ready to make a deck...am i?

hello everyone!

i decided to make my own tarot after getting so beautifully inspired by Chronata's deck **thank you chronata!**. so b/c i am not a realist painter/drawing artist, i decided to go with the collage image deck. also because collaging images allows me to represent more some real life aspects of waht i want to convey with the images.

the problem:
i have been collecting images to make a collage deck of my own. then, it was suggested to scan the images to work this collage with photoshop, etc. now, the problem i ran into was that i find the scanning of each image to later work it out very time consuming! teh whole process of scanning each little and large imae i had found to later put it together in a composite image with PS is dreadfully time consuming adn frustrating for me! ***i ahd to let those feeling come out1 thanks****


the questions:
**Now, is there a 'faster' simpler way to do this scanning process??
**how many of you have tried the scannig with relative success (in the time consumming part)
**is it more advisable to go collage (cut and paste) only with this???

**any tips, suggestions, guidance in this topic/case!!????

thank you
yaraluna

I guess it depends on what type of images your using. There are heaps of websites with graphics organised in themes. You could surf through them and find what your looking for.

If your scanner is like mine, a scanned image with be a bit hazy anyway so you could get online pictures without that problem.

"i find the scanning of each image to later work it out very time consuming! teh whole process of scanning each little and large imae i had found to later put it together in a composite image with PS is dreadfully time consuming adn frustrating for me! ***i ahd to let those feeling come out1 thanks****"

++++++

Take it from a fellow deck artist -- there's really no way around the whole 'gotta actually do the work' part. A decent deck does take time. You may need to just accept the burden you've given yourself, and start in again.

(I don't know if you're old enough to remember what graphic artists went through in the olden days, before these magical computers -- the whole french curve/rubylith/exacto/PMT/drawing table thing. You might not have a basis for comparison on exactly how good you've got it, with a snappy little G5 under the desk.)

Those early decks were carved out of wood...

I'd agree with Rota - and I'd also add two cautions about finding images on the web. Firstly, most of them are not copyright-free (some are, and some you may be able to approach the owner for permission). Secondly, most images on the web are far too low resolution to print well. So if you are planning to print the deck later, and want good quality, crisp images then you really do need to check image resolution. You'll find if you search that this has been discussed here in the past.

Best of luck - it takes time to make a deck, but it's worth it!

Arnell Ando

Arnell Ando is hands down my favorite Tarot collage artist. Her decks are simply amazing - some cards have hundreds of images sewn together. She occasionally offers workshops and has written some articles regarding the more mundane aspects of creating collage decks, i.e., choosing printers, copyright issues, etc.

Her website is:

http://www.arnellart.com/frm-main.htm

Mnemosyne

thank you and something else...

thank you all for your answers! Just something to clarify here: my journey with tarot and oracles has been a long one. the inspiration to make my own deck came about five years ago and since then i have been pursuing it. The push to actually get going with it more seriously (meaning: dedicating my time to it) came from wonderful Chronata! gracias chronata!!! My desire to make a collage tarot is not based on making something out of nothing (no hard work, no purpose, etc) as some may have commented/insinuated. I do not plan on publishing my deck if that is what some of you are concerned about (meaning $$$$ in my eyes). thank you.

on the other side of the sphere, i have a great collage program now on my computer that enables me to do my work wthe the basics and then working with PS if i desire to later on.

again, thank you so much for your answers.

Speaking as someone who REGULARLY scans pictures, paintings, and graphics (for both my own and chronata's use!) I can definitely say that, while time consuming, it is hands down the best way to get your images in for collage and print work. I also will occasionally take a digital photo of something and upload it that way, too. That can be better depending on the object. For example, a three dimensional object will generally show up better in a digital photo, and a flat piece of art will do fine with scanning. So, to recap: Time consuming? You betcha! Worth it? Definitely!

And congratulations on your creative energy!