Happy Halloween! The results of the 8th annual Dreamkeepers Halloween Fanart contest are in! The only thing grimmer than the competition this year was judging it- but here are the winners:  Don’t miss the reason judging was such hell- visit the entire gallery for a bucket of Halloween fun! http://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantart.com/gallery/46050443 And if you dare another visit to the depths of our online abattoir, feast your eyes on this years Halloween Prelude special! Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest, I hope all of you are having a chillingly good Halloween!

Poster Video & Goodies

Poster Video & Goodies Our brand new Kickstarter-backed poster is in the works! Here’s a video update:    I’m really excited about how it’s shaping up- this poster may be the single most challenging piece I’ve ever worked on. Meanwhile, Prelude Collection 1 is FINALLY with the printers! I packed in more extras and new art than I thought, and formatting the whole thing took forever. I’m told the proof copy will be ready in four weeks, and after that it’s only a matter of time until the entire batch is headed our way. I’ve received a lot of questions about this- and yes, after I deliver to the Kickstarter backers, we WILL have plenty of Collection 1 books available to sell. Newsletter folks (you) will get the earliest crack at them. Also, don’t miss out on the 2013 Halloween Fanart Contest- going on now! There’s already dazzling spooky art on display- click on the image to see. Anyone can still enter, and a free trick-or-treat sticker goes out to every entrant. For anyone in the Michigan area, we’ll be dealing at the Youmacon convention next week! If you have the time, hop on out and say hi and we will say hi back and it will be incredible. Rounding out this update, check out some awesome stuff from our readership! At Dragoncon, we were surprised and excited to see the first ever Bast cosplayer! Recently we were interviewed by Ezio - the transcript is up in the forum, and covers a range from early influences, the pitfalls of higher education, and the perrenially controversial subject of sexuality in comics. And last but not least- have some kickass pixel art of Igrath created by Kaiseto! More in his gallery when you click the image. In closing - general David status update: Prelude Collection 1 - caught up. Poster - getting rolling. E-mails - actually pretty caught up now. Art Accounts - abysmally behind. If you’re trying to get in touch with me via the art accounts, I’m sorry for my delay- if it’s time sensitive, please send it to my e-mail instead! Thanks to everyone for hanging in there with us. 8 )

Trick or Treat!

It’s that time again- the 8th annual Dreamkeepers Halloween Fanart Contest is upon us!  

It will be hosted right here in DA:  http://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantart.com/

The rules are here:  http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/HalloweenRules.htm

We’re changing up the prizes this year- instead of beads, we’ll be trying Harvest-Festival themed buttons on for size.   Of course, every entry still wins a trick-or-treat sticker.

So if you’re inclined, whip up some art, and let’s all have some fun!

While I’m here, brief update:  

You may have noticed all of the crickets chirping in the DK art accounts.  I’m behind online, for two reasons.

1) - Getting a couple hundred pages of Prelude book formatted is a bigger job than it sounds.

2)- It’s an even bigger job when the computers around me are all enthusiastically exploding.  Both my workstations went down in flames this season- fortunately data was backed up, but it’s been slowing things down replacing and reinstalling everything on everything.

What to expect:  In the next couple months, finishing the Prelude collection and preparing Kickstarter deliveries will take most of my time.  I hope to get a foothold on e-mails in the inbox, but I don’t realistically see myself engaging in the art accounts.  I love the art accounts and interacting with you guys in here, but sometimes I have to shelve the chatting to Get Stuff Done- I don’t want to enjoy conversing so much that I neglect the project.

So hang tight for a few months, once we deliver on the Kickstarter I’ll be back in the swing of things.

V4 Sneak Peek #4: Prelude Book Collection! ….And Volume 4.

(PS- if you like video games, continue reading to the bottom of this blog, there are links.)

So, our Kickstarter…  Well that worked!

The backers are currently voting on design choices for a brand new DK poster, I’m creating the cover art and extra illustrations for the book collection, and we’re ordering the new merchandise- buttons, stickers, and Namah falling in 11 x 17 glory.

Some people have asked whether Prelude editions will be available for purchase to those that couldn’t participate in the Kickstarter.  The answer is yes!  After we deliver to our backers, there should be inventory leftover that I will then announce for sale in our site store.

Volume 4 is still rolling forward- it had to pull over into the slow lane so that the Prelude collection could roar towards production, but it’s still on the road.

We finished another round of script revisions for Chapters 11 and 12 last month, and last week finalized the Chapter 11 thumbnail layouts.   The closer this book gets to completion, the more exciting it is to work on!

I expect most of August to be spent polishing our Prelude edition, then we’ll be soaring off to Dragoncon.   Once we return and the collection is with the printers, V4 production will resume full steam ahead.

And before we end this update, it’s time for fun- the Reader Spotlight!

Ever wanted to see Mace’s head big, 3-D, and clay?
http://frasercartoons.tumblr.com/post/52835244172/oh-heads-are-indeed-up-there-mace-he-looks-so
Now your desires are fulfilled.

An art project by Sukotto that came out awesome!

And, yes- a reader out there has created their own DK video game.  Play for yourself!
http://game.dreamkeepers.ru/

More on their mini-game and it’s production in our forum- they have an open call if anyone would like to lend a hand with them.
http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/forum/?t=194

That’s all for the moment- more updates to come as summer concludes.

And for the artists in the audience, don’t forget- it’s getting to be that time of year again- the annual Dreamkeepers Halloween Fanart Contest isn’t that far off!

Kickstartered!

Kickstartered!

205% funded- this campaign has blown our expectations out of the water.    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2083757038/dreamkeepers-prelude-collection

We're at a bit of a loss for what to say- just, thank you everyone, for your kindness, your solidarity, your help in promotion, and for enjoying our work.  We're growing to appreciate an ancient maxim that has emerged as valid:     

Never underestimate the Dreamkeepers readers.  

Thanks to our backers, the Prelude book is going to be printed in some beautiful editions- I've been drawing up extra content for it this week, and I'm excited to add some polish and flourishes to make the book as packed as possible!

In addition, we've blown past the first stretch goal- ALL backers will have a brand new DK poster added to their purchase!

In a fun twist, it's the backers themselves who get to decide exactly what I'll be drawing for this new poster.  I'll look forward to sharing the design stages in here as we create it!

Again, thank you to everyone who has helped us come so far.  It's humbling and gratifying to create work which is enjoyed and appreciated.  We're excited to continue doing our best to make this world come alive for you guys- thank you for making it possible.

-David & Liz 

One Week Left!

This is it- the final update before our Kickstarter campaign concludes!

With just under a week to go, we’re painfully near the 25K stretch goal.   Thanks to you guys, the campaign has already vaulted past the 20K mark.  If we can reach out and pull in enough new readers, we just might hit our free-posters target!

Thank you again to everyone who’s contributed to get us to this point- I’m continually reminded how fantastic our readership is.  We’re fortunate to have the interest of so many generous, engaged, and attentive people.  Thank you for helping us reach this far!

WEDIDIT

The month isn't half finished, and we've officially done it!  We've hit our funding goal!  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2083757038/dreamkeepers-prelude-collection

*Elated dance that should embarrass but too excited to care*

This means that the book we're all hoping for is going to be a shiny, colorful reality.  And it's thanks to you guys- thank you for your support, both in the form of donations, and for helping spread the word to prospective readers.  

What's Next?

Stretch Goal #1:  Free Posters For Everyone.

With most of the month left, achieving the first stretch goal is a distinct possibility.  If we can push the campaign up to $25k, I'll be working with donors to design a brand spankin' new Dreamkeepers poster that gets distributed to every backer.  

I say full steam ahead!  We're already more than halfway there, with nothing to lose- so whatever you guys have been doing to kick so much ass, let's keep on doin' it!  

Thanks again to everyone!

-David