Following the success of his first project, Enuma, Claude Davi (Nemesis Factory) launches his second campaign: TRIORA. Triora is a charming Italian village with less than 500 inhabitants, due to a strong depopulation after its destruction in World War II. In the 16th century it was the scene of a bloody story. Scourged by the plague and a terrible famine, which today is sensed was caused by the landowners of the time, the inhabitants of the region, unable to find…
Although he has not stopped working and collaborating in playing cards design, it’s been a year since Randy Butterfield (Midnight Card Company) launched his latest solo campaign. He’s back with a fabulous success: WILD WEST. A good friend of Max Playing Cards for years, I have always recognized my weakness for Randy and his personal style. Inspired by the Wild West, Randy has used a traditional pencil-on-paper technique to capture a historical vision of one of the many episodes of late-nineteenth-century…
Emmanuel Valtierra‘s designs have always been linked to an interesting interpretation of ancestral cultures and folklore. After Demonologie and Angelologie, he has just launched a third deck with some elements in common: MASCHERATA. MASCHERATA is inspired by old illustrations of masks and modern renaissance style disguises. The engraved hand-colored design style of the two previous decks is also present in this one. The court cards are decorated with carefully chosen masks (female and male masks for queens and…
Dmitrii Lebedev is a Russian designer based in the United States who, together with his son Nikita, an experienced cardist, has just launched his first work: INVASION. The inspiration for the design comes from an imaginary UFO sighting, lived by the creators themselves, in which they found a card containing the information necessary to recreate in a deck the identities of the alien races that seek to conquer our planet. These four races, Peekians, Boobians, Threphians, and Zervians,…
A few months ago, it was launched an interesting deck inspired by the pinups, beautiful girls popularized by the US soldiers of the Second World War using them as patriotic charm (rather than erotic images). There are many designers who have used this inspiration to create beautiful illustrations and today I bring you an example: USMilPin. USMilPin (United States Military Pin-ups) is not just a deck, but a reflection of the passion of its creators to recover the relationship between these beautiful…
In the summer of 2014, the Golden Spike deck catapulted Jody Eklund (Black Ink Playing Cards) into the list of recognized contemporary playing cards designers. For this creation, Jody was inspired by the 1st Transcontinental Railroad in the USA and named the deck with the golden spike made for the great opening of the railroad in 1869. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the event, the artist offers us a luxurious creation: GOLDEN SPIKE 150th ANNIVERSARY. This new deck is not just a reissue with a…
Enuma Elish is a Babylonian epic poem about the genesis of the universe and mankind. Engraved on clay tablets with cuneiform writing in the 7th century BC. and recovered over time, this work collects different episodes in which the gods take part of a constant creation and destruction. Inspired by this work, a new and dynamic Italian company, Nemesis Factory, has just relaunched their amazing campaign: ENUMA. After an unfairly unfunded campaign, the creators have made deep changes in the designs…
After his success Demonologie, Emmanuel Valtierra dedicates his new deck to the kindly celestial forces: ANGELOLOGIE. Each one of the court cards is dedicated to an angel, whose illustrations have been inspired by old books and manuscripts. It is possible to distinguish the different artistic styles in the cards as well as historical details told through the images to describe the different winged characters. The artists keeps that old book style and that well-known colorful touch. All the…
In previous articles I had the opportunity to show you different decks created around the pinups, those beautiful girls popularized by the US soldiers of the Second World War using them as patriotic charm (rather than erotic images). There are many designers who have used this inspiration to create beautiful illustrations and today I bring you an example: USMinPin. USMinPin (United States Military Pin-ups) is not just a deck, but a reflection of the passion of its creators to recover the…
After successfully funded a deck dedicated to the pilots of the First World War, Jody Eklund (Black Ink Playing Cards) has launched his new project: TOP ACES OF WWII. In this new deck, the artist pays tribute to the pilots of the Second World War with the use of his well-known illustration technique and with a more elaborate color composition. With that “retro” touch of engraving style, Jody dedicates this deck to his grandfather, a flying lover, and to all those…