Production Update
over 7 years ago
– Wed, Dec 14, 2016 at 06:16:49 PM
Slight production delay
Just a quick update to let you all know that there was a slight bit of confusion about the Hallows Angels patch order being placed (totally my fault), so the production didn't actually begin until last week.
That sets my time estimates back 2 weeks, so it's possible I will not have the patches until early January. As of today, I have everything else I need to get things packed.
The manufacturer is doing their best to get things moving quickly, but with the holiday it might just not be possible. I'm kicking myself for this, as I worked hard to meet my deadlines to get things produced and shipped before the end of the year.
Hopefully everyone is cool with a couple extra weeks for delivery. These should be out in the mail by the end of January at the very latest. Plenty of time for Halloween 2017!
The campaign is halfway through the 2 weeks it will run. I'm working on some additional bonuses for backers, so the more we have on board the more likely I can fund these bonuses. $16 bucks gets you 2 patches and one stretch goal item — as well as any bonus upgrades I am working to include.
"Order Of Krampus" heraldic shield patch designs
The campaign ends on Dec. 21, 2017.
Follow me on Kickstarter
If you aren't aware, you can follow people on Kickstarter and be notified of new campaigns, campaigns pledged to and other Kickstarter activity of mine. You can follow me on Kickstarter here on my profile page.
Patreon
And for those of you who want to get involved with my creative process in more in-depth ways, and get exclusive access to my development sketches and journaling, please consider becoming a patron over at my Patreon campaign.
Sneak peeks at all upcoming projects, extensive development sketches and journaling on the thinking and development behind all the art. Starts at just $2 a month with lots of additional pledge tiers for regular original art and more.
Thank You!
As always, many thanks to everyone who supported this campaign and the side-campaigns to help get all 8 of the Hallows Angels patch designs made.
It's very rewarding to have such a loyal crew of backers for these campaigns, and you support of each campaign not only helps make these patch sets possible, but also helps me establish my independent artist career so I can spend more time focusing on this type of creative activity.
Patch Orders Placed! Krampus Campaign Dec. 5
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 09:16:41 PM
Patch Orders Placed
A quick update to let you know that the patch orders have been placed, and they are heading into production. Usually it takes 3-5 weeks for the patches to be manufactured and delivered.
Another 1-2 weeks for packing and shipping, and that means I should have these out in the mail right around the estimated timeframe.
You guys were super fast with surveys, thank you! Nearly all of you have filled them out as well. Makes it much easier to get production going quickly when I have the item counts this fast.
The next Kickstarter campaign after Krampus will be the Cryptid Command 2 patch set featuring Mothman, Chupacabra and the Kraken.
Be sure to sign up for my monthly email newsletter to stay updated on future campaigns, and please consider supporting me on Patreon (starting at $2 a month) and receive in-depth behind-the-scenes sketches, development and process journals, exclusive drawings and art, and much more.
Thank You!
Once again, I just want to thank everyone for being a part of this campaign and supporting not only the project, but my development as I work towards becoming a fully independent artist. Your pledge goes much further than the immediate campaign rewards.
So many of you are ongoing and regular backers and I can't thank you enough for the support and enthusiasm. It is crucial in keeping the creative momentum going. I'm definitely creating my best work to date, and have all of you to thank for helping to make that possible.
The Origins of the Word "Halloween"; Global "Days of the Dead"
over 7 years ago
– Thu, Nov 17, 2016 at 07:52:36 PM
“Hallows Angels”
The name of this campaign. "Hallows Angels" is a play, of course, on the infamous Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang (and yes, they improperly leave out the apostrophe).
Initially, I named this campaign and patch set "Halloween's Angels". Knowing that Halloween is actually a contraction from the phrase "All Hallows Eve", some quick research into what the heck a "hallow" is (it's another word for "saint"), I realized this worked a bit better for the play on words. “Hallows” was a bit closer to “Hells”.
"Halloween" Etymology
Of course, now you're curious about how "All Hallows Eve" turns into "Halloween”. Here's a short version:
All Hallows Eve –> All Hallows Evening –> All Hallows e'en –> Hallows e'en –> Hallowe'en.
The contraction “e’en” for “evening” is a Scottish thing. As you learned in previous Halloween lore backer updates, much of the tradition of Halloween as we know it today derives from the Celts, and in turn the Irish and Scottish.
All Saints Day
Of course, since there’s an All Hallows Eve, there has to be an All Hallows Day. Knowing that a “hallow” is a saint, you now know why November 1 is called “All Saints Day”, a holiday in the Christian religion.
Like many other seasonal marker days (solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarter days) which had long-standing celebrations in place, it is reasoned that the Christian church chose these same days for holy days (the origin of the word "holiday"), and renamed/repurposed them for their own traditions.
From my reading, it seems this is a pretty common practice for many religions and cultures throughout history. I guess the idea is that it makes the switch easier for those who choose to do so.
The other big holiday where you see this happen is Christmas, which is also a rebranding of the Yule celebrations (Yule being the name for the period of winter), which itself is likely a rebranding of Saturnalia. All of these focus on the Winter Solstice, which currently occurs between December 21st and 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere.
Days Of The Dead
Another very curious Halloween-related phenomena are the global widespread occurrences of festival days focusing on death and the dead, all near the end of October and beginning of November.
Cultures from across the globe, from the ancient Peruvians to the Pacific Islanders, the Australians, the ancient Egyptians, and the northern nations of Europe, and many more all have a tradition at this time of year focusing on death and the dead.
This is very weird, and very unlikely to be due to some sort of passing along of traditions by cultures separated by vast distances of water and/or time (let alone language and ideology).
In short, he suggests that it all might be related to the fact that the entire Earth passes through the Taurid meteor stream right around the time of Halloween, and that perhaps in the past there were massive impacts that resulted in an association of this time of year being related to lots of death and destruction.
Rather than a singular tradition with a singular source somehow passed along relatively intact to many diverse and distant cultures, instead it was a global phenomenon experienced by a multitude of cultures simultaneously and interpreted uniquely by each.
BackerKit Surveys Sent • Krampus Patches in December
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Nov 15, 2016 at 06:31:21 PM
BackerKit Surveys: Sent
I just sent out the campaign survey invites via BackerKit. You should have received an email with a link to complete your survey regarding your Kickstarter rewards, and also it will provide you to purchase any add-on items such as additional patches and patch sets from the Hallows Angels set, as well as all the patches from previous campaigns.
The quicker you fill out your survey, the quicker i can place orders and ship your items! We are already 35% complete on the surveys — thank you!
Side-Campaign Patches
If you were a backer of the Tilt side-campaigns for the Hallows Angels bat patch or the Creepy Crawlies spider patch, your credit in BackerKit should include enough for you to add those patches in. If not, please let me know.
The bat and spider patches are available as add-on items in the BackerKit store. Here are previews of the patches:
"Hallows Angels" bat patch sew-out preview
"Creepy Crawlies" spider patch sew-out preview.
Production Update
The funds are in process of being transferred to my bank account, and once that is complete and the backer surveys are all filled out, I can place orders. All of the patches are ready to go into production.
I would hope we can place orders by Nov. 22 at the very latest. I'd love to start production by this Friday. It takes 3-5 weeks for the patches to get produced and shipped to me. Another 1-3 weeks for me to prep, pack and ship your rewards.
I am not aiming to ship these in time for Christmas, in fact I plan on packing and shipping over that holiday week between Xmas & New Year's Day.
Krampus Patch Campaign!
Krampus patch sketch teaser
Speaking of Christmas, I am also working to finalize the Krampus patch artwork and launch the campaign in early December. My plan is to launch Dec. 5 and end on Dec. 21. That could change, so be sure to be on my email newsletter for details, updates, and a secret bonus campaign items code.
Krampus patches in December, on Kickstarter!
Backers over at my Patreon campaign have had exclusive previews to the production and development art for the Krampus patch designs and much more. If you dig artist behind-the-scenes stuff, extended geeky insight into my process, and would like to help support me as an independent artist in an ongoing manner, become a backer over at Patreon starting at just $2/month.
Upcoming Campaigns
The Cryptid Command 2 patch set featuring Mothman, Chupacabra and the Kraken will launch in early 2017, and following that will be a mythological creatures patch set in Spring/Summer 2017.
Thank You!
Thanks again not only for backing this campaign, but also to those of you who've sent the kind emails about the campaign, the artwork and the excitement for these patches and the upcoming campaigns. It really helps fuel the creative fires to hear directly the enthusiasm of the fans and backers.
I can't thank you enough for your support. Most of you are repeat backers and a growing number are also Patreon backers as well. I know a lot of stuff competes for your attention these days. Thanks for making my creations a signal out of all that noise.
