2026 Sketchbook Update and Exclusive International Free Shipping Offer
SHIPPING SOON
The printer has confirmed the books will ship next week from Canada. The hardcovers will ship first and the bookplates for the other 2 editions are already signed and we have staff standing by to bag, board, and get these out the door!
Because we do everything in house we can give you special offers like free combined international shipping!
Patreon members get to mix and match from all the sale items! Not a member? Join today: free 7 day trial with immediate access: www.patreon.com/steverude
Crew Update: Sketchbook timeline, your first keychain look + something EPIC brewing
Hey Crew,
Quick one, a few good things packed in.
THE KEYCHAIN IS REAL
If you grabbed the keychain prelaunch reservation for the 2026 Sketchbook — here's your first look at the prototype. The finals are at the maker now and we are not-so-patiently refreshing our inbox waiting on them. Looks even better in person than we hoped.
PRINTER TIMELINE
Our Canadian printer is estimating books ship around July 8th. If a press spot opens up sooner, they'll bump us up — so think of that as a "no later than," not a "wait until." Your digital download is already in your hands to dig into while the physical copies make their way to you. Thanks for rolling with us — it means a lot.
About the cover (and a little gift). The final book now carries the Nexus cover instead of the "Sherlock Dave" piece — a call Steve made for the finished book. We didn't want that Dave art to disappear, so every softcover backer is getting a free print of the "Sherlock Dave" cover, on us. If your book was signed, your print will be too. Two pieces of art instead of one.
NOW THE EPIC PART
We're officially in prelaunch for the Nexus Encyclopedia — and Crew, this one's special. 45 years of Nexus in one place: history, articles, interviews, deep cuts, all in a massive 9x12 hardcover. The book longtime fans have been waiting decades for. Reservations are open now through the September launch.
HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN
We want the $5 reservation reward to be as cool as that keychain. Right now we're leaning toward an official Nexus 45th Anniversary enamel pin — built around the new anniversary logo, a true one-time collectible. But this is your studio too. Pin? Patch? Something else? Drop a comment and tell us what you'd actually want to own.
That's the news. Want to hang out and watch Steve work? We go LIVE every Saturday at 1:30 PM Arizona time on YouTube → youtube.com/steverudethedude. And the Crew that keeps this whole studio running lives on Patreon → patreon.com/steverude. Come pull up a chair.
Crew Update: The Book's Headed to the Presses (+ a cover surprise)
Hey Crew,
BIG NEWS
The 2026 Sketchbook is officially at the printer. We're sending back our final edits today, which means we should be able to give the green light on Monday and get those presses rolling. After all the Saturday mornings that went into this thing, it feels really good to say that out loud.
Couple of fun changes to tell you about. You know Steve — when something isn't up to par, it gets fixed. He took another look at the Dave cover and decided to swap it out for an absolutely killer Nexus cover instead. We think you're going to love it. We're also switching out the notebook for the same Nexus image.
Here's how the timeline shakes out:
Digital downloads should be ready for you this weekend — so you'll have something in hand right away.
Physical shipping kicks off end of June or early July, depending on exactly when the books land in-house from Canada.
In the meantime, we're already in full assembly mode over here — building boxes and pulling together all the goodies and extras that go in with your order. It's starting to look like a proper operation around the studio.
And hey — Steve's back on the livestream today at 1:30 PM Pacific / 4:30 PM Eastern. Come hang out, watch him draw, and ask whatever's on your mind. These Saturdays are the best part of our week. → https://www.youtube.com/steverudethedude
One quick favor: we're still waiting on a few exit surveys before we can lock everything in. If you're one of the 23 BackerKit backers or 6 Kickstarter backers who haven't finished checkout yet, hop in and knock it out so nothing holds up your shipment. Log into your Backerkit account, click on your icon and go to your Pledges and Surveys.
Thanks for hanging in there with us — this is the fun part now.
The 2026 Sketchbook ended up at 160 pages! It's back from the Editor and (pending Steve's approval) is headed to the printer on Monday. That gives us a June shipping date.
FINAL EXIT SURVEY - TEST SENT
The test for the exit survey was sent yesterday and we did note an error. Once Backerkit helps us fix that we'll send it out to everyone.
NEXUS THUNEWORLD LAUNCHES AT 10 AM PACIFIC / 1 PM EASTERN
SPECIAL DEAL FOR BACKERKIT - USE THE HIDDEN LINKS BELOW TO:
Access the deals without extra charges to back the campaign
FREE worldwide shipping on this portion of your order
We will ship with your 2026 sketchbook
FIRST WEEKEND: FREE EARLYBIRD GIFT PACK
Back during opening weekend with any Gallery Unsigned, Gallery Signed, or Studio Edition book and the Earlybird Gift Pack is on us. Free with the book.
What's inside:
11x14 Nexus Family Print, unsigned (upgrade to signed for $10 after the campaign)
Nexus logo sticker
Trading card set of 9 cards
Double-sided bookmark
FCBD SPECIAL: AVAILABLE APRIL 30 TO MAY 3
This one's a separate add-on, but it's a beauty. For $25, you get one random preview book plus the complete digital set of all 5 preview books. That's a $99 value.
The preview books are something special. They show pencils, inks, and the full script. The full script is NOT included in the Gallery or Studio Edition Hardcovers. If you want to see how Steve built Battle for Thuneworld from the page up, this is the deepest dive you'll get.
Each preview book is
36 to 52 pages
8.5" x 11"
Saddle stitched
Professionally printed on high-quality stock
Random book ships unsigned (upgrade to signed for $10 after the campaign)
Thanks again for hanging in there with us. The 2026 sketchbook is officially put together at 160 pages and has now gone to the editor to catch all the spelling mistakes I managed to leave in. After that, it heads to the printer in Canada for a full draft copy, then on to press.
This one has easily been the most challenging sketchbook we’ve put together so far. Steve did not do many commissions this year, and the sketchbook he was working from literally fell apart just a few months into the year. Because of that, we built this volume around the weekly livestreams, which ended up giving the book its own personality. Inside you’ll find step-by-step demos, finished artwork, and QR codes that let you watch the original drawing sessions.
We know this one has taken longer than expected, and we really do appreciate your patience. We wanted to make sure the book still felt full, worthwhile, and true to what was happening in the studio this year.
While I've got you — 2 days left on Thuneworld ⏳
The Battle for Thuneworld Artist Edition wraps this Saturday. Quick reminder of what makes this one different: you're getting the oversize pencils, inks, AND all the color pages — for the same price most places charge for just the pencils and inks. That's the whole book, the way Steve made it.
We're $15,000 away from the troops milestone — the point where we send Artist Editions to deployed servicemembers. If you've been on the fence, this is the weekend to jump in.
👉 steverude.com/thuneworldae
Come hang out Saturday
Our weekly livestream is this Saturday at 1:30 PM Arizona time on YouTube — same place Steve's been drawing every page you'll see in the new sketchbook. Last stream before Thuneworld closes, so it's gonna be a good one. youtube.com/steverudethedude
And if you want the closest seat to the studio, our Patreon Crew gets campaign-exclusive pricing, behind-the-scenes access, and way more of Steve's process all week long: patreon.com/steverude
We're 48 hours away from the launch of our next crowdfunding campaign, Nexus: The Battle for Thuneworld Gallery and Studio Edition Hardcover, so here's where things stand at the studio.
First, on the 2026 Sketchbook.
We did bring someone on to help put the book together, but in order for him to do that well, he needed a complete mockup to work from. Jaynelle had been building that out, but then we had to bring the crowdfunder work back in-house, which pulled a lot of time and focus. Around that same stretch, Steve was also dealing with a serious health scare that set us back by about five weeks. He is doing well now, everyone is safe, and we are back at it.
The main thing we want you to know is this: we're getting everything done as fast as we can while keeping the standards high and the quality where it belongs. Currently this puts us as a May/June shipping date.
Battle for Thuneworld Oversized Hardcover
Jaynelle has just finished putting together the Battle for Thuneworld hardcover in time for Patreon early access, and we officially launch it this Saturday, March 28, during the livestream. Once the book goes to print, the estimated turnaround is about four months with an anticipated October ship date.
This launch date also means something personal to us. March 28 is Jaynelle's late father's birthday, and she chose to launch the campaign that day in his honor.
Steve will be live on stream Saturday and plans to hang out as long as the backertrain keeps rolling.
Not on Patreon yet? That's where early access is happening: View on Patreon
Now that Thuneworld is ready for launch, Jaynelle is back to building the full 2026 Sketchbook mockup, and we'll keep sharing updates as it comes together.
Nexus Family (Encyclopedia Backers)
Also, if you backed the Nexus Family level for the Encyclopedia, we're excited to start sharing behind-the-scenes progress with you on Discord. You'll be getting a BackerKit message with access to the hidden channel.
If you didn't back and would still like to join in, it's $49 and includes behind-the-scenes updates from the Encyclopedia team, access to a special edition of the book limited to that group, and your name in the book. Just email us and we'll get you hooked up.
Thanks again for being here and for sticking with us while we build these books the right way. We're excited to open the doors on Thuneworld this Saturday and hope you'll join us for the launch.
We’ve been calling this project the Nexus Compendium, but a lot of folks thought that meant another Omnibus. What we’re really making is a deep, behind-the-scenes reference book about Nexus history, so we’re testing a clearer name. Which name best captures what this project is?
The printer has confirmed the books will ship next week from Canada. The hardcovers will ship first and the bookplates for the other 2 editions are already signed and we have staff standing by to bag, board, and get these out the door!
Because we do everything in house we can give you special offers like free combined international shipping!
Patreon members get to mix and match from all the sale items! Not a member? Join today: free 7 day trial with immediate access: www.patreon.com/steverude
If you grabbed the keychain prelaunch reservation for the 2026 Sketchbook — here's your first look at the prototype. The finals are at the maker now and we are not-so-patiently refreshing our inbox waiting on them. Looks even better in person than we hoped.
PRINTER TIMELINE
Our Canadian printer is estimating books ship around July 8th. If a press spot opens up sooner, they'll bump us up — so think of that as a "no later than," not a "wait until." Your digital download is already in your hands to dig into while the physical copies make their way to you. Thanks for rolling with us — it means a lot.
About the cover (and a little gift). The final book now carries the Nexus cover instead of the "Sherlock Dave" piece — a call Steve made for the finished book. We didn't want that Dave art to disappear, so every softcover backer is getting a free print of the "Sherlock Dave" cover, on us. If your book was signed, your print will be too. Two pieces of art instead of one.
NOW THE EPIC PART
We're officially in prelaunch for the Nexus Encyclopedia — and Crew, this one's special. 45 years of Nexus in one place: history, articles, interviews, deep cuts, all in a massive 9x12 hardcover. The book longtime fans have been waiting decades for. Reservations are open now through the September launch.
HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN
We want the $5 reservation reward to be as cool as that keychain. Right now we're leaning toward an official Nexus 45th Anniversary enamel pin — built around the new anniversary logo, a true one-time collectible. But this is your studio too. Pin? Patch? Something else? Drop a comment and tell us what you'd actually want to own.
That's the news. Want to hang out and watch Steve work? We go LIVE every Saturday at 1:30 PM Arizona time on YouTube → youtube.com/steverudethedude. And the Crew that keeps this whole studio running lives on Patreon → patreon.com/steverude. Come pull up a chair.
