O_OOHKey, who is located in South Korea, and specializes in resin artisan keycaps and loves cats! If the name sounds familiar, then it is because I won a giveaway from them before and loved their Ninku character so much that when I saw it available in Neon Pink... I had to get it. 😂

Although I wish the currency conversion was kinder to me, the invoice for  Neon Pink Ninku was USD$65, including shipping. I paid S$91.85 via PayPal (no thanks to currency conversation😭). To date this would be the most expensive keycap I've gotten. 😅 

[Exploring Artisan Keycaps: A Review of O_OOHKey]

There's actually an interesting backstory behind the artist's online persona: in Korean the word 음애 means the cry of a baby, and when re-interpreted it was born as 'O__OOH ' in English. 

The package come with a card and cute stickers. Neon Pink Ninku was well encased in a protector case and arrived in perfect condition.

Designs

O_OOHKey's current works (in 2024) revolve on different variations of the below:

1.  O_OOH CAT: Kitten looking like suspenders but wearing a diaper. 😸
2.  Ho-Raeng: In Korea, there is a culture called '12 gods'. To celebrate the Year of the Black Tiger, we made a tiger character by hand sculpting.💖
3. SneakInKitty: Introducing SneakInKitty, our adorable new character! Watch as this lovable kitten playfully sneaks inside a stylish sneaker, bringing a burst of charm to your day. Shower lots of love on this little feline companion – a delightful addition to your world of whimsy and style! 
4. Ryong-E: Dive into the mythical charm of the Year of the Blue Dragon with our exquisite Blue Dragon, Ryong-E! This blue dragon keycap created in celebration of 2024 boasts a captivating azure hue symbolizing strength and prosperity. Embrace the upcoming year with Ryong-E, whose horns will ward off all your hardships! Meet Ryong-E at Raffle!
5. NinKu: A cute kid who dreams of becoming a ninja

There are also other occasional designs such as the Cloud Keycaps and Stingray which are priced at US$20-25. So definitely something to look forward to!

How to Buy

The mode of which the keycaps are sold is via Raffle Sales with Google Forms: where you sign up to win a chance to buy the keycaps. The form is usually open for a week and sales are conducted on a first come first serve basis. If payment is not made within 24 hours, then it gets cancelled and you would not be able to particulate in the next raffle. 

O_OOHKey announces the latest sales and posts about past creations on their Instagram. They also occasionally have giveaways, so do check them out! 😍

The Cloud & Stingray Series which are always available

Artist Info

• Style: 🐯 Fantasy 🐉⛅
• Pricing (per keycap): an average of US$20 to US$60 (S$26-S$80+)
• Shipping Internationally: Depends on your country and ranges from USD$15-$30 (S$20-S$50)
• Wait Time: Not including the time it took to be processed / made, it took within 5 business days (total was 8 days if you count the weekends) to receive my adorable keycap from South Korea.
• Material: Resin (Hand sculpted)
• Location: South Korea
• Payment Method: Paypal
• Social Media: 
• Instagram 
• Discord 
• Link Tree

Have you gotten any keycaps from any____key? If the answer is yes, let me know in the comments below what you loved and what did you get! 

[Keycap Series: Featuring Artists of the Month] 

[Exploring Artisan Keycaps: A Review of O_OOHKey]

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]

Enjoying art and fun shouldn't come with a hefty price tag; it can be both high-quality and affordable.

Welcome to this monthly new series where I will be spotlighting talented keycap artists whose work I have come across and purchased from them as I love their designs. With reasonable pricing and shipping options that have proven worthwhile to me, here I am sharing them with you. Whether you're in search of intricacy, uniqueness, or affordability in artisan keycaps, I hope you find inspiration and the opportunity to support these creators.

Getting into the hobby and into the rabbit hole of artisan keycaps can be a bit overwhelming for the pocket as one artisan keycap can cost as much as a whole set, with some costing more than S$80 (not including shipping fees yet). And let's not get started on shipping... If you are in Singapore or South East Asia, sometimes shipping from overseas sellers are more than S$20-40+!😵

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]

Hopefully this list helps you as it did me (especially if you are from South East Asia) and support the lovely artists who are doing a wonderful job, and making it a little bit more easier for you and your wallet in personalizing your mechanical keyboard!

AnyKey aka any____key makes their adorable iterations of their Bear character called Dori available through Raffle Sales (with Google Forms) which are announced on their Instagram and discord server. I first came across their adorable Dori creations on Instagram and was immediately smitten with the beary cute designs! 

[Keycap Series: August Artist Featuring AnyKey aka any____key]

[Keycap Series: All Doris I have gotten from Anykey]

Anykey announces the latest sales and updates to shipping, as well as posts about past creations on their Instagram and their Discord, so do check them out!

One thing to note is that shipping of the adorable Dori creations take about a month or so to be made and then shipped out.

Previously I had gotten their Lime Boom! Dori and Hibernation Dori, then I saw the delicious Egg Dori and just had to get him. The invoice for Egg Dori was USD$50, including shipping. I paid S$70.57 via PayPal (no thanks to currency conversation😂). You can tell I am becoming a fan of Dori the bear... This already is my third Dori (and I am not going to stop)!

Unboxing Video

Artist Info

September brings the cozy vibes of autumn and the magic of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. So to celebrate, instead of the usual 1 artist, 2 artists who capture the essence of the season will be featured this month. 

Last week we had Jen, all the way from Australia, the wonderful lady behind kōyōkeys. This week we have pyuyucaps who is right across the causeway from Malaysia. Her adorable creations range from about US$30-55+ (about S$40-70+) and shipping to Singapore is US$15 (about S$20). 

What I appreciate about pyuyucaps is that she has an online shop as well as raffle sales and commission open on her Instagram page, so there are options. Her creations on her Big Cartel shop are simply adorable and have a nice clean finish to them. 

When I saw 'YU' bunny (玉兔), I simply fell in love with the sweet pink and adorable design! 

So into the shopping cart 'YU' bunny (玉兔) went along with her friends, and they soon made their way to me. 😆 It was a pleasant surprise that instead of delivery via the post office it was via a courier and arrived in a faster time (less than a week).

[Keycap Series: Featuring Artists of the Month] 

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]

The shopping experience was straight forward and simple. It would be nice if the currency could be auto-converted to reflect the currency I am using but that was not a deal breaker. I appreciated the online store experience:

1. Paypal was a payment option.
2. No need to create an account just to make purchase. As long as you have your Order number, you are able to keep track of your order easily.
3. Once the order was confirmed and on the way, the tracking ID is provided.
   
4. Updates from the courier when the parcel is out for delivery.
   

Unboxing

 

Artist Info

• Style:  🐇 Animals / Pokemon / Cartoon & Game Characters
  
• Pricing (per keycap): an average of US$30-55+ (about S$40-70+)
  
• Shipping to Singapore: US$15 (about S$20)
• Shipping Internationally: shipping costs will be calculated at checkout. 
• Wait Time: Once my order was placed, it took less than a week for the cute keycap to reach me (from Malaysia to Singapore via courier).
  
• Material: Polymer clay + PBT
• Location: Malaysia
• Social Media: 
• Store 
• Instagram

💗 Loves

September brings the cozy vibes of autumn and the magic of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. So to celebrate, instead of the usual 1 artist, 2 artists who capture the essence of the season will be featured this month.  The first featured artist is kōyōkeys.

Hailing from Australia, Jen is the wonderful lady behind kōyōkeys. The name kōyō means autumn leaves changing color. The keycaps are primarily made from epoxy resin but some specialty designs may include other materials such as polymer clay and glitter. The overall result are designs which are minimalistic yet elegant. 

kōyōkeys  keycaps range from about S$64-120+ (US$45-88+), and shipping to Singapore is S$20. 

Most designs, or colorways as they are called, have about 6-12 units available while the more popular ones might have a little more in quantity (i.e. about 20 units). Each colorway is unique and it might be hard to replicate the same color exactly, so you can be assured that you would be getting a one of a kind little piece of art keycap.

Jen has an interesting take on Raffles Sales: instead of using Google Forms, she offers a range of designs (and quantity) on her online store. The new designs are then announced on her Instagram page. In a way they are raffled just on an online store instead of using Google Forms. Doing so allows interested buyers to "raffle" their luck and see if they are able to check out with their desired color way. 

This definitely saves time on administration and the manual effort having to individually contacting each buyer, send them an invoice and see if they have paid or not before packing etc... And for buyers, the result is almost instant in seeing if they are able to get the colorway which they wanted. I like this approach as the wait is practically more than halved and you can received the keycaps much earlier than your regular Raffle Sale method via Google Forms. 

One day, I happened to be browsing Instagram and came across Jen's post announcing that there was going to be sales (along with some new releases) on her online store. Sales day come, I went to check out the online store and checked out a sunflower rakuyō keycap. 😍

[Keycap Series: Featuring Artists of the Month] 

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]

It was the typical Shopify platform experience but I appreciated the online store experience:

1. Auto-currency conversion on the site and displayed it already in S$.
2. Paypal was a payment option.
3. No need to create an account just to make purchase. As long as you have your Order number, you are able to keep track of your order easily.
4. Once the order was confirmed and on the way, an estimated date period was included in the update email.
5. Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout.
6. Email updates from Australian Post on the status of the delivery so you can travel virtual with your package.

Unboxing

Artist Info

• Style: 🍁 Nature-Inspired 
• Pricing (per keycap): an average of  S$64-120 (US$45-88)
• Shipping to Singapore: S$20
• Shipping Internationally: shipping costs will be calculated at checkout. 
• Wait Time: Orders within 3-5 days to be processed after being placed, My order took 3 working days to get processed and shipped out. It took another 8 working days (a total of 16 days) to reach me. 
• Material: Resin
• Location: Australia
• Social Media: 
• Store 
• Instagram

💗 Loves

AnyKey aka any____key makes their adorable iterations of their Bear character called Dori available through Raffle Sales (with Google Forms) which are announced on their Instagram and discord server. I first came across their adorable Dori creations on Instagram and was immediately smitten with their beary cute designs! 

[Keycap Series: August Artist Featuring AnyKey aka any____key]

[Keycap Series: All Doris I have gotten from Anykey]

Anykey announces the latest sales and updates to shipping, as well as posts about past creations on their Instagram and their Discord, so do check them out!

One thing to note is that shipping of the adorable Dori creations take about a month or so to be made and then shipped out.

The invoice for Hibernation Dori was USD$50, including shipping. I paid S$70.60 via PayPal (no thanks to currency conversation😂).

Isn't Hibernation Dori  simply adorable and sleepy? The perfect kind of relaxed artisan bear keycap!

Anykey announces the latest sales and updates to shipping, as well as posts about past creations on their Instagram and their Discord, so do check them out!

One thing to note is that shipping of the adorable Dori creations take about a month or so to be made and then shipped out.

Artist Info

Introducing the artist for August… AnyKey aka any____key! 

I found them on Instagram and they have their own discord server (for those who have the time and energy for yet another app 😂). They are relatively new to the scene, being online since 2023 and having their Instagram account in August 2023.

Unlike the other artists who have their own Esty and/or online shop, AnyKey makes their adorable iterations of their Bear character called Dori available through Raffle Sales (with Google Forms) which are announced on their Instagram and discord server.  Apparently for each run there are only about 15 pieces (limited run), but fret not as there are about 3-5 runs per month of this adorable little bear. 

Despite its “exclusivity”, the pricing for Dori is reasonable at USD$35 (about S$50), and shipping USD$15 (about S$20) to Singapore. Considering it is coming from South Korea, with such adorable variations of Dori the bear, it's quite a friendly pricing (including shipping). 😆

Aren’t these snapshots of Dori in some of the iterations simply too adorable to resist?

I wished I had made it for the Raffle Sales for the HBD Dori, but the Lime Boom! Dori caught my eye and so I entered the Raffle Sales seeing if I would be able to get it... and I did! It was a pleasant surprise to be able to “win” my first Raffle Sales. The invoice for Lime Boom! Dori was USD$50, including shipping. I paid S$70.99 via PayPal (no thanks to currency conversation😂).

That said I did fall in love with Hibernation Dori, another of AnyKey Dori creations. It will get its own post since it is so adorable. So stay tuned for that post!

Ok back to Lime Boom! Dori ... He arrived in a nice little a metal casing with AnyKey's logo, along with his own certificate!

Check out the unboxing video below:

Coming from China, LittleCutieDesign has a store on Etsy and mostly does keycap designs based on 3D modeling. Besides artisan keycaps, the shop also has curated keycap sets which you can find on other platforms such as Taobao, AliExpres, Shopee or Lazada, for much cheaper.

What stood out was the vast design genres available on the Etsy shop: there are sweet adorable animals and food, and also cool sci-fi metallic or punk vibes. There is surely one keycap which would suit your sense of aesthetics.  

One thing to note is that not all the keycaps or keycap sets are that unique (similar designs can be found on Shopee, Lazada, Taobao etc...) for much less. So if you really want to know if you are getting your money's worth, then you would have to do your research and compare prices across platforms.

Of course the dog themed keycaps caught my eye and I was sure I was not able to find them somewhere else for that price, particularly with the "free shipping" and the promotion they had for a customized keycap. 

They were having a sale and delivery to Singapore (from China) was “free”, so I got a Husky keycap and a custom made keycap of my pet dog - a golden retriever.

The golden retriever keycap was custom made so that took a while longer (almost 2.5 months). The process was where I had to send photos of my dog to make sure they were able to capture it all on a little keycap. And that was it, there was no further communications or mockup of the final product before production so no changes and you have to accept what is given.

For just S$65 (US$48~)with free delivery it could be considered a good deal… except that the quality is really subpar. The final product was poorly made: the clay was not evenly cut and exposed the from corners of the keycap, the paint job was could have been slightly better too. 

Unboxing

Maybe my expectations were too high, but overall I was not too satisfied with the final product, which is a first time this has ever happened. Although exchanges are excepted within 14 days of delivery, it's too much of a hassle to handle the shipping back (and paying for it), I decided to keep this little piece of disappointment.

At least it was not all bad, the other Husky keycap looked adorable and met expectations. It seems to be out of production at the moment but for around S$55 (US$40~) it was not too bad since delivery to Singapore was “free”. But if you want a similar style you could check out @shirouu.kaps. Although it costs more, the experience should be better. 

Artist Info

• Style: 🧚 Fantasy/ Nature-Inspired / Gaming / Anime / Food 🍲
• Pricing (per keycap): an average of S$15 to S$80 (US$11 to US$60). Keycap sets costs much more.
• Shipping to Singapore: Free
• Shipping Internationally: depends on your location but should be reasonable (or free)
• Wait Time: Out of all the purchases I have made so far, the wait time for just creating the keycap was the longest since I had an order for a customized keycap. It was more than a month, about 2.5 months before I received the keycaps.
• Material: 3D Printing, Metal, Wood, Resin
• Location: China
• Social Media: 
• Esty Shop 
• Instagram

💗 Loves

Welcome to my series on exploring Artisan Keycap Artists, a series where I curate keycap artists with unique designs, good quality and interesting backstories for their keycaps, along with shipping which is not more than S$25 (as much as possible). These are artists whom I have either won in a giveaway, been gifted, or purchased something from them which was not a keycap (they are multi-talented like that).

If you are interested in affordable yet adorable and intricate keycaps, and reasonable shipping (S$25 and below), do check out my guide where I have consolidated a list of wonderful artists whom I have purchased from.

[Keycap Series: Featuring Artists of the Month] 

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]

Artists:

For the month of July, the artist of the month is peache_atelier, also known as Trish, who is located in Singapore! She is relatively new to the scene but her design aesthetics are uniquely adorable with her attention to details for her creations inspired from food to animals. She mainly focuses on clay creations such as charms, trinkets and has expanded to artisan keycaps. She might be starting out her (adventure) but the designs and detail on her creations are simply worth it.

Shipping (within Singapore) is S$2. 

International shipping is also reasonable:

1. Malaysia & Brunei: S$7.10
2. Countries in Asia & the Pacific (except Australia, Japan, New Zealand): S$9.30
3. Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the rest of the world: S$11.90

[Keycap Series: Featuring Artists of the Month] 

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]

I first came across peache_atelier on Instagram, and went to check out her creations. 😍

What caught my attention was the delicious looking Capybara Butter Toast. It was simply too cute to resist, and the pricing made it even more irresistible!  Totoro was a little bonus. 

Unlike the artists featured so far who have an Etsy store or their own online store, she offers her creations via her Ko-Fi Page and Instagram account. If you are accessing via the Ko-Fi page, just click on the design you want and follow the instructions to check out your latest addition. If it is via Instagram, simply DM her. It is simple and easy (especially for Singaporean buyers since PayNow is also accepted). 😊

peache_atelier  was really fast and responsive, sending out the keycap within 3 working days. In total, it took 5 working days to receive the parcel. 

Packaging was sufficient: Capybara Butter Toast and Totoro were snuggly encased with soft cotton and arrived in pristine condition. The cat stickers that came along were super cute too! 

Artist Info

• Style:  📺 Anime / Animals / Food 🍞
• Pricing(per keycap): an average of S$13 to S$22+ (US$20  to US$30+) 
• Pricing for commission pieces might vary so always reach out and clarify. 
• Shipping to Singapore: less than $2 (US$2.50)
• Shipping Internationally: 
• Malaysia & Brunei: S$7.10 (US$5)
• Countries in Asia & the Pacific (except Australia, Japan, New Zealand): S$9.30 (US$7)
• Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the rest of the world: S$11.90 (US$10)
• Wait Time: My order took a total of 3 working days to get processed and another 2 working days to reach me. However, it is always best to check with  peache_atelier on when you can receive your little cutie.
• Material: Resin / Polymer Clay
• Social Media: 
• Ko-Fi Page 
• Instagram

💗 Loves

Have you gotten any keycaps from peache_atelier? If the answer is yes, let me know in the comments below what you loved and what did you get! 

[Keycap Series: Featuring Artists of the Month] 

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]

For the month of June, the artist of the month is teas_factory who is located in Singapore! Her aim to make affordable keycaps that everyone can enjoy really resonated with me, and her design aesthetics definitely caught my eye. Her design aesthetics are uniquely adorable with creations inspired from cartoon series to animals. She mainly focuses on custom keycaps, but does come up with designs of her own as well. 

Shipping (within Singapore) is the cheapest yet at S$2. 

International shipping is also reasonable:

1. Malaysia & Brunei: S$7.10
2. Countries in Asia & the Pacific (except Australia, Japan, New Zealand): S$9.30
3. Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the rest of the world: S$11.90

[Keycap Series: Featuring Artists of the Month] 

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]

I first came across teas_factory  on Instagram and went to check out her creations. 😍

What caught my attention was the adorable Sakura Cow. It was simply too cute to resist, and the pricing made it even more irresistible!

Unlike the artists featured so far who have an Etsy or online store, she takes orders via Google Forms and promotes them via her Instagram and Carousell account. The process was really simple: the link to the form is on her accounts and when you've completed it, she will send the invoice over to the email you provided. Simple and easy (especially for Singaporean buyers since PayNow is also accepted). You can even commission designs from her. 😊

teas_factory  was really fast and responsive, even making sure that my address was correct. The invoice was sent shortly after. It took about 6 working days to reach me, which is not too bad considering it was made upon order, and having to wait a bit for the new batch of resin to arrive.

Packaging was on point: little Sakura the Cow was encased in a little cute box with a lovely wax seal affixed on the top; adding a nice touch. She arrived with some cute stickers and notes!

Artist Info

• Style:  📺 Pop Culture / Nature Inspired / Gaming / Anime
• Pricing(per keycap): an average of S$26 to S$36+ (US$20  to US$30+) 
• Pricing for commission pieces might vary so always reach out and clarify. 
• Shipping to Singapore: less than $2 (US$2.50)
• Shipping Internationally: an average of S$9.30 to S$11.90+ (US$7 to US$10+)
• Wait Time: My order via Google Forms took a total of 2 working days to get processed and another 4 working days to reach me. Also best to check with teas_factory  on when you can receive your little cutie.
• Material: Resin / Polymer Clay
• Social Media: 
• Instagram 
• Carousell 

💗 Loves

Have you gotten any keycaps from teas_factory ? If the answer is yes, let me know in the comments below what you loved and what did you get! 

[Keycap Series: Featuring Artists of the Month]

[Beginner's Guide to Artisan Keycaps: Everything You Need to Know]