Playmats, Deck Boxes, etc
General forum
Posted on April 18, 2014, 12:37 p.m. by deadlance
I've been a long time user of TappedOut, but I've never been in the forums at all. I figured I'd come and show off some of my work. I've been hearing stories of lots of people having my work at big events and wanting to get some of it themselves... which is awesome, so I figured I'd post about it here.
I am a leatherworker, and I make playmats and deckboxes and a huge variety of other things that are magic themed. Everything I make is done by hand. No machines, no printing or laser cutters. Each piece is 100% real vegetable tanned leather, cut and tooled by hand, and then dyed and painted by hand as well. Most pieces take a long time to make, so if you're interested, don't expect Walmart prices. This is artwork, not mass production.
Here's a few of the items I have made.
Return to Ravnica Guild Logo's Playmat
Black Lotus - MTGO Cube Alternate Art Playmat
Black Lotus - MTGO Cube Alternate Art Backpack - Front - Back
There are TONS of things to check out on my facebook page
And, I have a lot of things available for purchase in my Etsy shop.
I take custom orders and can accept payments via Paypal. I also will do partial trades for cards, depending on what you have. I am a legacy player, so I generally have no desire for anything currently in standard for trade.
BIGBADBRRRAP says... #3
That gauntlet is sick. How many hours do have to invest into one of those?
April 18, 2014 12:55 p.m.
I am assuming these dont have the felt and soft feel that other playmats would have. Not to say this is bad just curious if it is softer than I am imagining. The art work is amazing and I curious how much a custom would be for like Jinx from League of Legends. I cannot think of a favorite magic card o.o
April 18, 2014 1:18 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #8
deadlance Your work is STUNNING. Keep it up!
If you do custom jobs how much would such a thing cost? (Depending on intricacy of the art or something?)
April 18, 2014 1:28 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #9
Necropotence (the original) and Survival of the Fittest come to mind as incredible in this medium. The leather has such a edgy vibe that the grittier arts seem to play well.
April 18, 2014 1:31 p.m.
if you'd like to contact me for price quotes, you can send me a message either on facebook or on Etsy. Prices will vary quite a bit depending on what you are wanting exactly.
BIGBADBRRRAP - The gauntlets generally take me around 120 or so hours.
Cableguy - My playmats don't roll as tight as a regular felt mat, but they do roll up. They aren't nearly as soft, but dont get as dirty either. Most people will say that they are awesome to write on as well.
April 18, 2014 1:33 p.m.
Ohthenoises - Yes, I take commissions. Almost every piece of work I do is a commission. All my prices are based on how long I think it'll take me to make the piece.
Most people are pretty shocked with my pricing. I cannot compete with places like inked playmats or walmart. These aren't $20 playmats. Some samples of pricing can be found in my Etsy Shop
April 18, 2014 1:35 p.m.
mckin - They are textured. I hand tool them using traditional leatherworking techniques.
April 18, 2014 1:39 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #16
What are the dimensions of your playmats? Also, do you know how long a playmat typically lasts? How many hours do you spend, on average, on a given playmat, assuming it isn't anything to intricate? I am very interested, but would like to learn more before I make a decision
April 18, 2014 1:51 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas - The first playmat I made was a little over a year ago and it is owned by a close friend of mine, who uses it currently at FNM every week. He also travels to a lot of grand prixs all over the country and other big events. It gets a LOT of use, and it still looks brand new. In fact, over time, his playmat has softened nicely and rolls up perfectly.
My playmats are 12x24" ... just 2 inches narrower than a standard playmat. The reason for this is because when you play on the standard plastic 8 foot tables, standard playmats overlap or hang off the back end. My playmats will sit perfectly in front of another standard playmat without having to hang off the table.
The Ravnica guild logo playmat is my most popular playmat. It takes me around 45 hours to complete. If all you wanted was a single logo playmat, like Azorius (the most complex of the logos) it would take probably around 15-20 hours of work time.
These playmats are made out of 6 ounce leather - just slightly less thick than 2 quarters stacked on top of each other. They are extremely durable and if you play with them like you would just a normal playmat, they will last forever.
April 18, 2014 3:02 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #18
I have to say that I am very impressed. Can I email you to talk prices?
April 18, 2014 3:25 p.m.
Rasta_Viking29 says... #19
Everyone inquiring about prices should check out the Etsy shop. Figure $150+. Seems like a lot but in reality he is doing this work at less than $8/hr, that's less than minimum wage. Taking a look at the quality of work you are getting more than your money's worth.
I'll definitely look into purchasing sometime down the road. I dipped my toe into leatherwork as a kid and have always been fond of quality work done by hand. Keep up the good work deadlance.
April 18, 2014 3:29 p.m.
Dalektable says... #21
That black lotus playmat is absolutely stunning. Great work.
April 18, 2014 3:36 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas - Yes, please email - jlevan @ gmail.com
Rasta_Viking29 - Thank you for the kind words. I do this for fun, as a hobby, and because I love MtG. I've been playing since 1993 and have always tried to bolster the community. If you take into account that materials for this stuff is about $50 just for the leather, not including the tools, dyes, and everything else I need to make a playmat, I make less than $8 an hour... I make probably around $5 an hour LOL. I love this stuff though, I love a challenge, and I love the community and seeing my artwork get out there.
April 18, 2014 3:38 p.m.
EmblemMan - I don't take returns generally. Everything I make is commission based, so returns are unlikely to ever sell. Essentially, what you are paying for is my time, and I can't ever get that back myself. That being said, I have only ever had 1 damaged order in shipping, and I replaced it and still have the messed up item. I have never had a dissatisfied customer, and I will work my ass off trying to keep it that way. These items aren't to be purchased on a whim. These are thought out and planned purchases, so hopefully before you purchase these things, you have a good idea of what you would like, artistically speaking. Therefore, if you make a choice you are unhappy with, the only person you should be upset with is yourself, for making that choice.
I ship packages with insurance. If the post office messes up a package, I get insurance money and remake the item and reship it.
April 18, 2014 3:44 p.m.
Im really interested I just wish I didnt lose my job so I had a reason to justify spending the money lol everything looks gorgeous and I love the old look
April 18, 2014 3:48 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #25
deadlance I sent you a message on the book of faces.
I saw the Steam Powered Giraffe pictures. I LOVE their group. Hilarious.
Arvail says... #2
If only I wasn't a broke college student. These are nice. I mean really properly nice. Especially that Rakdos playmat tube. Carry on mate.
April 18, 2014 12:41 p.m.