Today it’s raining cats and dogs in the Choir Critters research department! I'm here to share the latest vector art for both the Dominion Wolf and the Angelic Purrincipality~
I adjusted the halos for the Purrincipality pins to allow them to better carry two Cryptic Omen Hanging Charms, one from each halo! Should they decide you are in need of two Omens, they are now better equipped to handle that, for better or worse. 👁️👁️
I’m really excited to finally show these two in their cleaned-up vector forms. The Dominion Wolf has been calling to me for quite a while, and the Angelic Purrincipality is looking properly radiant, as it should.
🐈⬛ A Small Void Purrincipality Poll
After seeing the Rose Gold Void Purrincipality, I kind of fell in love with the gold + green combination. 💛💚 Out of curiosity, I quickly sketched a golden accent design onto the Color Coated Void Purrincipality to see what it might look like!
It ended up feeling like a lovely little callback to the colors this Purrincipality shares with the luna moth, and now I genuinely like both versions! 🌒 I can see the merit in either direction, so I’m leaving this one up to you lovely folks. 😸
The poll will end in one week, on Friday, Oct 16th, so don’t forget to 👉 VOTE!
Important note:this possible design addition would only apply to the Color Coated Void Purrincipality. The Rose Gold Void Purrincipality already naturally includes that beautiful gold color, so it will not be affected by this poll.
I’d really appreciate it if only those who have purrchased or plan on purrchasing this pin vote, just to keep things a bit more fair. Thank you!
🧿 Cryptic Omen Charm Updates
Onto the Cryptic Omen Charm changes from last time!
From what I could see, the majority of the feedback leaned toward keeping the redesigns, with some minor edits requested for the Sacred String Toy Charm. I super appreciate everyone’s input and kind words! 🥰
I’ve softened the Sacred String Toy with more rounded shapes and brought a bit more purple back into its design, so it feels a little more toy-like again while still keeping that strange Omen energy.
With that, these looks are finalized, and I’ll be moving on to vectoring them next!
👁️🗨️ A Wild Discord Appears
I’ve also created a Discord server for people to join, if you’d like! 🙈
This will be a super chill space where all are welcome. I’m quite discussion-shy, but I’m hoping to use it to share more relaxed updates, silly screenshots of whatever I’m working on/fighting with, and probably overshare pictures of my very own Purrincipalities. 🐈
To close, a little update on the submitted designs:
The Archangel Raccoon, Dagger Charm, Furbidden One Charm, Cherububu Charm, and Holy Donut Charm have all had their art proofs approved, which means the next step is sampling!
The Angel Opossum sample is also almost finalized with the new finish color and enamel fills, so I hope I’ll be able to share that soon. 😇
Thanks again, everyone! I appreciate all your feedback and the many watchful eyes on this project. 👀💛
Until next time~ 🫡
~ Qesque 🎨 Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky: @Qesque
This poll is ONLY for the Color Coated Void Purrincipality! The Rose Gold Void Purrincipality will not be affected, since that version already naturally includes the lovely rose gold metal.
I'd appreciate it if you vote ONLY if you have purrchased or plan on purrchasing this pin. Thank you! 😇
Quick Field Report today~ Scroll to the Backer-Exclusive Content section for the ever-so-important Google Form!
Otherwise, enjoy some production progress alongside a few updated Charm designs I'd love to get your feedback on!
🙈 Tiny BackerKit Oopsie
While working in one of my BackerKit Segments, I accidentally clicked “Close Surveys” for that group. I noticed fairly quickly and reopened them, so access should be restored now!
If you briefly saw a message saying surveys were closed, that was my mistake and it should be fixed! I’ve been granted too much power, really, and I wield it with the grace of a cat given thumbs. 🙃
If you’re still experiencing any trouble, please send me a message and I’ll take a look!
📍 Pin Progress
All of the submitted vector artwork files are currently in the proofing stage!
I’ve approved all of them except the Color Coated Archangel Raccoon, which had a screenprint color mixed up. I imagine that will be fixed and approved shortly, which means this first batch should be moving into the sampling phase soon!
I’m also resampling the Color Coated Angel Opossum one last time with a slightly different finish color and some lighter Pantone choices. The plating is currently finished, so now I’m just waiting to see how the enamel fills compare to the earlier samples. 🐾
I’ve been cleaning up the lines for the Dominion Wolf, too. Not entirely sure why that one called to me first, but apparently it did. 😆 So look forward to the final artwork for that one next!
🧿 Charm Adjustments
Now, onto the Charm adjustments I mentioned last time!
My goal with these was to keep the core “essence” of each Charm, while making the designs feel a little more Critter in nature. It’s like they’re taking on increasingly feral forms, with more intricate wings and expressive eyes. 👁️🪽
The Censer Charm went through the most drastic change, I think. I attempted its redesign about six times before finally leaning into what I’m apparently best at: weird creature vibes. ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )
That said, you all get the final say on whether or not we keep any of these changes!
I’m going to leave this informal for now! No polls, no extra form, just leave your comments or upvotes below. Let me know which versions you prefer! I'll only be making one of each.
The good news is, if any of the changed designs are kept and you like them, you’ll be able to request equivalent Charm swaps in the Google Form. Otherwise, as mentioned before, leftovers will be added to my online shop once all campaign orders are fulfilled! 💛
I think that’s everything for now.
Until next time! 🫡
~ Qesque 🎨 Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky: @Qesque
This update is a little jam-packed, and it’s one I meant to share sooner, but I’ve been busy-busy behind the scenes! 🐝
Before jumping in: I’ve been reading everyone’s thoughtful comments from the last update, even though I haven’t had a chance to respond to everyone individually yet. I’ll do my best to catch up on replies this week! If there’s something I still need to address, please forgive me, I’ll get to you soon! 💪
🏆 Final Finish Call: We’re Doing Both!
After putting together a more up-to-date production sheet with all of the pin designs, expected enamel colors, screenprint counts, and other details, I received both estimates back from my manufacturer~
I asked for two quotes:
Rose Gold Hard Enamel (only)
Rose Gold Hard Enamel + Color Coated Soft Enamel
And good news: having both the rose gold and color coated variants made is only about $3,000 more than producing only the rose gold pins!
That is still a significant amount of money, and it does make budgeting tighter, but I believe it’s worth it. It means everyone will get to choose the option that suits them best, I’ll have additional stock left for my shop afterward for anyone who missed them or wants more, and I’ll also receive about $1,500 off my order for producing so many pins at once.
So yes: I’m going to move forward with both finish options! ✨
📧 Upcoming Google Form
I’ll be putting together a Google Form where every backer can choose which version they’d prefer to receive:
Rose Gold Hard Enamel
Color Coated Soft Enamel with Epoxy
To keep this manageable on the production and fulfillment side, you’ll only be able to choose one finish option for your full order with no mixing and matching individual designs. Things would be too chaotic otherwise. 🙏💦
Anyone who does not respond by the deadline will receive the Rose Gold Hard Enamel version by default, since that was the poll-winning finish.
I may create a Discord later with a trading channel if people are interested, especially since I’ve wanted to make a Discord for more casual day-to-day updates anyway. We’ll see! 😇
📝 Manufacturer Notes
I also asked my manufacturer a few key questions about making both versions:
They confirmed that producing both versions will add extra production time,which was expected.
They also confirmed that we can use rose gold clasps for the hard enamel pins and rainbow clasps for the color-coated pins.
They also said that producing the color-coated pins together should help keep the coating colors more consistent, which is good news!
So yes, this does create more work for both me and the manufacturer, and it will likely add some time to the full production process. But as I said before, I believe it’s worth it if it means more people can receive the version they’re most excited about. 🌟
🖼️ First Wave of Vector Art Submitted
Moving on to something fun: I’ve submitted the first wave of vector files to my manufacturer!
I often start with the smaller pins and charms because they’re cheaper and quicker to sample. This lets me see how the colors look in real life before applying them to the larger pins. If colors need to change, it’s much easier to adjust them at a smaller scale first. 👌
The first submitted designs are:
Archangel Raccoon
The Dagger Charm
Furbidden One Charm
Cherububu Charm
Holy Donut Charm
A few notes about the artwork:
Even though I always do my best to stay true to the original color palette, enamel pin production means translating digital colors into physical Pantone colors. Pantone is very useful, but colors can still appear different depending on one's monitor, real-world lighting conditions, and the very imperfect nature of being human.
Different metal finishes can also affect enamel colors. Warmer metals, like gold and rose gold, can make enamel colors look warmer. Purple or cooler color-coated metals may make some enamel colors look cooler. In some cases, I’ll choose slightly adjusted colors in the production files so the final physical pins land closer to the intended look!
Soft enamel adds another layer of complexity because the metal sits higher than the enamel, creating some shadowing. The screenprints also sit on top of the clear protective coating, casting shadows onto the enamel. These shadows especially affect the appearance of lighter colors. Thus, some colors may look a little odd in the digital production art, but the goal is for the final physical pins to look just right!
And of course, these are still just digital designs! They’re meant to guide production as closely as possible, but they won’t be 100% accurate to the finished pins. Once samples are made, there may still be edits to enamel colors, screenprint colors, or even the color-coated metal itself.
With all that said, please enjoy this first look! 👁️
🍩 Tiny Holy Donut Engineering Note
You might notice that I changed the way the Holy Donut Charm hangs!
I didn’t want to ruin the round donut shape by adding a visible loop at the top, but I also wasn’t happy with the idea of adding another hole through the donut or using a giant jump ring through the center. None of those felt quite right.
Then I had what I am choosing to call a genius idea: put the loop on the back!
So that’s where the Holy Donut will hang from now, and I think it’ll look quite nice. 😚
🗳️ Survey Housekeeping
There are still a few people who haven’t filled out their surveys. Since it’s only a small number, this won’t affect production, but it does mean I won’t be able to ship your order later if your survey is still incomplete! 😱
Once funds are committed to production, I won't be able to offer refunds for incomplete surveys, so please fill yours out if you haven’t yet! I’d be very sad if your Critters never found their way home.
If I opened your survey for any last-minute additions, you should have received an email about it locking again, and you may receive a notice about your card being charged shortly afterward.
Speaking of charges: there are also a number of orders whose cards were declined. I’ll attempt to recharge cards occasionally while production is ongoing, so please double-check your payment method if you haven’t seen your transaction go through. 💸
There’s still time to sort these things out, but I wanted to give everyone a heads-up in case they need to check in on anything!
❓ What’s Next?
Next, I’ll be putting together the Google Form so everyone can choose between the Rose Gold Hard Enamel and Color Coated Soft Enamel versions. Keep an eye on your email and spam folders for that link! I'll share this in the next update as well, for anyone who might miss it otherwise.
Since I lost some work during my recent computer troubles, I’ve also been toying with a couple of the charm designs to help get past that painful “oh no, I have to do the same thing all over again” feeling. 🥹❤️🩹
SO! In the next update, I may have a few small charm adjustments to share~ Nothing major enough to change the core designs, for anyone who may be worried. It’s more about finessing what’s already there. And, of course, you all will get the final say on whether to keep the changes. 👍
🔎 Biblically Accurate Kitties Sighting
A fellow researcher appears to have discovered another population of strange celestial beings: Biblically Accurate Kitties by KirasElixir! These angelic little felines are full of wings, eyes, and deeply suspicious divine energy, so naturally I thought some of you might enjoy taking a peek.
There are only 5 days left to back their research, so if you’re in the mood for more beautiful, unsettling, many-eyed energy...
I hope this update has been insightful and enjoyable! I’ll have more to share soon, though it will have to wait until after my jury summons. 😶🌫️ Wish me luck!
See ya next time~ 💛
~ Qesque 🎨 Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky: @Qesque
Hello all! I'm hoping to make this post more show and less tell, but we'll see how I do. 🙈
Thank you to those who shared their thoughts and concerns in my last post (as always!). I know the colored metal was a big part of the original look for these designs, and I really do understand why the shift to rose gold hard enamel feels disappointing for some of you.
Because of that, I’ve gone ahead and asked my manufacturer for two production quotes:
ONLY rose gold hard enamel pins - the poll-winning finish and current campaign plan
BOTH rose gold hard enamel & color coated soft enamel pins - to see if offering both versions is doable
I don’t know yet if the second option will be financially or logistically possible. Aside from the cost considerations, there are also things like whether or not fulfillment can be handled without causing too much confusion or delay to consider.
But before I make the final call, I wanted to at least look into it properly. So I'm turning to you guys for feedback again! It genuinely helps me understand what matters most to everyone as I figure out the best path forward.
🎭 Current Pros + Cons
Rose Gold Hard Enamel (only)
It's the poll-winning finish
More cohesive across the full set of pins
Simpler production and fulfillment
Likely means a shorter campaign timeline
Color Coated Soft Enamel (as well)
Closer to the colorful metal look from the original campaign art
More finish color variety means additional hardware (rainbow to match)
Extra art files to account for color shifts due to the tinted metal and shadows
It would add cost, complexity, and possibly time
👇 If you’d like to weigh in, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 👇
💎 Rose Gold Mockups
As promised, I’ve put together rose gold mockups of the full set so you can get a better idea of how the designs may look with the rose gold finish! 💛
I’m including comparison images here showing the original colored-metal mockups (left) next to the rose gold versions (right). I also included mockups of the Angel Opossum and Hanging Mouse Charm, so you can see how my mockups compare to the actual manufactured pieces we've sampled (below).
A quick note: these mockups are very quick-and-dirty! They’re meant to give a general sense of the finish direction, not a perfect preview of the final pins. One must call upon the power of 🌈imagination🌈 to picture them as much shinier, prettier, physical enamel pins with polished metal and dimensional details that don't come through in flat digital art~ ✨
If you’d prefer scroll through the larger images more easily, I also uploaded them to Imgur here:
I’ll share more in the next update once I hear back from my manufacturer and have a clearer idea of whether offering both versions is actually possible, and what effect that might have on the production timeline.
Since this post already has a lot of images, I’ll save the vector art/progress sharing for the next update as well! ☺️
📆 Charge Date for Add-ons
As a reminder, I’m still planning to charge cards for survey add-ons and upgrades on Tuesday, Sept 8th!
This does not include shipping. Shipping will still be charged later, closer to fulfillment, once final package weights are confirmed.
I know it's been a long discussion about the plating for these pins, but we're close to the finish line now! (Pun intended?)
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 💛
~ Qesque 🎨 Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky: @Qesque
The remakes of Azrael has finally arrived! And everything looks good, so those are ready to ship.
Unfortunately the manufacture forgot to send the replacement beads for Cassiel, and are telling me to pay extra to ship them over. Unfortunately I cant cover the cost, so I had to source my own. Here is the final bead design I am using for the Cassiel pin.
Shipping overall will be slow as I need to attach all three beads by hand. Thankfully I think it looks nice and is technically closer to the art and what I originally was thinking of.
Production has been rough this year in the pin making community and a lot of us are not sure why, but please know we really appreciate all of you for your understanding and patience!
If you have any questions or concerns please email me at [email protected]. This will always be the fastest way to message me!
TLDR: - Shipped all available orders, keep an eye on your shipping notifications! - If you didn't get a notification, check to make sure you filled out your survey or your card properly charged. I'm hitting the 'charge card' button again around Sep 9th. - If there's a problem with your order, email me at [email protected] !
Full update!
Hooray, we're in the final stretch! Hopefully by the time I'm posting this you've gotten your order or at the very least a shipping notification!
I'm sending out a last few packages today!
If you haven't received a shipping notification: About 5% of backers have had some issue that isn't allowing things to go through. It COULD mean that you haven't filled out your survey or your card declined -- please please PLEASE double check that your survey is filled out or that your card went through!! There are also orders that simply didn't have their card charged for whatever reason, and in this case I will try again around Sep 9th, so make sure you have funds ready. I'm going to lock orders, addresses, and try to charge cards again after getting home from San Japan, probably sometime around September 9th or 10th, and this will be your last chance to have everything ready to go. Anyone who has not filled out their survey or fixed their card issues after this time will have to contact me directly via email to get their rewards!
If you HAVE received a shipping notification but it hasn't updated in a while: I had a few issues with some orders that I only just shipped out now. Check back in the next few days and see if the post office has updated anything. If you don't see any updates after a week or so, send me an email. If you have any issues: For any missing/damaged products or mail delivery issues, I would prefer if you contacted me through email [email protected] (the same email connected to this campaign, can also be found on the campaign page!) Comments here on this post are OK but a little harder to get notified for. I'll see them eventually but I'm more likely to respond quicker to an email! Send me an email, let me know what your issue is, and which email you used for the campaign so I can look up your order. Always happy to be here to help with anything!
That's it for now, thanks everyone! I'm super excited for you to get your items!
I'm back from my mini-con adventure, and a small break from posting, and I'm ready to share the news~
Thank you to everyone who voted in the final finish poll and shared your thoughts on the pin samples! The results came back very clearly in favor of the 💎 Rose Gold Hard Enamel Finish(65%), followed by the 📀 Rose Gold Soft Enamel with Pink Coating (29%).
So, with that decided: the campaign pins will be produced in rose gold hard enamel! ✨
I’m really grateful for all the feedback throughout this sampling process. It's been exciting getting to experiment with some of the color-coated options, and I’m glad we took the time to test them, compare them, and make the final call on the finish with all the knowledge gained. 😇
Since there was still interest in the coated finish, I may continue exploring some color-coated soft enamel variants separately as future shop/convention inventory. That would be separate from campaign rewards and would not replace or delay the rose gold hard enamel campaign pins. For now, the priority is getting these guys into full production! 💪😤
🚫 A Small Setback
So, I thought the Choir Critters files had escaped my recent computer troubles, but it turns out I did lose a little bit of vector progress. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything huge! I've needed to restart three files: The Furbidden One, Cherububu, and Tamagodchi.
The good news is that The Furbidden One and Cherububu have already been re-vectored this week, and I’ve started reworking the Tamagodchi as well. Archangel Raccoon, The Dagger, and Holy Donut are still good to go and will be submitted shortly, and the Angel Opossum and Hanging Mouse Charm are ready to approve for final production as well!
I’ll be submitting files in waves so production can begin while I continue finalizing the remaining vectors. The first wave will go in soon, and I’ll keep working through the rest from there. 🎨😌
📆 Charge Date for Add-ons
Since the final finish has been decided and production is ready to begin, I’ll be charging cards for survey add-ons and upgrades on Tuesday, Sept 8th. You'll also receive a notice from BackerKit 48 hours before your cards are charged.
📦 This charge will not include shipping. Shipping will still be charged later, closer to fulfillment, once final package weights are confirmed.
If you need to update the payment method/card on file you should still be able to do so from your BackerKit survey confirmation link before charges run September 8th!
🔎 Fellow Creature Sighting: Feathered Fox Friends
I rather enjoyed sharing another creator's campaign last update, so I thought I'd do it again. 😇
This time, I wanted to give a little shout-out to Feathered Fox Den! I brought home Rowan from Series 1 of their plushie foxes, and I love them dearly~ I’m obviously planning to bring home a friend for them very soon. 👀
Daphne is genuinely sweet and clearly puts so much care into these little guys. They’re incredibly soft, and the embroidery in their wings is so lovely~ 💛
I don’t know if folks enjoy seeing other campaigns pop up here, but I’ve been having fun sharing projects I’m excited about!
Thank you for keeping an eye on this project and all the Critter happenings~ 👁️ In the next update, I hope to share some of the vector work that's been done on these strange little celestial creatures.
I hope you have a lovely weekend!
~ Qesque 🎨 Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky: @Qesque
Hello! Doing one final update for this project as I’ve sent out and all the pins should be delivered. If you didn’t receive your pin, feel free to email me at [email protected]
Thank you guys for supporting my first pin project! I’m hopefully working on an alien plush and a medical ita bag! So stay tuned :3
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