September Update: Charging Cards, Better Photos, & Final Counts
Charging Cards & Pins Have Started Production
As stated in the last update, pins have been sent off to production! With that, it is now time to CHARGE CARDS. Cards will charge in approximately 48 hours so you can update the card info if needed. Most cards have not yet been charged, so please take a look at that. Do note, shipping will not be charged until pins arrive and are quality graded before going off to their homes.
We are now in the last bit of the project, waiting for the designs to be manufactured.
Better Photos
Some backers messaged about the Dahlia Dragon pin not matching and looking pink more than black. I snapped a quick photo before I left for my trip, and it was a pretty blown out photo due to high lighting contrast. In the rush to get my family packed I didn't notice how extreme it was. The comparison photo better shows the colors in indoor lighting. I think it ended up fairly close to the mock-up artwork. Sorry to have worried anyone!
The left is the first sample with a slight tilt to the light direction, and the right image is the finalized sample. Top is in direct light, bottom is in more even indoor light. The pearl on the dragon makes the colors have a lot of variation as you tilt it. The dark colors make colors harder to properly photograph. But without the lightening of pearl powder, the dragon was way too dark even in person.
Here is a revised set of all the pins together with more true-to-life photos. Though they do still look much better in person than in a still image.
Realized I forgot the Sunflower Dragon in this photo....
Here are some pics of the 1st sample on the left of each photo, compared to the final (or near final sample) on the right of each photo. The changes from start to finish were primarily so each pin and dragon were easier to read next to each other.
Hibiscus Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost next to the flower. Small color tweaks were made to the face so it was a pinch brighter.
Tiger Lily Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost next to the flower. The color was also made a little yellower, so it was more orange than red.
Sunflower Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it matched the rest of the set better. This one was giving the hardest time for photographing, but it looks a lot more golden in real life.
Chrysanthemum Dragon had barely a change, which was mostly just for the color tips. Final production will have better soft enamel, they accidentally filled it in the final sample.
Cornflower Dragon: pearl powder got added to the flowers so it didn't get lost in blue of the pin plating. Colors were also tweaked to be a little more powder-blue. The screen print color is a little more bold than the pins will be in-production.
Iris Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost next to the flower. It ended up with some lovely contrast.
Foxglove Dragon: Pearl got added to just the tummy and face scutes so it looked softer. The pins in production will have proper soft enamel in the flowers like the first sample.
Plumeria Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost being all white, which made it appear silver with the gradient. The final pin sample is lacking the screen print it will have in production.
Dahlia Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost next to the flower. In hand it reads a lot better, even if it is a bit lighter than expected overall.
Sakura Dragon: pearl powder got added to make the softer colors pop instead of look muddy at the smaller pin size.
Final Pin Versus Artwork
Here are some of the pins next to their original artwork mock-ups. Not perfect, but they look really good in-hand.
Always fun to see how the art translates into a pin with such visually complex pins.
Final Counts
We had to gather final counts for the designs, always cool to know which pins are most popular or well-liked.
Hops & Sakura have special status, since they are cross-promotion freebies.
Pins mostly went how I expected, except I mostly anticipated Cornflower and Hibiscus to be swapped.
Hope to update more next month, fingers crossed pins will be made quickly. -Iggi of Alstro Arts
Finally all the pins are approved, and we are production ready! The final pins are pretty good now, and I'm locking the survey to get final counts soon!
Survey will be locked down August 18th.
When I lock down survey, you will not yet be charged shipping, that will be once pins get in. Backers can update what pins they want based on updated samples, add-on any additional pins if desired, or update address details until the 18th. I'll be away on a trip with family till then, so I'll lock survey once I get back. As a note, you should still be able to update addresses up until I'm ready to ship your order and charge shipping to the card on file, lock down should only affect your pin selection.
Preorders will also be closed when survey lock down too~!
As a visual reminder, here are the other pins to help you narrow down your selection in the survey if needed.
They have come a long way, and hopefully will be faster in production than they were at sampling.
Notes for minor production tweaks: Hibiscus - None Tiger Lily - None Sunflower - None Chrysanthemum - None Cornflower - Minor fix to screen print thickness to preserve detail Iris - None Foxglove - Fix on areas that were hard enamel that were made solid Plumeria - Slight adjustment to make the belly gradient go darker, and fill the left paw Dahlia - None Hops - None Sakura - None Hops Bookmark- Slight green adjustment to body color so less gold Sakura Bookmark- Make the dark brown body more clear
Finally making some heckin' headway with the dragons, the manufacturer was focusing elsewhere instead of chronologically with the projects I've sent to them. That seems to be what was bogging down sample production. Though we still are in the thick of it, at least some things are getting sample updates finally.
Three pins seem to be almost done with their samples, just waiting on clear fill and screen print on top. When these 3 are ready and Hibiscus is confirmed we will finally be ready for Survey to be sent out.
Plumeria, Foxglove, and Dahlia samples are almost revised. While I can't call it yet without seeing the samples done, they seem to be on track.
On top of that, Bookmark samples finally have a finished visual and are pretty good. There will be some small tweaks in color for production (not significant enough to warrant a re-sampling), but they are otherwise approved.
The black of the body will be lightened for production so you can see the screen through it a little better.
The front yellow screen print will more closely match the gold color for production, and I'll tiny the body clear to a little more green to be closer to the pin while remaining warm.
Otherwise, I'm hoping this month we will be done with samples, because I'm very excited to see the set complete!
Design Statuses:
Hibiscus Dragon - sample in progress
Tiger Lily Dragon - Sample approved
Sunflower Dragon - Sample approved
Chrysanthemum Dragon - Sample approved
Cornflower Dragon - Sample approved
Iris Dragon - Sample approved
Foxglove Dragon - sample in progress
Plumeria Dragon - sample in progress
Dahlia Dragon - sample in progress
Hops Dragon - Sample approved
Sakura Dragon - Sample approved
Hops Bookmark Sample approved
Sakura Dragon bookmark - Sample approved
Stickers are production ready, awaiting pins to lock-down before sending to production.
Reminders:
Discord since that makes it easier to contact me quickly if I've managed to forget to update here. Link HERE to the Discord server.Which is dramatically faster than here, and faster than email.
Survey will stay open though until samples are complete
Until Survey lock, you can manually update your address, add more pins / stickers, or select different stuff if you have changed your mind. You can even message me if you want to swap around your stickers for pins to some degree.
The Pre-Order store will be open until samples finalize as well. So if you missed out, you still have a chance to get them steeply discounted.
If you are a backer that can't find your survey, feel free to email me so I can try to help you out. Otherwise you can try this first: Survey Recovery Page email: [email protected]
No sample updates yet for the remaining designs, though they have been in contact with us. Was hoping we'd get something ready in March for the monthly update, but nothing was ready for a photo before Spring Break. Though with my other Pin Club stuff starting to be approved for production, there is little holding these designs from being done sampling for lock-down. Hoping for an update any day now.
Design Statuses:
Hibiscus Dragon - awaiting sample update
Tiger Lily Dragon - Sample approved
Sunflower Dragon- Sample approved
Chrysanthemum Dragon - Sample approved
Cornflower Dragon - Sample approved
Iris Dragon- Sample approved
Foxglove Dragon - awaiting sample update
Plumeria Dragon - production ready
Dahlia Dragon - awaiting sample update
Hops Dragon - Sample approved
Sakura Dragon - Sample approved
Hops Bookmark - sample in progress
Sakura Dragon bookmark - sample in progress
Stickers are production ready, awaiting pins to lock-down before sending to production.
Reminders:
Discord since that makes it easier to contact me quickly if I've managed to forget to update here. Link HERE to the Discord server.Which is dramatically faster than here, and faster than email.
Survey will stay open though until samples are complete
Until Survey lock, you can manually update your address, add more pins / stickers, or select different stuff if you have changed your mind. You can even message me if you want to swap around your stickers for pins to some degree.
The Pre-Order store will be open until samples finalize as well. So if you missed out, you still have a chance to get them steeply discounted.
If you are a backer that can't find your survey, feel free to email me so I can try to help you out. Otherwise you can try this first: Survey Recovery Page email: [email protected]
Slow progress, but at least moving along. Several samples look to have completed recently, and I'm really pleased with them so far in these revisions. Here are the ones I've seen updated!
Design Statuses:
Hibiscus Dragon - awaiting sample update
Tiger Lily Dragon - sample now approved for production
Sunflower Dragon- sample now approved for production (will get minor tweaks to look more 'golden'
Chrysanthemum Dragon - production ready
Cornflower Dragon - sample now approved for production (will get faint blue adjustment)
Iris Dragon- sample now approved for production
Foxglove Dragon - awaiting sample update
Plumeria Dragon - production ready
Dahlia Dragon - awaiting sample update
Hops Dragon - Sample approved
Sakura Dragon - Sample approved
Hops Bookmark - sample in progress still (got missed until now it seems)
Sakura Dragon bookmark - sample in progress
Stickers are production ready.
Discord since that makes it easier to contact me quickly if I've managed to forget to update here. Link HERE to the Discord server.Which is dramatically faster than here, and faster than email.
Survey will stay open though until samples are complete
Until Survey lock, you can manually update your address, add more pins / stickers, or select different stuff if you have changed your mind. You can even message me if you want to swap around your stickers for pins to some degree.
The Pre-Order store will be open until samples finalize as well. So if you missed out, you still have a chance to get them steeply discounted.
If you are a backer that can't find your survey, feel free to email me so I can try to help you out. Otherwise you can try this first: Survey Recovery Page email: [email protected]
Progress is still going annoyingly slow right now, we are still waiting on updated samples with the pearlescent revisions under the clear enamel. They have been prioritizing my older Patreon pin club project (from 2024) that was the most behind, which is why samples are taking so long. I'll post as soon as we get something with a photo update from the manufacturer of all the sample updates when I get them. However, I do have these 6 at the half-way point without their screen printing effects, UV effects, and fills. As you can see, overall they are looking so far a ton better than the last visual update. Hopefully samples will be completely done soon.
Thank you for your continued patience.
Campaign Reminders:
Discord since that makes it easier to contact me quickly if I've managed to forget to update here. Link HERE to the Discord server.Which is dramatically faster than here, and faster than email.
Survey will stay open though until samples are complete
Until Survey lock, you can manually update your address, add more pins / stickers, or select different stuff if you have changed your mind. You can even message me if you want to swap around your stickers for pins to some degree.
The Pre-Order store will be open until samples finalize as well. So if you missed out, you still have a chance to get them steeply discounted.
If you are a backer that can't find your survey, feel free to email me so I can try to help you out. Otherwise you can try this first: Survey Recovery Page email: [email protected]
A metal bookmark tier ($10), add-on for one metal bookmark ($10) and a pair of both Sakura and Hops bookmarks ($18) add-on have been added to the campaign already due to an unexpectedly large amount of backers saying they would want one! (57% out of a pool of over 100 already) For those pledging to just the bookmark tier with no pins, you can add an additional metal bookmark as an add-on for $9 of your choice (exclusive to this tier) since I'll be able to save some on shipping by using a flat mailer instead of a box.
Printed Bookmarks will likely still be added, but I will only be adding them if I have time to complete the art before the campaign ends. I will update if/when that happens. If you want to vote on which designs will be added if I can first do Iris, Cornflower, Chrysanthemum, and Foxglove... you can do so at this Discord link HEREwhere I already have a poll running.
Slight update to Sakura dragon, where I forgot to fill in the deep red on the back.
As stated in the last update, pins have been sent off to production! With that, it is now time to CHARGE CARDS. Cards will charge in approximately 48 hours so you can update the card info if needed. Most cards have not yet been charged, so please take a look at that. Do note, shipping will not be charged until pins arrive and are quality graded before going off to their homes.
We are now in the last bit of the project, waiting for the designs to be manufactured.
Better Photos
Some backers messaged about the Dahlia Dragon pin not matching and looking pink more than black. I snapped a quick photo before I left for my trip, and it was a pretty blown out photo due to high lighting contrast. In the rush to get my family packed I didn't notice how extreme it was. The comparison photo better shows the colors in indoor lighting. I think it ended up fairly close to the mock-up artwork. Sorry to have worried anyone!
The left is the first sample with a slight tilt to the light direction, and the right image is the finalized sample. Top is in direct light, bottom is in more even indoor light. The pearl on the dragon makes the colors have a lot of variation as you tilt it. The dark colors make colors harder to properly photograph. But without the lightening of pearl powder, the dragon was way too dark even in person.
Here is a revised set of all the pins together with more true-to-life photos. Though they do still look much better in person than in a still image.
Realized I forgot the Sunflower Dragon in this photo....
Here are some pics of the 1st sample on the left of each photo, compared to the final (or near final sample) on the right of each photo. The changes from start to finish were primarily so each pin and dragon were easier to read next to each other.
Hibiscus Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost next to the flower. Small color tweaks were made to the face so it was a pinch brighter.
Tiger Lily Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost next to the flower. The color was also made a little yellower, so it was more orange than red.
Sunflower Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it matched the rest of the set better. This one was giving the hardest time for photographing, but it looks a lot more golden in real life.
Chrysanthemum Dragon had barely a change, which was mostly just for the color tips. Final production will have better soft enamel, they accidentally filled it in the final sample.
Cornflower Dragon: pearl powder got added to the flowers so it didn't get lost in blue of the pin plating. Colors were also tweaked to be a little more powder-blue. The screen print color is a little more bold than the pins will be in-production.
Iris Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost next to the flower. It ended up with some lovely contrast.
Foxglove Dragon: Pearl got added to just the tummy and face scutes so it looked softer. The pins in production will have proper soft enamel in the flowers like the first sample.
Plumeria Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost being all white, which made it appear silver with the gradient. The final pin sample is lacking the screen print it will have in production.
Dahlia Dragon: pearl powder got added to the dragon so it didn't get lost next to the flower. In hand it reads a lot better, even if it is a bit lighter than expected overall.
Sakura Dragon: pearl powder got added to make the softer colors pop instead of look muddy at the smaller pin size.
Final Pin Versus Artwork
Here are some of the pins next to their original artwork mock-ups. Not perfect, but they look really good in-hand.
Always fun to see how the art translates into a pin with such visually complex pins.
Final Counts
We had to gather final counts for the designs, always cool to know which pins are most popular or well-liked.
Hops & Sakura have special status, since they are cross-promotion freebies.
Pins mostly went how I expected, except I mostly anticipated Cornflower and Hibiscus to be swapped.
Hope to update more next month, fingers crossed pins will be made quickly. -Iggi of Alstro Arts
Finally all the pins are approved, and we are production ready! The final pins are pretty good now, and I'm locking the survey to get final counts soon!
Survey will be locked down August 18th.
When I lock down survey, you will not yet be charged shipping, that will be once pins get in. Backers can update what pins they want based on updated samples, add-on any additional pins if desired, or update address details until the 18th. I'll be away on a trip with family till then, so I'll lock survey once I get back. As a note, you should still be able to update addresses up until I'm ready to ship your order and charge shipping to the card on file, lock down should only affect your pin selection.
Preorders will also be closed when survey lock down too~!
As a visual reminder, here are the other pins to help you narrow down your selection in the survey if needed.
They have come a long way, and hopefully will be faster in production than they were at sampling.
Notes for minor production tweaks: Hibiscus - None Tiger Lily - None Sunflower - None Chrysanthemum - None Cornflower - Minor fix to screen print thickness to preserve detail Iris - None Foxglove - Fix on areas that were hard enamel that were made solid Plumeria - Slight adjustment to make the belly gradient go darker, and fill the left paw Dahlia - None Hops - None Sakura - None Hops Bookmark- Slight green adjustment to body color so less gold Sakura Bookmark- Make the dark brown body more clear
Finally making some heckin' headway with the dragons, the manufacturer was focusing elsewhere instead of chronologically with the projects I've sent to them. That seems to be what was bogging down sample production. Though we still are in the thick of it, at least some things are getting sample updates finally.
Three pins seem to be almost done with their samples, just waiting on clear fill and screen print on top. When these 3 are ready and Hibiscus is confirmed we will finally be ready for Survey to be sent out.
Plumeria, Foxglove, and Dahlia samples are almost revised. While I can't call it yet without seeing the samples done, they seem to be on track.
On top of that, Bookmark samples finally have a finished visual and are pretty good. There will be some small tweaks in color for production (not significant enough to warrant a re-sampling), but they are otherwise approved.
The black of the body will be lightened for production so you can see the screen through it a little better.
The front yellow screen print will more closely match the gold color for production, and I'll tiny the body clear to a little more green to be closer to the pin while remaining warm.
Otherwise, I'm hoping this month we will be done with samples, because I'm very excited to see the set complete!
Design Statuses:
Hibiscus Dragon - sample in progress
Tiger Lily Dragon - Sample approved
Sunflower Dragon - Sample approved
Chrysanthemum Dragon - Sample approved
Cornflower Dragon - Sample approved
Iris Dragon - Sample approved
Foxglove Dragon - sample in progress
Plumeria Dragon - sample in progress
Dahlia Dragon - sample in progress
Hops Dragon - Sample approved
Sakura Dragon - Sample approved
Hops Bookmark Sample approved
Sakura Dragon bookmark - Sample approved
Stickers are production ready, awaiting pins to lock-down before sending to production.
Reminders:
Discord since that makes it easier to contact me quickly if I've managed to forget to update here. Link HERE to the Discord server.Which is dramatically faster than here, and faster than email.
Survey will stay open though until samples are complete
Until Survey lock, you can manually update your address, add more pins / stickers, or select different stuff if you have changed your mind. You can even message me if you want to swap around your stickers for pins to some degree.
The Pre-Order store will be open until samples finalize as well. So if you missed out, you still have a chance to get them steeply discounted.
If you are a backer that can't find your survey, feel free to email me so I can try to help you out. Otherwise you can try this first: Survey Recovery Page email: [email protected]
