Fountain Tarot Black Friday Sale

Buy one, get one free

http://www.fountaintarot.com/shop.html

ETA: I just noticed I wrote Fontain instead of Fountain in the thread :/

I read it as "Fountain" .

I had one eye on the calendar, waiting for midnight to strike and was RIGHT in there getting my two for one bargain. This is a deck I have been meaning to buy for ages and this offer was just irresistable. I'm really excited to see how I feel about it when it arrives.

Can anyone give me pointers? Are people still using it? Loving it?

Le Fanu said:

I had one eye on the calendar, waiting for midnight to strike and was RIGHT in there getting my two for one bargain. This is a deck I have been meaning to buy for ages and this offer was just irresistable. I'm really excited to see how I feel about it when it arrives.

Can anyone give me pointers? Are people still using it? Loving it?

Click to expand...

I haven't bought it yet (brazilian postal service and customs suck big time), but this sale is tempting!

I'd love to hear others opinions before taking the plunge. I can use some encouragement

It's one of my favorite decks. The artwork is delicately done, but not overly precious. I like that I can see the brushstrokes of Jonathan's original art in the cards.The colors are muted, but in a way that complements the theme of the deck. The use of geometry and lines are outstanding, too—pronounced enough to punctuate, but not so crisp that they're jarring.

I find the suits of Swords and Wands absolutely brilliant, but then I'm partial to line work. The Majors have such depth to them, especially Death, The Tower and The Moon.

There are figures in the cards, based on real people, but the features are soft, almost obscure, clearly drawn with a light hand. The cards without figures are incredibly atmospheric, like the Tyldwick Tarot. I think the suit of Coins best embodies this. I've read how some people weren't fond of the "softness" of the art, but I feel it's a matter of taste.

Cardback art looks like it's a digital composition, with the color palette taken from Jonathan's paintings. The aesthetic choice here is as unyielding as it can get in the Fountain Tarot, but it works for me. They're exquisite and hypnotic, like facets of a crystal.

Laid out in a spread, the cards flow beautifully. For me, the narratives are seamless. There was some criticism on how the look of the cards all blended and blurred together, but I have no problem with that. (Trevisan's Crystal Tarot is a joy to me.)

Cardstock is between firm and flexible. Not as buttery as my first edition Wild Unknown, but beautifully matte. The silver edges are a wonderful touch. Individual cards feel thicker to me than the standard. I can easily do an overhand shuffle with my small hands. Riffle-shufflers will probably want to cut the deck into two piles.

Packaging is topnotch, and the little book by Jason has something new to say, even for seasoned readers.

If this deck were a place, it would be like the Callao Caves of the Philippines. Kind of a cross between limbo and a cathedral.

I don't buy multiple copies of decks, but I have a backup for this one.

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, illyria. I really get a sense of the deck now - like you ticked all the boxes with the uncertainties I had. I'd heard about the top notch packaging - and had worried about it being a bit samey but I went on the side of "delicate" and subtle rather than samey. I worried about a lack of symbolism to latch onto.

I have been struck by how human the images feel. Like real people, not stylised, monolithic archetypes. And I am a huge fan of Trevisan's Crystal so that bodes well. I honestly had no idea they were actual paintings. I thought they were some digital media - with special effects added.

One of the reasons I couldn't resist this offer is that it's like getting deck + backup for the same price! Fingers crossed for no customs charges...

You're welcome, Le Fanu! I had my deck out, actually, when I came across the thread and your post, so I was compelled to reply.

Yes, they were oil paintings. (I know they raffled one away on Kickstarter when the delivery date was approaching. I was a backer, so I was able to get updates.) I'm not sure if the inspiration photos are still up on their site, but I remember that the poses, postures and expressions of the people Jonathan decided to use for his art translated very well on the cards. If the Starchild puts its figures front and center, the Fountain makes them a natural, organic part of the landscape.

I hope you don't have to pay those dreaded customs fees! I live in the Philippines and keep a US-based forwarder to minimize additional costs. I actually bought my backup via ebay months ago for a pretty good price. I knew I would've jumped on this Black Friday offer if I didn't already have an extra copy.

I was so enamored by this deck that I gifted it to my friend in the UK. Just so we could discuss it without him having to look at images online constantly. Bought it from Beth of the Little Red Tarot online shop instead though, because she's also based in the UK, and I knew my friend wouldn't get slapped with taxes.

Wasn't sure...

But I started reading some of the reviews here and in other areas and decided to give the Fountain Tarot a whirl. My concern originally was that it would be a bit too modern, stylized, and New Agey for my taste. After looking -- really looking -- at some of the images I realized there was a lot more to this deck than I had thought. I just hadn't gotten around to actually purchasing it, and then came across this thread. Thank you! I am very appreciative to my Aeclectica friends AND the Fountain Tarot folks, as well.

Readers, I bought it. Wanted to do so for a long long time. I'm crazy since I really don't have money. My poor husband will lay me in irons... but I couldn't help myself.

I bought it, too. And with lots of frivolous spending going on lately. But the second deck will make a perfect gift to a dear friend . . . provided I like it enough. This deck has been on and off my radar for some time.