While rivals use AI art, these sisters hand-draw every card, and it’s working

At a time when many creative businesses are increasingly relying on AI-generated artwork, sisters Mrinalini and Nyonika Mitra chose to hand-draw every illustration in their card game instead. The decision increased production time and costs, but the sisters say it has built trust among customers looking for authentic, handcrafted products.

‘Everything we make is drawn by hand by people, not by computers. We even use elements such as specially designed scents and original music to make players feel as though they are part of the story,’ said Mrinalini, an Oxford graduate who leads the game’s creative direction.

The game blends ancient mythology with handcrafted illustrations, original music and narrative elements into what the founders describe as an immersive fantasy experience, resembling ‘reading a magical book brought to life.’ It was born out of a difficult period, created in the sisters’ Lucknow living room while their mother was undergoing cancer treatment.

The analogue approach hasn’t slowed the business down. The card game now has buyers in more than 40 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Canada, and revenue has crossed the $100,000 mark. Nyonika, a graduate of the London School of Economics who handles operations and logistics, said the biggest challenge was building a supply chain that could serve customers across dozens of countries from day one.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by Gamester81