First things first! We've hit a new stretch goal and we are super close to the next one! That means I've updated the stretch goal graphic... and now...

Storytime.

If you don't spend a lot of time on Backerkit, you may not have seen that there is a community forum attached to each of the campaigns. This is a place to ask questions, share enthusiasm, etc...

We had a question about AI usage come up earlier and I responded, noting that Backerkit has a noAI policy and they enforce it. In fact, they scan items in their system for compliance. Since that is the default position, I hadn't written an AI section into the campaign page as I typically would do for my stuff on Kickstarter as the position is simple and dictated by the platform (KS is a little more loose but requires disclosures.)

I am a rules follower when I use someone else's platform, such as this (even if Dottie thinks I'm a rebel.) I hire and license art regularly and our holiday greeting card stretch goals are no exception. An artist was commissioned for the set of cards and promptly paid. I gave art guidelines and suggestions with the primary requirement being "art must be human created."

I got the art back with it looking suspiciously "too good" for the time frame it was completed on, but the artist assured me that it was done by him and claimed it was hand drawn and painted, hence there being no creation layers within the raw files (which can demonstrate how the art was done manually in photoshop, gimp, etc.) They claimed they could provide progress photos, which I overwhelming agreed would suffice as evidence.

and then came the problems...

...I will come back to the story tomorrow. The life of a creator is harrowing as Skynet begins to assert itself.


Meanwhile, check out this neat campaign:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tabithaslick/blood-and-bordeaux-paranormal