Hello everyone - this is going to be a very image heavy update, so I apologize in nadvance. Before I show photos, I need to preface this with - Crystal Balls and the freebie pin came out great (in the few pins I've seen). The Graveyard Witches....have some issues. I am pretty frustrated with them, but will ultimately leave it up to those who backed for these pins to give their opinions (i.e. determine if I am being too picky/harsh in judging the errors).
I will e-mail all graveyard witch backers individually as well, to ensure I get all responses, but if you see this update, PLEASE comment below so I can gather everyone's thoughts!
Keep in mind I have not graded any of these pins yet, so may have to come back once that's done with some additional updates.
I will start with the good: the freebie floating skull pin came out AMAZINGLY. I always forget how big 2 inches is, though, so the first look admittedly shocked me lol.
The crystal balls are SUPER exciting to see in person! I unfortunately had an issue where the incorrect final glitter was sent, so it's a more blue-y color than purple as the sample had shown. If this makes you want to change your color choice, please reach out and let me know and I will either make note or unlock your survey (I'm unsure if I can unlock surveys of those who had already paid their full balance). The photos and videos really dont do these guys justice though - they are SO stunning in person.
And now, the witches - I somehow managed to grab 2 that had b grade issues (smudged screen printing) which makes me nervous for grading...but, sometimes that's something I can fix (if screen printing is in the middle of an area with no other printing, like the one witch's chest area, vs the other witch's shoes, which would be difficult or impossible to clean up). I'll post each grouping of photos individually but severity of the issues. I didnt grab a photo of the back, but they...did not laser on series numbers like I was told they would 🫠 so I will also have to figure out how to do that myself. I will be testing some options at home, but I do have several ideas for that at least.
First up - the worst issues of the entire batch. I will include a photo of the proof I approved to hopefully give a better idea of how it was SUPPOSED to look, as well.
I had issues with the skin tone being way too dark compared to what I approved - and this "fixed" version is better, but it clashes oddly with the shadows, though isnt nearly as bad as it would have been. The lightest color for her skin highlights is the .major issue here. It does not at all match the proof I approved, and looks to me like they used the same pigment for this witch as they did for the medium-complexion witch. Which is...very incorrect 🫠 and just looks very off and wrong to me.
This pin's mouth is very misaligned. If this is an issue with a lot of pins, I will likely pursue a partial remake as it just looks...terrible. Her hair shadows are also MUCH darker than they should have been.
Thankfully, the skin colors aside, there are no issues down here.
My main concern, aside from the glaring issues, is that I want to depict characters who are NOT my race/skin tone respectfully. It frustrates me that this pin caused me so much issue, and I've already had to fight to get it made right. I should have sampled all three pins, but I for some reason just...didn't. I am kicking myself aggressively for that now.
If you ordered this specific pin, please let me know your thoughts - as I will at the VERY least, fight to get enough remakes done to fulfill backer orders if they won't remake them entirely (given the cost and labor involved in these pins, I have a feeling that it will not be easy to convince them to do a full remake, let alone partial).
The next issue is much less severe, though it is annoying. The shadows for the shoes, book and hat of the following witch are...just blatantly wrong. If this doesnt bother folks, I will leave it as is - if it does, please let me know and I will attempt to pursue at least a partial remake to fulfill backer orders.
Logically, idk how they screwed this up. The other two witch's shoes are the correct placement of shadows 🙄
Finally, this witch didnt really have any glaring issues other than the pin I chose having mouth alignment issues. This may just be the one pin, or a small number of them but....if it isnt then I'll be fighting for that too 😭 or trying to anyway.
FINAL NOTES:
I will check in daily for any comments regarding these pins and their...issues. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but since you all spent your hard earned money on them I want to be aure you're happy with what you're getting.
ALL the other pins are being produced by my new manu. I have literally NO updates there because they haven't even given me all the PROOFS to approve yet, and those that have been sent have many issues that I need to fight for. I will be paying to get samples made of all those pins, because after this debacle, I do NOT want to deal with getting hundreds of pins remade 🥲 I am pressuring them daily to send proofs ASAP because you all are WAITING for your pins, and fulfillment will take me a while once I even get them, plus I will have to grade...literally thousands of pins.
A reminder that you can join my Facebook or discord to reach out regarding your pin selections, as well as e-mail me at [email protected] or messaging me on instagram! Thank you ALL so much for your patience and understanding with my slowness - I truly appreciate you all dearly 🙏💖 apologies for lack of formatting on this post as well - I'm typing on my phone and it's a much bigger hassle lol
