An artist who partners with deckarts supplies the artwork; deckarts handles everything else — print prep, production, worldwide shipping, customer support, returns — and pays a per-order royalty. There's no upfront cost to the artist and no risk on unsold stock, because nothing is produced until an order comes in.
How the Model Actually Works
The process runs in four stages: an artist submits a portfolio, deckarts and the artist jointly select which pieces become decks, the selected designs get prepped and featured with a launch, and from there the artist earns a royalty on every order. There's no exclusivity requirement locking the artist out of selling the same image elsewhere, and no fee at any stage of onboarding.
The artist keeps copyright throughout. Nothing is bought outright or assigned away — deckarts is licensing the right to print and sell, not acquiring the artwork. Every design is credited by name, and the artist approves each individual design before it goes live, so nothing gets listed without sign-off.
What Partnered Artists' Decks Actually Look Like
Pelaito by Braviera — single deck, €140
Absorption by Michael David Walrond — single deck, analog 35mm photography, €140
Shy Labeef by Charlotte Hennion — diptych, airbrush, €230
These three pieces show the range the program actually supports: a 3D/animation-based illustrator, an analog film photographer, and an airbrush artist working exclusively in diptychs — three completely different mediums, each on the same maple construction, each still credited and linked back to the artist.
What deckarts Handles vs What the Artist Handles
The artist provides: the artwork itself, in a file quality suitable for print, and approval on the final print-ready version of each design.
deckarts handles: print preparation (recomposing the artwork to the deck's proportions), production on Grade-A Canadian maple, worldwide shipping, customer support, and returns. The artist never deals with a single order, a customer question, or a shipping carrier.
Royalties are paid per order, not as a flat licensing fee upfront — and the rate is higher on US orders than EU orders, reflecting the different price points and margins between the two markets.
Which Format Fits Your Work
Artwork doesn't have to be redesigned to fit one fixed shape — the catalogue supports three formats, and the choice is part of the joint design selection stage, not something decided before an artist ever submits anything.
| Format | Size | Retail price | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 85 × 20 cm | €140 | A single strong image or portrait — most of the catalogue |
| Diptych | 171 × 20 cm (two decks) | €230 | Work that reads as a two-part composition, or a recurring character across two panels |
| Triptych | 256 × 20 cm (three decks) | €310 | Wider scenes or compositions that need the extra horizontal space to hold together |
Charlotte Hennion's collection is a useful example on the diptych end — she's the one artist in the program working entirely in that format, using the two-panel gap deliberately in her compositions rather than treating it as a constraint to work around.
What an Artist Gets Beyond the Royalty
Every partnered artist also gets a dedicated SEO editorial feature on the deckarts blog, a permanent collection page under their own name, and backlinks from that page to their Instagram, portfolio site, or Behance. That's ongoing exposure that keeps working after the initial launch, not a one-time announcement post.
The collection pages themselves are built individually around each artist — a hero section, an expanded bio, a work carousel, and (where relevant) features on specific pieces or recognitions — rather than a generic template with a name swapped in. A collaboration with a well-followed illustrator has launched with a hero, an embedded video reel, an artist-statement quote, a behind-the-scenes photo, a six-image work carousel, and a dedicated recognition section — built around that specific artist's own material, not a reused layout.
Submission: What to Send and What Happens Next
The first step is simply a portfolio — existing work that shows a consistent style or subject, not a proposal written specifically for deckarts. From there:
1. Portfolio review. deckarts looks at the body of work as a whole, not a single image, to see whether there's enough material or a clear enough direction to support more than one design.
2. Joint design selection. Rather than deckarts picking blind, the artist is involved in choosing which pieces become decks and which format (single, diptych, or triptych) suits each one.
3. Prep, feature, and launch. deckarts recomposes the chosen artwork for print, builds the artist's collection page and blog feature, and launches the designs together rather than staggering them.
4. Ongoing royalties. From launch onward, the artist earns a per-order royalty with no further action required — deckarts handles restocking, customer questions, and support.
Who's Already Part of the Program
The roster spans a range of styles and backgrounds: illustrators working in 3D/VR sculpture and animation, photographers shooting analog 35mm film, airbrush artists working entirely in diptych format, and more — each with their own dedicated collection and feature. The common thread isn't a particular style; it's original work with a clear point of view.
What deckarts Looks For
There's no single required style or subject matter — the roster includes photography, illustration, painting-based work, and pattern/graphic design. What matters more than genre is that the work is original (not a reproduction of someone else's copyrighted material) and that there's enough of it, or a clear enough direction, to support more than a single design.
What This Isn't
This isn't a print-on-demand marketplace where anyone uploads a file and it goes live automatically — every design goes through joint selection and artist approval first, and every partnered artist gets an individual collection page and feature, not just a listing buried in a general catalogue. It also isn't an exclusive contract: nothing about the partnership stops an artist from selling the same image as a print, a t-shirt, or anywhere else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it cost anything to join the artist program?
No. There's no upfront cost and no fee at any stage — artwork is only produced once an order comes in, so there's no risk on unsold stock either.
Who owns the copyright to my artwork after it's turned into a deck?
The artist does. deckarts licenses the right to print and sell the design; it isn't purchased or assigned away, and the artist is credited by name on every design.
Do I get to approve the final design before it's sold?
Yes — every individual design goes through artist approval before it's listed, so nothing ships without sign-off from the artist first.
How does the royalty work?
Artists earn a per-order royalty rather than a flat licensing fee, with a higher rate on US orders than EU orders to reflect the different price points between the two markets.
Do I have to design specifically for the deck shape, or can I submit existing work?
Existing work is the starting point — the portfolio review and joint design selection stage is exactly where format (single, diptych, or triptych) and any print recomposition get worked out, not something the artist has to solve alone before applying.
What do I get besides the royalty payments?
A dedicated SEO editorial feature on the blog, a permanent collection page under your own name, and backlinks from that page to your Instagram, portfolio, or Behance — exposure that keeps working long after the initial launch.
Article summary
- Artists supply the artwork; deckarts handles print prep, production, shipping, support, and returns.
- No upfront cost and no risk on unsold stock — nothing is produced until an order comes in.
- The artist keeps copyright, approves every design individually, and is credited by name.
- Royalty is paid per order, at a higher rate on US orders than EU orders.
- Work can launch as a single (€140), diptych (€230), or triptych (€310) — the format is decided jointly, not dictated upfront.
- Every partnered artist gets a dedicated blog feature, a permanent collection page, and backlinks to their own portfolio/Instagram/Behance.
About the Author
Stanislav Arnautov is the founder of deckarts, a graphic designer and print specialist originally from Ukraine, now based in Berlin, where he personally designs and prepares every deck. Follow on Instagram or visit stasarnautov.com.
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