The 6th Extinction
From the time earth began harboring life, there have been five mass extinctions. Most scientists agree that we’re in the midst of the sixth one, beginning when modern humans first left Africa during the last ice age and continuing through the present day. The first victims were the largest megafauna—the mammoths, giant deer, cave lions and other large mammals that vanished in Europe and Asia between 100 and 50 thousand years ago. They were followed by all the large animals in Australia, Madagascar, the Americas, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands. The next wave of extinctions happened during European colonization of the Americas and the rest of the world, starting around 1500, and we’re currently experiencing the tail end of that.
About the Project
Most people are familiar with some extinct animals, such as the dodo, the passenger pigeon and the mammoth. But there are others that deserve the spotlight too—giant lemurs the size of gorillas that used to live on Madagascar, huge flightless birds such as the moa and elephant bird, small rails that lived on isolated Pacific islands, and a wombat the size of a rhino will among the animals that will appear on the cards . This deck aims to showcase these lesser-known animals, as well as the familiar ones such as the dodo, in an attractive and easily-accessible format. It is also an opportunity for the artists to shine!
The Artists
All thirty-four artists are extremely talented, professional illustrators and cartoonists who have an interest and passion for wildlife. This project is very much a labor of love not only for myself, but for everyone involved. Most of the artists personally picked which animal or bird they wanted to do, and the results should be stunning.
- Azalea
- Betsy the Beaver
- Brenda Lyons (Windfalcon)
- Caribou
- Char Reed
- Dark Natasha
- Diana Harlan-Stein
- Donna Barr
- Foxfeather
- Heather Bruton
- Henrieke
- JC Amberlyn
- Jennifer Miller (Nambroth)
- Keyfeathers
- Kory Bing
- Kylen Miles
- Likeshine
- Maggock
- Meezer
- Megan Giles
- Merystic
- Michele Light
- Nduli
- oCe
- Roz Gibson
- Sandy Schreiber
- Scott A. H. Ruggels
- Stephne Boucher
- Steve Gallacci
- Synnabar
- Terrie Smith
- Tracy Reynolds
- Ursula Vernon
- Vicky Wyman
The Species
(where there's two or more animals listed in an entry, the artist has the option of doing one or all the animals.)
Birds
- Bachman’s warbler
- Broad-billed Parrot
- Carolina Parakeet
- Cuban Red Macaw
- Dodo
- Dusky Seaside Sparrow
- Elephant Bird
- Eskimo Curlew
- Genyornis (giant Australian bird)
- Great Auk
- Guadalupe Caracara
- Haast’s Eagle
- Huia
- Imperial Woodpecker
- Ivory-billed Woodpecker
- Kakawahie
- Kosrae Crake
- Korean Crested Shelduck
- Labrador Duck
- Laughing Owl
- Mascarene Parrot
- Moa
- New Caledonian Giant Megapode
- Paradise Parrot
- Passenger Pigeon
- Wake Island Rail
Mammals
- American Cheetah or American Lion
- Aurochs
- Australian giant wombat
- Bali, Caspian, or Javan Tigers
- Barbary /Atlas Lion
- Blue Buck
- Caribbean Monk Seal
- Falkland Island Wolf
- Florida Black wolf
- Giant Ground Sloth
- Homo floresiensis
- Irish Elk
- Japanese Otter
- Japanese wolf
- Lesser Bilby
- Madagascar giant lemurs
- Mastodon or Mammoth
- Mexican or California Grizzly
- Neanderthal man
- Quagga
- Sea Mink
- Short-faced bear
- Smilodon
- Steller’s Sea Cow
- Tarpan
- Thylacine
- Thylacoleo/ Marsupial lion
Amphibians
- Golden Toad
Rewards
Copies of The 6th Extinction card deck
The main reward will be copies of the deck, from one to ten depending on the backer level. We will do worldwide shipping, but unfortunately overseas postage from the US is expensive and postage costs will reflect that.
The company I'll be using for printing is TMCards. The deck will be standard poker size (3.5 x 2.5), 54 cards (full deck size + 2 jokers), with a custom printed tuck box and card information insert.
For those interested in the technical details:
- Plastic-coated paper
- High-gloss Aqua coating
- Paper stock: 315 GSM black-centered stock
The Book
(see below for examples of pages from the book)
Even if the stretch goal is not met, I've decided to make a PDF of the book available for all backers at the $20 and above levels. I am also planning to make a physical copy of the book available for an additional $20 (postage included) for all backers if they want. I will be posting details about that shortly, so if you're interested make sure to check back before the campaign ends!
Uncut card sheets
(The image above is from the Wild Cats of the World deck, but it shows what an uncut sheet looks like.)
At the higher backer levels uncut card sheets are available. Those are approximately in 26 x 22 inches in size, and will feature all the card art on the same type of stock the cards will be printed on.
Original artwork
Three of the artists, Jennifer (Nambroth) Miller, Char Reed and Synnabar, have generously offered their original sketch work for their cards as a backer reward. Since the final for the cards will be colored digitally, the reward consists of the original pencil drawings used as the base for the color art.
Stretch Goal: The Book!
Unlocks at $6500.
There will be only one stretch goal-- a companion book. Printed by Ka-Blam Digital Printing, the book will be a graphic novel-size (10 x 7) 120 page trade paperback with a full color interior, showcasing all the original art for the cards printed at a larger size. It will also include information on the extinct animal featured, as well as artist biographies and information about the art itself.
The book will be available for all backers at the $50 and above level, with an add-on option for lower-tier backers.
Expenses
Any money raised that does not go to printing, postage and various fees and taxes will be split equally among the artists to compensate them for their work.
Experience
I've already produced one custom card deck, Wild Cats of the World, and I've worked with most of the artists already, either on the wildcat deck or on other projects. I'll be using the same printer for this deck that I used for the previous one. In addition to that, I've also run and fulfilled two previous Kickstarters, for my novel Griffin Ranger.
Risks and challenges
With any multi-artist project, there could be problems with artists not being able to finish their artwork for any number of reasons, or finishing it late. Some artist attrition has been taken into consideration, and there are other artists who can be brought on, or existing artists who have said they'd be willing to do extra cards if need be. I've worked with the same printer for my previous card deck, and have fulfilled two previous Kickstarters, so the actual production and fulfillment shouldn't present any problems.
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Support
Funding period
- (30 days)