The Boy in the Castle

New Stretch Goals!
almost 8 years ago – Mon, Jun 20, 2016 at 06:33:14 PM

Salutations, Cats 'n' Chicks, 

Ten days left! And the Home-Stretch-Goals are UP! 

The Wizards and I have spent a lot of time over the last few weeks developing these final targets. We've been crazy distracted across the board, though - various illnesses, larps, and, oh yeah, the Wizard of Design's household have spent the last few weeks deciding to adopt a second Tamaskin, this lovely boy facing the camera here:

Mika, the Foreground Pup in the above image, was so pleased to see me a couple weeks back that she chipped my front tooth in her enthusiasm. All was immediately forgiven, though; She's an adorable monster. And our Design Wizard now belongs to two of them, which I imagine will be something like living with a small, furry Earthquake. Best of luck to the Wizard and his new family member. 

ANYWAY. I could pretty happily spend an entire update talking about my friends' dogs. 

But I should probably tell you about these reach goals. 
First: Colouring Pages! 

This one is so close, you guys. And, because these should be a pretty simple thing to create, I think I can get this one out to you considerably sooner than the other rewards. 

After that, who knows... maybe there's a colouring contest in our future. With...prizes?
Who even knows. 
Did I mention this one will be available to ALL backers?  Some love for my $2 crew. 

NEXT UP: 

If we reach this goal, everyone gets an extra print! Rampart-level backers who wish not to be encumbered by shipping costs can opt to receive this as a digital image file only. 

And, Finally: we've figured out the magic number at which we get to animate something.

Without going into too much detail just yet, if we can reach this target we'll be able to add another whole dimension to the digital book. And if you suspect, as we do, that this would be wicked freaking cool....

Talk it up! 
(please and thank you!)

...And stay tuned as we gradually leak details about the animation project, to pique your curiosity and enthusiasm. 


<3Kt

on claiming a voice
almost 8 years ago – Sat, Jun 18, 2016 at 09:07:04 PM

It's been a bad week, with national-scale violent crimes in both the US and UK. A lot of hate out there. A lot of love, also. A lot of opinions. 

Tragedy usually makes me want to shut up and sit very still. Bad feelings are usually paralytic, for me, and amidst the echo chamber of opinion and emotion, even more so: if I can't do anything to help, the least I can do, I figure, is not add to the noise.

And yet, here I am spending this month declaring myself to be A Creative Type; asking you to give your attention to a project that I made, and in whose virtues (I must keep reminding myself,) I believe. Which seems, to me, to carry a certain responsibility along with it: standing up at all times to say, I am here to speak up for what's still good in the world. I'm still fighting. If I'm asking you to support me as someone whose Job is to have a creative voice, then that is literally the very least I can do. 

I'm not gonna lie, though, guys; it scares the shit out of me. As much as I love language, words are traitorous. And addressing words to a large group of people all at once allows so much potential for misunderstanding it leaves me breathless with anxiety. 

It's taken me all week to come up with something that felt worth expressing, worth pushing for, through the regret and depression and cringing shame and anxiety that have been gnawing on my bones. Something small enough to believe in, that could slip through the constricting nets of conflicting opinions. Something simple and resilient. Something I can mean, something that expresses love even when i'm feeling bad. 

 So yeah. i don't know if it actually matters to anyone? But Anything I Make Is A Safe Space, Forever. If you need my work or care about it, it's for you. If you're out there trying your best not to hurt other people, I'm on your team. And if I'm Getting It Wrong, I want to know.

I'm an artist, I'm an ally, I'm a little bit queer. I'm here, and I'm still fighting. 
Keep your heads up. L'chaim. 
<3

Kt

Introducing the hardcover-exclusive print!
almost 8 years ago – Mon, Jun 13, 2016 at 08:00:29 PM

Greetings, glow-worms and gangle-bats, 

In my last missive, I mentioned that the Hardcover version of the book will come with an exclusive, signed (did I mention they were going to be signed? Possibly not) -- anyway it's a signed print,  the design of which i shall now reveal. Like the other prints, it's a slightly altered version of a page from the book. Unlike the others, this one includes text: 

Not all who wander, etc. This page is a favourite of both the Wizard of Design and the Wizard of Spreadsheets, by the by. And now it can hang on your wall, if you'd like it to. 

There are two options at present for ordering a hardcover book:
To upgrade a book from any softcover book tier, increase your pledge by $50. 
At the end of the campaign, I'll send out a detailed survey to make sure that everyone can easily allocate their funds to the right add-ons. 

Alternately, a person could pledge at the Library level; said person would then receive one hard- and one soft-cover copy of the book, along with a complete set of Boy in the Castle prints, including the hardcover exclusive. 

The hardcover edition will feature decorative endpapers, a printed 'bookplate' page, and, in addition to the book's standard ending, it will include the ending that Matt originally wrote, in text only. All hardcover books will be signed by me, your illustrator. 

Seventeen days left in the campaign, you guys! I'm excited, because of how well this is going! And I'm anxious! Because anxiety is my constant companion. I think probably one or two of you know that feel.

 Anyhow. We're doing really really well, and I am definitely more excited than anxious. Thank you again (and again and again) for keeping me company on this adventure so far, and helping me spread the word about this project. 

painless Mondays, everyone
<3 Kt

150%: of Hardbacks and Animations
almost 8 years ago – Sat, Jun 11, 2016 at 12:56:37 AM

Hello again, Hens and Foxes,

We have reached A Certain Number, and this Number is cause for Excitement:
$6,000 - or to be precise, at time of writing, $6,002; one hundred fifty percent!
Thank you all so, so much for getting The Boy in the Castle so far! <3

I believe I promised that when we reached this particular milestone, i would share with you a hint of what our animated video might be like. Here now, for you wonderful folks: a wee teaser.

I have also updated the campaign page with a brand new add-on!
As of today, the book will now be available in a hardcover edition:

This beauty will have printed endpapers, a bookplate page, and will include an alternate ending to the story. Orders for the hardcover book will also include a special Kickstarter-only limited-edition print. I'm psyched to be at a point in the campaign where we're able to offer this option; this version of the book will be a keepsake. 

That's about all I've got for y'all tonight, (although I do have a few more add-ons up my sleeves, for the yet-to-come. Anticipa......). As ever, please continue to spread the word about this campaign in whatever fashion you please. (For example -- we may appear in a Stirlng (UK) newspaper next week! More on that as and when.)

Be well, be safe, and a happy weekending unto you all.
<3 Kt

 (.....tion.)

Of Momentum
almost 8 years ago – Thu, Jun 09, 2016 at 02:31:38 PM

Greetings, my Gargoyles and Gracious Folk,

We here at Team 'Castle Headquarters have been in a feverish scramble over the last several days, figuring out the mathematics of stretch goals -- which, I think it's fair to say, has turned out to be More Complicated Than We Expected. Lesson learned; math takes time. 

The Wizard of Spreadsheets and I also took some time out to staff a larp event this past weekend; including, for me, the time it took to make these ridiculous paper butterflies:

Anyhow, we're back now, the maths are simmering, and I am raring to Announce Things. 

I was going to hold off 'til we reached $6000 to add anything new to the campaign, but that strategy has left us at a bit of a plateau. So this is a message with two purposes -- 

Purpose the First: Announcing Print Upgrades! 

These are up and available *now*.  

Purpose the Second: An Appeal for a Signal Boost!

The campaign seems to have fallen into one of those social-media-algorithm gravity wells one hears about. I feel like my updates are in danger of finding the same 50 people every time, and no one wants that; this is where you come in. Please, share the campaign, any- and every-where you internet. (Like maybe -- Twitter? I'm actually not great at Twitter, and that's... pretty much the cardinal sin of crowdfunding. So if you, individually, feel able to help me out there, that would be, just, truly exceptional. <3  Please and thank you.)
It feels weird for me to say this, but I really want to see this book extend its reach beyond my own sphere of influence.  It feels even more weird to say this, but I really think that Matt and I may have created something here that can help people understand each other's brain struggles better. I want people to see it, anyway, and for that, i still need your help. 

PLUS, there are still a tonne of Add-Ons to come that I haven't revealed yet, and for additional incentive: if (sorry; when!) we reach $6000, i'll reveal the one test page of the video that has been made, so far, by the Wizard of Animations. (--Page of the video, you say? Yes.) 

Til then, my resounding and continual gratitude. I hope you all are having an above-average time of day, whenever this reaches you.
<3
-Wizard of Pictures/ head gargoyle