Update // Happy new year! (Patreon)

I mean, it better be you lil shit…

Let’s be clear: 2022 was not a good year. My mental and physical health said “absolutely not” and after years of diligently keeping up to date with all my responsibilities, suddenly I couldn’t do more than continuously apologise for being so far behind on things.

So let me start with that: I am incredibly sorry I am so far behind on delivering commissions and rewards. Despite my health issues I have actually been working on several pieces simultaneously and this month should see things start to pick up solidly once more. Here’s a sneak peak of a piece I should be finishing in the next day or two:

The truth of it, however, is that I am catching up to the last 2-3 months of work and so I have decided to make some tough choices to make sure that I not only give myself a chance to catch up, but make things fair for those of you patiently waiting on me. So with that, said, let’s get down to it.

All tiers are now capped

While previously only the Mentor, Extreme and Ultimate tiers were capped, I have now decided to cap all tiers as follows:

• Easy tier: 170 slots
• Intermediate tier: 100 slots
• Advanced tier: 85 slots
• Mentor tier: 10 slots
• Extreme tier: 25 slots
• Ultimate tier: 4 slots

These numbers are based on the existing number of patrons currently pledged, which means that as of this moment, these are the available slots left on each tier:

• Easy tier: 1 slot
• Intermediate tier: 15 slots
• Advanced tier: 5 slots
• Mentor tier: 0 slots
• Extreme tier: 0 slots
• Ultimate tier: 0 slots

So what does this mean if you’re currently pledged? Absolutely nothing. This doesn’t affect you or your points or anything as long as you remain within your tier.

There are two situations in which this might affect you:

If you delete your pledge, you might not be able to return unless there’s an available slot when you decide to come back.

If your pledge gets declined, you will have until the 15th of the month to restore it in order to keep your slot. Patrons whose pledge gets declined will be notified with enough time and given extensions if required, but if no answer is received then they will be manually removed from the system to vacate the slot. The reason for this is due to the way Patreon is built, by which declined pledges will hold onto a limited slot even if they don’t pay into it for months.

So why am I doing this?

Because I would rather stop my growth than become increasingly unable to keep up with current demand. I have always been of the mind that my loyalty should be with existing supporters above new ones and throughout 2022 I feel I haven’t done a great job at keeping up with the faith and expectations placed on me.

The numbers above are representative of the current number of patrons, but as the year goes on I might constrict them further in order to ensure I can continue to meet my goals and deliver on my promises. Should this happen, I will let people know in my monthly updates.

Additionally, in the next two years I want to make further adjustments to my model in order to make it a lot more sustainable for myself, my well-being and that of my family. Keeping those numbers in check will make this process a lot easier going forward.

StarStickers availability

As we finalise the last few changes to the new StarStickers model, this month’s availability will once again be opened via a spreadsheet. I appreciate this isn’t an ideal format when the platform exists to press button > buy reward > success, but while we add the finishing touches to the new system this is currently the fairest option for those who haven’t cashed in a reward yet.

To book a reward please fill in your Patreon/Discord name and desired reward into this spreadsheet before Saturday the 7th:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1knYdlIrujgjw-vm3dO8KrYF7GpoV8clcY8Cyy93ZN70/edit?usp=sharing

(Please note that availability will be limited to 3-4 rewards and those who haven’t had a reward yet will be given priority)

General updates

And along with all the above, just a drive-by reminder of the usual routine stuff!

• New month, new art challenge! This month’s theme will be “fighting” inspired. Let’s collectively kick this year down into submission and show it who’s boss.
• We also have a new Study Group session around “Character Design” - which will make a mighty nice tie-in with the challenge.
• New year’s FFXIV Art party! Voting for this will take place shortly in the Discord. Make sure you bring your fireworks!
• A reminder that you can find ALL the information about this Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/masterpost-guide-68412485 - including my workflow and commission sheet which lets you know where I am with things and what I’m currently working on.

And as always, a reminder that my DMs are always open - as are all the dedicated channels in the Discord for general questions that my mods might be able to help you with.

And with that wall of unrelenting fun, I bid you the best year of your life.

Much love and power to you,

Ony