First Look at ARK's The Illusionist & After Sound Playing Cards

The Illusionist & After Sound Playing Cards by ARK will be launching on Kickstarter tomorrow! This incredible-looking set continues ARK’s mission of continuous Exploration and infinite Innovation. Half a year in the making, these playing cards sets are hand-illustrated with meticulous and intricate details.

ARK Playing Cards have built a fantasy theater for magic with unprecedented structure and design for the Illusionist playing cards. Seven individual pieces of cardboard are hand-assembled to form this masterpiece. According to the ARK,

This Playing Card design was inspired by Ansiktet (‘The Face’ also released as ‘The Magician’), a 1958 Swedish film centered around a traveling magician. The movie technology during that time was not as advanced as we know it now. People were curious and in awe of the fantastic things happening around then.

The entire design concept adopts a classical and luxurious visual style to restore the classic and mysterious art form of Magic. As such, the tuck box shape is modeled after the magic theater from the last century. When the box is unfolded, a three-dimensional magic theater stage will appear before your eyes, with the magician standing center stage, performing the famous ‘Sawing a lady/person in half’ illusion.

When closed, the artwork on the tuck box depicts a Western-style detached building, the performance poster at the entrance of the theater, the Illusionist signboard that can be seen from afar, the figure of the magician in the skylight on the top floor, the splendor of the window sill… presented with these countless details, one cannot help but imagine the crowded scene at the entrance of the theater where celebrities in gorgeous evening wear gather one after another before the show.

The illustrations on the entire deck of cards are very intricate and littered with fine details. The four Aces depict commonly seen magic props. Each court card depicts a different genre of classical magic.

Twelve magicians perform with different magic props, including the linking rings, doves/rabbits, card manipulation, ball manipulation, and so on.

The “Illusionist” series will be released in limited-edition box sets, with a total of four editions: Classic Boxset (Limited to 1500), Black Gold Boxset (Limited to 800), Luxury Leather Boxset (Limited to 500) and Deluxe Walnut Boxset (Limited to 300).

The second set of playing cards in the campaign is created around the themed Peking Opera, a quintessential national culture of China. According to ARK,

Toward the fourth quarter of 2020, when the idea was just conceived, we were full of awe to create a series of playing cards with such a grand theme. After pouring over the materials countless times, we thought deeply about how we were going to present each and every detail. We worked hard on the design, hoping to better introduce and integrate the breadth and depth of this traditional Chinese culture into 56 playing cards.

The 3D theater has been shrunk down in size to a playing card tuck box. When the front is in its closed and folded state, the card box has the appearance of a theater. When unfolded, the inner three levels pop open horizontally revealing and astounding the viewer with detailed illustrations of a three-dimensional stage.

Inside, the playing card design incorporates traditional elements, mainly from the Peking Opera. Over 15 months of preparation have resulted in these exquisite and detailed hand-painted illustrations. The back design of the playing card is an extension of the Opera stage found on the tuck box. A classic scene from the play is being enacted here.

Each illustration on the card is exquisite, and it is modeled after the classical characters that often appear in traditional Peking Opera plays with incredible details. The series will be released in the form of limited edition box sets only, with a total of four versions: Classic Boxset (Limited to 1500), Dark Flare Boxset (Limited to 800), Luxury Leather Boxset (Limited to 500), and Deluxe Walnut Boxset (limited to 300)

Don’t miss out! Pledge starts at $35 on Kickstarter.

Top 5 Most Funded Kickstarter Playing Cards Project of 2024

 

Crowdfunding has changed how creators bring their ideas to life by allowing people to gather support from backers worldwide. In the world of playing cards, Kickstarter has become a hub for innovative and beautifully designed decks that capture the imagination of collectors and enthusiasts alike.

We’ve compiled a list of the top five most funded Kickstarter playing card projects for 2024 (so far), showcasing the incredible creativity and support that these campaigns have garnered. These projects highlight the unique designs and themes that resonate with backers, making them some of the most successful campaigns in the playing card community. Dive in to see which decks have captured the hearts (and wallets) of the crowdfunding community this year.

5. Apollo
Funding $102,019
ARK Playing Cards

Drawing inspiration from Mount Olympus and the god of light himself, this deck is a testament to ARK’s creativity and innovation. With intricate illustrations and a creative tuck case, every aspect of this deck reflects the splendor of Greek mythology and captured beautifully through a stunning tuck case that unfolds into a perfect circle.

4. ANKH
Funding $118,397
ARK Playing Cards

Ankh Playing Cards by ARK are a tribute to the rich heritage and mythology of Ancient Egypt. At the heart of this collection is the ARK Case, designed with a pyramid-inspired triangular structure. This innovative case opens horizontally, revealing a large triangle formed by the sides and top. Inside, the illustrations in the Ankh Playing Cards blend hand-drawn and digital art techniques, vividly bringing to life the stories of Egyptian mythology. 

3. Morpheus
Funding $118,429
Charmie & Herman

Beautifully crafted by Charmie & Herman these decks are part of the Dream Spirits Oneiros collection. Inspired by the mythical land of dreams, these decks pay homage to the legendary God of Dreams in Greek mythology, Morpheus. Each card is adorned with full-foiled polar colors and starry-galaxy gilding, creating a truly enchanting experience. The tuck box is intricately designed to resemble the Palace of Morpheus, complete with a 3D laser-cut window and foiled artwork inside.

2. The Eye of the Ocean II
Funding $259,779
Stockholm17

This is the second part to Lorenzo Gaggiotti‘s archaeo-fantasy project based on the age of sails. It is not just another deck of playing cards, but also a novel with an interactive puzzle. The journey takes place on the mythical sailing island itself, exploring all the mysteries around the place. 

1. The Lord of the Rings Vol. 3
Funding $538,877
Kings Wild Project

Designed by Jackson Robinson, this final installment in the epic trilogy brings to life J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic characters through beautifully illustrated court cards. Based The Return of the King, the deck features intricately designed court cards that depict key characters from the saga. Characters such as Aragorn and Arwen, Sam carrying Frodo, The King of the Dead, Denethor, Sauron, and many others are vividly illustrated, capturing their essence and significance in the story. Each card serves as a piece of art, designed to transport players into the legendary world of Middle-earth.

LiaoZhai Playing Cards by ARK

LiaoZhai Playing Cards by ARK is an art-driven collection inspired by Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, the legendary supernatural anthology written by Pu Songling. Drawing from centuries-old Eastern folklore, the project transforms classic tales of spirits, fox demons, and human desire into an immersive collector’s experience that combines storytelling, luxury craftsmanship, and theatrical presentation.

Continuing ARK’s exploration of Eastern fantasy aesthetics following its ShanHai series, the deck uses traditional Chinese splash-ink painting techniques to create an ethereal atmosphere filled with flowing brushwork, softened forms, and dreamlike transitions between the mortal and supernatural worlds.Every illustration is designed to feel as though it has emerged directly from an ancient scroll, blending haunting elegance with contemporary collectible design.

The centerpiece of the project is ARK’s highly elaborate packaging system. Housed within a snake-bone-inspired slipcase featuring embossing and gold foil accents, the tuck case unfolds into a rotating cross-shaped three-dimensional theatre inspired by pop-up carousel books. As the structure rotates, four iconic Liaozhai stories gradually reveal themselves as miniature stage scenes, allowing the deck to function as both a playable object and an interactive display piece. 

The card backs continue this narrative approach through animated panoramic artwork that shifts from elegant Suzhou-style gardens into eerie supernatural landscapes when fanned. Each suit is tied to one of four classic Liaozhai tales. 

The custom courts features Chinese narrative characters symbolising “Beginning,” “Progression,” and “Ending,” turning every suit into a miniature visual story arc. The Jokers further reinforce the deck’s central themes by representing the coexistence of the mortal and underworld realms through contrasting yin-and-yang imagery.

Multiple collector editions expand the experience further, including holographic gilded versions, monochrome manuscript-inspired editions, large-format artist boxsets, and an elaborate wooden collector’s display box that transforms into a rotating theatre stand for the fully unfolded tuck structure. Across every edition, ARK maintains its focus on premium materials, intricate engineering, and highly tactile production techniques.

Pledge starts at $30 on Kickstarter.

Apollo Playing Cards by ARK

The innovative team at ARK has released their next creation on Kickstarter inspired by Greek mythology with Apollo Playing Cards. Drawing inspiration from Mount Olympus and the god of light himself, this deck is a testament to creativity and innovation.

Delve into the origins of Western civilization as ARK pays homage to the Olympian deities. Apollo, the most handsome of all, serves as the muse for this exquisite deck. With intricate illustrations and a creative tuck case, every aspect of this deck reflects the splendor of Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, Apollo is revered as the guardian god of Delphi, ruling over music, medicine, healing, and prophecy. ARK captures his essence through a stunning tuck case that unfolds into a perfect circle, symbolizing the divine status of Apollo himself.

Immerse yourself in a world of mythology with abundant illustrations that bring the Olympian deities to life. From the majestic Temple of Apollo to the radiant sun chariot atop Mount Parnassus, every detail tells a story of ancient lore and legend.

During the Kickstarter campaign, The Apollo Playing Cards are available in four editions, each offering a unique experience:

1. Standard Decks: Limited to 3333 with a unique serial number, featuring elegant off-white and gold tones. Retail Price: $40.
2. Artist Boxset: Limited to 999, this set includes a HOLO deck with an ARK case, a special deck, and a gift-box with a book. Retail Price: $120.
3. Walnut Boxset: Limited to 333, this edition includes gilded edge playing cards, a collectible coin, and a display walnut box. Retail Price: $250.
4. Luxury Black: Limited to 99, this edition features black edge playing cards and an embossed metal plate. Retail Price: $150.

Also, enhance your collection with Apollo-themed silver coins and uncut sheets of playing cards, each meticulously crafted to perfection. Check it out on Kickstarter here!

Kickstarter: ARK's Kingdom & Kinghood Playing Cards

[Update[  The Kingdom & Kinghood Playing Cards are now LIVE on Kickstarter. Over 4000% funded.

The team from Ark Playing Cards is on FIRE! In the past year, the team has released elegant Card College Playing Cards and the innovative Tempo Playing Cards Series. With excellent creativity and bold design, these two decks have generated some hype and excitement for their respective Kickstarter campaigns.

The KINGDOM & KINGHOOD is the 3rd Project produced by the ARK Playing Cards. It took the team two years to bring it to life. According to the campaign page,

The products of this project have gone through over 100 times of proofing and technical testing and cost more than 100k USD on Research & Development. We hope that by creating this project, we will be able to Take the Luxury of Playing Cards to a Whole New Level.

The KINGDOM project is based on the royal theme of the Middle Ages and its illustrations are drawn from the luxurious style of the Renaissance period. Throughout history, the royal element has always been the most luxurious and noble symbol. Like their previous decks, ARK has built this magnificent "Playing Card Palace", and added the most beautiful illustrations to it.

The Palace-Shaped Gift box is inspired by the palace architecture during the Renaissance period. It adopts a Vertical Packaging Structure composed of three parts: an outer cover, a 4-page fold, and a base. As you open the three parts of the box, the interior of the "Luxurious Palace" will be revealed in front of your eyes. 

The cover is made of high-end Italian iridescent paper, which is covered with delicate Full-page foiled lines. The pattern on the foil copper plate is refined by laser engraving. Four Illustrations of marble sculptures peek out from the Arc-shaped windows, which makes the box incredible!

In order to make KINGDOM Playing Cards exquisite and luxurious during the static display, ARK redesigned the placement posture of the two decks inside the gift box, using the vertical placement instead of the traditional horizontal one. The pair of decks are like two swords inserted inside the base, which looks grand and energetic. Brilliant!

The deck is fully custom, from the Aces, Jokers and the Court Cards. The illustrations are drawn using the classic Sgraffito painted technique. Each illustration was first drawn and colored carefully on the paper and then using high-precision scanning transferring into digital images, the whole process over 3 months to complete. The decks are packaged in an equally luxurious tuck box crafted with process 8 processes of production procedures, the combination of embossing, foiled lines, and illustrations!

KINGHOOD is the second part of the Kickstarter project. The decks are equally creative as they are beautiful. Each card in KINGHOOD is fully customized. The drawing style of the illustrations is classical and elegant, looks like a totem from ancient legends. You will see different images of the cursed orc warriors on each of the Court Cards, with different weapons. 

The tuck boxes with Sword and Knight are the most eye-catching designs on the tuck box. The 3D relief embossing process makes the delicate illustration incredibly appealing. The vertical card box cover is covered with a bronzing pattern, to the relief convex card box better protection, but also make the opening process of the box more ritualistic.

Each boxset contains two decks of cards: one gold and one silver. On the front of each is an illustration of a sword. If you put the back of two decks together side by side, the illustrations will be stitched together to form a picture of knights dueling.

The two decks come in a cool Collector’s Gift Box. This V-shaped side-opening structure gift box makes unboxing incredibly unique and formal. When opening the box cover, the lid on both sides of the box slowly reveals the card sculpture in the middle, as if the gates are opened and the knights clad in armor are ready to fight to the death.

There are lots of cool items to discover for this incredible Kickstarter project, including the KINGDOM Black Pearl Boxset. The boxset looks LUXURIOUS with its black and gold colorway! We were told that this version uses a variety of manufacturing processes which can be only seen in High-end luxury brands and products.

[Update[  The Kingdom & Kinghood Playing Cards are now LIVE on Kickstarter. Over 4000% funded.

Mark your calendar and head to the Kickstarter campaign here! Don't miss out! Pledge starts from $50 for a boxset.

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Halidom and Devildom Playing Cards on Kickstarter

ARK Playing Cards continues to dazzle with its amazing innovations and beautiful artwork. Ever since its conception in 2020, ARK has always come up with elaborate projects, especially their eye-catching packaging along with their continuous display of craftsmanship. For their latest Kickstarter campaign, ARK explores the world of good versus evil with Halidom and Devildom Playing Cards.

Halidom Playing Cards is based on the essence of good and the serenity world of angels. Devildom Playing Cards is based on the essence of evil and the terrifying world of demons. The illustrations done for both series are outstanding, every detail is merged into one big painting done with exquisite craftsmanship.

The tuck box features an elaborate box of excellent construction pieces. Inspired by the grand corridors of palaces, the box is designed as a 3D-layered artwork constructed like an accordion. When the box is closed, it features elaborate artwork done as a kirigami-style artwork.

When the box is opened, you can see the layers of the artwork explode as you peered through the window to stare into the “long hallway”. The fully-opened box results in a maximum depth that exceeds nine standard-sized decks!

A new finish is introduced within this project – it’s called “Mystery Finish”. It is a two-layers finish that is applied on the cards that integrate with the artwork. This project also introduces their Holographic technology.

The Holo featured on the cards will have a fixed pattern with a special gold coating applied on the black core paper and printing inks. With these two technological feats, ARK assures the beauty of the cards from every angle. There are two types of Holo: Dawn Holo for Halidom and Ring Holo for Devildom.

Halidom showcases the artworks of holy angels with their big wings and radiant armor and the holy palace laden with beautiful gold and turquoise. The back design features a two-way illustration of a nestled sword with wings and cherubs within the golden palace.

The Ace of Spades features a female angel with six hands holding onto the sword and scale as well as closing her eyes, covering her ear, and demanding silence. The courts featured two-way illustrated portraits of angels with stoic poses wearing armors. The Jokers feature different artwork: one is a big white lamb, and the other is an armor with two geese holding up a halo ring.

Devildom showcases the artworks of evil demons with their dark gothic armors and the evil palace laden with illustrious gold and silver. The back design features a two-way illustration of a demon with a big horn creeping on the demonic palace.

The Ace of Spades features a merged sword and trident with two skulls and big curvy horns. The court cards specifically have two different sides – to symbolize humanity’s downfall to succumb to the evil side as they are getting corrupted.

On one side is their human form, and then they become corrupted into demons on the other side. The Jokers feature different artwork: one is a big black goat, and the other is a winged demon.

There are four main sets for each series. The Classic Set features the standard box containing two decks: the colored and the greyscale variant. The Black Set features a more-crafted box containing two decks: the black and silver variants, with cards done in their respective Holo finish.

The Walnut Set features a custom-made walnut box with metal engravings attached to it – the box contains a custom-engraved coin with the deck in gold-yellow color and cards will be gilded with textured metallic foil. The Leather Set features a single deck stored inside a custom-leather box: the purple foiled deck for Devildom / the green foiled deck for Halidom.

Pledge starts from $38 for the Classic Set on Kickstarter. Don’t miss out!

Ankh Playing Cards: A Journey Through Egyptian Mythology by ARK

Now on Kickstarter, Ankh Playing Cards by ARK takes you on an immersive exploration of pyramids, Neters, and Egyptian art, combining historical reverence with modern craftsmanship.

The Ankh Playing Cards are a tribute to the rich heritage and mythology of Ancient Egypt. At the heart of this collection is the ARK Case, designed with a pyramid-inspired triangular structure. This innovative case opens horizontally, revealing a large triangle formed by the sides and top.

Inside, the illustrations in the Ankh Playing Cards blend hand-drawn and digital art techniques, vividly bringing to life the stories of Egyptian mythology. Each card showcases intricate details, from the weathered cracks on stone walls to the majestic portrayal of Egyptian gods. The Court cards particularly stand out, depicting the deities with a level of detail that captures the grandeur of the ancient civilization.

One of the standout features of the Ankh Playing Cards is the Mystery Finish and Ring HOLO technique. This groundbreaking method integrates a ring-shaped foil layer with card illustrations, creating a mesmerizing holographic effect. The special gold foil coating, applied between the black core paper and high-quality inks, produces captivating luminosity variations that enchant viewers from every angle.

The Ankh Playing Cards are available in four distinct editions:

Standard Edition: Limited to 3,333 decks, each with a unique serial number.This edition features Egyptian-themed designs, abundant mythology illustrations, and a pyramid creative tuck case.

Artist Box Set: Limited to 999 sets this set includes a HOLO Deck with ARK Case, a Special Deck, and a gift box with a book. The gift box has a double-door structure with a triangular notch, seamlessly integrating with the triangular card case when closed.

Walnut Box Set: Limited to 333 sets, this set includes gilded edge playing cards, a collectible coin, and a walnut box with embossed metal cards. The design adjustments ensure the wooden box resembles a pyramid, enhancing the display.

Luxury Black Edition: Limited to 99 decks, this edition is available only through the ALLIN reward. It features black edge playing cards and an embossed metal plate. The design, completed with a manuscript, ensures the full black aesthetic, including the edges.

Each edition is a masterpiece, combining the most luxurious craftsmanship, including the creative tuck case, Ring HOLO foil, and gilded edges. The attention to detail and the use of high-quality materials make the Ankh Playing Cards a must-have for collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Pledge starts at $15 on Kickstarter. Add-ons such as dealer coin and uncut sheets are available during the campaign.