These are my final 13 playing cards (not including the back of the cards) that I have illustrated using a free Photoshop alternative called GIMP. All the cards are in a A4 portrait format with a 15% curvature to round the edge of the cards like in the traditional decks. All the cards now have a boarder which ties them all together and helps make them look uniform. No two cards are the same, they take different vantage point, subjects, body parts and natural imagery. I have opted to use a mixed colour pallet; focusing on muted, dusty tones but adding pops of colour where they are due. I have worked hard trying to keep a sense of continuity running throughout, which is something I did struggle with. Looking back at the cards and investigating where I have used different techniques or different amounts of shading ect has paid off as I think that they look like a compete deck (by my standards).

When I was first experimenting with the card layouts and format, I was using heavy graphics, sometimes repeating them across the card- but I have now decided to strip them back and tell the audience as little as possible, while still giving them enough. The card numbers are listed but I have chosen to remove the suits of the cards- as this defies the purpose and the majority of restrictions and rules in playing card games. By having only the 13 cards (Ace-King) they could belong to any of the suits, or perhaps they belong to all four of the suits. They could still function the same way as normal cards (some card games do not need the suits) if you were to collect the cards 4 times- creating a full 52 card deck. I did consider creating my own suit for the cards, the same way Shelter created the ‘house’ suit for their campaign- but I thought this would give the cards meaning up too easily, I wanted it to be a more personal and intimate process for the audience. Overall I am very happy with the cards outcomes, the back of the cards is still being designed but will feature a QR code that links them to my website where they can view the full deck. My next steps will be making the back of the cards, experimenting with creating GIFS or animations with the final cards and thinking about how I would want my cards displayed for GFW or if I physically sold them.