Needing a couple more test surveys to be completed - name list
about 4 years ago – Wed, Mar 04, 2020 at 11:40:49 PM

Hi everyone - I'm starting to get messages asking where the surveys are, and as of now only a handful of people have been sent surveys as a way to test the system and make sure everything is running smoothly. So if you haven't seen one and you're not on the list below don't fret - it's about to be sent off!

As of right now only 7 of 17 people filled out their survey from the smoke and I'd really like a couple more to fill theirs out so I know there aren't any problems before sending out everyone's survey.

Please check for your name here: Kristina G, Ian M., Lana, Sergey A, Vikki H, Shan W., Buddy, Karen (no last name listed), and Yoyo, you all have your surveys right now, please go ahead and check your email, search for "Backerkit" or "Make 100 L.E. Dragon Enamel Pins "Day-Night" +more designs" to help find it. Don't forget to check spam!

I was originally planning to send them out by Thursday evening but I'd really like to send them sooner if possible. Preferably I'd like to send them all out today, so please help me do that and check those emails.

Overall I'm confident in the surveys and the store I built and I don't expect any problems, so I may just go ahead and send them out later today regardless, but I want to give those in the test survey a chance to complete theirs for that 'just in case' factor. 

Thanks so much everyone!  Talk to you again very soon in the next update :D

ALL SURVEYS OUT!
about 4 years ago – Wed, Mar 04, 2020 at 11:40:48 PM

Let's do this! :D

Perfect, the test surveys look great and everything is working. I have just now sent out all surveys to everyone! You'll be looking for an email from Backerkit for the campaign "Make 100 L.E. Dragon Enamel Pins "Day-Night" +more designs" asking you to complete your survey. Now is when we'll gather all your info, shipping, extra pins, add-ons and everything else needed for your pledge.

**Remember, I need to get 80% of surveys filled out before I can place the order for pins.** Without knowing these numbers I cannot place an accurate order to make sure there is enough. So, with that in mind please don't wait on filling out your survey! If you might be moving soon don't worry - you'll get a chance to update your address even after you complete your survey.

- In the add-on store -

*GO GREEN* No backing cards - is an option you can add to your order for free if you'd like to cut down on paper waste. Some people keep the cards to showcase the pins, others don't need them, but the option is there for those who prefer it.

Stickers - Are new items that can now be added to any pledge for no additional cost. I've already ordered some of these in fact since I plan to have them at my conventions and am thrilled with how fun they are. I've never done stickers like this before so it's a first! Backers get a discounted rate on these by the way ;)

I will continue to keep you updated if anything new comes up. In the mean time let's focus on getting the surveys filled out - maybe, aim for March 16th?

I'll be at Emerald City Comicon next week (March 11-15) and then be out of the studio for Planet Comicon from March 18-23, so I'll be working around those shows and may be late in responding to any messages during those times. Once the majority of surveys are completed then it'll take me a few days to compile the counts and finally place the order. 

- Katie

Smoke test has gone out - Surveys starting!
about 4 years ago – Mon, Mar 02, 2020 at 09:35:23 PM

Great news!

The time it took for everything to process ended up going over the weekend and I'd hoped to send out the smoke test from Backerkit on Friday, but things didn't finish up until today. That said, I just sent out surveys to 5% of backers from each level, so 17 of you now have your surveys in your email. 

Please check for any emails from Backerkit for survey responses needed. These are real surveys and you lucky few are the first to check out the store I've so carefully and lovingly set up! If you don't see one don't worry, it just means yours will be coming in the main wave.

Once most of those surveys get filled and there are no problems reported, I will send the rest of the surveys out and make another update when that happens.

New items added to the add-on store

I've been preparing for Emerald City Comic Con lately (Home Grown, booth Home209 for those going), and one of the new items I've been working on are large sticker sets. The sets aren't large, but the individual stickers sure are! I wanted to expand on the "Soul of the Dragon" sticker that I offered in the campaign, so now in the Backerkit store you'll have the option of adding any of these stickers to your pledge for no additional shipping. If you want to scope out the options ahead of time you can do that on the pre-order store or you can see the designs in the photos below.

Each sticker was originally painted in watercolor and each one is printed into a sticker at exactly the size I painted it at. The sticker design originally part of the campaign is the second one from the left on the bottom row and is 5 inches from the top of the moon to the tip of the tail. 

Timeline - the state of things

As I'm sure everyone has heard across the news and almost constantly, there is continuing concern with the Covid-19 virus and the disruptions it has caused and may still cause in the future. I've heard from other artists and project makers that some of the pin manufacturers are running behind, or the shipping times have greatly increased due to not as many shipments going out as usual. Though my manufacturer has assured me they are on schedule, I want to mention that it is still quite possible that pins will be later than expected. I am assuming the worst in this case and hoping for the best. Unfortunately, there are many things out of all our control at the moment so at this time I do want to stress that I'm doing everything I can to make sure things run on the timeline I've set. I'm staying on top of everything that is in my control, so I've already ordered most of the shipping boxes for the pins and also all the pin backs.

Here's my print shipment for the pin backs and they all look fabulous! On the left of the photo are my regular art prints that I'm prepping for Emerald City Comicon next week.

Thanks for reading everyone, I'll be back with another update for the rest of the surveys very soon!

- Katie

Updated timeline, Backerkit and front page bug, stickers
about 4 years ago – Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 08:29:38 PM

Front page bug

So this is something that happened over the weekend and at the time of me writing this update, it's still happening. The campaign page is showing zero in all of it's stats. Don't worry, this is just a Kickstarter bug! All numbers and pledges are showing correctly in Backerkit, however I have zero access to messages sent to me via Kickstarter right now (they're also showing as zero), so if you need to ask me a question about anything urgent please email me at kamakru(at)gmail.com. Hopefully by the time you read this it'll all be fixed!

Backerkit, updated timeline

In order to allow enough time for everyone's payment to go through, I need to wait about two weeks for all payments to be processed in Kickstarter before I transfer all the pledges to Backerkit. The reason this is really important is that if anyone has a failed payment and doesn't get a chance to fix it before I export orders, they could lose their pledge - which is especially bad if it's a limited edition pin. I can't let that happen so we'll need to wait for Kickstarter to process everyone first. Sorry about the mixup in the timeline there folks, I think I was getting ahead of myself and forgot about the processing time! I was planning to send out tests this week, but it would be better to wait until the recommended time. It doesn't actually change the timeline all that much though so here's our updated one:

------------------------------------------

March 1-4  - Should receive Kickstarter funds by this time. Once funds are received from Kickstarter, the test surveys will go out. If all goes well then all surveys go out.

March  - Order pins as soon as funds received and at least 80% of backers have responded to surveys so I know how many of each pin to order. 

Pins should arrive around 4-5 weeks after ordered. *Please note that because pins are being shipped from over seas, we don't know if there will be any complications with this part. I'm keeping close contact with the manufacturer to know of any delays. So far there are no delays to report*.

Pins will be inspected for quality. There are a lot of them, so this may take some time. 

April/May - Pins start shipping. 

---------------------------------------------

Stickers in the Backerkit store

Those who pledged within the first 24 hours are going to get a bonus holographic sticker of "Soul of the Dragon" (I add these manually, they won't show up anywhere so don't worry if you don't see it). For those that like the design but didn't get in in time, you can add a clear vinyl version of it when you fill out your surveys in Backerkit! Here's a sneak peek at that, along with two other sticker designs.

There will be stickers of all the aura dragons in nature to go along with Water lily, and the ability to add extras of the DayNight round sticker if you'd like. Normally I don't get into stickers too much, but since they are so easy to add into packages I figured this is the perfect opportunity to offer them :)

Okay, that about wraps it up

Now all that's left to do is wait for Kickstarter to finish processing payments - so make sure to check your emails in case your payment is having issues. I think Kickstarter will only give you until the 26th before it marks a pledge as failed. Thanks so much everyone, I'll see you soon in the next update!

- Katie

WE DID IT!
about 4 years ago – Thu, Feb 13, 2020 at 10:26:05 PM

Thank you, thank you all!!

We've come to the end of this campaign with overwhelming success, and I feel SO grateful for all the support shown for my pins! I'm so happy and beyond thrilled to see that there is so much love out there for dragons. I'm truly honored, thank you for joining me in this project to make the new pins a reality.

What's next

The Backerkit store is in the final stages of being built and will be polished up over the weekend. On Monday the aim is to send out a smoke test - that is, we'll send just a few of you your surveys to fill out to make sure everything is working as it should before everyone gets a survey. There will be updates when the smoke test is sent and when the main survey is sent so you know when to start checking your emails.

What to expect with the surveys and Backerkit - For those unfamiliar with what Backerkit is, it's basically an easy way of visually confirming your order, choosing what pins you get if you added extra pins or the 'pin of your choice' tier, checking your address and even adding extras to your order if you want! When surveys are emailed to you that's where you'll get the link to fill yours out.

Manufacturer Status - I've had lots of back and forth with the pin manufacturer and they have told me that as of now they see no delays with the pins, so we are on schedule there. Woohoo!

Patreon Pins - In the last update I showed you the free sticker that everyone now will receive with their pledge, along with how to get the Patreon Exclusive pin. The international perk for the Patreon pin will be available until I lock orders at the end of the month, so there's still time to get in on that if you want to.

It's been an intense couple of weeks keeping on top of everything. The real work is still to come, but for now I'm excited and ready to go sleep for a good while. Thank you all again, this project really means a lot to me and I'm glad you are part of it :)

Cheers,

- Katie