Lots of work going on behind the scenes here preparing for my next Kickstarter. Tentatively titled “Out of the Woods” – the project will present a collection of well-known fairy tales as posters, book, and card game. Here’s a concept sketch for the Rapunzel card done by one of the art groups we’re testing for the project.

For the narrative theme, I’ve recently been thinking a lot about morality and behavioral development in a world less and less influenced by religion. While I myself am an atheist, I believe important life lessons must be passed to us by some method – religion, literature, and/or caregivers. This was the original purpose of fairy-tales – to scare children into acting morally and cautiously as they matured into adults.

Could a collection of classic fairy tales with a dark (re)-presentation serve to help parents convey life lessons, warnings, and common sense to their kids? Hell, I know a few adults, myself included, who could use a reminder of those lessons!

“Out of the Woods” contains a dual meaning in this context – one, that we’re never *really* out of the woods… in life, there’s always another Big Bad Wolf hiding along our paths. And that while we’re in the woods we must be prepared for the next wolf attack. Death is probably the only escape from the woods we’ll ever encounter – so best to be prepared for a life of tests and obstacles.

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