The Bohemian Gothic Tarot

Yes, I thought the use of colour in that film was one of the best things about it. When we decided to desaturate the colours in this deck (effectively everything is in moonlight, twilight or candelight) we also decided to put in some areas of much stronger colour - used very much in a symbolic rather than a realist way. Of course, many of the photographs we are working with are hand-tinted, so although we don't always use those tints (we have tended to remove the sunny yellows) they definitely gave us an approach that felt right for images of this "period" (though this is less strictly a Victorian deck than the VR is).

baba-prague said:

Yes, I thought the use of colour in that film was one of the best things about it. When we decided to desaturate the colours in this deck (effectively everything is in moonlight, twilight or candelight) we also decided to put in some areas of much stronger colour - used very much in a symbolic rather than a realist way.

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I was thinking the same thing...it reminds me of looking at things in the moonlight. Only certain colours are revealed and the rest stays in shadow. If it were vibrantly coloured it would look too much like the Victorian Romantic, but with a darker theme. This way it really stays more Gothic and mysterious, like old silent movies. I love the way the cat is just barely seen in the background, except for they eyes. My first cat, who was mostly black, was the same way. Gold eyes in the darkness, and you always wondered what she had been up to!

I'll have you know, Mr. Know-it-all Umbrae, that I have already peeked beneath the helmet and I am in no way inclined to tell you what I saw.

So there.

*S*
sitting back in her lounge chair at the beach, sipping a Cuba Libre, awaiting the fallout. There is always fallout, you know. I, for one, among many, am SO waiting for this deck. Like I've said recently, it will be perfect the way it is.

But .. could you make the cat an orange stripe tabby??

Skydancer said:

But .. could you make the cat an orange stripe tabby??

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Arrgh, evil woman! We'll have no tabbies in this deck. We have already told Minnie that and she got sulky. Alex may slip her in later I suppose - though not if I spot it first. The words "Gothic" and "tabby" just don't sit right together.

So - what did you see under that visor? Go on, you can tell me...
Then again, do I really want to know?

Karen yours and Alex's creativity continues to astonish and amazes me...

Well done!

Queen of Wands. I figured it out. It is her hair. Or his hair. It looks too manly. After watching Marie Antoinette, I think she needs a higher poof and her hair swept back, with, perhaps, a dangling ponytail that lays on her front shoulder.

There are two specific scenes in that movie that really make you wonder who is what gender. The one where she reaches Versailles and walks past all the people outside who are staring at her, and the wedding scene where she is walking up the aisles and once again you see a sea of faces staring and judging her.

I think I may stop, for now, posting cards here and just show more of the deck once it's done. I really feel embarrassed at just constantly saying no to the myriad of changes being suggested - I'm sure with the best of intentions.

But we don't design by consensus - we feel it results in poor design with no personality. We design as "baba studio" and tend to have quite strong direction about what we want to achieve in each deck. We aren't really trying to please everyone or hit a common denominator, just make authentic decks that we feel ourselves are the best we can do.

Maybe I've expressed it better here (last post):
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=82682

I really (really!) appreciate the comments, but I just can't find a positive-sounding way to keep saying "No!" to specific ideas for visual and style changes and I don't want to offend anyone who has been kind enough to comment, so I think I will shut up for now!

But I will no doubt be yacking on on some of the other forums

Sorry if my post insulted. I certainly didn't mean to expect you to change your deck. I think the majority of people who make comments on the cards and possible changes do so out of the excitement of creating the cards...a process you share so openly with us which we are unfamiliar with, so we get caught up in the sway of possibilities of artistic endeavours. Good luck with your deck.

baba-prague said:

But we don't design by consensus - we feel it results in poor design with no personality. We design as "baba studio" and tend to have quite strong direction about what we want to achieve in each deck. We aren't really trying to please everyone or hit a common denominator, just make authentic decks that we feel ourselves are the best we can do.

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Baba,you could not have described better what artistic process and work is...
Expression of an inner view...authenticity, what a beautiful thing...

best wishes to you Baba, your work is very inspiring ..


magenta

HearthCricket said:

Sorry if my post insulted. I certainly didn't mean to expect you to change your deck. I think the majority of people who make comments on the cards and possible changes do so out of the excitement of creating the cards...a process you share so openly with us which we are unfamiliar with, so we get caught up in the sway of possibilities of artistic endeavours. Good luck with your deck.

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No, it's not taken as an insult in any way - please don't think that, I appreciate the comments. But it's a confirmation that it may not be helpful for anyone for us to post cards here at this stage in the process. Later, when the deck is more or less finished - or indeed if there are cards that we really do need design input on, then yes, of course I'll post.

Right now we just need to focus on what we are doing - and we are our own most critical critics you know!