just started a cut and paste tarot deck !

g4nymede

edit: i made a few new cards, but stuff suddenly got hectic at my house so i might be a bit slow for a while. ill update with the new cards in a bit ! im out right now, but just remembered to check this (u~ u
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so, i figured what better way to learn the meanings of tarot while trusting my own intuition than to make my own deck... i mean, there's probably lots of better ways, but.
i kinda love cut and pasting, so that's my medium of choice. like, hand cut and pasting with scissors and glue sticks and magazines. all the images are def copyrighted, but it's just for me so oh well. im just pasting onto a card deck. im trying to decide whether or not i want to do the back... it sounds like a hassle but also worth it. please be aware that im working only with what i have from magazines, so im kinda limited rip ...
i only have the first five cards done so far. ill keep it updated, though! a lot of the symbolism is based off of rws, since im mainly trying to learn that. but they're certainly represented differently.
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the fool - i kinda took the 'beginning of a journey' and ran with it. the compass has no directions, and is supposed to represent how the fool carries on without direction. the cotton reminds me of innocence, like the fool's naivety. the river was simply cut into a curvy shape from some calm waters to represent the untouched river of life's journey.
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the magician - i revisit life as a river here, except now the journeys begun. the red and white boats are the duality of innocence and knowledge, and a symbol of the magicians command over his course. the four elements are represented as part of manifestation, which the magician is all about.
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the high priestess - i was definitely going for a mystical thing. the large eye instead of a face represents the third eye, and i included water in the background because i strongly associate water with calmness and clarity. the sun and moon are her position between dark and light.. i may replace the sun later, not too satisfied with it, but it works for now.
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the empress - this one took the longest because i spent at least an hour combing magazines for things not flowers i could use... And here we are still... anyway, flowers are definite symbols of femininity and fertility, so i took that and ran work it. i certainly like it, though.
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the emperor - red is a color typically associated with power, so i went with a background that is very red. i went with the mountains for something sturdy, and a tower to represent the position of power. but, if course, it gets lonely at the top, right? EDIT: added a crown to draw attention to the figure and emphasize the power part
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hierophant - the hierophant has clearly religious themes, which i've made evident. the people below the hierophant himself are faceless and all the same, symbolizing the lack of individuality strict rules and tradition result in. my bias is likely obvious...
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lovers: the lovers themselves, the focal point, are entwined so that you can't see where one ends and one begins, a good symbol of the perfect union. elephant ears are to symbol growth and possibly fertility, and love as they're shaped like hearts. a romantic sky sets the background.
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chariot: i had a lot of trouble with this, actually. i went with horses and mountains as symbols of power and solidarity. the chariot itself is the rocket ship, something that requires huge amounts of power and effort but brings you very, very far.
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strength : i went with the taming the beast theme and ran. the elephant is angry and chaotic, but the sky behind it remains calm, and the hands holding it remain steadfast.
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hermit: i meant to depict a sense of aloneness, with a simple background of a starry sky and rolling, empty mountains. an air balloon but yourself also seems almost lonely - you're miles above the world, all by yourself where no one else is. the telescope represents the soul searching aspect.
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death: death itself is cold and unmoving against a blurry, uncertain background, just as death itself is the one sure thing in life (that and taxes, if course). however, it's countered by a white flower and lit candles - the possibilities that remain after something is lost.
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opinions anybody? suggestions? thank you for reading!! this probably has a lot of mistakes, sorry, blame it on the fact that it's nearly two and i just stopped working on the cards when i started them at like 9...
 

Alta

I think this is a great way to go about a personal deck. You'll spend a lot of time with the images and thinking about meaning and in the end you'll have a deck that you completely bond with. :)
 

DesertDream

Wow you are so talented! Thank you for sharing with us. I love decupage and collage oh and the idea of using regular playing decks for the structure, brilliant! Now i must make one if these! There are plently of collage decks on here in the gallery that i like to look at. You may want to check about collage copyright laws etc because i would so buy that deck! I have tons of magazines for collage but i never thought of making tarot cards. Was looking at collage decks again last night. Im fond of self guided tarot. Do you use mod podge to make your images so smooth?

Anyway im rambling....but great job!
 

rylla

I like it. I love collage decks and you are doing a wonderful job!
 

g4nymede

I think this is a great way to go about a personal deck. You'll spend a lot of time with the images and thinking about meaning and in the end you'll have a deck that you completely bond with. :)
yeah, that's what im hoping for! ill probably get them laminated or something , too, so i can actually use them without messing up the glue, which will be super exciting !!
 

g4nymede

Wow you are so talented! Thank you for sharing with us. I love decupage and collage oh and the idea of using regular playing decks for the structure, brilliant! Now i must make one if these! There are plently of collage decks on here in the gallery that i like to look at. You may want to check about collage copyright laws etc because i would so buy that deck! I have tons of magazines for collage but i never thought of making tarot cards. Was looking at collage decks again last night. Im fond of self guided tarot. Do you use mod podge to make your images so smooth?

Anyway im rambling....but great job!
thank you so much! i love collage decks too and i've done a lot of collage stuff myself, like notebooks and boxes etc. i love the way collages look -- obviously made out of pieces and parts, but still cohesive and beautiful . i looked into the laws a bit since your mentioned it, and since im not using a lot and it's a transformative work, i might be able to sell them! thank you for pointing that out, it didn't cross my mind the laws might apply differently... for now, im just gluing them down, in case i want to add something new under a part. so it's just glue and hope. ill probably use it at the end, though
thank you so much! i can tend to ramble some times, so i don't mind (ov o
 

g4nymede

added the hierophant, lovers, chariot, strength, hermit, and death. updated emperor.
 

g4nymede

added the hierophant, lovers, chariot, strength, hermit, and death. updated emperor.
wait, that puts me exactly halfway through the major arcana. nice!
 

DesertDream

Beautiful! I like the heirophant and you did a good point threw. But ive read a lot about monks and nuns, they have a lot off their own idividualness intact. When it comes to rules yes its strict, following God is way more exciting than this however. I get your point tho. I cant wait till i see the minor arcana!