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
