the phantomwise tarot - deck in progress

MrsOnePotato

Beautiful!
I love the rich tones within the black and white....the images have a lot of depth. When you reproduce this, you should make sure to print it in color, so all the gray tones keep their warm, rich "color".

:)
 

Tara2007

alizarin said:
Hi all,

I've been around these parts for awhile though I tend not to post a whole lot. I've been reading for several years and painting since I was old enough to hold a brush, so I recently decided to go ahead and give designing my own deck a try.

I opted for a black and white deck, as I've been going through a black & white phase with my art and thought it might be helpful in keeping a cohesive visual style going throughout so many different cards. It's somewhat Waite-Smith influenced, with my own style and a bit of Alice-in-Wonderland and carnival style thrown in for good measure.

I've finished the first 4 cards, they can be seen on my website: phantomwise tarot gallery

I'm hoping to be done with the majors by sometime this summer, and will decide if I want to continue on with the minors once they're finished.

Anyway, I'd love comments and feedback! It's more an experiment than anything else at this point, though it is giving me a lot of practice with figure painting and helping with my continuing tarot studies as well.

Thank you!

The b&w images are very appealing, drawing the viewer in and bringing out the smaller details. The Fool is a rather Dorothy-like I think, and I like that. She was if nothing else a person of blind faith. The Magician is clear and easily understood, straightforward as he should be.

You have a lot of talent and your cards show energy and depth as well. Please finish this deck! It would be a shame not to see it completed!
 

Astraea Aurora

Wow. As others have already said it's very moody ... and I like that kind of dark feeling ... maybe it's because of the black and white style ... don't know but I like it very much!

The one that has touched my heart is the High Priestess - that blend of Asian style and western european tradition.

Keep on going, this is fantastic!


Many Blessings, Astraea Aurora
 

temperlyne

I really love your faces, they feel very real and have believable emotions.
Despite the somewhat sadening effect of the authenthic black and white, I get the feeling theirs is a richly colored world, alive outside these frozen moments.

I agree that the strength in style lies in your elegant blend of west and east.
 

Moonboy

well done friend
 

BodhiSeed

What wonderful images! You have a great talent, and I'm so glad you decided to share these. I love the color scheme - it's like looking at a book full of old photographs. My favorite so far is The Fool!

Best wishes on your project!
Bodhran
 

Sidhe-Ra

Very nice work! I particularly like the Alice in wonderland Fool, I think that is inspired. Your whole style is very atmospheric and evocative. I shall enjoy watching the deck's progress!

Blessings,

Em x
 

alizarin

Thank you all so much! You certainly have me more motivated to finish the deck.

Just added the Emperor, hopefully I'll be able to finish the Hierophant this week as well.

gallery
 

jackdaw*

Oh, now these are just beautiful! I love how much depth your black tones have, a touch of sepia, almost.

One of the nicest Fool cards I've seen in quite a while! And the High Priestess - wow!
 

magpie9

Really good! I can't wait to see the completed deck. It looks like it will be a good and intresting reading deck.