Hey, here's my introduction

[Maskedfreakinabox]

     Hey everyone, I'm Carter. I'm from Kamas, Utah. I am not a magician, cardist or even a collector, but rather a designer of cards currently plotting out his first deck. The reason I joined this forum is actually because my longtime best friend Isaac (or as you know him, Mr. Mollusk) has been prodding me to join for a while and so I finally have. I am familiar with some of the people on this forum as Isaac has shown me many of it's threads and given me the basic rundown of the most notable forum regulars and moderators. I became interested in cardistry and magic several months after Isaac had begun his interest when he started getting me into it. Being that I am an artist on my spare time, it was only natural that I eventually began to plot out my own deck designs and now I am starting to push past plotting and into pre-production, once I have all of my artwork done, I will post the betas on this site for review.

[xela]

Looking forward to see what you have in store! Welcome to the forum

[Don Boyer]

+1 karma point for Isaac!

Welcome to the boards, Carter.  Glad to have you here.  If you have questions, we probably have answers, so fire away.

PS: I do consulting for card designers on the side.  My most current project is Blueblood Redux for Uusi - this would be my third deck I worked on with them.  Though honestly, I think they hardly need my help at all - their designs are really gorgeous!

[Maskedfreakinabox]

+1 karma point for Isaac!

Welcome to the boards, Carter.  Glad to have you here.  If you have questions, we probably have answers, so fire away.

PS: I do consulting for card designers on the side.  My most current project is Blueblood Redux for Uusi - this would be my third deck I worked on with them.  Though honestly, I think they hardly need my help at all - their designs are really gorgeous!

Thanks! For now I've simply use my own judgement s well as Isaac's scrutiny to assess my designs, but I'm looking forward to having my drafts postable for all to judge. I will PM you with any questions though, as I have a few. I will say though, that my avatar is a hint as to something you will find in my deck and that the theme is Genies in the Lamps. I have yet to settle on a name I like for this deck that isn't tacky, but I have a few in mind. While I know that judging by your experiences with the Gypsy and Egyptian decks on KS your expectations probably aren't all that high, but Isaac has seen some of my prototypes and he really likes them so hopefully I'm in good shape  . I have decided to be very authentic in my approach as I am incorporating a lot of design elements found in real Persian rugs (I have actually gone to a nearby rug gallery and got the manager to give me an educational tour so I knew the origins, meanings and history behind Middle Eastern carpets and their designs, so I can incorporate them as best as possible.) That having been said I know that it still has to look like a playing card (because the only art decks I like at all are the D&D ultimate deck and the curator deck) so I've been researching the history of playing cards and their evolution over time so I can not only see what makes a good playing card, but understand WHY those things make for a good deck. I don't do tacky (unless I'm just being a troll  ). It is for that reason that my deck also contains several nods to some of the vintage decks that we know and love, mainly the Aladdin 1001's and Jerry's Nuggets, but with a few references to old school playing cards in general. But if I see a Genie deck on KS within the next couple days, this is the first place for me to rant!

[MrMollusk]

Hey, dude!

Awesome that you finally made it here!

Here are the links to the Kickstarter threads I was talking about.

http://aethercards.com/discourse/design-development/problems-with-kickstarter/msg64090/#msg64090

http://aethercards.com/discourse/design-development/discussion-for-kickstarter-projects-costs-marketing-good-rewards-and-more/msg60798/#msg60798

http://aethercards.com/discourse/design-development/10-tips-for-the-aspiring-kickstarter/msg33348/#msg33348

http://aethercards.com/discourse/design-development/my-take-on-using-kickstarter/msg74598/#msg74598

Tons of delicious tips here. Thanks for joining!

EDIT: I already did see some of the elements and a possible back he's going to use. From what I gather, the deck is going to be awesome!

[Maskedfreakinabox]

Of course dudemanbro! Thanks for the tips.

[MrMollusk]

Of course dudemanbro! Thanks for the tips.

Absolutely, Chestbrah!

(this is another ongoing joke. Douche-speak)

[Maskedfreakinabox]

Of course dudemanbro! Thanks for the tips.

Absolutely, Chestbrah!

(this is another ongoing joke. Douche-speak)

yeah, we have quite a few well-choreographed jokes between the two of us that we've amassed over the years. Please forgive intermittent use of inside humor...

[Don Boyer]

Of course dudemanbro! Thanks for the tips.

Absolutely, Chestbrah!

(this is another ongoing joke. Douche-speak)

yeah, we have quite a few well-choreographed jokes between the two of us that we've amassed over the years. Please forgive intermittent use of inside humor...

As long as you use your inside voice... 

If you can make a deck that looks like Persian rugs, well - that could be gorgeous, and very unique.

[Maskedfreakinabox]

That's the goal here. I am trying to be as painstakingly accurate and authentic as I can and I will tell you now that having read 1001 Nights (or as Westerners call it, Arabian Nights) as part of my research, I have decided to do something unique with this deck: I have four jokers in it that end up telling a story that could very well fit into the 1001 nights. I know the Poker Buddy is doing this with the courts, but I had this idea before I saw that. This idea is also much more direct in its delivery, the object being to give a unique flare and to be something cool to incorporate into routines. Also included will be a marking system (incorporated into what I'm calling the Magic Carpet back teehee  ), a well-stylized reveal, fully custom court cards, custom poker peeks (useful in a deck when learning to use it's marking system and a good feature in general), semi-custom spot cards (this meaning I have made slight alterations to the typical pip layout that in my opinion are more visually pleasing, especially with the Persian rug designs being central to this deck) and I have also devised a new type of border that ought to really make for a cool fan/spread. Will also make any cheating other than your own nearly impossible (that is unless someone is good enough to learn the marking system simply by looking at the cards). Current stretch goals include foiling and embossing various parts of the box, a custom holographic seal and the option of adding stripper decks to your order. I'm pretty excited. I need to hurry my ass up with the artwork so I can show you what I have going. I think you'll like it.

[atomicfrancisco]

Heya, I'm new on here too! just saying hi!