I love funding a project, and this one is especially exciting because it consists of various components that I’ve never created before. It’s also a DOING thing—not just something you put on a wall or in a drawer. This project also lets others express their creativity.
Now go VOTE!
You may have noticed that 7 blocks have no art. We’re already planning to do four of them, but we wanted to leave the last three to the backers.
All the art with the 7 unassigned: #2, 3, 15, 21, 24, 32, and 35.
We have some things obviously missing. Three of our four are probably going to be craters. We really should have some craters in here. But see our poll to vote on some other things we could include. If anything is missing, it could be because we are saving it for our Stretch Goals, which include Artemis, Apollo, and Soviet-era space items.
Right? This is still going fabulously… no complaints, but my last pin campaign was like 3x in the first 24 hours!
ANYWAY
We are super close, and I expect to fund it officially by the end of the day. Hopefully.
THE BOX
I have rendered the box. We got a blank sample from the producer (see below), so that was the base of the image, and I projected the art onto that.
Here is the box opened, with blank blocks cut to illustrate the arrangement. Please note that this was when I had 28 stamps, so the arrangement will have changed since then. The opaque ink pads are also shown. ACTUALLY, I would like your input on whether you prefer traditional ink or opaque ink (see below for poll). The grey and blue colors are what I've been showcasing, but I plan to ask about additional color options. Perhaps people can choose their preferred color pairs later at survey time.
It is a little messy. The black paper does absorb the thinner inked spots, which I think is common with most black paper. It happens on white too, but you can still see the color even though it's absorbed.
It looks worse, like this. You’d never see this 4" tall. In real life, it would be more like this smaller image. More like 2" tall.
I've got my hands on 5 genuine stamps featuring my original art! I already have some standard ink pads, but I asked the supplier for their opaque ink pads to compare the two. I'm considering offering an opaque option for anyone who might want to use them on black paper—because, you know… space.
Actual stamping with actual rubber by actual human hands with actual inks (except column 3).
I included the digital to highlight the detail lost and its specific areas. But honestly, the beauty lies in the imperfections. Those textures and subtle blotches add to the charm. It’s interesting how places like Creative Market sell effects and brushes specifically to mimic this look in art. Clearly, people appreciate it enough to deliberately add it to their work.
The Stamp Rubber This is the best part. The details are there as displayed by the standard ink column. Almost every hairline in the Ganymede stamp is present in the print. You can also clearly see each of Saturn’s rings and the rubber did not close up on almost any detail.
Which brings us to…
The Standard Ink
This is the clear winner to me. Just sharper all-around and noted above. The ink is less viscous, so it captures the image without gumming up at the edges.
Opaque Ink This is not too bad, really. If your goal is to print on darker paper, I think it might be worth having this capability. The ink does appear thicker and applies more like paint, which means the edges are not as crisp and are more inclined to bleed and smudge a bit. Ganymede actually looks almost blurry compared to the standard.
The Box This was also provided. Unprinted. But it will definitely do. It is a sleeve and tray. It slides out easily, and the blocks will all fit within a 9x5 space, with the ink stamps nestled on the side. I’ll take pictures and show it when I mock up the box design.
Been playing with the parts I have made so far. Just mocking them up in Adobe Illustrator. So these are not real stamps or even mocks. Just the symbols at their respective sizes repeated and on color multiply for effect.
Fun View of Europa from another Galelean moon. Somehow Artemeis landed there!
Voyager discovers Jupiter’s ring!
Okay, Jupiter’s ring is not that visible even from the perspective of Voyager. Details are based on real features, but they are made to have a bit of fun.
Here’s a breakdown of stamps used:
Scene 1:
Uses both star stamps (twice each)
Includes the Europa stamp
Incorporates both Martian landscapes (one used twice, the other three times)
Features the Blue Moon Lander
Includes one rocks stamp.
Scene 2:
Utilizes both star stamps (one used twice, the other four times)
Includes the Voyager stamp
and Io stamp
Features a thin ring stamp
Jupiter stamp.
Only about 1/3 of the planned stamps appear in these scenes, suggesting more creative combinations are possible when using the full set of around 30 stamps!
