WELCOME HOME
over 3 years ago – Wed, Sep 09, 2020 at 03:58:44 PM

Hey all,

I want to start by saying thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to you, and to this wonderful community, who have poured their time, love, energy, and money into making HIRAETH a reality. We've had an unprecedented amount of momentum in the past few days and the only reason we're even so close to our goal is because of people like you.  

I started HIRAETH with a feeling in mind. A feeling of a real location that you miss, of a memory you want to return to, of a longing that takes the form of a moment, a place, a time (both real and imagined) that you yearn for. HIRAETH's artists came together and created illustrations that capture those feelings beautifully. Some of them are real locations and memories. Some of them are imagined places and characters that invoke and represent that yearning. Some of them are as simple a moment as the peace you find in a kayak, floating down a lazy river, or the taste of a warm cup of tea.   

With that feeling in mind, I want to share a comic by the talented and immensely lovely Kate Beaton. You'll likely know her from her much beloved webcomic, Hark! A Vagrant, or from children's books such as The Princess and The Pony and King Baby. But I think a lot of us will also know her from her funny, insightful, and tender comics that she's shared of her family. 

We'd like to share one such comic, with her blessing and her words:  "I have often made comics about coming home because I wanted to preserve that time - especially when I lived away. Those moments were treasured and I knew it then, even moreso once we lost one of our own. I think you're always aware of things slipping away, and I've always wanted to bottle them, because you forget the little things."  

"When we were all home for Christmas it was always cacophony, we were grown then and it was like we were too big for the house. It's so quiet now - until my child is old enough to make it noisy again, but I would give a lot to go back and fight over the couch."  

At the end of the day, I think we're all missing a little touch of home. Thank you for your support. Thank you for all your kind words, and love, and time. Thank you for everything. I hope the next time we talk it'll be to celebrate hitting our funding goal. I hope the next time we talk after that it might be to create a second volume of HIRAETH. We'll see what the future holds but! Either way:  

Thank you & Welcome Home, 

Ilinca

100% FUNDED!!
over 3 years ago – Mon, Sep 07, 2020 at 08:15:38 PM

There's nearly 500 of you. There's 3 days to go left. There's been a tidal wave of support, love, and kind words from a community filled with such lovely and dedicated people. You all rallied around us in a wonderful and unprecedented way throughout this whole campaign, and it's through your efforts, your time, and your support that I'm able (and proud!) to announce: 

We're 100% funded.

Thank you! Thank you for all of your support. Thank you to all of the artists involved in HIRAETH who've made such amazing work. Thank you to all our backers (past, present, and future!). Thank you to everyone who shared this campaign. Thank you to you all. You've been an invaluable part of this process and I can't wait to get these books, and the great work within them, into your hands.

So What's Left?

There's still 3 days left in this campaign, and we have a few stretch goals that maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to reach. The first stretch goal includes a significant pay raise for all artists involved in the project, and I would love if we could reach it. But! Either way - thank you. We made it. 

Love,

Ilinca

HIRAETH ORIGINAL FOR SALE!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Sep 04, 2020 at 08:09:01 AM

Hey hey hey,

I did say we had one more surprise in store for you! HIRAETH is proud to announce that one of the original works of art created for this project, by the lovely & talented Cari Corene, is now up for exclusive sale through the campaign page. That's right, one more new tier up for grabs.

Proving that home is not just a place, Cari chose to instead invoke a feeling of a specific time: creating a beautiful, evocative piece meant to represent what tea with strawberry tastes and smells like, as well as the comfort you get from beloved pets. This stunning watercolor piece will also automatically include the full Oolong Tea tier, which comes with the physical book, digital copy, bookplate, bookmark, enamel pin, and base print set.

A few details about the piece itself: "Tea Cup Birb" is 18x13 inches, on Arches 140lb Cold Press Paper, and the medium is watercolor with colored pencil and light ink accents. Tea Cup Birb comes in an archival bag with a foam core backing, wrapped in bubbles in a box.

Please note that, due to the size and value of this original, shipping will be limited to US-only backers.

Snag it while you can! As you can see from the photos, it's an absolutely stunning piece of original artwork.

Cheers,

Ilinca

NEW (COMMISSION) TIERS
over 3 years ago – Thu, Sep 03, 2020 at 09:19:35 AM

As promised, we're back with that secret surprise. Those of you with sharp eyes might have already noticed an update to the tiers, but HIRAETH is proud to announce that we have some new commission tiers available from a number of our talented and wonderful artists.

Every commission tier comes with the full Oolong Tea book bundle, which includes the physical & .pdf versions of the book, as well as the bookplate, bookmark, print set, and the enamel pin. But, without further ado, let's introduce our new tiers:

CAMERON LUCENTE

Cameron is offering a single commission slot for a monotone digital portrait for a character or person of your choosing. The final digital copy will be sent to you at 8x8in and at 400 DPI. An example of Cameron's work can be found below:

MARIA CAPELLE FRANTZ

Maria is offering 4 slots total: 3 b&w traditional commissions and 1 full-color digital commission. The b&w traditional commissions will be mailed to your home, along with the full book bundle. The full-color commission will be sent to you digitally, with the b&w original also being mailed with the full book bundle. Examples of Maria's work can be found below:

NAOMI FRANQUIZ

Naomi is offering 9 slots total: 5 full-color, digital bust commissions, 2 full-body, digital b&w ink commissions, and 2 full-body, digital, full-color commissions. Examples of Naomi's work can be found below:

RYAN KINGDOM

Ryan is offering 4 slots total: digital, vignette, 1-2 characters with a limited/simplistic background commissions - with your choice of a b&w ink or a full-color ink. Examples of Ryan's work can be found below:

Please take a gander at our new tiers and don't miss the chance to snag some of these new commissions, along with our existing lineup of amazing artists offering commissions. You won't be disappointed by any stretch of the imagination.

Cheers,

Ilinca

50% & ONE WEEK TO GO! AND A SECRET...
over 3 years ago – Wed, Sep 02, 2020 at 10:55:52 AM

Hi all,

I truly don't have anything else to say other than: Thank you! Thank you for supporting independent artists. Thank you for all of your kind words, support, and encouragement throughout this campaign. Thank you for the sudden rush of momentum that you've given this campaign and thank you for believing in this project.

I mentioned earlier today that this project was started in 2019, and the concept of home has felt more and more pertinent during the ups and downs of 2020.  I only hope we see this campaign through and we can all share a little bit of home with you in return. The artists involved in HIRAETH have all been absolutely stellar to work with, and each one of them has poured so much time, energy, and heart into truly incredible pieces. I can't wait to get this book printed and share it with you all.

PLEASE continue to support us. PLEASE continue to share, to pledge, and to spread the word in any way you can. 

Also watch this space! We'll have an announcement soon for some special tiers...

Cheers,

Ilinca