An Almost Marseilles Deck !

Chris, I'm so excited that you are making a Marseille! Well done

Now as to the cards - some I like very much, and some less so. I'll explain myself:

- VI-L'Amoureux - absolutely love the take on it, which I think preserves the "2 paths" angle, and adding a third - go for both! - but removes the rather old-fashioned "beauty vs virtue" idea, which doesn't sit very well with our modern sensibilities.

- Temperance is fabulous. Nothing to add, it really captures the essence of the card, except for the numbering, which in my view is wrong (should be XIIII instead of XIV).

- Likewise with La Lune, which works well.

- Le Soleil: I like it, I think you've captured a great deal of its joyful essence, but one thing doesn't work for me: you've left out the wall, which in my view is an essential part of the symbol. I miss the tenderness between the two characters on the card in the best-known Marseille pattern, the Conver. However, the dancing figures remind me of the joy and dancing of the Madenié deck, and I do like them. It's a lovely card you've made

Le Mat is fabulous - free with a look of - what-the-hell, take me or leave me as I am! Not quite as dangerous and odd-looking as the original, but I do like the placement of the dog.

Le Bateleur - you've captured that mountebank feel of him, but I REALLY don't like him without a table (and 3 legs). It misses a big point of the arcanum for me.

I love l'Hermite, especially the inner glow of him, which is exactly what he represents - and the hourglass is a great wink to Hermit as Time and the older, pre-Marseille decks. You got the numbering spot on too

L'Etoile - not sure why you have dressed her. I think that misses the point of the card. I miss the bird, too. I like the composition of the card, but I find her attitude has too much attitude for my idea of the Star.

Very cool!

Good use of the colors and symbols, and an awesome adaptation of classical marseilles - I must say I like these better than the originals they were inspired from.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

I like it

Just back from my hols yesterday and after a week's relaxing in the Lake District of England I'm hoping to get started on these again. Thanks for so much positive feedback from everyone who has posted here.

Sophie - Thanks for the detailed feedback. Just to answer a couple of your questions; the points you made shine a spotlight on the approach I'm taking. If the term 'Almost Marseille' deck wasn't so unwieldly, then that's what i'd call the deck !!! I'm only following the Marseilles symbolism loosely, or as much as it suits my own ideas. In the case of the Moon card I didn't change much but with the Star I wanted a clothed figure like on the earlier Visconti cards. the Star always means hope to me, as well as truth. Truth is well served by nakedness (sometimes, anyway !) but I like the idea of hope always involving a certain amount of speculation and mystery. Hence the clothing. In the meantime, and completely unrelated, I've added in the tree and bird instead !! Not quite what you were highlighting but you did get me to re-assess the card all the same !

I decided you were right about the wall in the Sun card so I've added one into the design - see below.

With regards to the Juggler I originally wanted something freer and more dynamic than the traditional Marseilles so I didn't include the table. However, what you said made me re-think so I've gone for something quite eccentric to highlight the fraud or fantasy? aspect of the card. I've given him a one legged table that shouldn't stay balanced yet it does. There are some very strange 'magical implements' on the table, including a fire, an explosion and some dog paw tracks. No explanations - make of them what you will !

I'll post more cards as I complete them. in the meantime, here are the three amended versions.

Chris. xx

PS: XIV - Temperance - force of habit !!! have changed it to XIIII

Looking good!

I'll just say one thing - and ignore me if you want to (I know comments on small details can sometimes be unhelpful). But I find the lemniscate on the Magician stylistically/graphically out of sorts with the rest of the card. Everything has a hard outline edge (which I like) but this is soft. Have you considered putting an outline around it?

I will now shut up!

baba-prague said:

Looking good!

I'll just say one thing - and ignore me if you want to (I know comments on small details can sometimes be unhelpful). But I find the lemniscate on the Magician stylistically/graphically out of sorts with the rest of the card. Everything has a hard outline edge (which I like) but this is soft. Have you considered putting an outline around it?

I will now shut up!

Click to expand...

I thought exactly the same thing, Karen.

I really like these cards Chris, but in light of the additions, I like the wall, but am not too sure about the tree in the Star card. I think the original beauty of the set was it's being uncluttered.

Keep going though. I really think this deck is a cut above a lot of the rest. It has a cleaness to it which is very appealing.

LB

Chris - glad you enjoyed your hols!

And full of beans, I see. I understand about the Star - interesting take on her, the mystery. She is quite a dame, that Star maiden . Now - even though I mentioned it, I have to agree with LB on the tree and bird, from a design point of view. But not from a symbolic point of view! Much of the symbolism is lost without the tree and bird.

That Sun is now totally fantastic

And I love the Bateleur's single leg table - it captures that "roll-up" feel exactly, a bit of magic, or is he having you on? Are you seeing what you are seeing, is the table waltzing?

Oh, what a great deck this is going to be!

Thanks for the tip Karen - I've tried the lemniscate with a hard edge and it looks so much better.

Little Baron and Fudagazi - I can't quite make my mind up over the Star card either ! I'm going to leave it to stew for a week or so. I've kept the original version as well as the new one so I can decide later which one to choose.

In the meantime, apart from the amended Juggler I've also attached the Hanged Man which I finished this evening.

Chris. xx

That looks so much better Chris. I think the black line just holds it all together a bit better. Gives it some consistancy. But also grounds the images well.

And I like the Hanged Man too. That one almost is a Marseille Very Marseille branches. And generally, I love how you have mimicked the colour scheme of various Marseille's so well.

As much as I love Marseille decks, I am glad that you have decided to not copy the pattern exactly. It adds a very interesting slant.

What I like the most here, is the liveliness in colour. I think this would be a very uplifting pack to use.

All the best, LB

Just finished the Tower. Here it is. xx