My first deck, All Bears Tarot, I treated the process as a giant tarot reading!!!
...I just shuffled a RWS deck and kept it in a box on my side table...and when I was ready
to start a new card, I would just hold the box of cards and then slide all of them about half way
out of the box and I would pick a card 'randomly' from the deck (as I said they were pre-shuffled)
So the card I would draw would be the next card for my deck creation...as well as a one card reading for myself!
Then when I was done creating the card and posting it in my AT creation thread, I would
just put the finished card back into the box (behind all the un-drawn, unread, un-created cards).
This worked so very well. At first I started a typed list, but once I started the 'one card' readings
to pick out my next card, I abandoned the list as it was not necessary at all since the 'box'
was my list...so to speak.
BUT with my 2nd deck, 'Aye Chihuahua Tarot,' I shuffled, pulled out the Emperor, worked on
that card just to see if I could do a deck in this style, and was satisfied. Then after another
practice card...no tarot title...I decided to start in on the 'royalty' of the deck...the Kings, Queens,
the Pages...are all done for this deck. I have done the Devil and the Tower...both randomly
drawn from my box method. But I think I will finish up the 'royalty' cards next...namely
the Knights...
...then back to my box random drawing and 'one card reading' (for myself) and then to create that card, etc.
I hope that all makes sense!
At any rate, you just need to do what comes to YOUR mind as the right way...
Just let it happen naturally. Maybe draw a card and see if you feel like that is the one you are to start with...
Good luck and I hope to see your deck creation!
HUGS
tarotlyn
ETA: Oh, and another thing I do when I need to refer to a different card quickly is this:
Because I work digitally and am on my computer most of the time, I just google
any card I want to see quickly...maybe for reference to a symbol, color, etc. for
what I am doing on my current card.
And if you don't have the computer on while you are creating your card (by hand), you can
keep a 'second' box of tarot cards next to you (with all of them in the correct order starting
from the Fool to the end of the deck). That way you can easily find 'any' card you want to
refer to.