Hey Crew,

The 2026 Sketchbook is officially at the printer. We're sending back our final edits today, which means we should be able to give the green light on Monday and get those presses rolling. After all the Saturday mornings that went into this thing, it feels really good to say that out loud.

Couple of fun changes to tell you about. You know Steve — when something isn't up to par, it gets fixed. He took another look at the Dave cover and decided to swap it out for an absolutely killer Nexus cover instead. We think you're going to love it. We're also switching out the notebook for the same Nexus image.

In the meantime, we're already in full assembly mode over here — building boxes and pulling together all the goodies and extras that go in with your order. It's starting to look like a proper operation around the studio.

And hey — Steve's back on the livestream today at 1:30 PM Pacific / 4:30 PM Eastern. Come hang out, watch him draw, and ask whatever's on your mind. These Saturdays are the best part of our week. → https://www.youtube.com/steverudethedude

One quick favor: we're still waiting on a few exit surveys before we can lock everything in. If you're one of the 23 BackerKit backers or 6 Kickstarter backers who haven't finished checkout yet, hop in and knock it out so nothing holds up your shipment.  Log into your Backerkit account, click on your icon and  go to your Pledges and Surveys.

Thanks for hanging in there with us — this is the fun part now.

Keep drawing,

The Rude Dude Studio Crew

The 2026 Sketchbook ended up at 160 pages!  It's back from the Editor and (pending Steve's approval) is headed to the printer on Monday.  That gives us a June shipping date.

The test for the exit survey was sent yesterday and we did note an error.  Once Backerkit helps us fix that we'll send it out to everyone.

Back during opening weekend with any Gallery Unsigned, Gallery Signed, or Studio Edition book and the Earlybird Gift Pack is on us. Free with the book.

What's inside:

This one's a separate add-on, but it's a beauty. For $25, you get one random preview book plus the complete digital set of all 5 preview books. That's a $99 value.

The preview books are something special. They show pencils, inks, and the full script. The full script is NOT included in the Gallery or Studio Edition Hardcovers. If you want to see how Steve built Battle for Thuneworld from the page up, this is the deepest dive you'll get.

Each preview book is

Thanks again for hanging in there with us. The 2026 sketchbook is officially put together at 160 pages and has now gone to the editor to catch all the spelling mistakes I managed to leave in. After that, it heads to the printer in Canada for a full draft copy, then on to press.

This one has easily been the most challenging sketchbook we’ve put together so far. Steve did not do many commissions this year, and the sketchbook he was working from literally fell apart just a few months into the year. Because of that, we built this volume around the weekly livestreams, which ended up giving the book its own personality. Inside you’ll find step-by-step demos, finished artwork, and QR codes that let you watch the original drawing sessions.

We know this one has taken longer than expected, and we really do appreciate your patience. We wanted to make sure the book still felt full, worthwhile, and true to what was happening in the studio this year.

The Battle for Thuneworld Artist Edition wraps this Saturday. Quick reminder of what makes this one different: you're getting the oversize pencils, inks, AND all the color pages — for the same price most places charge for just the pencils and inks. That's the whole book, the way Steve made it.

We're $15,000 away from the troops milestone — the point where we send Artist Editions to deployed servicemembers. If you've been on the fence, this is the weekend to jump in.

👉 steverude.com/thuneworldae

Our weekly livestream is this Saturday at 1:30 PM Arizona time on YouTube — same place Steve's been drawing every page you'll see in the new sketchbook. Last stream before Thuneworld closes, so it's gonna be a good one. youtube.com/steverudethedude

And if you want the closest seat to the studio, our Patreon Crew gets campaign-exclusive pricing, behind-the-scenes access, and way more of Steve's process all week long: patreon.com/steverude

More soon,

Jaynelle

Hey Crew,

We're 48 hours away from the launch of our next crowdfunding campaign, Nexus: The Battle for Thuneworld Gallery and Studio Edition Hardcover, so here's where things stand at the studio.

We did bring someone on to help put the book together, but in order for him to do that well, he needed a complete mockup to work from. Jaynelle had been building that out, but then we had to bring the crowdfunder work back in-house, which pulled a lot of time and focus. Around that same stretch, Steve was also dealing with a serious health scare that set us back by about five weeks. He is doing well now, everyone is safe, and we are back at it.

The main thing we want you to know is this: we're getting everything done as fast as we can while keeping the standards high and the quality where it belongs.  Currently this puts us as a May/June shipping date.

Jaynelle has just finished putting together the Battle for Thuneworld hardcover in time for Patreon early access, and we officially launch it this Saturday, March 28, during the livestream. Once the book goes to print, the estimated turnaround is about four months with an anticipated October ship date.

This launch date also means something personal to us. March 28 is Jaynelle's late father's birthday, and she chose to launch the campaign that day in his honor.

Steve will be live on stream Saturday and plans to hang out as long as the backertrain keeps rolling.

Not on Patreon yet? That's where early access is happening: View on Patreon

Saturday, March 28 at 1:30 PM Arizona time: VIew Launch Party Livestream

Now that Thuneworld is ready for launch, Jaynelle is back to building the full 2026 Sketchbook mockup, and we'll keep sharing updates as it comes together.

Also, if you backed the Nexus Family level for the Encyclopedia, we're excited to start sharing behind-the-scenes progress with you on Discord. You'll be getting a BackerKit message with access to the hidden channel.

If you didn't back and would still like to join in, it's $49 and includes behind-the-scenes updates from the Encyclopedia team, access to a special edition of the book limited to that group, and your name in the book.  Just email us and we'll get you hooked up.

Thanks again for being here and for sticking with us while we build these books the right way. We're excited to open the doors on Thuneworld this Saturday and hope you'll join us for the launch.

See you on the stream,

Jaynelle, Steve, and the studio crew
Get Early Access to Thuneworld NOW on Backerkit

Hey Rude Dude Crew!

First things first — I owe you an apology and an explanation. It's been over a month since I've sent any kind of update on the 2026 sketchbook crowdfunder, and that's on me. Pull up a chair to the drawing table, because here's the full, honest story of what's been happening here at the studio.

You already know December was rough. Like, "electricity getting shut off and staring down the very real possibility of closing everything" rough. On New Year's Eve, we put out the call — and you showed up. Over 200 orders poured in that weekend. I'm not exaggerating when I say you saved us.

Here's where "be careful what you wish for" comes in (in the best possible way). We were not staffed for 200 orders. We went from survival mode straight into scramble mode — and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But it did mean the 2026 crowdfunder launched faster than we were ready for, which put us behind on production from the jump.

Once the crowdfunder wrapped, we put out another call — this time for designers and help. And just like before, the universe delivered. We've brought on a part-time project manager (who we're hoping to grow into a full-time role!) and a designer dedicated to the Battle for Thuneworld Artist Edition Hardcover. That's huge for the future of the studio.

The honest truth? All of that reorganizing pushed me personally even further behind on the actual 2026 sketchbook production. So we've made the call to bring in a dedicated book designer to get that project across the finish line — which will move things along much faster than if I were juggling everything myself.

One more thing I want to be upfront about — the exit surveys haven't gone out yet, and I know some of you have been waiting on those. Here's the plan: I'm spending this next week pulling together everything the new book designer needs to hit the ground running. Once that's handed off, sending out those surveys is next on my list. Thank you for your patience on that too!

📚 2026 Sketchbook — new anticipated shipping date: April

🎨 Battle for Thuneworld Artist Edition Hardcover — launching end of March (yes, that means the sketchbook won't have shipped yet when we open that campaign — we just want to be upfront about that!)
( https://www.steverude.com/thuneworldae)

Thank you. Genuinely. For your patience, your grace, and for being the kind of community that shows up when it matters. We're getting our footing, we're building the team, and we're so grateful you're on this ride with us.

Come hang out with us this Saturday at 1:30 PM Arizona time — Steve's live on YouTube every week and it's always a good time. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/steverudethedude

And if you want to be part of keeping the studio lights on (literally, lol), we'd love to have you over at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/steverude

With so much gratitude,

Jaynelle
Studio Manager, Rude Dude Studios (and my entire amazing volunteer crew)