Collections: Hotcakes by Uusi Studios

Uusi's Hotcakes may not appeal to everyone, but one thing is for certain, every deck Uusi produces is trully a work on it's own, each having it's own unique styls and concept. Hotcakes is the fifth deck in the 6 deck series by the designers and draws it's inspiration from the full figure court cards of the 17th Century. From that inspiration the concept took a bit of a "Naughty" twist on its style using a more "Pop Art" pallet and burlesque look to its figures. With that being said, Hotcakes does end up a bit more in the "Art Deck" catagory compared to Uusi decks of the past, but that's fine. I really like the illustrations and overall theme of the project very much. The tuck imagery is a bit bold in its reveling corset design, but the campaign did offer a "Modesty Sleeve" for those who preffered to keep the revealing tuck under wraps. The deck itself, as always, is completely custom and the back design has a bold pink and black pallet with a nicely balanced borderless design that ties everything together. Uusi's Linnea and Peter are designers and artists, and Hotcakes continues to show how much the two strive to push in new directions.

Hotcakes was produced in two colors, a standard Red version and a Limited Edition Black version (Pictured) Only one deck remaines in the Uusi series and I for one hope that Uusi occasionally returns to Playing Cards as a medium, their concepts and visions are just superb.    

The Collection segment is produced by Anthony Ingrassia of Kardify. No part of this article, images or video can be reproduced without written permission from the author and Kardify.com. To see more of Anthony's (Sparkz) collection please visit sparkzcollector.com 

First Look: "Fuego!" Playing Cards by Cellar Window Part II

[Update] Fuego! Playing Cards are now live on Kickstarter.

Part one of our First Look of Fuego! Playing Cards generated quite an interest amongst the playing card community. In the second part, we look into the details pertaining to this vibrant deck and the inspiration behind the artwork.

The Fuego! Playing Cards deck is the debut deck of Cellar Window (CW). It will be printed by Lawrence Sullivan's Legends Playing Card Co. in their traditionally cut European card stock and Emerald Finish. Every card on the Fuego! deck is custom made with very thin borders because of LPCC's precise cutting and each suit represents a different social class of the period from the rebels of the Spades to the elites of the Hearts.

Special attention is also given to the back design in that appeals to the talented cardist as well as the serious collector with it's minimalist approach coupled with an intricate touch. Staying true to the Latin aesthetics, the Fuego! deck has a carefully selected color palette with a focus on the contemporary design feel.

The Fuego! Playing Cards deck is influenced by the works of Mexican political printmaker José Guadalupe Posada and his Calaveras. It also has it's roots in the colorful and vibrant tradition of the Day of the Dead. With the small detail of the suits being different social classes this gives a particular weight to CW's other inspiration, the Latin phrase "Memento Mori". A simple reminder of our inescapable mortality no matter what standing we have in society and for all of us to strive to change our life for the better in light of this predicament.

This project will be available via Kickstarter on May 5th. We wish the team at Cellar Window great success with Fuego!.

[Update] Fuego! Playing Cards are now live on Kickstarter.

To keep up to date on the latest happenings from Cellar Window, visit them on their webpage.

Kickstarter: Kings Wild's Emerald Tally Ho Playing Cards Funded in under 2 Minutes

Following the success of the Scarlett Tally Ho Playing Cards, Kings Wild latest Kickstarter project, the Emerald Tally Ho managed to get its initial funding goal of $15k in under 2 minutes. Emerald starts with the Limited Edition for those who just enjoy Jackson Robinson’s work and rounds off with the very limited Emerald Legacy Edition for those seeking the rare and collectable and if you want to keep that Collectable sealed, display decks are available.

The Emerald Tally Ho deck is inspired by my oldest daughter Claire. The Emerald theme comes from Claire's birthstone. Starting with the same basic design structure, as the Scarlett Tally Hos, the Emerald has a completely redesigned back and tuck. The same limited edition courts have been used with new design and color styles to match the new Emerald theme.

- Jackson Robinson, Kings Wild Projects 

At the time of writing, the Emerald Tally Ho is currently sitting at $26k with no sign of stopping. Only the single and double Limited Edition decks reward tiers are available. Like the Scarletts, Emerald Tally Hos will truly be something that very few will have but many will want.

Don't miss out!

Deck View: Minimal 2014 Playing Cards

Lecture. Tour. European. 

Designed for Alex Pandrea's "Minimal 2014" European Lecture Tour, the Minimal 2014 Playing Cards are limited with only 1000 printed. Fully custom, designer Edo Huang crafted the deck from the ground up.  Everything from the minimalist back, the original faces with indexes in all 4 corners, and tuck. The tuck even has printing inside and out that fits the multi-city theme.

Produced by the Blue Crown and printed by the Expert Playing Card Company on their smooth and long-lasting Master finish. Available at JP Games.