Final Tweaks & Shipping Prep
about 2 months ago
– Sat, Feb 07, 2026 at 07:37:27 AM
Dear all,
I’m currently finishing the small Expedition Carlyle paintings because I wasn’t completely satisfied with them: there was something a bit soft and “mushy” that was really bothering me. These little paintings gave me a real hard time. After a series of failed attempts, I finally found the approach that works. Since my goal is to create a painting that’s meant to have been made by a photographer rather than a painter, I had to step out of my usual habits and get into Hypathia Masters’ head. Once that click happened, everything fell back into place. I’m now making the final tweaks and completing the paintings intended for the Deluxe Pledges. While I take care of the wrapping of other props, the paintings are drying up.
At the same time, I’m putting better organizational tools in place so shipping can run smoothly. As you know, admin is my weak spot, so I’m forcing myself to work in a more structured way, step by step. I’m becoming a bit obsessive about my workflow tools, and I’m deliberately adding constraints, because otherwise I lose track. Instead of an endless to-do list that tends to paralyze me, I break everything down into simple, manageable blocks. For shipping, I follow this order: quality control for each piece, packing the props, then weighing everything. For shipping labels, I process parcels in groups of three to avoid mix-ups and mistakes. At that point, I schedule the pickup from my studio and print the shipping labels.
The problem is that the driver who’s supposed to collect the parcels simply never shows up. The reason is absurd: my studio isn’t directly on the street, so from his perspective “no one is there,” even though I clearly specified that he must call me when he arrives so I can come and let him in. I’ve contacted customer service, and they’ve been giving me the runaround on this for months. With smaller parcels, I ended up taking the boxes to the depot myself. With cartons close to 10 kg, that becomes much harder.
Another practical constraint: I can only store eight large parcels in my studio. Once those eight are packed, I’m literally blocked by a wall of boxes, and I can’t work properly anymore, since the rest of the studio is also taken over by cartons and packing materials and With everything that my workshop usually contains. So I’m pushing hard to get this pickup issue solved. Otherwise, I’ll have to rent a van and do the transport myself, even though the pickup service is included in the shipping price.
And as if that weren’t enough, I’ve had two surreal situations on the delivery side. First, the post office where I dropped three parcels registered them incorrectly: they were scanned as “parcels to be collected” instead of “parcels to be shipped.” As a result, they’re asking me to go back, retrieve them, re-ship them, and drop them off again. I’ll be refunded, yes, but you can imagine the time wasted and the energy drained…
Second, two UK backers still haven’t received their parcels, which I sent in September, even though their addresses were perfectly correct. Chronopost has been telling me that the parcels will be returned to me, but for now they’re unable to physically locate either box. They even asked me for the exact contents so they can “search” for them in their depot. In short: nothing is simple, and I’ll probably need to raise my voice to get concrete compensation quickly.
The good news is that the third customer service agent I spoke to assured me the pickup issue will be solved this week. If I finally get a reliable pickup from my studio, it will be an immediate relief and it will unblock the rest of the shipments.
Warmly,
Delphes
1
3 months ago
– Wed, Dec 24, 2025 at 03:58:15 AM
1. I have only managed to send one package since my last update. November and December were hectic, between the inevitable arrangements following my father's death and the three events I organized with the children and families in the neighborhood with whom I do worldbuilding. I will resume this work in March, so I will have time to continue packing and shipping in January and February. I know it's taking a long time, but I'm doing this alone, so it's dragging on.
I'm also packing the Idols of Cthulhu at the same time, so I'm living in cardboard boxes:)
I wish you all a wonderful holiday season surrounded by your loved ones.
Talk to you soon,
Delphes
Shipping
4 months ago
– Tue, Nov 25, 2025 at 11:58:20 AM
Hi everyone,
I had to catch up on the time I wasn’t able to work due to my father’s funeral. As you know, when you’re a freelancer, days off simply mean unpaid days. I’m now back at full speed, and the shipments have resumed.
Three parcels have just gone out, and more are following. When you receive your props, feel free to leave a comment or share your impressions. I always appreciate knowing how the pieces land on your side.
I hope you’re doing well in this uncertain world. I’m completely focused on getting every last prop to you, and on making sure you’re truly happy with what you receive. After that, I’ll finally take a moment to look at the space that will open up in my studio. For now, I'm moving between the piles of cardboard.
Take care, and thank you for your patience and support.
Delphes
