Hello All,

I'm equal parts thrilled and  melancholy that we're very nearly at the end of The 2012 Cut Paper Art Calendar project.  All the calendars have been shipped, the postcards posted, and the special rewards... specially rewarded.  And, of course, I have all of you to thank for that success.

So, for the next-to-last time*, Thank you!

It's been a dream of mine for years now to print the calendar on my own, and with all of your help we've done it.  The greatest part of all of this has been the journey.  I've connected with some amazing people over the last few months, and I truly hope that we will stay in touch. 

*"Why the 'next-to-last time'?" you may ask.  Well, that's because I'm still building the Web Page of Gratitude.  I'll pop up out of my cave one more time when that's all wrapped (shouldn't be long now... I have been temporarily intercepted by pesky deadlines).

Below, I've posted a couple of the sketches from the Artist's Editions!  Its been ages since I dabbled in a medium other than cut-paper.  It was a blast figuring out how to use pen and ink again.

Thank you once again, and Farewell!  I hope to be back with a new project someday soon(ish).  Pop by the website, blog or social media to catch up anytime.

Cheers

-Patrick

The title pretty much says it all.

The 2012 Cut Paper Art Calendar arrived Sunday, and it looks pretty fantastic.  Thank you again for helping me pull this project together!  The first of the calendars -the priority shipments - have gone out the door and, with a little luck, will be in their owners' hands in time for Christmas.

The last of the packing materials arrived this afternoon - I ordered some extra stiffeners to try and keep these guys safe on their journey to you.  The majority of the calendars will begin their trans-pacific journey gradually over the next couple of days.  I'll try to remember to shoot off an email to each of you as I send them on their way.

Priority shipping is still available for $21 USD (If you're in Japan, drop me a line).  I doubt the pkg can make it before Christmas, but if you're dying to have the calendar in your hands asap, email me.

The printer included a bunch of extra calendars (just one reason I love these guys), so there are plenty left if you or someone you know wants more.  I'll be putting them up for sale on my website real soon, or you can just drop me a line.

Thanks again for all the support!  Meeting all of you through Kickstarter has been an amazing experience!  Here's looking forward to much future success!

-PG

This will be a quick little update.

The color proofs arrived and, happily, were pretty darn close to great.  Interestingly (well, interesting to me anyway), my work usually prints dark and dense, but I guess I overcompensated because the proofs were the tiniest bit pale.  No biggie.  Easily fixed. I've attached an image of the proofs for all to see.

The final calendars should arrive from the printer by the end of this week.  The first bunch of mailing packs should be even sooner.  I'm confident that the calendar is going to look amazing, and I can't wait to get it into all of your hands.

Look for the surveys I'll be sending out soon.  I'll be asking for addresses and contact info and such things.

cheers,

Patrick

Admittedly, it took a couple days longer than I had hoped, yet the first draft of the calendar has gone off to the printer!

Originally, I thought I would be able to re-use the images from previous years' calendars.  Sadly, I found that was not the case.  Who knew that a simple shift from 8 1/2 x 11" paper to A4 would be so much work? (Probably someone who spends more time designing than myself).  In the end, I had to re-format all of the images and art for the calendar.  Heck, the files are so huge (nearly 2GB!) that uploading them to the printer's computer took the better part of a day.

On the plus side, making the calendar itself (the date part, that is) actually was a bunch easier than I had anticipated.  

Also a plus: if you're a backer who hasn't sent in your name for the calendar, there is still time to do so.

What's Next?

The printer called today and let us know that we should receive the color proofs by Tuesday morning (Japan Time), at the latest.

If the color is okay or only a little bit off, then I'll make the corrections, upload them, and tell them to go to print.  If there's alot of ugly, I'll fix them as best I can and order another color proof (and harangue the printer over the phone).  After that, we print - that should take around a week.  Then the packing and shipping starts.

Below, you can check out the front and back covers, and the March spread.

Thanks again for your patience and support!  Everyday brings us one day closer to the calendar becoming a reality.  And, of course, if you want your name in the calendar, send it to me (exactly as you want it) asap! (backers only)

cheers,  Patrick