1 part tutorial, 2 parts heartfelt love letter, all parts good vibes. Thanks so much for doing what you do the way you do it, you are a singular entity and the hobby is better because you are in it.
That's a very cool approach to proxies. I happened upon your video and channel altogether while looking into the process of creating proxies for the first time, and while I don't think I'll ever do this approach (I usually avoid even just alternate art versions of cards), what you're doing there looks absolutely gorgeous. Übrigens, Grüße aus Berlin nach Berlin.
I was so excited to watch and then saw you linked me in I’m the description 🥹 you definitely made my favourite cards from Proxypalooza. I can’t wait to try making some physical cards soon. Thank you for sharing your process.
Always so inspiring to see your art. You are a pillar of the indie gaming scene and I am glad we sail the same seas in a way. It's amazing to have such good company.
I can really feel the vibes from your video and i love it. And i also see your cat really loves you which shows you’re a good pet owner and i really like that so I subscribed 😁
your proxies are simply gorgeous and their vibes... immaculate! i've been meaning to use paint for my proxies but the thought of painting something from scratch has always daunted me. now with this, i can finally use my untouched art supplies! thank you so much!
Thanks a lot for the inspiration ! I am getting into MTG *casually* because I fell in love with the aesthetic of Bloomburrow but I don't really feel like investing more money for cards than I already have... Without access to a printer to get copies of various quality of the official cards your method is a really great middle ground ! So I'll be trying it out soon and hopefully make my deck stronger :D
What a cool concept!!! I’m always in favor of bringing more DIY aspects to games, and that is a really accessible way for folks to expand their possibilities! And I love recycling the art books, the added details look great with those prints!!! That’d be a great use for some library sales and thrift finds!
one of my favourite creators makes proxy’s for my favourite card game with artworks of one of my favourites painters of all time. Doesn’t get any better 🎉 (i established a MTG group at my lokal tabletop club and i will convince them that we make our own proxy’s in the future)
I got some MtG cards from a parent's friend years and years ago. They ended up sitting in a box, never used. And while ill still probably not ever play with them, making a proxy out of one is now very tempting!
You just popped up on my feed and I too have developed a love/hate relationship with magic! I’d been thinking about how to go about proxying and this has given me some great ideas!
I liked this a lot. I've been a fan of proxies for a long time now, but my current ways to Proxy were to print out the card and put it in front of a land, or to use pen and paper and "make" the magic card with art box (custom art of coarse) and all. I had not thought about using art pieces and painting the important information onto the card. Thanks for opening my eyes a little wider.
Wow I got into proxing tokens because I am not super good at painting and I needed some tokens for a couple decks so I figured it would be a good stress free way to get into it. That being said cutting out pictures from books is a really cool idea. Certainly tons of historical things that would work great as mtg cards and same goes for even fantasy books. This is such a cool idea I think I might take the 4-5 books I have already and make a whole deck out of them. Thanks for the amazing vid.
Thanks for allowing us to hangout with you and see how you make these miniature works of art Ben! Never played the game, my son does though, so now I have another way to relate to him. Cheers fella!
I started playing in 🤔 1995. It definitely was fascinating at the time, and I put in a lot of money. I remember splurging to buy The Dark booster packs. But playing in tournaments (and winning) kept me going. I eventually stopped playing at the Rath (sp?) Cycle. It was whenever they changed the design of the front of the cards. I never made proxies, but if I were ever to pick it up again, then this would probably be the only way. I still have my cards, and it is fun to take them out with gamers my age and reliving the 90s 😊
What a magical time that must have been! Sadly I missed the very first wave of the MtG craze (got into it in 98/99) but I always loved the very early sets. I'm glad you still break those cards and play styles out today! Thank you for watching and your nice comment!
@ben_has_hobbies I was kind of sad that it became so big, and especially that it was collectible. I just enjoyed playing. In tournaments, I discovered that everyone was just playing the same few, published decks that the pros were using. Even if they didn't know how to use it. I can honestly say that I only ever played my own decks, but I definitely had to keep the meta in mind. Now, it truly is magical to run into people who recognize the old cards. Just the old art is great to see. It isn't so much about winning turn one, but looking through the cards and remembering old times. I even still have unopened boxes, packs, and boosters of Ice Age, Mirage, and such - tournament winnings. Out of curiosity, I went to a local game store, and the owner said that they only dealt in singles, but he wanted to touch it. I suppose that I really should sell them at some point, but getting into such commerce doesn't appeal.
I feel you man. I started playing as a teenager and now as I’m turning 25 and growing up, it really hurts to work for 2 days, use all of the money I made to buy a deck on top of the time between those shifts actually putting the list together and optimizing it. I’ve just couldn’t justify my longevity in the hobby until I discovered my printer is actually amazing. Photo paper cards work so good and dare I say more enjoyable. I’d rather spend just a few hours doing it myself. Much more rewarding. Plus you still get to play the cards!
Awesome! The art is what originally made me play MTG but the modern art, although good, just doesn't hit the same. This is a great way to get some of that back and also to make lands more interesting
Awesome work! I made something similar last year for the idols of torment game. bought some tarot cards of gustave doré and painted over them. But yours look so much better! Now i have to improve mine😅
@@ben_has_hobbies Thank you. They are OKish I think. Idols is a fun game with not so complicated rules. I love the grim style of the rulebook and the setting.
There's a few card design sites out there where you can make your own cards by either copying the actual art or uploading your own. I've made my own tokens this way. I plan to make some playable joke cards for friends this Christmas by taking actual cards / text / costs and renaming them with new art. Like take counterspell, rename it "oh no you don't" and adding my own art for it. Cool thing is, if you get enough proxies, you can actually have a company that prints playing cards print them for you. Not as cheap as using a printer but better quality. Proxy is a great way to go to see what kind of a difference adding a spendy card will make in a deck or even if you want to play but don't want to fork out the cash.
This is a new video, but it feels made for me... I opened my youtube page to a video called "how to quit Magic" and two videos below is yours here! All those overpriced rectangles are leaving soon, so this is inspirational for me as I make copies of my overpriced game pieces
Completely different game, but I always wondered what could be done with old Command cards in Warhammer 40k. When there is a new edition, these £20+ cards become completely useless, which is a shame because of the quality of the cards, packaging and artwork ect. This video has given me loads of ideas, thank you!
I trace a token for the shape on printer paper then draw the proxy so it can sit in front of an actual card without permanently changing the card but your technique is nice too
Hello Ben, thank you for this video. The way you talk and how you make it look almost like a therapy sold it to me, and now I have a bunch of art books and magazines. Would you mind giving more info on the paints you use? I'm from Brazil so I'll need to find some similar national products.
I might need to start making proxies for some of the expensive cards and lands (who in their right mind can complain about proxying a basic land?), ive thought about making some cards using my own art and this might be a good way to do so. Or just useing art from some of my favorite artists, Gris Grimly, Mike Mignola, Mark riddick and Seb McKinnon, although he already does art for mtg cards.
@@ben_has_hobbies I also have this problem with learning Null Signal’s netrunner, which is full proxy legal. With veteran players they can have any number of official alt treatments or their own proxies. Would highly recommend if you want a print and play friendly game!
Thank you for watching and commenting! I am using Wraithbone by Citadel. I just thin it down with water and apply 4-5 layers. But I think the camera makes it a bit smoother than it is in real life. But it works on cards and miniatures.
They get crooked in the beginning when the glue is still hardening but once it hardened they are flat as flat can be. Got cards from 2 years ago and they are still flat. Can't say that about real foil cards I own :D
Counterfeits are intended to look and feel like the original. Counterfeiting cards is a crime. Making proxies like this is art and is completely fine and accepted by a large group of Magic players in a casual environment. These proxies have nothing in common with counterfeits. Similar with money: Counterfeits are a crime, because you could pay with it and the other person doesn't notice, but got a worthless piece of paper in the end. If you take a blank piece of paper and you write "100 Euro" on it it's not a counterfeit and nobody will accept this as money. You coule play a game of Monopoly with it though.
1 part tutorial, 2 parts heartfelt love letter, all parts good vibes. Thanks so much for doing what you do the way you do it, you are a singular entity and the hobby is better because you are in it.
Don't make me tear up, man
This got me really amped to make custom cards for any number of game systems-
Time to start digging through my old artbooks and magazines.
Oh yeah! Cut them up! Thanks for watching!
Not an MTG player, but I love the idea of DIY proxies and those cards you made are absolutely beautiful. Really great video.
Thank you kindly :) I'm glad I could take you on this lil journey with me.
This is so wholesome! And those proxies are wonderful!!
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching!
Finally got around to watching this! Absolutely gorgeous cards, love the process! Guess I'll be on the lookout for some art books to cut up!
Thank you so much, Daan! Can't wait to see your results.
This was a chill video to watch
Thanks! Now I wanna play some Heartgold.
That's a very cool approach to proxies. I happened upon your video and channel altogether while looking into the process of creating proxies for the first time, and while I don't think I'll ever do this approach (I usually avoid even just alternate art versions of cards), what you're doing there looks absolutely gorgeous.
Übrigens, Grüße aus Berlin nach Berlin.
Danke, Danke, mein Guter!
I was so excited to watch and then saw you linked me in I’m the description 🥹 you definitely made my favourite cards from Proxypalooza. I can’t wait to try making some physical cards soon. Thank you for sharing your process.
Always so inspiring to see your art. You are a pillar of the indie gaming scene and I am glad we sail the same seas in a way. It's amazing to have such good company.
The cards ended up just beautiful! I'm following instagram, and I was really expecting to see this video to get to know your process.
Glad you like it! Thank you for your support!
I can really feel the vibes from your video and i love it. And i also see your cat really loves you which shows you’re a good pet owner and i really like that so I subscribed 😁
your proxies are simply gorgeous and their vibes... immaculate! i've been meaning to use paint for my proxies but the thought of painting something from scratch has always daunted me. now with this, i can finally use my untouched art supplies! thank you so much!
Thanks a lot for the inspiration ! I am getting into MTG *casually* because I fell in love with the aesthetic of Bloomburrow but I don't really feel like investing more money for cards than I already have... Without access to a printer to get copies of various quality of the official cards your method is a really great middle ground ! So I'll be trying it out soon and hopefully make my deck stronger :D
Thank you! I'm glad you found something here you can incorporate in how you play and collect.
love your energy🤭 this video gives me early youtube days feelings
Thank you! I'm known for my old school energy :D
What a cool concept!!! I’m always in favor of bringing more DIY aspects to games, and that is a really accessible way for folks to expand their possibilities! And I love recycling the art books, the added details look great with those prints!!! That’d be a great use for some library sales and thrift finds!
For sure! It#s always awesome to put your own style and personality into the games you play :) Thanks for watching!
one of my favourite creators makes proxy’s for my favourite card game with artworks of one of my favourites painters of all time. Doesn’t get any better 🎉 (i established a MTG group at my lokal tabletop club and i will convince them that we make our own proxy’s in the future)
Thank you for your kind words! A whole group working on proxy decks sounds like a dream, mate.
Thank you for creating this video! It was lovely to watch!
Thank you for watching it! I highly appreciate it.
I got some MtG cards from a parent's friend years and years ago. They ended up sitting in a box, never used. And while ill still probably not ever play with them, making a proxy out of one is now very tempting!
Oh yes! I'd love to see what you come up with, Tara.
This is so awesome! I am definitely going to try this. Love the art book idea!
@@Silverpicker Thank you kindly! Have fun making your cards!
Absolutely love this. A brilliant way to personalise proxies, I’m definitely giving it a go!
Thank you! I hope you're getting great results.
It was not what I expected but they actually look pretty nice!!!
Thanks for sharing Ben
Thank you for watching and commenting. Appreciate it!
You just popped up on my feed and I too have developed a love/hate relationship with magic! I’d been thinking about how to go about proxying and this has given me some great ideas!
I'm glad I was able to provide some ideas! Thank you for watching.
I liked this a lot. I've been a fan of proxies for a long time now, but my current ways to Proxy were to print out the card and put it in front of a land, or to use pen and paper and "make" the magic card with art box (custom art of coarse) and all. I had not thought about using art pieces and painting the important information onto the card. Thanks for opening my eyes a little wider.
@@devanradford6108 Thank you for the nice words! It can be as easy or complicated as we want that’s the beauty of it :)
So inspiring. Thanks for sharing your process!
We are entering the circle of inspiration
Wow I got into proxing tokens because I am not super good at painting and I needed some tokens for a couple decks so I figured it would be a good stress free way to get into it. That being said cutting out pictures from books is a really cool idea. Certainly tons of historical things that would work great as mtg cards and same goes for even fantasy books. This is such a cool idea I think I might take the 4-5 books I have already and make a whole deck out of them. Thanks for the amazing vid.
Thank you! Glad you found some motivation through my video.
Thanks for allowing us to hangout with you and see how you make these miniature works of art Ben! Never played the game, my son does though, so now I have another way to relate to him. Cheers fella!
@@Carbide-1 That’s heartwarming, mate! Thank you!
Great as always Ben. Whatever the medium, you always deliver unique and interesting art! ❤
Thank you, friend! I'm very glad you like it.
I knew I was going to enjoy this video before I even pressed play, boy I wasn't disappointed!
That's so kind, thank you!
Das hast du richtig, richtig gut erklärt und dargestellt! Weiter so, bleib kreativ und fröhlich 😊
Vielen Dank! Freut mich sehr, dass es dir gefallen hat.
I started playing in 🤔 1995. It definitely was fascinating at the time, and I put in a lot of money. I remember splurging to buy The Dark booster packs.
But playing in tournaments (and winning) kept me going. I eventually stopped playing at the Rath (sp?) Cycle. It was whenever they changed the design of the front of the cards.
I never made proxies, but if I were ever to pick it up again, then this would probably be the only way. I still have my cards, and it is fun to take them out with gamers my age and reliving the 90s 😊
What a magical time that must have been! Sadly I missed the very first wave of the MtG craze (got into it in 98/99) but I always loved the very early sets. I'm glad you still break those cards and play styles out today! Thank you for watching and your nice comment!
@ben_has_hobbies I was kind of sad that it became so big, and especially that it was collectible. I just enjoyed playing.
In tournaments, I discovered that everyone was just playing the same few, published decks that the pros were using. Even if they didn't know how to use it. I can honestly say that I only ever played my own decks, but I definitely had to keep the meta in mind.
Now, it truly is magical to run into people who recognize the old cards. Just the old art is great to see. It isn't so much about winning turn one, but looking through the cards and remembering old times.
I even still have unopened boxes, packs, and boosters of Ice Age, Mirage, and such - tournament winnings. Out of curiosity, I went to a local game store, and the owner said that they only dealt in singles, but he wanted to touch it. I suppose that I really should sell them at some point, but getting into such commerce doesn't appeal.
this is amazing, thank you so much for sharing. i really love the cards you have made
Thank YOU for watching!
Seriously some of the coolest proxies I've ever seen :)
Thank you kindly!
Absolutely beautiful. Bosch is a great choice!
Thank you! An eternal master for sure.
WooWoo already Love it....only 2 minutes in & yes, man like Always awesome to watch
Thank you as always, friend, for your undying support!
@@ben_has_hobbies WooWoo 🙌❤️
I feel you man. I started playing as a teenager and now as I’m turning 25 and growing up, it really hurts to work for 2 days, use all of the money I made to buy a deck on top of the time between those shifts actually putting the list together and optimizing it. I’ve just couldn’t justify my longevity in the hobby until I discovered my printer is actually amazing. Photo paper cards work so good and dare I say more enjoyable. I’d rather spend just a few hours doing it myself. Much more rewarding. Plus you still get to play the cards!
Finding healthier ways to game is something I can definitely salute! Thank you for watching and commenting.
This is awesome. Lovely video and fantastic work. Cat is wonderful too
Thank you kindly! And my cat Lars sends his regards :)
Positively stunning art design choices! Thank you for the inspiration 😊
@@demonjanitor Thank you for your support! Much appreciated!
Awesome! The art is what originally made me play MTG but the modern art, although good, just doesn't hit the same. This is a great way to get some of that back and also to make lands more interesting
Gorgeous work!!!
Thank you so much!
Awesome work! I made something similar last year for the idols of torment game. bought some tarot cards of gustave doré and painted over them. But yours look so much better! Now i have to improve mine😅
I'm sure your cards rock! I always wanted to check out Idols of Torment. Can you recommend it?
@@ben_has_hobbies Thank you. Its a fun game and the rulebook is so beautiful grimdark. Also, there are free rules now, if you want to try it.
@@ben_has_hobbies Thank you. They are OKish I think.
Idols is a fun game with not so complicated rules. I love the grim style of the rulebook and the setting.
amazing art, awesome story .
Beautiful work
Thank you kindly!
There's a few card design sites out there where you can make your own cards by either copying the actual art or uploading your own. I've made my own tokens this way. I plan to make some playable joke cards for friends this Christmas by taking actual cards / text / costs and renaming them with new art. Like take counterspell, rename it "oh no you don't" and adding my own art for it. Cool thing is, if you get enough proxies, you can actually have a company that prints playing cards print them for you. Not as cheap as using a printer but better quality. Proxy is a great way to go to see what kind of a difference adding a spendy card will make in a deck or even if you want to play but don't want to fork out the cash.
That's an awesome idea!
Amazing tutorial!!
Very glad you liked it! Then I guess this video was tailor made for you :)
Fun to watch and a great execution, Ben! Now I want to watch you paint a card from scratch…🐈
Thank you, Rick! I will for sure do that in the future at some point!
@@ben_has_hobbies Can't wait!
That demonic tutor goes hard ❤
This is really inspiring! I'll have to give this a try
Thank you! I'm glad I could inspire you
Bruder, deine Proxies sind wundschön. so oft vergessen wir das kreativität die komplexeste art von intelligenz ist.
This is incredible!
Thanks!
This is actually beautiful
Thank you so much, mate! Really enjoy your content here and on IG.
Gorgeous cards my friend!
Thank you so much
This earned my sub. Nice video
Thank you for subbing!
This is a new video, but it feels made for me... I opened my youtube page to a video called "how to quit Magic" and two videos below is yours here! All those overpriced rectangles are leaving soon, so this is inspirational for me as I make copies of my overpriced game pieces
All the stars aligned! Thanks for watching.
This is great, thank you!
Thank you for watching :)
Awesome Video 😍
Thank you so much!
This is really inspiring
Thanks!
Completely different game, but I always wondered what could be done with old Command cards in Warhammer 40k. When there is a new edition, these £20+ cards become completely useless, which is a shame because of the quality of the cards, packaging and artwork ect. This video has given me loads of ideas, thank you!
For sure! Proxying cards for wargaming and making your own "rules overviews" is very rewarding. Making the game yours in every aspect :)
This is genius. I am doing this now!
@@zakswearengin7871 Thanks! Hope you’re having fun!
great stuff!
Thank you kindly!
i am now gonna force my friends to play proxy magic soon
In this household we love enabling people to have fun!
I trace a token for the shape on printer paper then draw the proxy so it can sit in front of an actual card without permanently changing the card but your technique is nice too
Step 1, get a basic land and fine point sharpie. Step 2, scribble out the text. Step 3, copy text of desired card onto the basic land.
@@justarabbit1982 can be as easy as that!
Bob Ross of Proxy cards
Just some happy accidents on Magic cards!
@@ben_has_hobbies lol!
great idea
Thanks!
Hello Ben, thank you for this video. The way you talk and how you make it look almost like a therapy sold it to me, and now I have a bunch of art books and magazines.
Would you mind giving more info on the paints you use?
I'm from Brazil so I'll need to find some similar national products.
Nevermind, I've found the paint, will look for alternatives.
I don't give a fuck about what people say about proxies I'll always use them.
And why shouldn't you!
I might need to start making proxies for some of the expensive cards and lands (who in their right mind can complain about proxying a basic land?), ive thought about making some cards using my own art and this might be a good way to do so.
Or just useing art from some of my favorite artists, Gris Grimly, Mike Mignola, Mark riddick and Seb McKinnon, although he already does art for mtg cards.
Turning your own art into cards is the absolute best! and those artists you named are some of my favorites too :)
Awesome video
@@uniteallaction Thank you so much!
love this
Thank you!
5:45 this is for me who likes your videos, miniatures and while not a fan of mtg an very interested in the culture.
Thank you so much! It's great to hear that these weird llil videos connect with people. Very glad to have you!
My problem with this style of proxy (and secret lair treatments as well), is it makes it very hard for other people to follow your board state.
That is true. "Special art" makes the game a bit less intuitive and this isn't suited for a more competitive environment. Thanks for watching!
@@ben_has_hobbies I also have this problem with learning Null Signal’s netrunner, which is full proxy legal. With veteran players they can have any number of official alt treatments or their own proxies.
Would highly recommend if you want a print and play friendly game!
waht a twist, from the thumbnail he was too similar to bryan kibler, and i thought he was really into proxys
Oh, I admire Bryan! What an awesome player and game designer.
what type of white paint do you use? your coverage is so much better than what i can manage!
Thank you for watching and commenting! I am using Wraithbone by Citadel. I just thin it down with water and apply 4-5 layers. But I think the camera makes it a bit smoother than it is in real life. But it works on cards and miniatures.
if you filmed yourself painting these proxies ala Bob Ross I know there is an audience for that.
Over time, doesn't the glue start to make the card crooked?
They get crooked in the beginning when the glue is still hardening but once it hardened they are flat as flat can be. Got cards from 2 years ago and they are still flat. Can't say that about real foil cards I own :D
Was wondering what kind of printer you use if ya don't mind me asking
Thank you for your question! I am not using a printer at all actually. These are all clippings from art books.
awesome
🎉
Bill sent me.
Liebs sehr!!
Vielen Dank!!
when every body will do proxies, there will no more magic ^^
@@palmoliv2000 Oh well, then I think we play with the existing 27.000 different cards. We’ll manage ;)
Nice but i only buy original cards
Fair enough! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Algo 100
cat
Meow!
I still can't wrap my head around these large groups of people doing counterfeiting and being so obvious and upfront and excited and proud of it.
Counterfeits are intended to look and feel like the original. Counterfeiting cards is a crime. Making proxies like this is art and is completely fine and accepted by a large group of Magic players in a casual environment. These proxies have nothing in common with counterfeits.
Similar with money: Counterfeits are a crime, because you could pay with it and the other person doesn't notice, but got a worthless piece of paper in the end. If you take a blank piece of paper and you write "100 Euro" on it it's not a counterfeit and nobody will accept this as money. You coule play a game of Monopoly with it though.
I can’t wrap my head around spending cash on a shit company
@@doomfusion1807 agreed
@@MupHiLoL Thus speaks a scholar and a gentleman.
its a card game, who cares?
I'm not a fan of defacing books, but otherwise this is very inspiring. I might try this with magazines.
I respect your high opinion of books!
I love them! Thanks for sharing the process
Thank you for your continued support, Ben!
Beautiful work.
Thank you!