Josef Kratochvíl

Josef Kratochvíl is a graphic artist, author and illustrator living in the Czech Republic. His label Ratoch exclusively represents his work and sells playing cards, books, games, game accessories and prints centered on myth, history and symbolism. He began sketching a medieval-style card deck in 2019, and his first project, Prshak, was released in March 2020. Its success was followed by Hedarot, a poker deck drawn from Norse mythology, and then Karban, a medieval deck with oval cards. His project Slovanské potvory, devoted to the creatures of Slavic folk tales, goes back to sketches from around 2017 and was also published as a book in 2023 ("Svazek I"). In 2024 he released Bestiarium, a study of medieval bestiaries. His illustrations are drawn by hand.