Questions about getting a deck published

Azarial

I have come here with questions! First off, a very good friend of mine, knows how interested I am in art, and I love drawing. Just some things have happened in my life the past few years that made me give up the one thing I really enjoyed. So he suggested that I make a tarot deck. Of course that would combine both of my interests, and get me back into doing something that I would love to do. But my question is for those artists who have had thier decks published. What paper do you use to draw or paint your artwork on for later use? Like is it just drawn on regular drawing paper or canvas and then when it's printed scaled down to the size of the deck? Or do you draw or paint the artwork for it already to the size the deck would be? I really hope that what I'm asking doesn't sound too confusing here.

-Pamela
 

Moonboy

make the art at least TWICE the size of the card...make about a 1/4 inch bleed as well.

Use the best surface for your media, i would say.

Good luck friend
 

Azarial

Thank you so much Moonboy for the information.

-Pamela
 

OnePotato

Twice up is a general standard, but you can work at whatever size you are comfortable in. The printer will photographically size the finished art. Reduction can lose a lot of subtlties, so some techniques will reproduce better if you work at actual size. In the end, it is a judgement call.

If you do work larger than 100%, once you have worked up a couple of designs, you should scale them down to actual size and have a look at them. Check your line weights, and make sure any details are still readable. You may decide to adjust your technique, and it's better to do it before you are too far along.

Some things may require special handling, but any "kind" of art can be done. Even a sculpture or heavily textured flat art can be photographed and sized accordingly, so feel free to do whatever best suits you. On the other hand, keep in mind that this can add to the final production cost.

One thing I would suggest is investing a little in good materials. Go to an art store, and look at pads and loose sheets of drawing paper and illustration board. The surface you work on can be a tremendous part of your finished piece, and should not be neglected. If there is a texture involved, you may need to keep in mind how it will look at the final size. This is an example of when one might choose to work closer to actual size.

Anyway, good luck!