Pixelsmith
Hi All!
My name is Adam Blodgett and I'm the author and artist of the Chibi Tarot.
The Chibi Tarot is a fusion of my interests: art, the occult and pop culture. It is an interesting and exciting combination of old world European archetypes fused with elements of contemporary Asian pop culture. And most importantly of all, it's really cute!
But please don't dismiss this deck as frivolous! It's a serious deck designed for divination on a professional or amateur level. Its symbols and influences have a long and dedicated history. Much like the Mary El tarot the Chibi Tarot's primary structural ancestors are the Waite Smith, The Thoth and Marseilles decks. Another strong influence in my tarot experience is Sergio Toppi's “Tarot of the Origins”, whose simplicity and spartan revisioning of the primal tarot has inspired me to question the need for the occult symbolism, cut away and challenge traditional interpretations when I can (currently most notable in the demotion of the magician from warlock to street hustler: http://chibitarot.com/major-arcana/i-the-magician/).
Over these old school tarot bones I am stretching a skin of Asian influences. Comic books, cartoons and video games are the most notable influences, and possibly within those influences Shigeru Miyamoto's Mario Brothers, in all its various incarnations but most strongly in its 8 and 16 bit versions Super Mario Brothers and Super Mario Brothers 3, are its heaviest visual influences, though I reserve the right to draw from all corners of the manga and anime universe! Beyond the borders of popular culture, I am also exploring what kind of synergy the combination of the European tarot and Asian culture might come up with. A strong example is in the Hermit, whose conflation with the mystical Japanese Yamabushi Tengu bore a very interesting and beautiful fruit: http://chibitarot.com/major-arcana/ix-the-hermit/
I know that I am not the first deck designer to do explore the combination of Asian culture within the confines of the tarot, and I may in some cases be reinventing the wheel, but I'll be doing it for myself, and that's important to me. I hope that along the journey I can create something unique, useful and beautiful, and I'd love to share that journey with you, here in the forum, on the blog and wherever it may find me.
If you'd like more info on the deck check out the website first: http://www.chibitarot.com
If you'd like to know more about publication dates and where I see the Chibi Tarot going in general, check out the about page: http://chibitarot.com/about/
If you'd like to follow the deck on Facebook, you can like us here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chibi-Tarot/120598004685010
If you'd prefer your updates via Twitter, find me here: https://twitter.com/#!/thechibitarot/
If you have any questions use this thread, that's what it's here for!
Thanks all! Looking forward to sharing the journey with you!
Adam
My name is Adam Blodgett and I'm the author and artist of the Chibi Tarot.
The Chibi Tarot is a fusion of my interests: art, the occult and pop culture. It is an interesting and exciting combination of old world European archetypes fused with elements of contemporary Asian pop culture. And most importantly of all, it's really cute!
But please don't dismiss this deck as frivolous! It's a serious deck designed for divination on a professional or amateur level. Its symbols and influences have a long and dedicated history. Much like the Mary El tarot the Chibi Tarot's primary structural ancestors are the Waite Smith, The Thoth and Marseilles decks. Another strong influence in my tarot experience is Sergio Toppi's “Tarot of the Origins”, whose simplicity and spartan revisioning of the primal tarot has inspired me to question the need for the occult symbolism, cut away and challenge traditional interpretations when I can (currently most notable in the demotion of the magician from warlock to street hustler: http://chibitarot.com/major-arcana/i-the-magician/).
Over these old school tarot bones I am stretching a skin of Asian influences. Comic books, cartoons and video games are the most notable influences, and possibly within those influences Shigeru Miyamoto's Mario Brothers, in all its various incarnations but most strongly in its 8 and 16 bit versions Super Mario Brothers and Super Mario Brothers 3, are its heaviest visual influences, though I reserve the right to draw from all corners of the manga and anime universe! Beyond the borders of popular culture, I am also exploring what kind of synergy the combination of the European tarot and Asian culture might come up with. A strong example is in the Hermit, whose conflation with the mystical Japanese Yamabushi Tengu bore a very interesting and beautiful fruit: http://chibitarot.com/major-arcana/ix-the-hermit/
I know that I am not the first deck designer to do explore the combination of Asian culture within the confines of the tarot, and I may in some cases be reinventing the wheel, but I'll be doing it for myself, and that's important to me. I hope that along the journey I can create something unique, useful and beautiful, and I'd love to share that journey with you, here in the forum, on the blog and wherever it may find me.
If you'd like more info on the deck check out the website first: http://www.chibitarot.com
If you'd like to know more about publication dates and where I see the Chibi Tarot going in general, check out the about page: http://chibitarot.com/about/
If you'd like to follow the deck on Facebook, you can like us here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chibi-Tarot/120598004685010
If you'd prefer your updates via Twitter, find me here: https://twitter.com/#!/thechibitarot/
If you have any questions use this thread, that's what it's here for!
Thanks all! Looking forward to sharing the journey with you!
Adam