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Beautiful art. Invited creator to stop by our forums

He had me at the Jack of Spades.

Think I'll pass. Looks pretty good though.

Looks good but I wish the courts were more than just a bust though. Somehow I'm on the hence towards these. Something feels missing.

But hey, look at that stretch goal. Chocolate Coins!

I think this deck is a nicely done tribute. It's not quite for me but at least it's tasteful and well done, IMO. Fantastic artwork!

Its printed by the USPCC only if it reaches $50k.

Sorry, I like it, ...but $50K?, that's extremely unlikely. Hence it's printed by another no-name (or secret-name) companies. I realise this is an art deck, and probably isn't for playing/flourishing/magic, but it may well be rubbish if we can't trust the printer.

Nice art though.

Gareth wrote:Its printed by the USPCC only if it reaches $50k.

Sorry, I like it, ...but $50K?, that's extremely unlikely. Hence it's printed by another no-name (or secret-name) companies. I realise this is an art deck, and probably isn't for playing/flourishing/magic, but it may well be rubbish if we can't trust the printer.

Nice art though.

This was commented on, and the creator replied that he had now addressed this in the FAQ. Here's what was added:

I see that by reaching the $50,000 Stretch Goal that Leonardo will be printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC). Where will they be printed if the 50k stretch goal is not reached?


I expect to print by USPCC, that is plan A... otherwise, there are a number of other expert card printing companies who can quality print smaller quantities (USPCC has a large minimum order). So let's go with Plan A!

Also, he says "I have a solid reputation for managing and delivering projects" even though this is his first KS.

Uhm... Yeah, I don't think I want to give any of my money to this guy

The creator replied to my invitation and will be on the forums tomorrow, so I am sure he will have some additional comments

Was this deck drawn or composed of pictures?

Hello Cardists!

I’m Dent-de-Lion du Midi, the creator of Leonardo.

First I would sincerely again like to thank Pierre for his kind remarks and invitation to join this forum. Thanks badpete69!

To address some of the issues brought up by MagikFingerz :

Thank you for your comments about the art

I will print Leonardo to the highest standards in the card industry. The stretch goal is there as USPCC has a much higher minimum order for decks then Legends or Expert.

I am confident that one of these three companies will expertly print the decks and we will all be super pleased with the final quality. I have much experience working with printers on many complicated projects.

Which segues us nicely to my “solid reputation for managing and delivering projects”. As you can read on my Kickstarter bio, I was Director of Research for LEGO, yes, the global toy company.

At LEGO, for many years, I managed projects many magnitudes larger than this, with budgets 100x larger.

Here is a link, from a book, documenting this : Brick by Brick


You can have confidence in my ability to deliver this project when funded.

Please feel free to ask me anything, and once again, thank you Pierre and Magik for your interest and support!

kind regards,

Dent-de-Lion

Dent-de-Lion wrote:Hello Cardists!

I’m Dent-de-Lion du Midi, the creator of Leonardo.

First I would sincerely again like to thank Pierre for his kind remarks and invitation to join this forum. Thanks badpete69!

To address some of the issues brought up by MagikFingerz :

Thank you for your comments about the art

I will print Leonardo to the highest standards in the card industry. The stretch goal is there as USPCC has a much higher minimum order for decks then Legends or Expert.

I am confident that one of these three companies will expertly print the decks and we will all be super pleased with the final quality. I have much experience working with printers on many complicated projects.

Which segues us nicely to my “solid reputation for managing and delivering projects”. As you can read on my Kickstarter bio, I was Director of Research for LEGO, yes, the global toy company.

At LEGO, for many years, I managed projects many magnitudes larger than this, with budgets 100x larger.

Here is a link, from a book, documenting this : Brick by Brick


You can have confidence in my ability to deliver this project when funded.

Please feel free to ask me anything, and once again, thank you Pierre and Magik for your interest and support!

kind regards,

Dent-de-Lion

Hello and welcome. I backed the project because I love Da Vinci's art and work. You've done a fine job with the art. I leave the critique of the playing card elements of this project to wiser minds than my own. I will say that to reach your stretch goals I think you need some add ons like the ability to pledge for extra decks or uncuts. ( I pledged for an EB deck and would love to add some decks.)

Not knowing you or your work I did a Google search and did some quick reading about your work and biography. Impressive. I hope you will take advantage of the wealth of help, advice and information you can find here. Keep in mind the folks here are passionate about playing cards and playing card art... And it shows in their replies.

I hope this project succeeds as it is a beautiful deck of cards and a worthy homage to Da Vinci's work.

One question, did you get the inspiration for the deck while watching da vinci's demons ? Because i sure did lol

Best set of courts I've seen in a long time. Extremely impressed with the work. The back and tuck don't excite me as much but this is the real deal.

I really love the art on the court cards but I would love to see more color on the back.

Dent-de-Lion wrote:Hello Cardists!


At LEGO, for many years, I managed projects many magnitudes larger than this, with budgets 100x larger.


Dent-de-Lion

ok, my sons would love you

I can say that Passione too has a project on Leonardo Da Vinci, this time we have been anticipated! So kudos to Dent-de-Lion.

First of all, I would sincerely like to thank all of your for your kind comments and thoughtful responses to Leonardo, it’s really appreciated.

I have worked long and hard on this project, and it’s wonderful to read all the responses and to process the many useful words of advice. Thank you!

Collector wrote:Was this deck drawn or composed of pictures?

Both actually! Leonardo of course drew the images that form the basis of the card designs, which I composed, distorted, distressed, adjusted, interpreted, etc! In some cases I had to paint new areas in Leonardo’s style, which took much time. I will add some images in an update soon demonstrating this. Thank you for your question!

volantangel wrote:One question, did you get the inspiration for the deck while watching da vinci's demons ? Because i sure did lol

Most of the inspiration came from living for a time in my life in Firenze, Italy… a city that was at the center of the Renaissance and a place of great importance in Leonardo’s work and life.
At that time I was a wandering artist, a Journeyman (in Renaissance terms) and spent much time in the museums and galleries there (and in other Italian towns) studying the works of Leonardo and the other Masters of the time.
When things quiet down (post funding) I will have a look at “da Vinci’s Demons” as the name sounds fascinating.

nECr0MaNCeD wrote: Hello and welcome. I backed the project because I love Da Vinci's art and work. You've done a fine job with the art. I leave the critique of the playing card elements of this project to wiser minds than my own. I will say that to reach your stretch goals I think you need some add ons like the ability to pledge for extra decks or uncuts. ( I pledged for an EB deck and would love to add some decks.)

Not knowing you or your work I did a Google search and did some quick reading about your work and biography. Impressive. I hope you will take advantage of the wealth of help, advice and information you can find here. Keep in mind the folks here are passionate about playing cards and playing card art... And it shows in their replies.

I hope this project succeeds as it is a beautiful deck of cards and a worthy homage to Da Vinci's work.

Thank you for your words of wisdom! I will take all your advice into consideration going forward. I would appreciate any and all help and advice, especially from card experts, as this is my first deck and I have plans to do another.

I am adding an add-on graphic to the site today or tomorrow, which will answer your question about how to add extra decks and uncut sheets.

I love the theme and the art, so backed this right away, didn't even care about the printer. HOWEVER, you should revise your intro paragraph if you can to state right away that you plan to use Expert or Legends, with a stretch goal of USPCC. While I was in no matter what, many others will consider that a primary factor, don't make them hunt for it in the FAQs. Such a high goal for USPCC doesn't make sense to me, but it's your project and your risk/profit.

Anyhow, excellent work. Looking forward to seeing this funded. You also seem to have done your homework and put together a pretty solid set of decks, so I won't nitpick!

You had me at LEGO.

The courts are beautiful. I also like the tucks and seal. The back is very nice but seems to me to have too many disparate elements that singly are fine but together detract from one another. Not sure that I have any suggestions but that's what it looks like to me.

rjtomlinson1977 wrote:Best set of courts I've seen in a long time. Extremely impressed with the work. The back and tuck don't excite me as much but this is the real deal.

Thank you so much, I spent a lot of time on the court cards, and am pleased with how they turned out. I hope you will like the back and the tucks when you see them printed. Once again thanks for the kind compliments!

ecNate wrote:I love the theme and the art, so backed this right away, didn't even care about the printer. HOWEVER, you should revise your intro paragraph if you can to state right away that you plan to use Expert or Legends, with a stretch goal of USPCC. While I was in no matter what, many others will consider that a primary factor, don't make them hunt for it in the FAQs. Such a high goal for USPCC doesn't make sense to me, but it's your project and your risk/profit.

Anyhow, excellent work. Looking forward to seeing this funded. You also seem to have done your homework and put together a pretty solid set of decks, so I won't nitpick!

I am so glad you liked the art and appreciate that you backed it. I am taking all your suggestions into careful consideration. The printer of choice is USPCC, but the economic reality of their minimum order makes $50K a reasonable level where one can print 2 decks of cards by them and afford food, clothing and shelter

As an artist and an optimist, I am confident we will reach this goal and print at USPCC!

PrincessTrouble wrote:You had me at LEGO.

Hi there! It seems we have a LEGO fan I was many years there, it’s part of my DNA now! Thank you so much for your support!

nECr0MaNCeD wrote:The courts are beautiful. I also like the tucks and seal. The back is very nice but seems to me too have too many disparate elements that singly are fine but together detract from one another. Not sure that I have any suggestions but that's what it looks like to me.

Hi! Thanks for your comments about the courts and tucks. The backs have been very popular with some and not with others, but I guess that is Art! Personally, I feel like it holds together well, as it is all Leonardo, but then I have been looking at it for a long time

All the best, Dent-de-LIon

This deck is beautiful. Unfortunately I watch to see if it reaches the uspcc goal but excellent work.

Lion's Tooth of Noon (Google Translate ), sorry but I couldn't help emphasizing the badass name/pseudonym?

This is a very interesting deck. The gold one is specially appealing.

walrus wrote:This deck is beautiful. Unfortunately I watch to see if it reaches the uspcc goal but excellent work.

Thank you for your comment, I truly believe we will reach our goal and print with USPCC. So please keep an eye on the project’s progress, and please help spread the word around so that we reach our goal!

Eoghann wrote:Lion's Tooth of Noon (Google Translate ), sorry but I couldn't help emphasizing the badass name/pseudonym?

This is a very interesting deck. The gold one is specially appealing.

Yes the gold edition has a special appeal, I go back and forth each day as to which edition I prefer. It seems to be 50/50 as to which edition people like better. I guess that’s a good thing

I think that’s the first time I have heard my name (not a pseudonym) referred to as “badass”! I will have to tell my children, very impressed they will be!

Hello!

Collectors and backers have asked me about the creative process involved in designing Leonardo. I made this illustration, do you think it answers the question? Or do you think a video would be better? I posted the graphic as an update on Kickstarter, the campaign is going very well, thank you for your support!

i think that pretty much covers it! btw if I don't get a queen of clubs print i might cry


Having said that, I'm thinking back to an Uusi kickstarter campaign that had a video of them physically drawing some of the images that would later be used as the royals. I'm assuming most of your artwork is complete now, but there's also something to be said about seeing the process develop (and perhaps backers being involved) that makes a campaign really special.

The artwork is TOP notch. The uncertainty is the scary part of this project. No doubt it will fund over 18K, but for a first time Kickstarter, topping 50K will be very difficult. Assuming it doesn't reach 50K, what is plan B? Plan B is the most realistic. It's easy to throw around names like Legends, EPCC or MPC, but what's stopping the designer from choosing a sh*t printer? And, assuming plan B hasn't been worked out beforehand, the pre-printing planning hasn't been done, which makes a June 2015 ship date unlikely.

I would be more confident in a pledge where the artist specially said, USPCC if we reach 50K, or XXXXX printer if we don't. The idea of, "I'm confident will reach 50K, so I don't have to specify the printer yet" is an early warning sign.

Suggestion: Make a decision who you'll use if you don't reach 50K. Personally, I think the Legends Emerald Finish is excellent. I prefer it to the stock and feel of it compared to Bicycle decks. Also, the MPC stock and feel of the their latest Impressions decks, with the raised feel would be excellent with this deck, and I believe the technology is available for custom orders going forward.

TGunitedcardists wrote:The artwork is TOP notch. The uncertainty is the scary part of this project. No doubt it will fund over 18K, but for a first time Kickstarter, topping 50K will be very difficult. Assuming it doesn't reach 50K, what is plan B? Plan B is the most realistic. It's easy to throw around names like Legends, EPCC or MPC, but what's stopping the designer from choosing a sh*t printer? And, assuming plan B hasn't been worked out beforehand, the pre-printing planning hasn't been done, which makes a June 2015 ship date unlikely.

I would be more confident in a pledge where the artist specially said, USPCC if we reach 50K, or XXXXX printer if we don't. The idea of, "I'm confident will reach 50K, so I don't have to specify the printer yet" is an early warning sign.

I backed this for both decks, but this is what's been bothering me about it from the beginning. The uncertainty needs to be addressed.

Calypso wrote:

TGunitedcardists wrote:The artwork is TOP notch. The uncertainty is the scary part of this project. No doubt it will fund over 18K, but for a first time Kickstarter, topping 50K will be very difficult. Assuming it doesn't reach 50K, what is plan B? Plan B is the most realistic. It's easy to throw around names like Legends, EPCC or MPC, but what's stopping the designer from choosing a sh*t printer? And, assuming plan B hasn't been worked out beforehand, the pre-printing planning hasn't been done, which makes a June 2015 ship date unlikely.

I would be more confident in a pledge where the artist specially said, USPCC if we reach 50K, or XXXXX printer if we don't. The idea of, "I'm confident will reach 50K, so I don't have to specify the printer yet" is an early warning sign.

I backed this for both decks, but this is what's been bothering me about it from the beginning. The uncertainty needs to be addressed.

Same here. Without specifics 2 things will happen. Some potential backers will stay away, making it even harder to hit 50K and losing existing backers as time goes on, again making it harder to hit 50K.

My grandfather had a great saying. "Hope for the best but plan for the worst".

EvanEssence wrote:i think that pretty much covers it! btw if I don't get a queen of clubs print i might cry


Having said that, I'm thinking back to an Uusi kickstarter campaign that had a video of them physically drawing some of the images that would later be used as the royals. I'm assuming most of your artwork is complete now, but there's also something to be said about seeing the process develop (and perhaps backers being involved) that makes a campaign really special.

I am going to announce shortly in an update, a second print, I think you will be happy
so stay tuned!

Yes, the artwork is complete, but I am looking into doing a video, a “re-creation” of how I designed one of the royals… the research, the originals, compositing… the whole process.. all the way to final proof. Is that what you would like to see?

TGunitedcardists wrote:The artwork is TOP notch.

Calypso wrote: I backed this for both decks, but this is what's been bothering me about it from the beginning. The uncertainty needs to be addressed.

Thank you for you comment about my artwork. It’s sincerely appreciated. Hopefully this post will absolve your uncertainty.

nECr0MaNCeD wrote: Same here. Without specifics 2 things will happen. Some potential backers will stay away, making it even harder to hit 50K and losing existing backers as time goes on, again making it harder to hit 50K.

My grandfather had a great saying. "Hope for the best but plan for the worst".

My grandfather said the same thing! But my grandmother, who was far happier and more lovable like to quote Winston Churchill, who famously said : “I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.”

As I’ve stated, I am confident (and optimistic!) that we will be printing Leonardo at USPCC. I have spent countless hours designing Leonardo to the highest quality, and Leonardo will be expertly printed at USPCC, which is Plan A.

But, in the unlikely event we need to go with Plan B… I spent much time last week researching the other high quality printers of custom decks. If we need to go with Plan B - Leonardo will be printed by Legends.

So to be absolutely 100% clear and banish all uncertainty:

Plan A = $50K or greater = USPCC
Plan B = Less than $50K = Legends

I value all of your suggestions! Your interest and support is really helpful! Please continue to spread the word, tweet, like, pin and help Leonardo on it’s way! Thanks!

Dent-de-Lion