The classiest deck on the planet. And you can play poker any time you want. And comes in two suit colours. Suit.. Get it?
Help get it made on Kickstarter!
A quick background and thank you to some, on how my work on the Origins began in earnest..
Quite some time back I began the design work as a pet project. It was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but I wasn’t confident it would ever make it to market. I wanted to make a deck that was of the highest standard, that was embossed and golden and luxurious. I wanted it to revive the face cards of history, and create a deck that players, magicians and cardists would all appreciate. A very tall order. I knew this would cost money to do, and being based in New Zealand felt the hurdles would be too great.
Out of interest, I went to Kickstarter and searched for ‘playing cards’. There are a LOT of playing card decks on Kickstarter. I about gave up on the idea of seeing the Origins funded and created. But I carried on with the design work and posted the very early ideas to Dribbble, a designers forum for feedback.
Little did I know Kete Moon would post the art to his playing card blog love.youthwant.com.tw. I didn’t see it. This was in turn posted by Volantangel to the great card forum UnitedCardists – title ‘Origins Playing Cards – status unknown’, and simultaneously Scott Carey to his excellent blog TuckCase.com. Even then, I wasn’t aware that my art had caused ripples until David at Magic Orthodoxy sent me a tweet inviting me to United Cardists. I was then contacted by Robert Butler at Loop Cuts who has given me great support, and a string of other people who had seen my work. I had excellent feedback and advice from the people at The Discourse, another great card forum, thank you Don Boyer and team.
Out of the blue the deck had momentum, no promotion, no website.
I owe that to the people above and many more who have offered their support and opinion. So thank you all.
And thanks to the card community.
I’m celebrating my birthday and giving away three sets of A4 signed limited edition art prints. If you would like to go in the draw for one of these, just like this post on Facebook or email me. I’ll draw randomly from the list around Monday the 9th Sept.
These are early concept pieces so it’s likely there will not be another release quite like these. All the best and have a fantastic week!
Rick
I’ve been living and breathing the Origins art for a long stretch of time now, spending my spare time working and reworking the art, researching, and talking to people who can help me produce something special.
I haven’t been keen to step away from the project until I see the deck hitting the press and heading out to the people who have given me such amazing feedback and support. So when Loop Cuts approached me and asked if I would be interested in working with them on a new accessory, I had to think about it. Very briefly.
I’d seen the nice work they’d done on their original card clip, and this seemed a perfect opportunity to expand on the Origins world. Loop Cuts has also been very supportive so it’s nice to work in with them on something new and it gives me a chance to share something with my supporters while I head into the final stretch with the Origins artwork.
So in the next few days the ‘Armatura’ Loop Card Clip will be hitting Kickstarter for a short and sharp campaign. There will also be a special Signature Edition. Here’s a quick overview of the artwork in the clip:
I’ve taken inspiration for the Armatura artwork from 16th and 17th century woodcut renders of knights armour. The word armatura itself is latin for armour, and is still spoken in italian today. The line work I’ve refined for a clean modern take on the historic art. Designed with reference to the bordered art of ancient book covers, the work depicts shield like elements protecting the four pips of the deck, with a central compass making reference to movement and travel. The result, Armatura – armour to protect your favourite deck when you’re on the move.
I’m really pleased with the work the Loop Cuts team have done with the Armatura. I hope you like it too, and I’d like to thank you again for your support, it really keeps me going.
If you would like to keep up with the developments on the clip, head across to the Facebook event page. I’d love to see you there.
Right, back to the drawing board.
As above – A little sneak preview of the work so far. More soon!
First, a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me in this project. I’ve been busy working on a little promotional material and I wanted to offer a little something to celebrate 1500 FB likes and a growing subscriber list. Below you can download wallpaper for your monitor or mobile. Thank you to each of you, it’s amazing to see interest from around the globe. I also have another little release in the next few days…
The Queen – 1980 x 1080 |
The Tuck – 1980 x 1080 |
Just a short update. Progress is going well on the designs, if not slowed up a little by the more serious matter of seeing them produced. Being outside the US makes things more difficult as it’s not economically viable to have a few thousand decks shipped to my comfy abode for distribution – back to the States. It also makes the option of Kickstarter more difficult, not being a US citizen.
So a few hoops to jump through there, but I’m determined to produce a premium quality deck I can for card collectors and players at a realistic price. The people at USPCC have been fantastic so far, willing to help and open to ideas. There are a few plans in the printing I’m very excited about.
The interest in the Facebook page has been great and I’m currently working on a promotional video which I’ll link to from there.
In the research I’ve found useful information. There’s a great site by Paul Bostock called Plain Backs, which has good examples of the English pattern. The International Playing Card Society has a good section on the history of cards. And the World of Playing Cards also has an excellent resource.
As an extra, here is the latest concept – the Queen of Clubs
Thank you for visiting! I now have a full site where I can share the latest Origins updates with you. As the deck develops I’ll post new art, and news in the production plans.
The Origins are a new deck currently in the design phase that draw inspiration from 16th century cards. These cards, particularly the Rouen pattern circa 1567, became the template on which our current card designs are based.
In the art of the Origins, I aim to revive the detail and elegance of the 16th century originals, while infusing them with the standards of today’s modern decks.
The card making community is flourishing and there are some very nice decks in development. The site also gives me the opportunity to let you know about a few of them!
I truly thank you for your interest in the Origins. The enthusiasm in the deck has been more than I could have hoped for and I wish to produce a unique deck you’ll consider a special part of your collection.
Regards,
Rick