AARDEHN: AWAKENING, a lush oversized illustrated novella!

Summertime on Aardehn
10 months ago – Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 11:54:07 AM

Hello, everyone! 

Summer is here, and while I had hoped to have all the artwork for Aardehn complete — there is still a lot left to do! As per the previous update, things have slowed down for me, but I won't waste your time with excuses. Truthfully, I underestimated how much work this book would take, but I am stoked at the progress I've made thus far.

To help me stay focused, I've broken the workload into manageable chunks and am tackling tasks methodically, hitting the necessary milestones to get production and layout underway.

Currently, I am wrapping up the outro, the end that closes out the book, as most of the other chunks are done. By done, I mean they are at about 95% completion. Why 95%, you say? Well, it's how I work. Is it the correct or most effective way? I'm not sure, but it's what works for me, and it's the best way I know how to complete projects. The reason is that when all the work is 95% complete, to bring it to 100% print-ready, I will need to conduct a final review and make touch-ups and adjustments to ensure everything aligns and is cohesive, resulting in a clearly defined experience for you, the reader. I want this to be the coolest thing you own, and I can't wait for you to share it with your friends. I feel this is the best way to accomplish this.

All that said, I'm producing the best work of my career, but it's taking a lot longer than expected. But IT IS getting done. 

My goal is to complete all the art and have the book print-ready by August. Fan Expo Canada, a local show for me, is being held this year from August 21 - 24, and I want to proudly be sitting at my section of the RAID booth with a smile on my face (and potentially a draft of the final book on hand) and be able to tell backers and fans "the book is at the printer!"

This has been my baby for 30+ years. I genuinely appreciate everyone's patience and support. I, more than anyone, want this book to be done and in your hands — AND IT WILL BE!

Thanks for listening, and please enjoy the summer!

Eric.

We're Still Pushing Forward!
11 months ago – Tue, May 13, 2025 at 04:26:41 PM

Hey everyone,

First, a massive thank you again for your incredible support in bringing Aardehn: Awakening to life - Sheldon and Eric are still on cloud 9 - and your enthusiasm means the world to us.

We wanted to give you an honest update on our progress. Creating a project like this book is a labour of love, and sometimes, the artistic process takes a little longer than anticipated. Eric has been facing some unforeseen challenges recently, which has put us a few months behind our original timeline.

He greatly regrets this delay and is working incredibly hard to catch up and ensure that the final artwork exceeds your expectations. We've been seeing some truly stunning pages come in, and the dedication and passion poured into this project is truly inspiring.

We understand that delays can be frustrating, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We promise that the extra time will be worth it. The richness and detail that Eric brings to each page will make Aardehn: Awakening something truly special.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at a page from the opening sequence that just arrived - and is but a taste of what's to come! 

We'll keep you updated on our progress and let you know as soon as we have a more concrete timeline for fulfillment. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support. We're so excited to share the finished graphic novel with you!

Warmly,

The RAID Team.

Preview Chapter Delay
about 1 year ago – Tue, Mar 04, 2025 at 08:41:00 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Chapter 1 - Exclusive Backer Preview
about 1 year ago – Mon, Mar 03, 2025 at 02:41:15 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

February Progress Update
about 1 year ago – Mon, Feb 10, 2025 at 04:44:19 PM

Hello dear backers!

Exciting times for Team Aardehn as Eric and I continue racing toward the finish line!

It's been a couple of months since our last update, and thought we'd share a breakdown of where we are in terms of progress, so let me run it down for you:

Writing:

✅ Prose – Complete!
✅ Editing – 80% (Currently in the copy-editing phase)

Art:

✅ Chapter Illustrations – Complete!
✅ Cover Art – Complete!
✅ Opening Comics Section – Inking done, with lettering to come.
🛠 Opening Gatefold Sequence – 50% (This is that epic fold-out we unlocked during the campaign)
🛠 Closing Comics Sequence – this one's crazy! Eric is going all out, exploring new avenues with his art – we can’t wait for you to see it.
🛠 Closing Sequence – We've been refining this section to better balance out the book on a visual and emotional note. It's coming along great.

While we're making incredible progress, the art is taking a lot longer than Eric has expected – and to give you the best book we can, we're going to push beyond our originally estimated delivery date. We know you want this book as soon as possible, but we need a little extra time and don't want to cut any corners. To give a peek of what Eric has been creating, here are a couple of the chapter openers to feast your eyes on:

We’re excited to give you a deeper look into the book’s progress. To that end, we’ll be releasing Chapter 1 in its near-final, print-ready form—an exclusive sneak peek just for our backers. This won’t be a public post, so keep an eye out for our follow-up update before the end of the month. We can’t wait to introduce you to the world we’re building.

Thank you again for your patience and support—we couldn’t do this without you!

SM CARTER