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Hello! I was told to come here by other playing card artists as I hear you all know your stuff. I'm working on a project which I hope to fund through Kickstarter in a few months. So, Ten Kingdoms is inspired by my love of Chinese cinema, but Imperial portraits more specifically. I've got the kings sketched up, but I want to run the Queens past people for feedback on the concept, so then the rest of the courts will flow from this work.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Melissa (Em Dash)

Melissa,

I'm a big fan of Chinese themed decks so I'm very interested in your project. I like where you are going with this. My only concern at this point is the font used for the suits. It or something very like it has been used on a couple of other Asian themed decks. In addition, it is kind of hard to read. I thing you could find something a bit more bold to match the strength of your portraits. I look forward to seeing how this project develops. Please keep us posted.

Thanks - yeah, re the font. That's hand drawn but it was worked up fast to give me an alternative to another script version I liked even less. I've since drawn new letters based on some more careful research on Chinese calligraphy. There is so much to think about, I'm very glad I paused here on the Queens to consolidate what was working!

Version Two of the Queens following a lot of input from various places. I understand now the previous comment about the font. This may not be my final choice, but for play I can see that the card value needs to be super clear, so I feel this version is moving in the right direction.

Any and all reactions are very helpful at this stage. I'm moving on now to the Kings this week.

Thank you!