The Garden of Enchanted Creatures

Hello, incredibly patient backers!

First off, I have to express a huge thank you for your patience and understanding as I continue to work on the Garden of Enchanted Creatures project! Creating all 78 cards is a labor of love—each illustration takes me around eight hours on average. Some go quicker, while others take a bit more time, depending on how detailed the image is or how stubborn my creative gremlin decides to be that day. Adding it all up, creating a deck (not including writing the guidebook) can take me around 624 hours—nearly 16 full work weeks! Some mornings, I start my day staring at my blank screen, drinking too much coffee, sketching, deleting, and starting again—I want each card to truly feel special and worth every minute of effort.

I am still hard at work on this deck, spending as much time as possible illustrating while also juggling the not-so-fun reality of paying bills. To keep the balance, I do need to set aside time to focus on other projects that bring in income. As much as I'd love to dedicate every waking hour to these cards, I'm also trying to keep the lights on!

I understand this update may feel a bit vague since I don't have a concrete finish date yet, and I completely get any concerns about that. I do have about 15 cards left to create. To give you some perspective, once the artwork is fully completed and I approve the pre-press sheets, it takes my printer around five weeks to produce the decks. We're not at that stage yet, but every card I finish moves us one step closer to that point. 

As for a timeline, I don't have an exact date for when the artwork for the deck will be finished. Art, as many of you know, can be unpredictable—some days, ideas flow effortlessly, while others take more time to develop. But please know that I am pouring my heart into each illustration, working hard to bring this deck to life and into your hands as soon as possible. I will keep you updated on my progress and share any new developments. Your support means the world to me, and I want to make sure you feel informed and involved throughout the journey. 

I appreciate your support more than words can say!

MJ 

PS - Below are some of the latest cards I've created. I hope you enjoy them!