thank you for your september support / october plans (Patreon)

Hi everyone,

Firstly, thank you so much for your support. Whether you have left or continued, I do appreciate it truly. It's helped me afford basic living needs, paying off debt, or the sort. As someone who cannot (and everyone is heavily discouraging me, fairly) work "normal" jobs and I no longer live in a place where I can get free healthcare or the opportunity to explore disability...it means a lot. Thank you so so so much.

October is here! Well, we're already a week in, but here are some updates, plans, intentions:

• Inktober! I've gotten some patrons who have requested their free drawing. If you haven't yet, please do! Read this previous post for full info. This will likely go beyond Inktober/October, realistically, but I do plan to see it through. Patreon and requesters will get access to them first! I've been setting it up and already have a couple rough sketches lined up. As I finish some, I'll reach out to others overtime who may not know.

• I am planning to add content to my shop by the end of the month! It may only be a handful of things--an ability to leave a tip, a print, digital content, or related. If you're a current Patreon you should likely already get access to that all for free depending on tier. But it's there for anyone who cannot commit to a subscription or if you'd like to support me further! While I have plans to expand perhaps on other merch sites, Patreon is a suitable place to test merch and paid content. I'll update when things are added there!

• Besides the announced plans, you'll still be able to expect exclusive WIPs/early access/etc from various works, my studies, and occasional fan art. I've been able to post at least 2-3 times a month this past while. I'd like to bump that to once a week, but I have to keep my health and other obligations in check. Still, this is on my mind and being worked on.

• Tomorrow is the second Bionicle day, but I'll announce it a few hours early here. Chasing Stars is a go! This will be my "main" personal project for the foreseeable future. It's slated to be released next year on 8-10-2024. It's going to be an illustrated novel with some comic pages and animated storyboards. It will eventually be found to read on my writing blog: https://suedrawl.com. The website is still WIP stage, but it already has some sneak peaks and unique information! I may upload it on tumblr or elsewhere depending. Patreon will be the go-to place for exclusive behind-the-scenes, concept art, sneak peaks, and more.

• For those who are not into Bionicle as much, don't worry! This is an incredibly original project already (humanized) with a new plot in an alternate universe. I'd like to make this approachable for anyone to enjoy. I'll also be sharing my progress into turning it into an original story. If you're wanting to learn how to write, world-build, character design, then this will be really helpful content for you! I know a lot of folks who are trying to expand beyond their fan-fiction, so I hope to teach and guide along the way. I plan to share not only the fun, but the mistakes along the way. I also will be sharing my experiences in balancing life, my health problems, and other mental/emotional challenges.

A quick rundown on my tiers and what to expect:

• If you're in the $2 Tip category, you'll be able to see some WIPs or early access works, but most related to Chasing Stars will be for the other tiers.
• If you're in the $5 Patron category (my primary one rn), you'll be able to see all WIPs, early access, and exclusive drawings. I'll also be sharing my blogging/behind-the-scenes progress, such as my process, thoughts, research methods, and snippets from the story. Most importantly, your feedback on polls and questions can have a direct outcome on the story! I will be taking patron feedback seriously!
• If you're in the $12 Sponsor category, then you'll get access to the more technical--my brushes, templates, PDF sketchbooks, and related assets. I also will go more in depth on helping you actually learn. I'll be sharing dedicated tutorials and in-depth advice.
• the $50 VIP tier naturally will have all of this, but this tier is dedicated for other purposes, I can most definitely put time aside to give one-on-one instruction and help via discord or elsewhere! Just ask! I'll occasionally post reminders to this as well. If I decide to make any merch, y'all will get some of it for free.

Though I do not like to gatekeep/paywall things that anyone should have access to, hopefully this is a fair distribution. I will occasionally give free samples away here or elsewhere.

Since Chasing Stars is somewhat copyrighted, the "profit" made goes straight back into it or upkeep for websites and related. Arguably what you're paying for is the learning aspect and the original story that will be in the works. Still, as a reminder, I do not own Bionicle, the characters, or the sort! I'll be sharing an exclusive $5 Tier post next week on a summary, information, links, dates, and more. So stay tuned!

If you to express any feedback/critique, I welcome it within reason. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to comment here or email me at contact@suedraws.com

Cheers! So excited to share all the hard work put into this so far, along with Inktober plans, and more!

Susannah/SueDraws