Nine Lives - A little background on 2 Deck projects

[NineLives]

Hello

I've only just joined and am still finding/browsing/discovering my way through this exciting place

Although these two decks are published and available (i.e. not in design & development stage) I thought I could start this thread by talking a little about the background for the artwork and process... and if it's okay I'll post a few images of my playing cards in the plethora thread as well.

Nine Lives Tarot
The artworks for my tarot deck are completed in pen & ink and hand-painted digitally - the 78 cards took just over 3 years to finish, including revising, extra detail and final touch ups.
For me, as an artist - the Tarot is a vast source of visual inspiration. A system where each card tells a story and conveys a meaning - yet, within the framework there are endless ways to interpret those stories.


The Tower, Chariot & Moon from Nine Lives Tarot

Nine Lives - neither deck is a cat deck per se - though the name is obviously 'cat' inspired (and I do love cats). I wanted to link the idea of life being cyclic (phases) rather than a straight line from birth to death. Cats are said to have nine lives, and in life we go through phases which sort of can be seen as lives within lives if that makes sense? The cats in my tarot deck are there as symbolic guides (there are nine in total), other guides include ravens, snakes and falcons ...

In 2013 KS wasn't available to Australian artists (a lot has changed in a short time), so before the artwork was completed I set about researching printing options and self-publishing. I had samples sent from MPC and PrinterStudio and looked into The Game Crafter (the cost of postage outside US was my main hurdle there ). I also looked at ArtsCow, Superior POD and a few more I can't remember. I sent emails to printers asking every silly question I could think of (about colour profiles, file types, manufacturing warranty, copyright...). Despite having to learn on my feet while discovering the joys of small print-runs, self-publishing has been immensely rewarding in that I get to 'meet' my customers.

I'm not sure at this stage what I will do for my next deck - especially considering that I am not one to complete a deck in a few weeks (more like a year or two), KS may not even be around (though I hope it will be)

Nine Lives Playing Cards

I grew up around playing cards - never been a serious player (unless you count matchsticks and loose change), though the lure and thrill of cards has been part of my life for as long as I can remember

After finishing Nine Lives Tarot, I was inspired to delve a little further and stay a while longer with the colourful characters of the courts...Playing cards felt just right, and so the Kings, Queens and Knights from my tarot deck came onboard to be redrawn and redressed to match their corresponding playing card suit.



I wanted this to be both playable and readable, in allowing the courts to retain some of their tarot symbolism and colours:

• Hearts (cups) * Colour = Red * Element = Water
• Clubs (rods / wands) * Colour = Orange/Yellow * Element = Fire
• Diamonds (pentacles) * Colour = Green * Element = Earth
• Spades (swords) * Colour = Indigo * Element = Air

The Aces combine the symbols of both card systems, while the pips follow a more traditional style with the suit symbols I designed for this deck.

Instead of Jacks there are Knights (Kn). The main reason for this is that they came across from my tarot deck as knights, and would have considered it a demotion to be renamed. Many cards I played with as a kid were Scandinavian, and they too use (Kn) for Jack, or 'Knekt'... After discovering that Knights were in fact present in early decks, but replaced by Jacks to avoid cheating (scratching away the 'n' to aquire oneself a brand new King), I had no choice but to let the knights stay...

The Joker is the signature card, referencing both artist and namesake cat ...

Coming from the tall and narrow (larger) tarot card size, these playing cards are bridge size to suit the artwork proportions... it's also (because of where I grew up) the size I'm most familiar with



Card examples from Nine Lives Playing Cards

Thank you for reading 

*wave*
Annette

[BlueToy]

There you go!  While I like your Tarot deck, I think your playing cards look even more polished. One small thing I would have wanted (though the deck can stand as it is), would be some more obvious gradients in your joker card. But that's just me and my OCD when it comes to consistency. But like I said, the deck can still stand as it it, and it's such a minor point really.

[Don Boyer]

The Expert Playing Card Company does some great work - and they can make tarot- and bridge-sized decks.

Not only that, but they're sponsoring a playing card deck design contest right here on this forum.  Winner gets their deck produced and three dozen decks.

Click here to see the contest rules.

Cheers...and I hope to see you enter!

[NineLives]

There you go!  While I like your Tarot deck, I think your playing cards look even more polished. One small thing I would have wanted (though the deck can stand as it is), would be some more obvious gradients in your joker card. But that's just me and my OCD when it comes to consistency. But like I said, the deck can still stand as it it, and it's such a minor point really.

Thank you for your positive comments and good feedback - I'm glad you like them

*wave*

[NineLives]

The Expert Playing Card Company does some great work - and they can make tarot- and bridge-sized decks.

Not only that, but they're sponsoring a playing card deck design contest right here on this forum.  Winner gets their deck produced and three dozen decks.

Click here to see the contest rules.

Cheers...and I hope to see you enter!

Thank you Don

I read through the competition rules - great contest However, as my playing cards are printed and published already, I don't think I would be eligible to enter...
Thanks for suggesting it though, I'll be sure to watch and vote

*wave*

[Don Boyer]

The Expert Playing Card Company does some great work - and they can make tarot- and bridge-sized decks.

Not only that, but they're sponsoring a playing card deck design contest right here on this forum.  Winner gets their deck produced and three dozen decks.

Click here to see the contest rules.

Cheers...and I hope to see you enter!

Thank you Don

I read through the competition rules - great contest However, as my playing cards are printed and published already, I don't think I would be eligible to enter...
Thanks for suggesting it though, I'll be sure to watch and vote

*wave*

It's kind of funny, actually - there's nothing in the rules about a deck being previously published!  I'll have to rectify that - but I will allow decks that have been published in quantities of under 50.

[NineLives]

.. A few more court transitions:



I'll add a thread in the plethora with some more examples of the cards.

*wave*

[Don Boyer]

.. A few more court transitions:



I'll add a thread in the plethora with some more examples of the cards.

*wave*

Ah, you went old-school, calling the Jack a "Kn"-ight...  Looks great.

[NineLives]

Thank you Don

Yes, Kn-ight - Knekt - Kn-ave... they all fit
...and they add extra suspense to play for those who enjoy peeking at their hand (where 'K' can mean a King or a Knight... until revealed)

*wave*

[Don Boyer]

Thank you Don

Yes, Kn-ight - Knekt - Kn-ave... they all fit
...and they add extra suspense to play for those who enjoy peeking at their hand (where 'K' can mean a King or a Knight... until revealed)

*wave*

It's a quaint design feature, to be sure, but for most practical purposes, it's better to have a Jack - indices are best when they're a) located in the same place on all the cards, b) all the same size and c) immediately distinguishable from each other with little more than a glance.  A serious poker player would never touch a deck that used "Kn" to mark the value of a card that isn't a King.  But not every deck ever made is designed for the serious poker player...

[NineLives]

Thanks Don

I like quaint ...
Although the Anglo-American style has become standard around the world, there's something appealing (perhaps more so to artists, designers, collectors and local players) about non-standard decks, where Jacks may be Kn, V, S or B ... depending on which country the deck hails from. I agree that indices (regardless of language) ought to be consistent within each deck in terms of placement and size - and you're right that no serious player wants 'unexpected' elements of surprise

*wave*

[Don Boyer]

Thanks Don

I like quaint ...
Although the Anglo-American style has become standard around the world, there's something appealing (perhaps more so to artists, designers, collectors and local players) about non-standard decks, where Jacks may be Kn, V, S or B ... depending on which country the deck hails from. I agree that indices (regardless of language) ought to be consistent within each deck in terms of placement and size - and you're right that no serious player wants 'unexpected' elements of surprise

*wave*

When consulting with artists on their deck designs, one thing I'm often doing is letting the artist know what changes need to be made in order to improve the functionality of the deck, since for the most part, functionality is what separates a deck that gets bought and used to a deck that doesn't.  At the same time, however, I'm also reminding them to NOT let my suggestions negatively impact the overall aesthetic the artist is trying to achieve.  There are thousands upon thousands of "practical" decks in the world, but the artist's vision in some cases will trump practicality, creating something beautiful.  The "Mona Lisa" is not "practical," but it is beautiful and the world is better for its existence.  (One does need to bear in mind, however, that not every artistic vision is the "Mona Lisa," and there are cases where function will be the more important in terms of making a commercially-viable product!)

Now, if the artist is making his or her design less functional simply because they didn't know any better, that's another story! 

[NineLives]

Well said Don

I think your statement is true for most, if not all, forms of expression. Meaning, artistic vision or something else can bend the rules of practical use... you could even say that artistic freedom is vital to exploring new horizons. However, when rules are bent without consideration or perhaps understanding of the system used as a vehicle for the artwork - both may suffer. For example, if the court cards in a deck were represented by classical paintings - careful selection of the paintings to represent each card could enhance the overall deck (and meaning)... where on the other hand, depicting the Mona Lisa as the King of Clubs would to many seem a little strange

I enjoy your comments - welcome procrastination from my 'to-do' list

*wave*