cancel our Oddities & Curiosities appearance this weekend and lost all our expenses involved. I was and am incredibly worried about him and am so glad he finally let me drag him to the ER this week, but it remains true that now we're in a pickle until after Tekko this upcoming weekend (which will be...SO rough to do like this...), potentially further. Because we unfortunately still have to get ready for Tekko ASAP - I'm participating in 2 stamp rallies, one of which I'm hosting, and sunk cost for this one is even higher - surveys will be even more delayed because I'll have to do the bulk of work for both of them.
I don't know what to say for us about our planned collab pin campaigns that we wanted to do at the end of this month other than it'll have to be delayed proportionately with the surveys which are now send date TBD.
Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding! PLEASE take care of yourselves and your health!!
(posted by Elena, Midnight Springs, and approved by CC)
Hey all, I HATE leaving people hanging and I figure even just linking this without much additional commentary is better than just awkwardly not knowing what to say over here:
I'm super concerned about him and everything is very much on pause right now.
Please be patient with us as we will both be hard to contact for a bit. Anything sent in this TBD limbo timeframe will be responded to in order when we are more capable.
Thank you!
---
The following is pushy, and overstepping, and for that I apologize...but it is a genuine plea.
If you are also American, and have something urgent you're concerned about but have been putting off because of cost - go in. Please.
This is hardly advertised, but almost every major hospital in the country has a financial aid program that will cover the entirety of your bill. To qualify, you just need to make less than a typical range of 2.5-4 TIMES the poverty limit for your household size. That's the majority of Americans! Most households don't make 4x their state's poverty limit, even 2.5 is pushing it for most at this point. "Household" is also a super flexible definition as it varies by state - even if you live with someone, you are likely to be considered a solo household unless you're married, which raises your odds of qualification.
If you reach out and/or dig deep on their website you will find it. If they have a member portal, it should be buried in the menu somewhere. Whether you already have insurance or not does not affect eligibility.
I've had multiple major surgeries in the past 4 years, and more are on the horizon... They've been covered thanks to this! Please take care of yourselves, and if you don't have someone to fret over you, please consider me to be that person right now. I care. Your life is important, and unfortunately this service is on the chopping block...so now is the time.
Thank you so much for your timely responses to the survey! The orders have been locked at this time. If there are any extreme circumstances in regards to orders please feel free to reach out but as of now I am going forward with the process of placing orders with manufacturers.
I have placed the order for all stickers at this time and will be reaching out to the pin manufacturer with final numbers and final checks soon. We're currently still on track to get everything in September if not a little earlier. I think it would be very fun to send the familiars out in time for Halloween so here's hoping!
Thank you so much for your support and I will reach out again with updates if anything changes.
