David Goldklang (Vanda Cards) has produced a good number of decks over the past few years. Now he is facing one of his most ambitious projects: CARDISTRY CLUB. With this name, an idea that goes far beyond a card project is presented. Starting from the exponential worldwide growth of the cardistry movement, David wants to create a new community around the playing cards design in which cardistry fans can have new and varied decks on a monthly basis and, at the…
A new and fresh deck breaks into the scenario of the cards: BICYCLE LADYBUG. This creation is the result of the collaboration between Will Roya (PlayingCardsDecks.com) with the artist Artur Rajch. The ladybug is undoubtedly one of the most endearing insects, always related to color and childhood. This time, the charming bug has been the inspiration for some amusing cards full of polka dots. The customization is complete in each and every one of the cards in which, obviously, red and…
Nordic mythology and artistic talent come together in the latest creation of Jody Eklund (Black Ink Playing Cards): LUMINOSITY. With this deck, Jody completely changes his usual retro-engraved style based on more recent stories to create an allegorical fantasy world inspired by Nordic mythological characters who play their roles in an epic story of struggles between good and evil masterfully narrated by Ricky Cassford. The joining together of fantastic literature and beautiful illustrations produces a unique, completely customized deck, in which…
Sometimes I receive questions from my readers about stocks and finishes used to print playing cards. Although a thorough analysis of this topic would require a much longer article, it is possible to learn important aspects by observing the features of new releases. A good example is the new release by Di Fatta Magic: BICYCLE SUPREME LINE deck. Its appearance is that of a standard Bicycle rider back deck, with the traditional tuck case in red and blue colors. However…
Although getting them sometimes becomes a real nightmare for the most serious collectors of Bicycle decks, it’s great to find companies from any sector that dare to create promotional decks that turn into great collectibles. This is the case of the BICYCLE FANATICAL LABS. Fanatical Labs is a company specialized in the creation of software and business tools. Their products make life easier for those who want to get more out of their business by creating the tech that turns a…
While we are faced with an explosion of new designs of all kinds, it is always enriching to learn a little more about the origin of playing cards through reproductions of old decks that have marked an era. Besides working tirelessly to spread designs from illustrators around the world through his own production, Will Roya has also committed to the playing card history. After the Bicycle Faro edition based on the designs of a s.XIX deck, he now offers us…
The representation of Iustitia, the Roman goddess heiress of the Greek Dice, has traditionally been linked to a woman holding a scale in one hand to symbolize the balance between truth and justice and a sword in the other hand to show the strength of its application. From the 15th century, a blindfold was added to the iconography to indicate that the justice must be impartial. With this inspiration, the artist John Cho and Passione Cards Team have created the EQUALITY…
The fusion between the retro aesthetic of the Victorian era and science fiction technology based on steam energy resulted in the literary genre of steampunk that has served as inspiration for many playing card designs. Today I bring you a new deck full of fantasy inspired by this movement: ARISTO STEAMPUNK. The first thing that stands out the observation of these cards is the careful setting and the detailed illustrations that decorate it. Taking as a reference the machinery and…
Faro is a gambling game that became very popular in late 17th century due to its speed and easy-to-learn rules. Will Roya (PlayingCardsDecks.com) wanted to create a revised version of the Faro deck teaming up with Azured Ox to create a mix between the original essence and the most popular modern deck: BICYCLE FARO. Although at first glance it may look like a standard Bicycle Rider Back deck, the cards inside reveal some interesting mysteries. What is most striking is the lack…
In 2012, Creative Cards project brought together artists from around the globe to create a unique deck. That was the seed of the online platform Digital Abstracts that has gone on creating new editions of the Playing Arts series (One, Two, Three and Special) with an overwhelming success. Now, they have just launched a new very special campaign: PLAYING ARTS ZERO. With the ZERO edition, Playing Arts recovers the original designs of the very first and completely sold out deck. In…