I didn't paint today because ... ... ...

PINS! Pins! Shiny pins!!

Yes, I could have told you they were on their way! But I was so afraid they would be faulty that I decided to wait and suffer in silence, he. They're manufactured in China, as you know, and with the New Year and the coronavirus, I was notified they would be delayed. I suppose they were finished before the lockdown, because they'd already been sent to Austria (where, I think, quality control sits) when the factories slowly started opening again last week. (The enamel factories are mostly in areas unaffected by the coronavirus, but they were still affected by cautionary shutdowns.)

I had been told that ordering pins in January was a bad idea because New Year's holidays often make for rushed and faulty batches, and I told my representative with the Austrian branch that they should take all the time they needed, especially with health concerns, but once again, they've outdone themselves on these! I had some 1,000 pins coming in today, and of all but the "Tinfang Warble" ones, I had a total of 13 B-grades. The Tinfangs are susceptible to scratches in the gold figure, but that's hardly a surprise and just somes with the design. 

Both Éowyn and the Rings are a little larger than I thought they would be, but they turned out so gorgeous! Look at those colours! There's barely a difference from my design sketches! =D 

As soon as there's any daylight tomorrow, I'll take proper photos and will put them in my Etsy shop. =D

And I'm already thinking of new designs! I have a dragon ready to be done in three colour variants (red, green, and black), I want to design a firebird, and I'm thinking about doing Valar-silhouettes. I'll show the dragons later, and will ask about new ideas in the Union+ tier soon. :)