Category: Playing Cards

2020 DECK OF THE YEAR AWARDS SPONSORSHIP

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Charles Levin - Campaign, Card Designers, Custom Design, Manufacturer, Partnership, Playing Cards, Press Release

“We see playing cards as an art and look to share our art with others.” – Portfolio 52

We are extremely excited to announce that Shuffled Ink is a 2020 Deck of the Year Awards sponsor! Hosted by Portfolio 52, this project celebrates all of the amazing decks released throughout the year. Our sponsorship will provide each category winner with complimentary production prizes.Shuffled Ink is producing 100 FREE playing card decks for the “Best Overall Deck” 1st-place winner and 5 FREE playing card decks for the 13 other 1st-place category winners!

DOTY Categories:

Every day we work alongside creative and talented designers whose playing card art finds its way on collectors’ shelves. Our purpose aligns perfectly with Portfolio 52’s: fostering the art of playing card collecting. We look forward to helping P52 build, support and guide those who share our passion for card innovation.Learn more about the DOTY Awards and our sponsorship here.Shuffled Ink is a multigenerational family business that specializes in printing custom playing cards, tarot & flash cards, packaging and more for businesses and individuals worldwide. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk

THE HISTORY OF PLAYING CARD PRINTING

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Charles Levin - Behind the Scenes, Entertainment, History, How To, Manufacturer, Playing Cards, Printing Service, Technology

Ever wonder how your favorite playing card decks are printed? The 20-second video below highlights one of the first steps in Shuffled Ink’s production process: printing the cards.

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Pretty cool, right? Well, technology certainly makes the production process appear effortless, and as you’re most likely aware, printing playing cards looked astronomically different back in the day.

Types of Printing

Woodblock Printing

Replace Xerox machines with blocks of wood and you’ll get Woodblock Printing. If it’s difficult to imagine creating playing cards with sharp tools and wood, then check out this helpful article: How to Make Your Own Woodblock Print Like the Japanese Masters by writer and art historian Jessica Stewart. Through step-by-step details, she even explains how to transfer any artwork and/or image onto the wooden surface.

Origins

Whether used to create a deck of cards or place images inside of a book, China, as well as Central and East Asia, pioneered woodblock printing.

Countries well-versed in Xylography, or the art of printing from carved wood, often transported playing cards to Europe. But once paper became available during the 15th century, European manufacturers were able to print decks domestically using the wood blocking technique.

The Technique

Relief printing is the process of cutting or etching with a stencil onto the wooden surface so all that remains is the printed design.

Woodblock Playing Cards: Photo from a WOPC article

Copperplate Printing

This innovative printing method began around the 15th century. It is a form of intaglio printing, where impressions and designs are pressed into copperplates either through engraving (direct intaglio) or acid etching (indirect intaglio).

Master E.S., also known as Master of the Playing Cards, developed this process of playing card printing.

The Queen of Flowers by Master of the Playing Cards

Attributed to The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lithography

Toward the end of the 18th century, Lithography (Latin – litho: stone; graph: write) was invented in Germany by Alois Senefelder. Many artists, as well as playing card creators, adopted this water-and-oil-based technique. Not only did it revolutionize colored impressions through chromolithographs but also introduced a cheaper printing method through limestone rather than copper.

Before

So, what did lithography printing look like? The card’s design was etched onto limestone using oil. The ink was then applied, sinking into the design area and then transferred onto paper for production. Litho printing never truly went out of style. It adapted as technology advanced.

“El Barco” Playing Cards Created Through Chromolithograph

Offset Lithography

Also known as offset printing, this modern litho process uses rubber rollers to transfer images from plate to paper. As opposed to hand-drawn designs, offset uses a machine to create the image.

Digital Printing

We use a Xerox digital printer to produce your custom projects like playing cards and games, tarot and oracle as well as flashcards. The first digital printers arrived in the early 1990s and today they reign quite popular in the printing industry.

Right now, it may seem like we have reached or surpassed the height of playing card printing, but this is only the beginning. Whether the future will enhance our modern printing machine or invent something entirely new, Shuffled Ink looks forward to many more years manufacturing your awesome personalized card products!

Xerox Printing Machine at Shuffled Ink

How We Manufacture Playing Cards

Shuffled Ink is a multigenerational family business with an unwavering, decades-old mission: to provide an unparalleled experience in customer service and product quality to ensure that all clients’ card visions meet reality.

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HISTORICAL CURIOSITIES THAT SHAPED OUR MODERN DECK (PART 1)

Posted on February 4, 2021 by EndersGame - Bridge Cards, Card Designers, Card Games, Custom Design, Entertainment, History, Playing Cards, Poker Cards, Tarot Cards

Those of us who love customized playing cards can at times succumb to the temptation to be dismissive and cool towards an uncustomized, namely a standard, deck of playing cards. You know what I mean: your typical Bicycle rider-back deck, a set of “plain” courts and face cards. The kind of deck we’ve all seen a gazillion times, so that we consider it entirely traditional and perhaps even bland.With that perspective, it came as somewhat of a surprise for me to discover that playing cards in the 1800s looked nothing like this. Let me place an imaginary deck of playing cards from that era in your hand, and tell you what you’d see. First of all, you’ll immediately notice that the card-backs are all white. Yes really: a plain white, with no back design at all. Then you look at the court cards and notice that they are all full-sized one way designs. And as you fan the cards in your hand, you notice that there are no indices on the corners of the cards. When you finally discover the Ace of Spades, you notice that it looks rather plain and ordinary, with the ornate and over-sized design typical of modern decks being altogether absent.So how did we get from this to the “standard” deck that we know today? Let’s visit some of the historical curiosities that have played a role in shaping our modern playing cards as we know them today.

Red and Black Suits

Today were expect a deck of playing cards to have red and black suits, but that’s certainly not how playing cards first looked. In fact the original suits used in Italian playing cards in the 1400s were Swords, Clubs, Cups, and Coins, and each of these had unique artwork, which wasn’t in any way strictly red and black. These suits were changed to Acorns, Leaves, Hearts, and Bells when playing cards were imported to Germany, which became a dominant producer of playing cards on the European market.But all that changed when French manufacturers developed new techniques for printing playing cards. Already in the early 15th century, France had developed its own suits as we know them today: Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs. But the real genius came when the French producers of playing cards divided these four suits into two red and two black, and simplified the shape of pips so that they could be cheaply produced by stencil while remaining easy for card players to recognize them. Suddenly it became possible to use stencils to manufacture large amounts of cards quickly and easily by using a single image of a king, a queen, and a knave, in combination with stencils for the suit icons.Within a short time, the French had taken over the playing card industry, simply by sheer volume of production, since this method was far more efficient and simple than using wood cuts or engraving. As a result of this important commercial advantage, the French suits in red and black became familiar throughout Europe, with only pockets continuing with the German suits. And that’s how we got the red and black suits that we still use today!

Suit Pips and Names

It is hard to imagine playing cards with suits other than how we know them today: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. But the four suits have actually undergone a significant evolution of artwork and of names. These changes owe much to the history of playing cards, and is closely connected with the different countries that were world leaders in playing card production in different times.Playing cards likely arrived in Europe via Egypt. The 14th century playing cards from the Mamluk period in Egypt used suits in four colours, using Cups, Coins, Swords, and Polo-sticks. These corresponded to the major pastimes and activities of the upper class, which was known to have a fondness for polo, for example. Italian and Spanish playing cards from that period also used Cups, Coins, Swords and Clubs as their suits, and are apparently indebted to the Mamluk suits that likely made their way across the Mediterranean with the help of traders. Even to the present day, these are the suits found on modern playing cards used in Italy and Spain, and are referred to as the Latin suits.When Germany became the world’s leading playing card producer, these suits changed to Acorns, Leaves, Hearts, and Bells, reflecting something of German culture and interests. Playing cards from nearby Switzerland are a variation of this, with Shields and Flowers being used in place of Leaves and Hearts.

But eventually France took over Germany’s dominance of the playing card industry, with new methods of production made possible by simplifying the deck into red and black suits, and the help of the printing press. When the capital of playing card production thus returned to Western Europe, these red and black suits then became the standard suits, using the familiar pips as we know them today, although at the time they were called Coeurs, Piques, Carreaux, and Trefles.Even though the pips that were introduced and popularized in France around 1480 are the ones we recognize today, they had not yet been assigned the names that are in common current usage. While the French word Coeurs indeed means Hearts and Piques (pikes) can be translated Spades, the word Carreaux (tiles) would best have been translated by the word Lozenge, which was the word used at the time to describe a rhombus or diamond shape. And while Trefles can be translated as Clover, the use of the term Clubs actually has a closer connection to the matching Italian suit of Bastoni, and hails back to the polo sticks of the Mamluk era. We simply can’t be sure why some of the French card names were abandoned. But what we do know is that it is the English card names that gained traction, and that’s what we still use today.

Interestingly, the English-French suits and court cards have a distinctly courtly flavour, while the Latin ones are military, and the Germanic ones are rustic. Some historians have suggested the possibility that the four suits are symbolic and represent the four classes of medieval society, which varied according to geographic and cultural origin where the decks were produced. For example, it is speculated that the Latin suits correspond to the church (Cups = chalices), merchants (Coins), peasantry (Batons = clubs), and military (Swords). Similarly it is suggested that the German suits correspond to the church (Hearts), nobility (Hawk Bells), peasantry (Acorns), and middle class (Leaves); while the French suits correspond to the church (Hearts), citizenry (Diamonds = tiled paving stones used in churches), peasantry (Clover = pig food and husbandry), and aristocracy (Spades = pikes or spearheads).At any rate, the major suits that we use today were firmly established in France by the end of the 15th century, and haven’t undergone any real change since then.

Card Backs

Prior to the the start of the 19th century, playing cards typically all had white backs. These convenient sources of paper could easily be conscripted for other uses, and were often written on and used for letters, notes, or drawing; and even used as credit notes. One extraordinary usage dates back to the 18th century in the Netherlands, where impoverished mothers left their babies at orphanages along with a message on the back of a playing card – the cheapest paper available – which would function as a form of ID, and had a message from the mother along with the baby’s name. Mothers that planned to return some day would leave just half a card, keeping the matching half as future proof of their parental connection.However the white backs also created practical problems: cards could easily become marked, and this presented an obvious issue when playing card games. Options were limited, especially if money was tight – it was costly to purchase a new deck, and returning the cards to the workshop for cleaning wasn’t an ideal or permanent solution either. Manufacturing techniques did improve in time, but the use of intricate patterns or small pictures on the back initially began as a commercially smart move to hide faults in the paper, thereby enabling producers to use cheaper grades of paper, or to minimize the issue of marked backs. There was a need to hide any signs of wear and tear, and that is what led manufacturers to print designs and pictures on the reverse of playing cards, by printing repeating geometric patterns of stars or dots.The first card backs with an actual original design were created in 1831, to commemorate the coronation of King William and Queen Adelaide. With the development of full colour lithiography, it became possible to produce card backs that were richly decorated, and these began to be produced from 1844 onwards. It didn’t take long before card backs were used for advertising and marketing, as well as artistic designs that helped make the cards more attractive or highlighted the ability of the artist and designer.

Poker and Bridge Size

Poker-sized cards may seem “large” in comparison to bridge sized cards, but originally playing cards were even larger in size than the ones we use today. The reduction in size from these larger cards to the “poker-sized” ones as we know them today is a later development in playing card history.Bridge-sized cards were first developed as a result of the growing popularity of card games like Bridge, which required players to hold large numbers of cards in their hand, and yet be able to easily determine their values. Whereas a standard poker-sized card is 2.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches high (64 × 89 mm), the narrow bridge-sized card is 2.25 inches wide by 3.5 inches high (57 × 89 mm), making them about 10% narrower, and more ideal for larger hand sizes.The designations poker-size and bridge-size simply refer to the size and don’t limit their usage to particular types of card games. Bridge-size cards can equally be used for poker, and poker-size cards can be used for other games like BlackJack, and in fact are typically used as such in many casinos. But these two sizes are now more or less standard, and date as far back as 1880s in playing cards printed by USPCC. Magicians and cardists tend to have a strong preference for poker-sized cards, due to the fact that their increased width makes them more suitable for manipulation, card sleights, and flourishing.

Tarot Cards

Tarot cards appear to have had a separate origin from regular playing cards, and were not a predecessor to the standard 52 card deck, despite claims of some that Tarot cards existed first. In fact the earliest surviving Tarot cards date from a period much later than regular playing cards, and they appear to have had an early use as additional trump cards. They consisted of 22 separate designs with allegorical illustrations, and were added to a standard deck in order to create a larger overall deck which was used first of all for gaming. While this larger deck possibly also functioned as a means of instruction and education, these extra cards were not first of all added as a result of an interest in the occult or for fortune-telling.As part of a 78 card tarot deck that could be used for more elaborate and complex games, tarot cards were only used for occultic cartomancy for the very first time around 1750. The symbolism and significance of the original illustrations that do date back to Renaissance Italy has been lost over time, and it is most likely that the original artwork of these additional cards simply reflects the 15th century cultural fashions of the day. The Tarot deck may have gained a life of its own in occult circles today, but this usage doesn’t pre-date the standard deck.

About the writer: EndersGame is a well-known reviewer of board games and playing cards. He loves card games, card magic, and collecting playing cards. This article first appeared on PlayingCardDecks.com here. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Tarot Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Flash Cards at: ShuffledInk

DECK THE HALLS WITH HOLIDAY ART

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Charles Levin - Art, Card Designers, Custom Design, Entertainment, History, Playing Cards

Countless artists in the social media community have submitted their talented holiday/winter-themed designs to our December Card Art competition (closes Dec. 31). Each piece has already made this holiday season feel merry and bright. You can find entry examples at the end of this article.For now, let’s take a look at some holiday artwork that certainly goes down in history… just like good old Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Holiday Book Art

Christmas

Clement Clarke Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas,” also known as “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” is a Christmas poem classic filled with colorful imagery to describe one Christmas Eve night.Through both imagery and text, a face is famously put to the icon that is Santa Claus: A jolly old elf with deep rosy cheeks and a round tummy.Moore also pushes the concept of Santa’s reindeer, which was first mentioned in A New Year’s Present, to the Little Ones from Five to Twelve Number III: The Children’s Friend, an anonymous 16-page booklet published in 1821 by a New York publisher named William Gilley.Excerpt from The Children’s Friend:

Old Santeclaus with much delight His reindeer drives this frosty night. O’er chimneytops, and tracks of snow, To bring his yearly gifts to you.

Moore’s holiday story and the art that goes along with it, is widely known in households across America. Since its publication in 1823, hundreds of artists have tried their talented hands at illustrating this timeless story. Here are a few examples of artist’s cover art as well as a Coca-Cola advertisement based on the book.

Artist Unknown (1889)

Artists: Hilda Miloche and Wilma Kane (1947)

Artist: Marcin Nowakowski

Since the 1920s, Coca-Cola has included Santa Claus in ads

Hanukkah

Publishers often incorporate every major holiday into their children’s books, especially under big brand names like Curious George and Corduroy. This not only allows children from all backgrounds to feel included but also opens a plethora of doorways for artists to showcase their talent in a family-friendly and educational way.

Artists: H. A. Rey & Margret Rey

Artist: Lisa McCue

Artist: Amy Wummer

Kwanzaa

Picture books help children grasp the holiday, and while the text is undeniably important but for young kids, it is the artwork that first draws them into the story.

Artist: Arielle Phoenix

Artist: Karen Katz

Artist: Constanza Basaluzzo

Christmas Biblical Art

Artist: Pieter Bruegel the Elder – The Census at Bethlehem

There’s a lot going on in this 1566 Pieter Bruegel the Elder oil painting. At first glance, you’ll notice a few things that may remind you of the holiday season: snow sticking to the ground; hustling to run errands; walking shoulder-to-shoulder with family and friends. But let’s dig a little deeper.Bruegel takes words and transforms them into visual art, displaying a visual scene from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 1 to 5:”In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered in their own towns. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth to the city of David called Bethlehem … with Mary with whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.“Chaos fills the canvas as children throw snowballs, adults congregate to pay taxes and villagers fulfill daily tasks. Amid such contemporary normalcy, Bruegel weaves in the biblical excerpt above.To explore this piece further, click here.

Winter Art

Our manufacturing facility is located in Orlando, Florida, so it’s nearly impossible for us to experience a winter wonderland holiday. But for those of you who have to shovel snow while waiting for your car to warm up, here are a few stunning, and probably familiar, holiday pieces that we believe capture the essence of Winter.

The Magpie by Claude Monet – Courtesy of claude-monet.com

Winter Landscape by Wassily Kandinsky – Courtesy of wassilykandinsky.net/

Moonlit Night. Winter by Konstantin Korovin – Courtesy of arthive.com/konstantinkorovin

December Card Art Entries

This provides a lovely transition into today’s artists who have submitted original holiday art to our competition. The winner, which will be voted on and announced during the first week of January, will receive 10 poker-sized playing card decks with their submitted artwork on the card backs. Here are the winners from our October Art Contest: Marna Blakewell and Brittni Barraco.Below are some awesome submissions we’ve received so far:The last chance to submit (max of 3 designs) is Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m.

Artist: @susanashleypaints

Artist: @grindelldesign

Artist: @brittnibeeart (October Contest Winner)

Artist: @tinac28

Artist: @kerelukallana

Custom Holiday Cards

Personalize a playing card deck for any holiday! When you create with us, we strive to ensure your vision meets reality. This means that our team of project managers and graphic designers work with you every step of the way. For more information about our products and services, feel free to call us anytime at 407-298-3579.

Shuffled Ink is a multigenerational family business that specializes in printing custom playing cards, tarot & flash cards, packaging and more for businesses and individuals worldwide.To receive complimentary samples of our card products include your delivery address and phone number on your custom request a quote form. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk

PEOPLE ARE ‘ALL IN’ ON CUSTOM PLAYING CARDS & CARD GAMES

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Charles Levin - Card Games, Playing Cards, Podcast

Shuffled Ink Featured on The Debbie Nigro Show:

During the first week of December, Shuffled Ink‘s father-son duo, Charlie & Matt, discussed 21 years of producing custom playing cards and games on The Debbie Nigro Show.Since 1999, we have produced millions of custom printed decks, including playing cards, card & board games, and tarot & flash cards, for globally recognized brands, leading game designers and countless individuals.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIn22EwAjjL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Connect with Debbie Nigro on Social:

Instagram: therealdebbienigroFacebook: The Debbie Nigro ShowTwitter: DebbieNigroLinkedIn: Debbie Nigro Debbie Nigro is the owner and executive producer of The Debbie Nigro Show. The show currently airs live on 1490 WGCH & 105.5 FM during the weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon EST in the NY & CT areas. Her podcasts can be accessed here as well as on iTunes, Tune In, The Debbie Nigro Show Facebook Page and more.

● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Tarot Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Flash Cards at: ShuffledInk

THE HISTORY OF ART & DESIGN

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Charles Levin - Art, Custom Design, Entertainment, History, Playing Cards

Style. Technique. Time period. These are just a few details that critics look for when placing artists into art movements.Art has a long history, which means pure originality may be rare at this point, but this isn’t to say that innovative art concepts are completely nonexistent. If anything, art’s extensive past provides contemporary artists with an endless supply of ideas to sample from.It’s likely that even your custom playing card and tarot designs emulate artwork that originated several millenniums ago. Let’s take a look!

Ancient Cave Art (B.C.E)

The earliest homo sapiens who walked the Earth etched and painted animals, human hands, symbols, etc. onto cave walls and rocks. What may look like simple drawings today are, in actuality, novelties. These are among the first pictures known to humankind, paving the way for future artists to advance the art form.

Rock shelter in India. ~ 13,000 B.C.E.

Drawings of a gaur, or Indian Bison, and human-like figures.

Frozen in time for us to reflect on, the clay illustration above heeds warnings of the Indian Bison’s threat toward humankind. Journalist Jo Marchant and photographer Justin Mott visited the caves where art and design were born, and in 2016, the Smithsonian Magazine published their article “A Journey to the Oldest Cave Paintings in the World”.These drawings and engravings tell stories, some of survival methods, others of fatal demises. But all with the intent to inform. While the names of the first artists may remain unknown forever, we recognize their tremendous impact on establishing art, whether they understood its future significance or not.

Medieval

Mosaic Art

As time progressed, so did the the intricacy of art.The Greeks created mosaics, or floor and wall designs. Artists used small pieces of assorted material like shells, glass, stone, tile and pebbles to produce images like the one below. This medieval art style captured ancient lives, from their appearances and clothing attire to religious beliefs.

Church mosaic detail, Athens. Photo by: Helen Miles Mosaics

Renaissance

The European Renaissance focused on finding a new way to embrace life; a means for rebirth. Not only did politics, culture and the economy play into this way of thinking, but so did art.The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous Renaissance portrait paintings. Leonardo da Vinci redefined how women appeared in portrait art. Other artists used jewelry to emphasize status and side profile shots to highlight neutrality. In the Mona Lisa painting, da Vinci manipulates the woman’s mouth into a sly grin. This small but remarkable detail suggests that this Renaissance woman had a mysterious and enigmatic personality, which was an uncommon representation during this time.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Neoclassicism

Neglecting its art predecessors Baroque and Rococo, Neoclassicism implemented a realistic depiction of life. So, rather than painting with rose-colored glasses on, these artists urged to illustrate knowledge with reason.When a new art form surfaces, artists may undermine previous styles and genres, or even try to add their own flare to other works. To be frank, art shouldn’t have many restrictions. Artists should have the freedom to reap any style. But many Neoclassicist artists fought to erase art that they did not deem rational like the two previously mentioned. This new movement impacted not only art but society as well. The French Revolution was sobering and Neoclassical art mirrored that.

Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David

Romanticism

Ironically, the next genre to enter the art domain was Romanticism, which fell further from Neoclassical’s rational approach and expressed melodrama and sensationalism.The Age of Reason attitude was pushed to the side, allowing room for encouragement, emotion and ideation. Art does inspire art in many ways. In this case, Romanticism sparked insurgence.“Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor exact truth, but in the way of feeling” — French poet Charles Baudelaire.

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog: Caspar David Friedrich – The Kunsthalle (Hamburg)

Academic

This movement condemned creative liberties, dictating nearly every aspect of the piece. I wrote that art shouldn’t have many restrictions, but during the Academism period, artists adhered to strict, conventional formulas taught at the French Academy of Fine Arts, or Academie des Beaux-Arts and other European institutions. Academic art professionals, critics and teachers during this time would probably laugh at the phrase, “anyone can be anything.” If you weren’t already prestigious at the craft or didn’t know someone who could pull strings, then being part of the academic movement was probably not in the cards for you.

The Shepherdess by William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

Symbolism

Let’s travel to the beginning of the 20th century, when art spiraled into daunting images of skulled faces, morbid death, and immoral spirits. This work is comparable to Romanticism. Both intend to capture emotion, but they do so in wildly different ways.In a literature or art class, you may have been asked, “What is the deeper meaning?” On a few occasions, perhaps you could not find the depth in someone’s work. Well, if it wasn’t painstakingly obvious by the title, every single speck of symbolist art is meant to be symbolic and meaningful.The image below shows death taking the soul of a grave digger. This symbolizes how death creeps up and can take one’s life at any moment.

The Death of the Grave Digger by Carlos Schwabe

Expressionism

Taking a page from Symbolist art, Expressionism was also full of dark disturbances. One characteristic that separates these artforms, is the use of unconventional human appearances. In “The Death of the Grave Digger,” death is portrayed by a beautiful slender woman. If an Expressionist artist were to remake that painting, the soul-taker would look more haggard and disfigured.

Cardplaying by Otto Dix

Abstract

In 1910, this type of art resurfaced with a new name to account for prehistoric drawings like religious symbols and various shapes carved into stone. Of course, these artists had access to more than just knives and stone, as well as loads of knowledge from past creators.Impersonal shapes, figures and colors decorated the canvases, lacking a clear subject.

Composition 5 (1911) by Vassily Kandinsky

Contemporary Art

Abstract, surrealism, photorealism, pop art, conceptualism, minimalism, street art — these are just some styles that fall under contemporary, or present-day art.All artists create in their own distinct way. At Shuffled Ink, we manufacture custom products like playing cards, games and tarot. This allows our client innovators to design without limits.In October, to reach out to more artists in the card community, we hosted a Card Art contest. The idea was to promote originality in one’s craft. Its structure intentionally resembled the canvases our contestants would be drawing on — blank and open for opportunity.During our month-long competition, we received hundreds of submissions from insanely talented artists. After learning a bit about these art movements, it may be easier to group these artists into certain categories.Featured below are some pieces entered to #ShuffledInkArt on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

1st contest winner. Submission by Marna Blakewell

2nd contest winner. Submission by Brittni Barranco

Among the 5 finalists. Submission by @mad_is_sin_gremlin

Among the 5 finalists. Submission by @zhade_evgenia

Among the 5 finalists. Submission by @joe_livingston_illustration

As long as there are thoughts, ideas and talented hands, art will continue to evolve. We can’t wait to see what’s to come.Shuffled Ink specializes in printing customized playing cards and games as well as tarot & flash cards for business, personal, promotional, advertising, and/or marketing purposes. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Tarot Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk

POLITICAL PLAYING CARDS OVER THE YEARS

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Charles Levin - Art, Card Collectors, Card Designers, Card Games, Custom Design, Entertainment, History, Playing Cards, Poker Cards, Political

Political playing cards were created during the 17th century by artists who wanted to convey specific messages through art. They put well-known figures in the hot seat, bringing attention to presidential candidates, members of congress, war generals, parliament and more.These cards are fairly similar to political cartoons. Both use satire to illustrate politicians, public figures and worldly happenings. The portraits, which are still produced today, address newsworthy topics in an artistic and entertaining way.So, since 2020 is a presidential election year, now is the perfect time for a playing card history lesson. Let’s explore how these illustrations and messages have changed over the years.

Knavery of the Rump (1679)

In 1679, artist Francis Barlow designed playing cards to characterize Oliver Cromwell’s Government. As the head of state in the Commonwealth of England, Cromwell fought to remove the monarch from power.The 10 of clubs reveals Cromwell’s imbalance between his faith and morals. The card reads, Oliver seeking God while the K. (Don Hafelrigg K) is murdered by his order.

The Head

This infamous fact shows some perspective on the people’s perception of Cromwell — a couple of years after his death, those who supported the monarch dug up his grave, detached his head from his body and displayed it outside of Westminster Hall on top of a pole. It remained there for 28 years.

French Republic Playing Cards (1793-1794)

For obvious reasons, Liberal Republicans from France completely revamped their playing card deck in 1793. The rule of law, which suggests that no one is above the law, and the French Revolution, inspired the Revolutionnaire playing cards above.Since the French Revolution ultimately ended the monarchy, traditional court cards didn’t seem appropriate anymore. The Kings, Queens and Jacks were replaced by Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. This holy trinity continues to act as an important part of their national heritage. The “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” motto was even written into the constitution in 1958.

Army & Navy Deck (1865)

Including text is not a necessity on political playing cards. Most of the time, when done properly, an illustration can successfully deliver the message on its own.In 1865, artist Andrew Dougherty commemorated the switch from wooden to ironclad warships through playing cards. The King, Queen and Jack court cards display caricature-like drawings of civil war naval members. These cards show the new iron ships in action as well as soldiers yielding rifle-muskets during the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack in 1862.

Anti-Religions Propaganda Deck (1931)

In 1931, Russian authorities created these playing cards to push their anti-religion agenda. The Joker card directly above quickly sums up the USSR’s motives. The winged man symbolizes capitalism and the kneeling figures are the four religions. The suits depict each religion as well: Clubs for Eastern Orthodox; Hearts for Roman Catholicism; Spades for Buddhism; Diamonds for Judaism.These drawings suggest that the Russians wanted their citizens to see religion as skewed and untrustworthy. This radiates propaganda, instilling the message that all respected religious figures are not as moral as they appear.The King of Diamonds features a rabbi reading the Torah while also engrossed by money. The Queen of Clubs shows an Eastern Orthodox nun with a man in the background. This insinuates that the woman finds him desirable despite her loyalty to God. The Jack of Hearts illustrates a Roman Catholic priest wrongfully thinking lustful thoughts amid a prayer.

Atouts de la Vie Card Game (1940)

During WWII, Madame Lucien Willemetz designed various card games. She is well-known for creating the educational board game Le Jeu de l’histoire de la France as well as the wartime card game Atouts de la Vie.This card game emphasizes work ethic, honor, discipline, etc. Ironically, the French government did not adhere to the principles they so desperately sought to instill in their citizens. Nevertheless, the object of the game is to collect all ten virtues.

NEWS & ART

Connecting news and art through playing cards is such an innovative way to tell a story. 2020 has certainly been jam-packed with activity. So, if you’re looking to create custom cards similar to the ones above, then find a person who or an idea that is important to you and illustrate it onto any playing card product.Some of our clients, including our own company, created COVID-19 decks at the start of quarantine. These decks are informative and capture the pandemic in all its uncertainties. You think it, we print it.To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on the custom request a quote form. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk

TRUE LIFE HABITAT: ECO-FRIENDLY PLAYING CARDS

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Charles Levin - Client Feature, Eco Friendly, Playing Cards, Press Release

UPDATE: ECO-FRIENDLY SHIPPING: PARTNERING WITH ECOENCLOSE

True You Cards

We are super pumped to partner with True Life Habitat to manufacture their eco-friendly True You Cards. The custom tuck box is made of 30% post-consumer recycled material and the deck itself holds 30 messages to encourage mental stillness.This transformational deck is insightful and inspiring with the intention to help quiet your mind.While using True You Cards, you will discover new insights and a deeper understanding of how our thoughts dictate the way we feel about ourselves, others and the world around us. This deck will help you see that freedom of the mind is found in understanding how thought really works.

The Better Packaging Co.

Shuffled Ink would like to thank founder, Gabe Gandzjuk, for sending us complimentary sustainable packaging, including comPost packs & comPostable labels; both are available for purchase here. ⠀

An Environmental & Safety-Minded Manufacturer

At Shuffled Ink, we’re proud to use nothing but the best in high-quality materials for your custom playing cards and games. Not only are they more durable and have a longer shelf life, but they are also significantly more environmentally safe.Unlike other manufacturers, our products and materials are all safety-certifiable. Plus, everything we offer is competitively priced, backed by our complete quality assurances and serviced by our experienced first-class team.Shuffled Ink specializes in printing customized playing cards and games as well as tarot & flash cards for business, personal, promotional, advertising, and/or marketing purposes. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk

COLLAB WITH CARDIST AJEK MORSIDI

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Charles Levin - Card Magic, Card Trick, Cardist, Cardistry, Collaboration, Partnership, Playing Card Influencers, Playing Cards, Social Media, Sponsorship

We are extremely excited to collaborate with talented cardist Ajek Morsidi. He’s showing off his incredible skills with our various smooth and linen finish playing cards. Order your own custom cardistry decks today and follow Ajek for more videos and updates.For collaboration inquiries, send us a Direct Message on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on your custom request a quote form.

Cardistry Videos (5):

● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk

CARDOLOGY: THE SCIENCE IN PLAYING CARDS

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Charles Levin - Astrology, Board Games, Card Games, Entertainment, History, Playing Cards

Magic, games and cardistry. These are just three ways we use playing cards. But there’s actually more to a deck than meets the eye, and it’s a mystical eye at that.

Cardology is a science that connects playing cards and astrology to guide us through life. This ancient magical method is called many names including the Cards of Life. Regardless of whether you use a custom-designed deck from Shuffled Ink or an ordinary one off the shelf, the science is present and will uncover your purpose (if you wish to divulge).

In one of our previous articles, Which Game Are You Based on Your Astrological Sign, we don’t venture into the realm of Cardology but rather relate your zodiac sign to a well-known card or board game. If you’re unfamiliar with astrology, then give it a quick read for an entertaining insight into the study.

Now, let’s explore Cardology as well as its origins, the birthday card chart and more.

The Mystic Test Book

Olney H. Richmond captured the true meaning of playing cards – Cardology – in his book The Mystic Test Book or the Magic of the Cards. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly easy to comprehend from start-to-finish, and there’s a clear reason why. When it was published in 1893, it was written for Order of the Magi members, a secret occult society revitalized by Richmond in the late 19^th century.

Card Calendar Illustrated in the Test Book

A pack of playing cards is anything but standard. Each card represents our world in its entirety. Want to see for yourself? Take out any deck you can find and follow along!

1 deck = a year

52 cards in a deck = weeks in a year

4 suits = seasons in a year

12 court cards = months in a year

13 cards per suit = lunar cycles

red & black colors = day/night

A Deeper Look:

These excerpts from The Mystic Test Book further describe the relationship between the four suit cards and the Earth’s seasons:

Hearts as Spring: “In the Spring of the year, the birds mate. In the springtime of life or the first quarter, love is the master passion. The heart was therefore chosen as the emblem of the first quarter and the first season.”

Clubs as Summer: “Knowledge is best gained and retained in the summer of life…therefore the shamrock, or ‘club,’ became the emblem.”

Diamonds as Fall: “The third season, autumn, has for its emblem the diamond, representative of wealth. The third period of man’s life is the one in which he is best able to gain wealth…the crops are sold and the wealth of the harvest realized.”

Spades as Winter: Winter or the fourth quarter of the Zodiac is represented by the spade or acorn. By a strange and yet natural transformation, the acorn, which represented the symbolism of the death and burial of the physical form was changed … to the spade.”

Card Chart

With the Cardology Birthday Chart below, you can discover a lot about your past, present and future. Based on the Cards of Life, there’s a deep connection between your birthday/astrology sign and a deck of playing cards.

Based on your birth card, each component should resemble you personally. The suit cards have personality traits of their own while also making up the Earth’s seasons. The numbers further identify your attributes and the court cards carry their own set of inner rulings about your life. For example, if your birthday is June 24, then your birth card is the 6 of clubs. To see how the cards interact with your disposition, check out this article on Cafe Astrology.

Coincidence or not?

Now, it’s up to your discretion to accept the destiny shown in Cardology. In this article, we only scratched the surface on how playing cards reveal our character. There’s much more to the concept that even involves a bit of math, but we won’t dive too deep.

Let’s wrap this introduction to Cardology with a quote by Richmond:

“When we find a certain invention claimed by a large number of Nations, scattered over our globe, in widely separated locations, we must conclude that none of them were the inventors, but on the contrary, obtained the inventions of some nation proceeding them by many years.”

To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on your custom request a quote form.