March Update! Japan, Project Starchild, and other things.

Hi friends!

As you've more than most likely heard through Twitter, (and if you haven't, here's a link) I've moved to Japan! Osaka, specifically. I am here to start my next big project, which is something a whole lot of you have been asking a bunch for: an artbook.

Though I still plan on doing this, it will not be a collection of past and present works. I wanted my first book to be something special and something new, and the timing seemed right to go and set out on an adventure to make it happen. I've already detailed some of it on Twitter but I'll go into a bit more detail here, along with what you can expect as a Patron for the next few months.

Book stuff!

The book's name is yet to be finalised but for now, I am calling it Project Starchild. It will be a 50-or-so page book, hardcover, PUR binded, and I am trying my best for it to have a foil cover. (For those unfamiliar, a PUR bind means the pages are glued to the spine of the book but significantly closer than a traditional Perfect bind, meaning the book will open more easily.) It will be 8x10 and in full color.

Project Starchild will be a storybook, of sorts. The easiest way I've described it to friends is that I'm trying to take a Dark Souls approach to story telling. (I'm sorry.) The book will have some text but it will largely focus on the illustrations, relying on you to read what you want to read out of the scenery and the story it tells. The little bits of text I have written (and yet to write) will be there to guide you but not describe to you. 

My personal art has always come from a specific idea or concept but left for you to see what you want to see out of it. Sometimes I am more literal with that than others but what you get out of my art has always been immensely important to me. I like being a vessel for your imaginations, I like my worlds being a means for you all to explore your own ideas and thoughts.

And that's what I want to do with this. I have characters written, I have a world planned, I have a very specific story and history done and written but ultimately, I want you all to take from it what you will. The story was purposely made to let you explore alongside the character, Mina. 

Patreon Stuff!

And that's the general idea with the book. What does that mean for you, the Patron? Well, for one--I'll be taking a bit of a pause from personal art. I'll likely still be doodling here and there (and you'll still be getting PNGs/PSDs of that) but right now, all of my efforts are 100% focused on the book and any other engagements. Alongside this, I am working with Teespring on a REALLY COOL ORIGINAL THING (They reached out to me! And we're working together on a thing!) and I am working on my first entry to the Famicase exhibit! You'll get uploads for both of those as well and I'll try to make WIP posts, too, since that's like... something I know some of you are interested in.

I hope you can understand that I want to keep most of the book's final art under wraps until it's done and packaged, but I can't. I quite literally owe you all too much and this move wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for you. Like, seriously you are all paying my rent here. You paid for the coffee I drank at the shop where I'm writing this right now! So, with that in mind, I will post WIPs and some other more concepty stuff. As much as I feel I can get away with without spoiling anything. I'll try to keep that all on a weekly update basis.

Photography Stuff!

ADDITIONALLY: I have been doing a lot of photography while here and I will very gladly share all of that here. I WISH I could upload RAWs of all of everything I took but I fill up a 32GB SD card with them daily so uh... probably not gonna happen, haha. I will, however, zip up the edits and originals of everything I take. You're free to do whatever you want with them. (Except sell them or whatever, obv.)

Housekeeping Stuff!

So! That covers just about everything I wanted to cover for no--OH WAIT. Right. The $40 print tiers. SO since I am *not* home right now, I cannot ship out your prints. And I won't be able to until the 1st of June, which is when I am back and settled in Montreal again. I understand that this might be a problem for some of you so please don't feel bad if you'd like to drop your pledge down until I get back! However, for those of you that will keep it up, I am keeping track! Once I get back, anyone who is still pledging at that tier will get the amount of prints meant for that length of time. (6, I think.) I'll throw in two more as a bonus for a total of 8 for the trouble. >.<

Once again, thank you all so so so so much for your support. Some of you have DRAMATICALLY increased your pledge and it like, genuinely shook me that all of you continue to be the most supportive and generous people on Earth. I will continue to do my best and I am so so so excited to show you all of the work I'm putting into this, even moreso when it'll all be finished and complete and presentable. ;u;