Hello!
Ânia here. How’ve you been?
Last time I wrote an article like this, we were introducing you to the Etchr Mirror. Today, we’re summarizing our latest online party, where we shed light on a bunch of new art goodies we made just for you!
Keep reading to find out more about:
- Where Etchr Lab started, and where we’re headed
- How Stephanie Law developed the Mini Palette (and its release date!)
- Our new line of sketchbooks (!!) and how Erwin Lian helped perfect them
- ...our next Kickstarter campaign coming up this April!
EDIT: Our Kickstarter has ended. You can now purchase our sketchbooks on our website!
Why was Etchr Lab born?
Darren Yeow was tired of being bound to his desk all the time and designed the Nomad Satchel so he had a way to get out and make more art.
After a successful Kickstarter in 2015, Simon and Yan joined Darren to help him make the best art bags he possibly could. In 2017 Etchr Lab was born, alongside a new Kickstarter for The Art Satchel and Field Case and, later on, the Slate range.
Our purpose is simple: we believe that art and creativity have the power to fundamentally change the world. So, we help creators make more of it.
...After launching our carry range, we wanted more. That’s when we decided to partner with independent designers and artists to create and commercialize innovative products that enable creatives from all walks of life to make their mark.
We’re here for the creators.
So… what’s next?
Awesome art products, of course!
The first designer we reached out to was Stephanie Law. She’s an amazing watercolorist from Oakland, California, with a particular inclination to paint stunning insects, botanics, and the fantastical. (Seriously, check out her art).
Long story short, Stephanie was tired of feeling restricted by watercolor palettes that couldn’t carry a lot of different colors. That’s when she created the Mini Palette by herself (and the help of a 3D printer, because apparently, porcelain printing IS a thing), Kickstarted it and turned it into a reality.
Boom.
Unfortunately, the original run of Mini Palettes was limited:
“The company where I did my porcelain palettes stopped working with ceramics - it’s too complicated. The second Kickstarter run of factory mold-produced ceramic also reached a limit after being sold out quickly. I’m really glad that Etchr came along because I don’t know if I had wanted to deal with another round of manufacturing process on my own.” - Stephanie Law
Now, we’re bringing the Mini Palette back. ...With a few tweaks.
We’re keeping the Mini Palette’s same compact dimensions, (that’s around 80mm wide and 9.2mm height,) and the same wild number of wells (37, thank you very much) but we’re deepening the wells by 6mm for twice as much paint. We’ve also made some ease-of-use adjustments to the tin the palette lives in - and, naturally, we couldn’t resist putting a llama on it.
...because if you like it then you should put a Llama on it. *wild dance move*
When is the Mini Palette coming out?
Edit: The Mini Palette is now available on our online store.
When we hosted the Live Session, the ETA was early April.
…but the following Monday we heard news from the manufacturer: in order to have the deeper painting wells as we envisioned, we have no choice but to postpone the launch to late April / early May.
The final prototype is being made as I type. We’re disappointed in the delay, but we’d much rather exercise a little patience (and wait for a perfect product) than do anything to compromise the quality.
But hey, the current prototype is looking sweet, right?
What about The Perfect Sketchbook?
Or was it Sketchbooks? How many are we making? We’ll get there in a second… Mwuahahah!
“I wanted a watercolor sketchbook that had good quality paper. Paper makes a LOT of difference in watercolor. A lot of people like to buy good quality pigment, but they save on the paper. I was so frustrated. Why didn’t anybody make a sketchbook like that? I understood why when I started making it - it was so expensive!” - Erwin Lian
Erwin Lian is a teacher and artist from Singapore who, in 2014, created the first Perfect Sketchbook… and then did it again a couple more times. It didn’t take us long to reach out to him and propose a partnership. Erwin’s response was nothing short of hilarious:
“It’s so hard when you get into the manufacturing process. You realize how much more involved it is economically. It’s such a painful process that I stopped after the third edition. That’s when Etchr came in and asked if I wanted to make it again and I was like - are you SURE you want to make this!??”
...and of course, we said yes.
But before we get into any more details about THE Perfect Sketchbook, we have a confession to make.
We’re not making just one sketchbook. We couldn’t help it. When you get artists and strategists/business development people together, magic happens and...
You’re getting NINE different sketchbooks!!!
EEEEEEP! (Sorry, I’m just SO excited about this!).
The sketchbooks come in three different ranges:
The Perfect Sketchbook Signature Series
That’s The Perfect Sketchbook you love. Here are the specs:
- Size: B5, portrait format
- Artist grade, 100% cotton watercolor paper
- Italy's finest watercolor paper, Fabriano Artistico
- 300gsm cold press, archival grade
- Expandable inner pocket
- Handtorn edges
- PU cover
The Perfect Sketchbook Series
This is a slightly different range than the Signature Series. These sketchbooks will be of very high quality, but with a different paper and also more affordable:
- Size: Available in both A4 and A5, landscape format
- Artist grade, 100% cotton watercolor paper
- 300gsm cold press, archival grade
- Expandable inner pocket
- PU cover
The Etchr Sketchbook Series
This will be our most affordable series, but still with the highest quality paper possible:
- Size: Available in A4, A5 and A6, landscape format
- 100% cotton, acid-free and heavyweight paper
- 200gsm (cold press or hot press) available
- Fabric cover, ideal for personal customization
Etchr is a vegan-friendly brand, so all the sketchbook covers will be synthetic.
“I wouldn’t make more sketchbooks if Etchr wasn’t involved. I’m really glad someone took over the heavy lifting…” - Erwin Lian
[The Etchr Sketchbook second prototype:]
When are the Sketchbooks coming out?
At the moment, we’re almost done developing the (hopefully) last prototype for each series.
That said, we don’t have a solid release date yet. Some of the series will be ready earlier than others due to the different papers we're using. The latest news from the manufacturer is that The Perfect Sketchbook (both the normal and the Signature Series) will be ready by late May / early June.
...but the Etchr Sketchbook Series will be ready before that. This is where the Kickstarter campaign comes in!
What's the Kickstarter all about?
I'm going to be completely honest here: we need your help to make the Etchr Sketchbook Series as affordable as we possibly can.
As you well know, shipping is really expensive. If we're able to prove to potential distributors that there's a demand, then we're able to send the Sketchbooks from European and American warehouses. This will bring down the costs and, consequently, allow us to drop the prices for the sketchbooks.
If you want some Etchr Sketchbooks at a REALLY sweet price, then please back our campaign when we launch it in early April and help us make the best quality, super affordable sketchbooks ever!
Edit: WE MADE IT! Our campaign finished and the Etchr Sketchbooks are now available for purchase on our online store!
[Below is a photo of me testing the Etchr Sketchbook second prototype]
Sweet! ...but what's coming out first?
I get it, with so many product releases, everything can get a bit confusing!
The first art goodie will be the Etchr Sketchbook, launched through a Kickstarter campaign around late March / early April (yes, the Sketchbooks will be available on our website later, but the pricing will depend on how well the campaign does).
Then, we'll launch the Mini Palette on our website by late April / early May.
If all goes smoothly with the final prototype, The Perfect Sketchbooks (both series) will be available for online purchase on our website by late May / early June.
We will disclose the pricing for each product as soon as we're able to. At the moment, we're aligning on details with the manufacturer, so it's still too soon to know.
You’ll be able to purchase any item from our online store when they’re available. And trust me on this, we will let you know when that is because we’re throwing A LIVE LAUNCH PARTAY for the Mini Palette and The Perfect Sketchbooks! Just make sure to subscribe to our mailing list so we can keep you in the loop!
Have any questions?
We answered as many questions as we could during the live session, but we’re sure you’ve got more!
If you have any questions about the products, or ideas for new products, just post them in the comment section below! We love hearing from you (and I’m very concerned about my poor joke ability, so hey - help me out? <3 )
PS: Remember to sign up for the Early Bird mailing list so you can get notified as soon as the campaign launches! Early birds go fast, so make sure to secure the best deal :D