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Con Adventurers

Created by Raden Studios

Follow Everett (dragon) and Rhona (cat) as they explore a geek convention together in this hard enamel pin collection.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Final Week!!
about 1 month ago – Thu, Feb 06, 2025 at 03:43:57 PM

Time flies and we're officially into the final week of this campaign, which ends on Thursday, February 13 at 1:00 p.m. PST! That's one week from today!

A brief look at what to expect in today's update:
  • Our goals for the final week
  • Vote in the latest poll to influence this week's charcoal illustration!
  • More to love!

Final Week Goals!

If you missed the update earlier this week, here's your reminder that not only have all six main pins been unlocked but I've also added on a sticker tier and add-ons! We're bringing these pins to life, and I can't wait to see them in person and share them with all of you!

That said, we still have some work to do in these final days, and we'll be pushing hard to unlock as much as we can:
  • Just 26 backers away from unlocking our "Support Human Artists" pin!
  • Additional stretch goals, including a set of three hard enamel mini pins!


Want to help spread the word? Sharing the campaign or boosting social posts can be a huge help! It gets more eyes on these pins and increases our chances of unlocking everything even sooner.

Poll: Favorite Convention Activity (and a Spotlight on the "Collector" tier)

A huge thank you to everyone who voted in the last poll! I loved seeing which of these current pins connect with your convention experience the most.

As we head into these final days, I wanted to call attention to the "Collector" pledge tier. The "Collector" is limited to five pledges total and includes:

  • Six (6) pins of your choice from the unlocked regular campaign designs
  • One (1) "Support Human Artists" pin (if unlocked)
  • Seven (7) stickers of your choice
  • A set of mini pins (if unlocked)
  • One (1) adventure coin (if unlocked)
  • One (1) 4"x6" original charcoal drawing, matted to 5"x7", of the two pin characters enjoying a convention activity (please review the guidelines listed in the campaign)

This is my "all in" pledge tier, effectively including all the campaign pieces that get unlocked, plus a little extra in thanks for supporting my work. I rarely offer commissions of my work right now, but charcoal drawings are also what I'm most known for in the convention circuits at this time, so I'm so excited to give backers here an opportunity to tap into this rare opportunity to access some of my original charcoal work in a pin- and convention-aligned theme.

What do polls and the "Collector" tier have in common? Glad you asked! I created a new poll asking you to share which of your favorite convention activities is *not* currently represented in these pins. I'll be using the results to draw a sample illustration of what you can expect from the "Collector" tier commission drawing. Haven't decided for sure what to do with the sample illustration once it's done, but please let me know your thoughts, and we'll set pencil to paper soon!

Below: Work-in-progress (WIP) pictures of other charcoal drawings I've since completed, not examples of the specific commission drawing options!


More to Love!

There are SO MANY amazing pin designs available during Pintopia, I wanted to spotlight a couple others below and keep sharing the love throughout the next week. Take a look!

Nebula's Flames and Flavors: This artist is perhaps best known for her corgi pins and plush, but these foodie dragons are so much fun!


To the Moon and Back: These pins commemorate the journeys made by the many animals sent in to space, not only to honor their memory and bring attention to their stories, but also to note the complexities and storied history of space travel as a whole. They're beautiful visually and conceptually. Take a look!



Thank you all! I so appreciate all of your support so far, and I'm looking forward to continuing this journey!

- Amber

Woah, We're Halfway There: Pins UNLOCKED, Stickers, Streaming
about 1 month ago – Mon, Feb 03, 2025 at 02:48:01 PM

We've officially hit the midpoint of this campaign and, with just ten days to go, I wanted to follow up with some important updates:
  • Six main designs are UNLOCKED!
  • Stickers now available!
  • Streaming on Tuesday, February 4

Six Main Designs are UNLOCKED!

YES, all six main pin designs are now unlocked! No, we haven't yet reached $3,000 (the initial goal for unlocking all six pin designs). So, what's going on?

I set out on this journey with the goal of creating *at minimum* the six main pins. I've grown awfully attached to them (I hope you have, too!) and, the longer we've continued down this journey, the more I've wanted to commit to ordering all six even if we ultimately land a little short on funding - and, given that, I don't want to continue any uncertainty around which designs will be available as we head into the final days.

I've split my next "artist series" set of pins in half so that I can free up some additional funds to help supplement the crowdfunding on these six pins, if needed, and I think it's absolutely worth it to potentially delay some of other art to make sure these ones are all accounted for. I've also gone ahead and unlocked the stickers to align with my regular processes - something I think I'll have unlocked from the start in future campaigns.

We're still continuing our forward momentum and are keeping our sights on unlocking the other stretch goals! The remaining stretch goals *will* remain as stretch goals, I can only adjust so much 😅  Take a look at what's ahead of us:
  • "Support Human Artists" pin, unlocked at 60 backers (just 24 backers away!)
  • Set of 3 convention-themed mini pins, unlocked at $4500
  • An "Adventure" coin, unlocked at $5500

Long story short, the six main pins are unlocked, stickers are unlocked (and are now available as add-ons and in their own sticker tier!), and there are still three stretch goals for us to reach.

This is my first crowdfunding campaign, so I'm learning more about what works with my own process and what doesn't. It's a journey! And I truly appreciate you all coming along this journey with me and every bit of support along the way! At the halfway point, I do still feel good about where we're at and the path ahead of us. But I also understand that there can be a level of uncertainty here and wanted to relieve some of that stress, if I can. Because we can always use a little stress relief, right?

Want to help spread the word? Sharing the campaign or boosting social posts can be a huge help! It gets more eyes on these pins and increases our chances of unlocking those stretch goals even sooner.

New Add-Ons (and Sticker Tier)!

My normal pin design process involves ordering stickers right away, so we've unlocked these sticky versions of our friends, too! Stickers will be 4" tall, die-cut, and with a smooth matte finish. Stickers are available either as add-ons or in a sticker-only pledge tier.

Want to Ask Me Anything? We're Streaming! 

EDIT: I had to back out of the stream last minute, but please do still tune in, there are lots of creators sharing their work here!

I'll be joining several other awesome Pintopia pin creators streaming LIVE on Tuesday, February 4 at 2PM eastern/11AM pacific time. We'll be talking a bit about our pins, our processes, and more. Come join us!

One Week Down, Two Short Weeks to Go
about 1 month ago – Thu, Jan 30, 2025 at 09:31:12 AM

We're already (only?) a week into this campaign and these next two weeks are going to *fly* by! A brief look at what to expect in today's update:
  • The road ahead (shares are welcome!)
  • UK shipping goof is FIXED
  • Poll: Choose your convention vibe
  • Insights into the design process
  • More to love!

The Road Ahead

If you've been following what's unlocked and what isn't, you might have noticed we have several goals we haven't reached yet and a long journey still ahead of us. Transparently, this can feel a little disconcerting for anyone (I get it, I've been on both sides of that equation, too!). However, slow growth in the middle of the campaign is very common! Most backing for crowdfunding campaigns comes in at the very beginning and the very end. Our goal right now is to continue the forward growth and get as many eyes on this project as possible.

All that said, I truly appreciate each and every one of you for the support you've shown this campaign so far! And I'm still feeling good about where we're at and where we're going. It remains our goal to unlock every single one of these pins, and we're not slowing down the promotion. I'll be live at a convention this weekend sharing the designs and we're continuing to connect with communities all over.

Want to help spread the word? Sharing the campaign or boosting social posts can be a huge help! It gets more eyes on these pins and increases our chances of unlocking everything even sooner.

Oops! UK Shipping Option is Now Fixed

In the last update I noted a new option for folks in the UK who wanted to back the campaign. Turns out I set it up incorrectly which prevented anyone from using it! It's now been fixed and you should have access. Apologies for the goof!

Poll: Which Pin Design Best Represents Your Convention Vibe?

While we continue to grow, let's have some fun! The main six pins have been added to a poll anyone can vote in (even if you haven't pledged!) and I'd love to hear which of these pins is resonating with you the most!

Insights Into the Design Process

If you follow me on socials you might have already seen this, but yesterday I shared a little bit of insight into my design process for pins.

Most of my work is in traditional or digital illustration - digital inks, charcoal drawings, pointillism paintings, that kind of thing. But the pins I design as vector graphics from the start. For me, it feels much more like building than the illustrations do, where I'm shaping each piece as we go along and stacking blocks on top of each other, solving for each piece as we go along. It's a really fun process!


More to Love!

There are SO MANY amazing pin designs available during Pintopia, I wanted to spotlight a couple others below and keep sharing the love throughout the next 2 weeks. Take a look!

Highland Moo Moo: I know I have some coo fans here! These sweater-loving, book-reading highland cows are adorable - and there's an Ita bag!


Galaxy Raptor: Velociraptors? With a galaxy print?? This campaign has pins, an ita bag, AND a plush and all in my favorite kind of print!


Dungeons and Dogs: Dogs! As RPG characters! I'm partial to the bard myself (storyteller bias haha), but there are so many characters to pick from.


Keepsakes: These beloved, re-awakened childhood toys, called Widdershins, connect a TTRPG with childhood nostalgia. I honestly love the whole theme - take some time to read the story behind these!



Thank you all! I appreciate you, and I'm looking forward to continuing this journey!

- Amber

New Designs/Goals, Shipping Updates, and More on the Road Ahead
about 1 month ago – Mon, Jan 27, 2025 at 06:48:37 AM

Buckle up, Adventurers! It's a long update ahead, and I apologize in advance for the length, but lots of good info! For those who want just the highlights, here's what's below:
  • New backer tier "Overseas" now available for UK backers
  • New backer goal to unlock brand new pin design
  • Updated campaign images to help streamline info and improve clarity
  • Design reveal for "Collect" and "Support Human Artists"
  • More campaigns to love!

Shipping to the UK

I have added a $1 pledge level for UK backers only (and if it isn't working for you, please let me know!). Shipping to the UK will ultimately go through custom listings on Etsy after the campaign to manage shipping requirements, but the backer tier now should make it easier for me to get in touch after the fact and lock you in for BackerKit rewards/pricing.

It's not a perfect solution, and I apologize in advance for the complicated process, but I'm glad it'll allow me to open this up for folks in the UK, as well.

New Backer Goal (100 Backers)

The design for the last pin was wrapped up this weekend, and then I, uh... slipped and designed a 7th. As one does. So I've added it as a backer goal for reaching triple digit backers, and it may be a bit of a stretch to get there, but we're going for it! The pin itself will be glittery hard enamel and celebrates artists and I hope you love it.

Of note: While this new pin will be available for any backers to choose from if unlocked, it will also *automatically be included* for backers at the "COLLECTOR" tier.

Also of note: I do not plan to design any additional surprise pins at this point, so you can rest assured that the pins shown on the campaign page are the full set of possible pins! We'll focus on these initial goals and see how these next weeks go and I'll, of course, keep all of you updated with any changes as we go along.

Campaign Page Updates (for Added Clarity?)

If you're looking at the campaign now, you might notice that it looks a bit different, but hopefully in the best way! I noticed the more I read the page the more I needed to jump back and forth and all around to get the information I was trying to share. Hopefully this new layout is more streamlined, still gives you solid preview images to refer to, and makes navigating the possible add-ons, goals, and more a little easier. Let me know if this was helpful!

Introducing COLLECT and SUPPORT HUMAN ARTISTS

I've talked about them enough above, let's look at the designs, shall we? Take a look! Last two pin designs!

More to Love

Part of what makes Pintopia so lovely is the community around it. And there are *so many* amazing designs! I wanted to spotlight a couple others below and keep sharing the love throughout the next 2.5 weeks. Take a look!

Bookshelves for Bibliophiles: If you love books, like me, these pins celebrate over 10 different genres with super cute, on-theme bookshelves. I can't get enough of them!


Bookish Mythical Creatures: Staying on the book theme today (and there are more than just these two!), these book-loving mythical creatures are just beautiful. There's also some really lovely bookish add-ons, including a reading journal!



Thank you for all your support so far! Let's keep this train rolling!

- Amber

Last Chance for Early Bird + "Hydrate" Reveal
about 1 month ago – Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 06:05:29 AM

We're nearing the 48-hour mark for the campaign already and I'm so grateful for where we're at so far! Thank you so much for your support in these early hours!

Introducing HYDRATE

I hadn't quite had all the pin designs up in the campaign when we launched, but I'm thrilled to now share the design for pin #4, "Hydrate"! I may still do some minor tweaks to tighten up the colored patches a little, but otherwise she's ready to go. What do you think?


Last Chance for Early Birds

We still have a few more hours before we wrap up our first 48 hours. Remember, early backers will receive the mini sticker sheet for free! This will be 2" x 3" and include six convention-themed stickers, each roughly 3/4" tall.