Hi, Jason.
There really is a lot to like about this deck. The designs of the back, although very similar to another design I rather like (RJ Tomlinson's Titanic decks), are very well done. I like the thought you've put into the use of metallics, etc. You also have made some very interesting (in a good way) design choices for the faces, especially with regard to the indexes and arrangement of the pips on the number cards. As soon as I saw the project go live, I backed an early bird because I liked what I saw -- the unfortunate font choice for the deck name notwithstanding. (If you've spent time on this site, you may have noticed that typography is one of my fields of expertise; the font you have chosen doesn't work.)
Then, I scrolled down the project page and saw the court cards, and that's where you lost me. I hope you can take this as well-meaning, constructive criticism, because you have a lot of raw talent and I'd like to see you develop it. The *design* of the courts is okay, as far as it goes, but the actual execution of the illustration -- especially with regard to the faces -- is rudimentary. It looks more like simple stick-figure-style sketch work rather than a fully articulated illustration. While traditional western courts are simple in their design, they work because there is an elegance to that simplicity. Eyes are eye-shaped; lips have tapering line weights; noses curve in a suggestive fashion. The elements of the faces you've drawn all have a singular weight, with geometrically basic designs. The eyes are not eye-shaped, the noses are not nose-shaped. The designs of your mouths do not suggest lips.
Please take my suggestion to heart, because I truly believe you can be a good card designer. You seem to inherently grasp some design elements that elude far better illustrators than yourself. But, that said, you need to work on your craft. I suggest you do two things:
1) study, really study, the way court faces are drawn on these decks: Origins or Luxx (paisley) by Rick Davidson (preferably both), any of the Tally Hos or the Club 52 deck by Jackson Robinson (and any others by JR), Club 52 or Encarded First Edition or Signature by Paul Carpenter / Encarded (preferably all three), Luxx or Bowl-a-Rama by Randy Butterfield (preferably both). These are all (with the exception of Origins) very tight interpretations of the "standard" faces on court cards. Each has their own personality. Notice how each artist illustrates the mouths. The noses. The lips. The eyes. Let's also pay attention to hair, while we are at it. Start with one card at a time, because that way you'll be looking at the same poses. How does the King of Spades express himself with his eyes? How does each deck manage to evoke a the same idea? How does each illustration evoke *different* ideas, even given the same pose? How does the use of color, or a change in wardrobe, change the appearance of the rest of the face? (This is an especially fun study looking at different decks from the same artist. For example, Carpenter uses the same basic illustration in all three of his decks mentioned above, but look how the use of color changes *everything* among those decks!) Then, examine how everything changes from the King of Spades to the King of Diamonds. How has the pose of the face changed? How has the *shape* of the head changed? The eyes? The nose? The mouth? What attitudes do you read in each? How do they vary from artist to artist, or deck to deck? And then, of course, from suit to suit? Is there anything about the Queen's faces that makes them look more feminine than the King's or the Jack's?
Notice how the line weights (the thickness of each line) varies from the start of each stroke to the end? How? Why? In what way does that serve the illustration?
Compare and contrast Origins with any of these others decks, since there you will find some of the most dramatic differences in effect, while at the same time, some of the most fundamental similarities among all good court designs.
Do this. Seriously.
2) pick up a book on "how to draw faces." I am not being mean here, and I am not being condescending. Any Barnes and Nobel in your neighborhood will have such a book. Practice. Play. You will get some great ideas here on how to vary your images. How to change a collection of facial
elements into an expressive face.
Design and illustration are two different things; you seem to be demonstrating a keen eye for design. With a little bit of work, you can bring your illustration skills far beyond where they are now, and then your decks will truly stand out.
As for typography... drop me a line after you've started working on your illustration; that's a different lecture.
Best of success to you, Jason!
