Xander Posted September 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2011 Amazing, just amazing. I just read through this entire thread for the first time. What you have come up with is just beautiful. Cheers, T It's become quite a long thread indeed spanning over a month of me toiling in Illustrator and Photoshop. I am glad that everyone seems to like the cards. It means I have tapped into the right vibe that I think we all felt was missing from the Malifaux control deck. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewartoad Posted September 10, 2011 Report Share Posted September 10, 2011 Yes, quite impressive Xander! Are you going to "mass" produce these playing cards and if so, how and when? I did not read through this entire thread just skimmed through all the card designs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twizz666 Posted September 10, 2011 Report Share Posted September 10, 2011 If i may weigh in on the cracks/folds issue... My fear with switching to folds is that if it is just printed on the card, i don't know how it would look. i mean, when you see a fold in paper you expect it to be raised there. or i do at least. and it would have the same imperfection on the back... thus if you were crazy enough, (or played enough) you would know what card is next. same if you actually folded the cards. plus the actual folds would weaken the cards. when i saw the cracked paint, i didn't even think about if ink really cracked. honestly i thought along the lines of the "imperfect stamp" myself. but as we have all said, it's personal preference. =] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darg Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 On the cracked paint/ink question. I think it's ok for it to look like paint since early playing cards were often hand painted. I'm not sure when this died out and it may be well before the time period of Malifaux but I'm sure highend cards would have continued to be produced in this way for some time. I personally like the way the cracked ink looks and aesthetics in this case is probably better than authenticity. Even paint doesn't really crack like that but it looks cool and that's what matters. In fact after looking at the cards again I think the reason it didn't stand out to me as not looking right is that I was seeing it as fold damage. Often when something like an old printed piece of board is folded it will lose the ink or paint along the edge of the crease. The lines it follows aren't quite right for this kind of damage and there would generally be some more indication of the crease outside of the printed area but that's how my brain interpreted it. On a side note regarding the card backs. I think you should lose the pale faded drops you have on them. They look like someone has dripped bleach on there. With fading of inks it is generally similar across the entire surface and not localised like that. If you want to add more variation across the red then I'd suggest going with brown blotches, I think they'll look more natural. Sorry for the degradation spiel, in my real life I'm an Art Conservator so this is kind of what I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted September 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Tweaked some things. Darker red by using less white fade over-top. Also added some dark stain on the top to increase the contrast of darks/lights, especially on the face cards. Compare: Compare: Some Crow cards, and a new 7 design: Comments/Criticism welcome! I am trying to add more texture to the cards by using a dark stain and a light fade. These two overlay one another and created darker darks and lighter lights. This has led to a darker red colour. Let me know what you think. To compare them side by side, use this link: http://wyrd-games.net/forum/showpost.php?p=307335&postcount=105 Edited September 12, 2011 by Xander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buhallin Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Add me in as another voice liking the cracked look. Realistic or not, it creates an awesome feel and style. Can't wait to get a set of these done up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geckilian Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Nice additions, to me the red looks 'right' now. Also liking the crows cards! The new 7 design is nice, but I'm sticking with my previous vote for the middle of the 3 other designs. I actually expected the King of Crows to only be in green and not red from your earlier comment on the face cards being faction colour. What does it look like fully green? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted September 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) @Buhallin - Thanks! Good to know others like the cracks! @Geckilian - Glad the red is in the right place now. 7 vote noted. My concept with the face cards is that all cards will contain black and red (as these are the two colours of suits in a deck of cards). They will also contain yellow to represent the Outcast influence in other suits. The remaining colour would be used to represent the faction that matches the given suit. This poses a problem where red itself is concerned, which is why grey is used as a neutral for rams. Perhaps I will mock up one using grey instead of red for the King of Crows, just to see how it looks. Thanks! Edited September 12, 2011 by Xander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratty Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 either grey or the purple used for Death instead of red for crows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darg Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 The new red is a lot better and I'm loving the crows, it's good to see the effect on one of the black suits. Also the heavier foxing effect looks excellent. The higher contrast sets off the rest of the card nicely. I also think I've figured out why I like the non traditional seven arrangement and why I like the new seven you just posted. Having an arrangement that varies from what we are used to makes it feel older. When it is the standard arrangement we see every day it just looks like a set of cards that has been aged. By using a slightly non-traditional arrangement it is a bit of a visual cue of age. It looks like a deck of cards old enough to have been made before the design was standardised and makes it look like a handcrafted deck rather than mass-produced. By the same token I think you could get away with switching out the standard colours of the face cards if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm's Eye Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 This is amazing. I applaud your creativity Xander The King above a few posts has two rams pictures right next to each other on both sides of the card. This seems a bit cluttered to me... or rather less sacred. I would take away the symbol under the number. On the cards with Pips it doesn't bother me, in fact the repetition of symbols on those looks appropriate and should not be any other way. I doubt I would include the blood drops. I used a regular card deck for a while and never had any problems deducing weak/moderate/ severe.... Or at least make them smaller (like the ones in the lower right corner, so unobtrusive it too me a while to really notice them). If you keep the blood I recommend a shift to grey or purple blood (black blood anyone?) for the black suit cards. The card is so pretty but the red drops in the corner really draw my eye. The cracked look is great. The cluster 7 design is by far my favorite. I am all for matching proper faction colors to face cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarmasterOJB Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Wow. Really nice. I did miss this thread. I definitely want such a deck. Great work. The used look is perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 either grey or the purple used for Death instead of red for crows. Hrm... I am trying to think how to make this work thematically. The new red is a lot better and I'm loving the crows, it's good to see the effect on one of the black suits. Also the heavier foxing effect looks excellent. The higher contrast sets off the rest of the card nicely. Great! Good to know. I also think I've figured out why I like the non traditional seven arrangement and why I like the new seven you just posted. Having an arrangement that varies from what we are used to makes it feel older. When it is the standard arrangement we see every day it just looks like a set of cards that has been aged. By using a slightly non-traditional arrangement it is a bit of a visual cue of age. It looks like a deck of cards old enough to have been made before the design was standardised and makes it look like a handcrafted deck rather than mass-produced. By the same token I think you could get away with switching out the standard colours of the face cards if you want. I agree with your thoughts. It does seem to imply an old-timey distinction to the cards. I am still not 100% decided about which 7 I am going with, but I really don't like the traditional one... This is amazing. I applaud your creativity Xander Cheers! The King above a few posts has two rams pictures right next to each other on both sides of the card. This seems a bit cluttered to me... or rather less sacred. I would take away the symbol under the number. On the cards with Pips it doesn't bother me' date=' in fact the repetition of symbols on those looks appropriate and should not be any other way.[/quote'] Holding a hand of cards necessitates the small pip. You need to be able to see the number and suit with a very shallow spread. It does look a bit crunched, especially the Crow, as the face cards are not leaving a lot of room for a larger symbol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratty Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I would swap the red for a pale purple on both of the Black cards.. I think it will look fine as the Black Cards will then be Green and Pale Purple that works and, Blue and Pale Purple that works. This means the Red and the Purple on the court cards matches the Red and Purple on the Jokers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I would swap the red for a pale purple on both of the Black cards.. I think it will look fine as the Black Cards will then be Green and Pale Purple that works and, Blue and Pale Purple that works. This means the Red and the Purple on the court cards matches the Red and Purple on the Jokers. That might work. What about Rams and Masks? or do those have the pale purple as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratty Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 That might work. What about Rams and Masks? or do those have the pale purple as well? I would go with Red and Tan for Rams (it is the Guild secondary colour look at Hoffman's Constructs) and Red and a Puce for Neverborn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I would go with Red and Tan for Rams (it is the Guild secondary colour look at Hoffman's Constructs) and Red and a Puce for Neverborn. This sounds uneven to me, I think you see it this way: Ram: Tan/red - (to match red joker) Mask: Puce/red - (to match red joker) Crow: Green/light purple - (to match black joker) Tome: Blue/light purple - (to match black joker) I see it this way though: Ram: Red/tan - (secondary colours do not match in red) Mask: Puce/red - (secondary colours do not match in red) Crow: Green/light purple Tome: Blue/light purple Ideally I want something like this Ram: Red/colour-x Mask: Purple/colour-x Crow: Green/light purple Tome: Blue/light purple Whatever colour-x is could be used to colour the red Joker. Red bungles up the balance for me for some reason! I guess because it is a faction colour and also a suit colour AND a joker colour. Hrm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratty Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 This sounds uneven to me, I think you see it this way: Ram: Tan/red - (to match red joker) Mask: Puce/red - (to match red joker) Crow: Green/light purple - (to match black joker) Tome: Blue/light purple - (to match black joker) I see it this way though: Ram: Red/tan - (secondary colours do not match in red) Mask: Puce/red - (secondary colours do not match in red) Crow: Green/light purple Tome: Blue/light purple Ideally I want something like this Ram: Red/colour-x Mask: Purple/colour-x Crow: Green/light purple Tome: Blue/light purple Whatever colour-x is could be used to colour the red Joker. Red bungles up the balance for me for some reason! I guess because it is a faction colour and also a suit colour AND a joker colour. Hrm... Ram: Red/Burgundy Mask: Puce/Burgundy Crow: Green/light purple Tome: Blue/light purple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Can you find some nice watches for burgundy and puce, so I have something to go by? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratty Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 BTW I do think the King of Masks need horns like Tuco's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Haha. nice one. I am definitely sold on the light purple. I will have to tweak the burgundy and Mask purple just right. Thanks for the assistance, Ratty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geckilian Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Just putting in my vote for Ratty's colours (or tweaks thereof) also, very nice and it certainly suits them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Alrighty, I will get to work on those colours. They seem to work well enough. Here's a small experiment with black ink stains instead of blood. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geckilian Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Hmm. I like it, but maybe a dark purple instead, for an ichor effect rather than ink? With the ink it could be seen as a bit flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratty Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I agree the black is a bit harsh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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