New Deck WIP - Eminence (working title)

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Hey Guys,

I'm working on a new deck of cards. Most everything is up in the air right now like (name, printer, brand, etc). I'm thinking about calling is "Eminence" because I'm really focusing on the royalty, but it's a working title.

It's going to consist of 12 custom court cards (with updated hues but still keeping a very traditional feel), custom tuck, Ace of Spades and card back. My goal with this deck is to keep to the standard parameters when designing the court cards. I want to really focus on making a very beautiful but functional deck (not so much a novelty item). I may have two versions of the deck, a black and red version and a full color version (using traditional yellows, reds, blues, and blacks).

I'm going to try to get a card out every two days. At that rate, it will be on Kickstarter sometime later this year!

Here's the King of Diamonds:


I've relocated the axe from the original card to the Kings hand, slightly modified his face, beard and hair, and overall torso. Throughout this deck I'll try to keep a lot of the patterns that appear on the standard court cards but slightly modifying them. Of course I'm going to add a few new ones too (like the chainmail on this king). Again, I'm going with an updated look but a familiar feel.

Hope you guys like it!

I post all my latest card designs to Instagram first, so if you want to see things before they're posted here, please give me a follow on instagram! @vadim.smolenskiy

[Don Boyer]

Looks cool to me!

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Thank Don!

Here's the Queen of Diamonds:


Still messing with hair color, but I kinda like the red. Also, not sure why Flickr is being a total P.O.S., but it makes everything pixelated. It's sharp as a tack!

[Don Boyer]

You should consider entering this in the 2nd Annual PCF Deck Design Competition - there's a link for it in my signature, below.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I'm gonna need to really look over the rules and everything that goes along with that. In the meantime, Jack of Diamonds:

[Magasaki]

Looks cool Vadim,

I agree with Don about entering this into the PCF contest.

[Collector]

I like.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I like.

Thanks Collector!

Not sure if this is frowned upon or not, but I decided to do the Jokers over the weekend. Figured I'd knock out two cards at once. Here they are, hope you like!


The type treatment will change, but for now that's what it looks like.

C&C welcomed!
-Vadim

[Don Boyer]

Not sure if this is frowned upon or not, but I decided to do the Jokers over the weekend. Figured I'd knock out two cards at once. Here they are, hope you like!


The type treatment will change, but for now that's what it looks like.

C&C welcomed!
-Vadim

Why would we frown on them?  They're perfectly fine jokers.

[HankMan]

I like.

Thanks Collector!

Not sure if this is frowned upon or not, but I decided to do the Jokers over the weekend. Figured I'd knock out two cards at once. Here they are, hope you like!


The type treatment will change, but for now that's what it looks like.

C&C welcomed!
-Vadim

I think the hand that is holding the staff is in awkward position.. that's just me though

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Why would we frown on them?  They're perfectly fine jokers.

Not so much on the Jokers themselves, but showing them so soon. I was being silly! Glad you like them.

I think the hand that is holding the staff is in awkward position.. that's just me though

I see what you mean. I have another version with a forward facing fist. I'll post it up.

Thanks guys!

[NineLives]

Nice The blue head dress on QoD is gorgeous - and I think red hair suits her

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Nice The blue head dress on QoD is gorgeous - and I think red hair suits her

Thanks NineLives!

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I think the hand that is holding the staff is in awkward position.. that's just me though

Here's the other hand version. I also reduced the size of the stars and changed the "Joker" text a little.



Thoughts?

[Don Boyer]

I preferred the first joker style.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Worked on the Ace of Spades. I'm going to stick with the all black version, but wanted to see what some added color looked like. Let me know what you guys think!

Ace of Spades:

[Don Boyer]

Nice - evoking a Russian style?

[NineLives]

Ace of Spades is looking very nice, love the detail

Your second Joker - the hand feels better coming forward I prefer the way you had 'Joker' on the earlier version (curved and without 'the').

*wave*

[Thirdway Industries]

Hey Vadim, looks great!

Queen and Ace are my favourite cards for now.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Thanks guys, glad you like em. I'll have more in the coming days. Working on the Clubs royalty now.

Nice - evoking a Russian style?

I honestly thought I was going to, but upon further research it looks like the double headed eagle was used not only by the Russian Empire but by the "Byzantine Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Serbian Empire, the Russian Empire and their successor states." - wiki

So I kinda switched gears a little and focused more on the royalty. Thus the "Eminence" name.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Here's the King of Clubs. I've added a woman's hand coming from the left of the frame to hold the orb that's normally floating next to his torso. Modified his robes a bit and added some chainmail in the middle instead of the downward stripes.

[Don Boyer]

Here's the King of Clubs. I've added a woman's hand coming from the left of the frame to hold the orb that's normally floating next to his torso. Modified his robes a bit and added some chainmail in the middle instead of the downward stripes.

You call it a woman's hand - but on something this small, how can you tell the difference?  It looks like the King's hand, and it looks like an integral part of the design rather than something artificially tacked on.  Looks good.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

You call it a woman's hand - but on something this small, how can you tell the difference?

Thanks Don! To answer your question... nail polish! I know, tough to see at first, but printers today will get all those fine fine details. Once you notice it, you'll always see it.

[Don Boyer]

You call it a woman's hand - but on something this small, how can you tell the difference?

Thanks Don! To answer your question... nail polish! I know, tough to see at first, but printers today will get all those fine fine details. Once you notice it, you'll always see it.

Hey, I'm from New York - guys wearing nail polish isn't exactly off the beaten path around here...  Even Penn Gillette wears it!

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Hey, I'm from New York - guys wearing nail polish isn't exactly off the beaten path around here...  Even Penn Gillette wears it!

Ha, true! Jim Morrison said it best, people are strange.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

New card!

Queen of Clubs:


Thanks!

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Finished up the Jack of Clubs yesterday. I've added a gold border around him and all the previous ones. It's the same style of border that runs around the Ace of Spades, the same style that will be on the back of the cards and tuck. Ties everything together and (in my opinion) gives it a more regal feel. Thoughts?

Here he is:


Thanks!

[NineLives]

Nice updates with your latest courts

Ha, true! Jim Morrison said it best, people are strange.

Indeed... Though your faces don't look ugly, nor do your women seem wicked

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Nice updates with your latest courts

Thanks NineLives!

Here's the Suicide King for you fine folks:

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I reworked the card backs today. I wasn't pleased with what I originally had, not sure if I posted it on here earlier and removed or it was just an Instagram exclusive. Regardless, it's gone!

This time around I used only the elements present on the court cards with the idea of everything being tied to one another with anything placed "just because". I think they turned out relatively nice.

Just for shits, I rendered two colors–red and blue, but I'm leaning towards blue. Hope you guys like.


Vadim

[Don Boyer]

Both backs are great, and either would be a fantastic deck back for your project.  Both would, in fact!  They're really evocative of the classic style of deck design, while at the same time not looking entirely tired or old-fashioned.  I really, really like them.

[NineLives]

I like the card backs too
and I do like how the border for the court cards is reflected in the design.

*wave*

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Sorry, been meaning to say "thank you" to you guys. I've been caught up working on the Tuck box and I'm happy to say that it's done!

My goal is to be able to get one - three versions printed. At the core of the project would be the blue tuck you see below. "The Premium Edition". If the project goes on to be more successful, then I will version off a "Gold Edition" that will feature gold foil on the the entire tuck and my person favorite, a "Platinum Edition" that will feature silver foil on the entire tuck.

Anyway, here it the tuck design before it's folded:


And folded (please excuse the colors not being exact, it will be lighter than what's pictured here:


Chainmail pattern printed on the inside

[Don Boyer]

Chainmail pattern printed on the inside

I've never seen chainmail in that pattern - it's more of a weave pattern.  Chainmail is as the name implies - an interconnected pattern of chains, which are made up of individual links.  No links, no chain, no chainmail.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I've never seen chainmail in that pattern - it's more of a weave pattern.  Chainmail is as the name implies - an interconnected pattern of chains, which are made up of individual links.  No links, no chain, no chainmail.

Man, now I have to make links and chains and mail! You're right though, should've done my homework. I'll make some tweaks to it.

Thanks!

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I've never seen chainmail in that pattern - it's more of a weave pattern.  Chainmail is as the name implies - an interconnected pattern of chains, which are made up of individual links.  No links, no chain, no chainmail.

Man, now I have to make links and chains and mail! You're right though, should've done my homework. I'll make some tweaks to it.

Thanks!

On second thought, I've removed and replaced the weave on the back design and tuck for something else (looked like a pie...). I'll keep the weave on the inside without calling it chainmail. All is right with the world again!

[Don Boyer]

It's a shame you didn't enter the design in the 2nd Annual PCF Deck Design Competition.  There's only two official entrants and voting just began!  If you had entered, you would have stood an excellent chance of winning if for no other reason than very little competition.

[NineLives]

It's a shame you didn't enter the design in the 2nd Annual PCF Deck Design Competition.  There's only two official entrants and voting just began!  If you had entered, you would have stood an excellent chance of winning if for no other reason than very little competition.

I second that
Being one of the two entrants, I would have been thrilled to see more people enter... Added to that ... I really like your design!
Nice and clean tuck box too

cheers A

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

It's a shame you didn't enter the design in the 2nd Annual PCF Deck Design Competition.  There's only two official entrants and voting just began!  If you had entered, you would have stood an excellent chance of winning if for no other reason than very little competition.

I second that
Being one of the two entrants, I would have been thrilled to see more people enter... Added to that ... I really like your design!
Nice and clean tuck box too

cheers A

@Don: Well, there's always next year! This was the first year that I really became aware of the PCF Competition and when you mentioned it I don't think I had much to show. Maybe I'm wrong on that?

@NineLives: Thanks! You have my vote! Oops, did I say that out loud!?

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I also finished up the Queen of Hearts today. I went with the red hair on her as well (just like the QoD) because Diamonds and Hearts are red!

Anyway, here she is:


Hope you guys like!

Vadim

[Don Boyer]

@Don: Well, there's always next year! This was the first year that I really became aware of the PCF Competition and when you mentioned it I don't think I had much to show. Maybe I'm wrong on that?

You didn't know about it last year?  We had a half-dozen entries!  The Evil Deck by Giovanni Meroni was the winner and is on sale now at the CARC store!  You were probably eyeballs deep in the Lumberjacks 2.0 project and just didn't notice it, but it was here early summer last year.  The topic's still on the boards if you want to search for it.

[NineLives]

I also finished up the Queen of Hearts today. I went with the red hair on her as well (just like the QoD) because Diamonds and Hearts are red!

Anyway, here she is:


Hope you guys like!

Vadim

Good thinking (the colour) Nice touch with her head scarf too (gives her a Russian feel I think)

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

@Don: Well, there's always next year! This was the first year that I really became aware of the PCF Competition and when you mentioned it I don't think I had much to show. Maybe I'm wrong on that?

You didn't know about it last year?  We had a half-dozen entries!  The Evil Deck by Giovanni Meroni was the winner and is on sale now at the CARC store!  You were probably eyeballs deep in the Lumberjacks 2.0 project and just didn't notice it, but it was here early summer last year.  The topic's still on the boards if you want to search for it.

Yeah, I was probably knee deep in the 2nd Edition. Also, keep in mind that I took a 2 year hiatus after the 1st Edition. Mistakes were made

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

New Card!

The Jack of Hearts! I did some digging around because I wasn't entirely sure what the JoH was holding. I mean, I know it's a leaf, but why? I found an image of the evolution of the JoH and it looked like he was holding a sheath in one hand and his axe in the other. I guess over time it morphed into a leaf?

So instead of holding a leaf, I gave him a sheathed sword. I also changed the regular axe to a bardiche:


Thanks,
Vadim

[NineLives]

Fascinating to delve into the origins of card 'elements' I think the sheathed sword and bardiche work well - I also like how his moustache follows the curve of his throat... nice emphasis Also, after seeing your blue box and back, I have to say the coloured cards are my favourite.

*wave*

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Fascinating to delve into the origins of card 'elements' I think the sheathed sword and bardiche work well - I also like how his moustache follows the curve of his throat... nice emphasis Also, after seeing your blue box and back, I have to say the coloured cards are my favourite.

*wave*

Thanks NineLives! I will be sticking with the colored cards. Everything is nearing completion, just need to finish the Queen of Spades and then it's pre-campaign time!

Vadim

[NineLives]

Good news and good luck It's been exciting following your updates in design mode, and I'm sure Eminence will do really well in launch mode
Looking forward to your final Queen...

cheers A.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Good news and good luck It's been exciting following your updates in design mode, and I'm sure Eminence will do really well in launch mode
Looking forward to your final Queen...

cheers A.

Thanks! I did finish up the last Queen! Which means that all cards are done. BOOM! I've been in contact with LPCC to get some pricing quotes for everything I'm trying to do and I've begun building the KS campaign. Very exciting stuff. Man, there's so much that goes into it.

More info / updates to follow.

Vadim

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Hey guys,

Wanted to give you a preview of the "Gold" and "Platinum" editions of Eminence. Hope you like!



Vadim

[Fess]

I like these, I like these a lot. 

One comment I would say is the frame on the tucks where it says Gold and Platinum. I think it would look best if they were of equal length with one another. The balance on the platinum tuck has a much nicer effect for my eye than the one with gold written in it. the Gold frame is just so much smaller than the Playing Cards frame at the bottom of the spade. Either way, I like these a lot!

[Don Boyer]

Hey guys,

Wanted to give you a preview of the "Gold" and "Platinum" editions of Eminence. Hope you like!



Vadim

Tread cautiously in "multiple versions" territory.  Stretch goals are a great thing, but some projects start hitting the point of "deck fatigue," where it seems there's too many decks being offered at once - it's a wallet buster.  It can also cut into your bottom line, in terms of the costs associated with a separate print run and selling additional items.  That record-breaking project for the "Name of the Wind" deck ended up offering over FIFTY items in its reward listings and add-ons - a freakin' nightmare for mere mortals to keep track of, especially with that many orders to fulfill.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Tread cautiously in "multiple versions" territory.  Stretch goals are a great thing, but some projects start hitting the point of "deck fatigue," where it seems there's too many decks being offered at once - it's a wallet buster.  It can also cut into your bottom line, in terms of the costs associated with a separate print run and selling additional items.  That record-breaking project for the "Name of the Wind" deck ended up offering over FIFTY items in its reward listings and add-ons - a freakin' nightmare for mere mortals to keep track of, especially with that many orders to fulfill.

I hear ya and I'm actually going to probably do the gold and platinum only without doing the blue "premium" one.

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I like these, I like these a lot. 

One comment I would say is the frame on the tucks where it says Gold and Platinum. I think it would look best if they were of equal length with one another. The balance on the platinum tuck has a much nicer effect for my eye than the one with gold written in it. the Gold frame is just so much smaller than the Playing Cards frame at the bottom of the spade. Either way, I like these a lot!

Thank you Fes, glad you like it! I will see what your suggestion looks like! I think it'll work out!

[NineLives]

Hey guys,

Wanted to give you a preview of the "Gold" and "Platinum" editions of Eminence. Hope you like!



Vadim

Normally, I choose 'silver/platinum/white metal/chrome' over 'gold' - but in this case I really do prefer your 'Gold' edition... It seems to resonate more with the colours in your deck, perhaps those courts parading in golden locks

[Don Boyer]

Normally, I choose 'silver/platinum/white metal/chrome' over 'gold' - but in this case I really do prefer your 'Gold' edition... It seems to resonate more with the colours in your deck, perhaps those courts parading in golden locks

Bear in mind that you're seeing it in flat colors on a computer screen.  Will the inks be metallic?  Will this be foil?  If so, it can make a world of difference to the appearance.

[NineLives]

I hear ya and I'm actually going to probably do the gold and platinum only without doing the blue "premium" one.

Juggling and making decisions on KS campaigns, editions and stretch goals seems like a mind-boggling jungle. I've yet to take the leap into that world.
I'm sure you'll get it right... and, I do like your blue 'premium' if you ever decide to go with it

Bear in mind that you're seeing it in flat colors on a computer screen.  Will the inks be metallic?  Will this be foil?  If so, it can make a world of difference to the appearance.

True, I wasn't thinking of the possible shiny effect

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Normally, I choose 'silver/platinum/white metal/chrome' over 'gold' - but in this case I really do prefer your 'Gold' edition... It seems to resonate more with the colours in your deck, perhaps those courts parading in golden locks

Bear in mind that you're seeing it in flat colors on a computer screen.  Will the inks be metallic?  Will this be foil?  If so, it can make a world of difference to the appearance.

The tuck will feature all gold foil on the "Gold Edition" and all silver foil on the "Platinum Edition". The cards themselves in both decks will have metallic inks on the backs and court cards along with the traditional yellow, blue, red and blacks!

Thanks,
Vadim

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

Hey Guys,

Wanted to let you know that I will be launching Eminence on Kickstarter next week Wednesday September 23rd. I hope to see your support!


Thanks,
Vadim

[cardlover]

I wish you good luck and will support this project

[Vadim Smolenskiy]

I wish you good luck and will support this project

Thanks cardlover! I forgot to mention that it'll go live about noon to 1pm eastern.

Thanks!