Fantasy Playing Cards

This project tasked me to create 33 unique illustrations for a fantasy playing card set. The specifications required to create a set for Humans, Orks, Dwarves and Elves, and to give them unique cultural traits. I decided to base the humans on a mix of flamish and ancient roman designs. They used to be dragon tamers, but the last dragons were long gone. The atmosphere was to be one of evening serenity and melancholy. The orcs I wanted to be a sea faring people, with proud warrior traditions and a flourishing trade in seafood and dried intoxicating seaweed. The elves are probably the most classical ones, but I tried to incorporate classic Venetian carnival masks and flowing robes into their design. For the dwarves I was inspired by tibetan mountain monasteries and late medieval miners in the Alps. I made it a point to include bearded female dwarf warriors.