Before we get to our updates, Caramel Comics has been a long time supporter of the BLM movement. If you don't believe in racial equality, this is not the place for you. We stand in solidarity with the people that have been constantly marching for the rights of all.
It's been a difficult summer. Like many other families around the world, we have dealt with illness, loss of family members, and loss of financial security. While many people were pivoting their convention plans to online, I was ill for a long time and was not able to change things around here as quickly.
Things are slowly starting to turn around for us now though. My partner has acquired some employment again, and I'm proud to show you all of the new changes to the website that I finished and tell you all of the exciting things on the way!
WEBSITE NEWS
Ta-da! The website has been fully overhauled! I first started making this website back in the mid-2010s when I had freshly graduated from college. Things in my career are vastly different from that time, as well as the quality of my work, so I knew it was time for refresh. It would mean a lot to me if you would take the time to look around and see all of the fun changes that I've put in!
Some of the things that have changed:
new web-optimized images for galleries and the shop
new portfolio page(s) with more recent work
new product photos for the shop
new "About Us" section with staff and mission statement sections
there is now a member's area
new commission page with new prices
You may notice that there is an entirely new section to the website, a blog! These posts have technically always been in the blog, but I decided to use this platform to help spread the knowledge I have gained to those with less privileges than I have. If you'd like to subscribe, I'll be posting new content every week that my health allows me to. Hopefully that will be every week!
I mentioned the new shop pictures so now, onto the store update!
STORE NEWS
The Shop page is back up and running now. We have been updating the listings with current inventory and new product photos. You may notice that some of the things that were listed previously are now gone. Don't fear if you wanted to purchase them, they will be back! I decided to make the store look more uniform, I would only have listings live in the store that had the new product photos. I am currently taking new product photos and editing them as frequently as I can.
The good news of that is that every single week in August, we will be adding new items to the shop! Hooray! I will be posting on social media when the new items are posted, so please follow us there for the most current shop announcements.
Here's a little preview of what's in the Shop right now!
You may notice in this photo grid what looks like an enamel pin. That's because it is! Caramel Comics has launched its first enamel pin available for purchase. We were going to launch them in April with a crowdfunding campaign for more colors, but due to everything, that goal has been postponed until probably next year. We will be making social media posts and updates right here in the Candy Club when we are ready to launch!
The last of the product news is that every month, we will have a featured product category. This month's feature is Stickers! Our stickers are made of high quality vinyl meant to not fade or peel for a long time or with high use. Check them out and see which one is for you!
The last store news is about product shipping. Like every small business that ships small items, we are big fans and users of the United States Postal Service for our mailing. Right now, the USPS is experiencing high amounts of delayed packages due to pandemic effects and from a person in charge that values profits for big companies over people. We have adjusted our estimated shipping times and ask you for your patience with us and many other small sellers at this time. Once we send the package out, it is out of our hands. In the meantime, if you also don't like the shipping delays and live in the USA, you should call and write to your representatives to tell them to support the USPS and to remove the pension pre-funding that is causing so many financial issues. Also, buy some stamps!
UPCOMING EVENTS
As you are aware, the pandemic has cancelled almost all large events happening this year. Caramel Comics of course has been affected by these changes. Currently, our only conventions/shows that have not cancelled, postponed to December. As we get closer to the Winter, we will update with any news we have. With events that usually happen in December starting to cancel, it is uncertain what will happen with events and our attendance this year.
In the meantime, I have slowly been acquiring the equipment to do art livestreams. I will be running some test streams soon to check out the strain on my equipment and other things. If you would like to watch or get involved as a mod, please follow on socials or here for any news about streaming.
A big change coming this week is that I will finally be launching my Ko-fi Gold page! This will allow anyone to be able to support me on a reoccurring basis. I will make a much more detailed post on Friday with all of the information to know.
Thanks for sticking by me and supporting me in this hard time. As I've alluded to in this writing, my health has been very up and down over the past year. It has been very difficult to continue with this line of work, but it is my best skill set and my passion. I will be continuing to do my best!
My partner and I have been in some difficult financial times. If you feel like helping out, you can purchase a commission, something from the shop, or make a donation on my Ko-Fi page. If you don't have any extra funds, subscribing to the blog or following me on social media would also be extremely helpful!
Thank you so much for your support! ♥
-Carmen