Update // It's gonna be Junely (Patreon)

Okay so I’m going to have to ask you to sit down for this one.

Are you comfy? Alright so… I don’t know how to break it to you but uh….we’re halfway through the year.

Look, I’m sorry, I know, I’m horrified too. This isn’t how this was meant to go but here we are, so we may as well suffer this knowledge together.

And what best way to do it than by reading my endless monthly stream of consciousness! That’s right folks, hold onto your tighty whities because this is a bigun.

General updates

So as you may have perceived the last few months have been a non-stop sequence reel of mishaps and chaos. Of course that train wasn’t just gonna come to a gentle stop, so lo and behold ya girl me tripped once upon a covid.

Simultaneously, I also managed to book myself into three consecutive trips to see family I hadn’t seen in a range of years (2, 6 and 30 respectively) and so here I am, writing this as fast as I can to keep my hands from getting frostbitten in this meat locker of an airplane.

Despite all of this, I’ve somehow managed to largely keep up with work - with May beating some kind of record of publishing a total of 9 pieces. Saying that, there is still somewhat of a backlog and some rewards from April/May are still pending, as well as commissions due these months, so if you’re waiting for something please don’t panic. Unless I actually do freeze to death in this airplane. Then you can come to my wake to demand an explanation.

StarStickers Updates

New rewards

Okay so here’s the exciting bit - new rewards have finally been added on StarStickers! I announced this some time ago, but due to some logistical issues, we had to take some extra time to work them into the system. With that though, let me present you with our new guests:

Fanart Bust - 200pts

This one came about as a last minute addition. While historically you’ve been able to book in a Fanart piece through any other reward, this hasn’t been a common trend. That said, fanart pieces really help me bolster my merchandise offer and so I thought I’d strike a compromise by making that a slightly cheaper option than the other rewards.

Outfit Mystery Box - 850pts

This is one I’ve wanted to implement for a long time. I absolutely adore designing outfits and hardly ever get the chance, so I made one! Do note that this reward has some key specifications, such as it being a variation of a Mystery Box where you can supply prompts and references but the end product will be a surprise, and that it will be drawn on a standard mannequin not featuring any specific character traits.

(Please note that the samples currently on display for this reward are temporary and will be replaced as soon as an actual reward is cashed and drawn)

Ultimate Mystery Box - 850pts

You heard of the Mystery Box. Now meet the bigger, badder and more mysterious ULTIMATE mystery box. With a very similar specification to the original (you can give a character but you can’t pick how they’re drawn), this version of the box aims to create more complex pieces using techniques and styles usually reserved for commissions - such as half or full bodies, rendered styles or more detailed backgrounds.

Original Sketch - 1000pts

This one was highly requested once upon a poll - a traditionally drawn illustration, using pencils, ink or paint - that then gets preserved and mailed to you. For those of you who really want to put me to the test of getting both sides of the face symmetrical without the ability to flip the canvas.

NSFW Token - 250pts

Need some seasoning on your commission or reward? This token will allow you to request a side of spicy with any artwork you might have in the pipeline, such as cleavage, exposed chests, skimpy or translucent clothing (limitations apply on explicit sexual acts or context)

Please note that  this reward does not entitle you to a commission or reward slot. It will only be applicable on a future commission or reward that you are waiting for or will be signed up for when slots open.

The cost of these rewards is quite high given that many of them will be commission-grade and very time consuming. This will also hopefully provide an incentive for people to store and spend their points in bulk, which will hopefully alleviate some of the pressure on the system at the moment.

You can also see all of these rewards now live on StarStickers!

Upcoming reward changes

To tie into the above, I’m also going to be changing the cost and availability of some rewards in order to rebalance the system. StarStickers has been running for over 3 years now and in that time, not only has the number of patrons grown, but also the number of accumulated points as well as the events that offer bonuses throughout the year.

To make sure the system continues to be sustainable - both for patrons and my own sanity - updates need to be made to meet the current state of things. So to that effect, from the start of September 2022 the following adjustments will be made:

The rewards “Chibi” and “Emojis” will be removed, albeit not permanently.

These rewards will return as “seasonal rewards” throughout the year - an initiative I want to push going forward to test out ideas and experiment with things without fully committing to them.

The main reason I’ll be removing these rewards as fixtures is because, quite honestly, I don’t particularly enjoy working on them. The emojis are also particularly hard to work on given the number of templates and layers I have to juggle, which makes the process quite tedious.

These rewards are also the two least popular options across the board, so by bringing them as temporary rewards a few times a year I feel their popularity will balance out with their availability.

The point cost of existing rewards will also be adjusted as follows, in order to meet current demand:

• Lineart Bust: 125 pts > 200 pts
• Color Bust: 225 pts > 250 pts
• Mystery Box: 250 pts > 300 pts
• Couple Bust: 300 pts > 375 pts

The new rewards will retain their initial value until further notice.

By increasing the point cost, I’m not only adjusting the cost to my current commission rates (though most of these are still under the going rate for a commission), but it also gives me a chance to create more bonus events to incentivise active participation in the community.

Upcoming Merchandise

Finally, as it’s been a while since I last made merch for the last Comic Con, I am currently planning a new batch of prints and merch to add to the store. This will include many of the pieces that I made between October and now, but also some special fanart pieces I hope to have ready in time for the next Comic Con, so if you have any suggestions, thoughts or wishes of merch you’d like to acquire please do say so! I am always happy to receive feedback.

Final Thoughts

There’s quite a few more things I would like to talk about (i.e, retooling the current bidding system on StarStickers, adjustments to the mentorship programme) but as this update has already gone on for quite a bit I will reserve that for a future brain numbing post.

And with that, I bid yee a fair mid-summer’s eve. Don’t blink too hard or it’ll be Christmas before you know it.