True Black Tarot: Humanity as artifacts of our beliefs

reall

imo you have unique art style that will find it's audience regardless of some small issues one may find regarding their personal tarot preferences/opinions how should it be presented so just focus on your work and check us all here from time to time and don't worry if there is no comments, if something big off someone would point it out here or fb!^^ lolz :))
 

Arthurdubya

DDwarks: Yes, you will! With that said, I may have to revisit this idea later on. If people start abusing this mechanic and donating $1 in an attempt to save $35 later on, that seems to be against the spirit of what I'm trying to do. I might make it (from this point on) only applicable if someone pledges a certain amount, but you personally will still get the heads-up. :D

rylla: It's mostly (I'd say 70%) a personal choice. When I was thinking of these knights and who best embodied the vanguarding force of them, the first thing that came to mind for my model was this female friend of mine. She has been on the forefront of trying to make environmental change, both on the picket lines and in her work as a scientist, and also physically trained her body to be one of the strongest women I know. Her personality was fairly brash, very quick to excite, and very hardheaded in her arguments. That's the biggest reason, and the most subjective.

On the objective side, admittedly, I wondered a bit about the "acceptability" of having a female knight considering how classicaly they're male, but after looking at a huge range of examples in media where equality across the sexes is growing, especially in roles that are considered "aggressive" or "powerful", I kept seeing huge amounts of support. Jyn Erso from Rogue One, Rey from Star Wars, Wonder Woman's reboot, Game of Thrones' Brienne of Tarth, etc etc.

One of the largest influencers in my personal circle is Zarya from the video game Overwatch. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume most of you aren't familiar with that video game, but the short story is that she is a muscular "tank" class character in this game, in an environment where women traditionally take the "shy, slim, coy" types. In Russia, she's been used as the international symbol for female equality and gay rights, and nobody in the mainstream gaming world has taken any offense to this. This tells me, from a research-based perspective, that my decision to make some knights female will both be 1) accepted by the mainstream and 2) adored by particular small segments.

For reference, here is Zarya http://gameranx.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Overwatch2-Zarya.jpg

I appreciate everyone's feedback and questions, and I will very hopefully be finished with another painting today! Fingers crossed!
 

FleurMai

I really love the idea of at least some of the knights being female. I like to see more women represented in the court cards, particularly while *not* changing the name to something like "princess" which (for no particular reason that I can pinpoint) I abhor. Honestly, this choice only makes me love this planned deck more.

I've never supported anything on Kickstarter (paranoia) but I fully plan on buying one of the posters in the next batch and, later, the deck as well. The art speaks to me so clearly! And I do hope you intend to compile your notes on the cards into a book of some kind, because rarely do I agree so well with another's interpretations.

I just can't wait for the next batch of posters!
 

Arthurdubya

Finished this KofCups a few days ago!

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A sensitive, imaginative, and romantic individual, his is the most beautifully decorated of all armors, but also the least effective. It is lovingly constructed from gold, but also heavy and prone to damage, while the chestplate has been omitted to emphasize his finely tuned musculature at the sacrifice of actual protection.

The Knight of Cups is prone to dreaming and creating, his head in the clouds and full of wondrous ideals, his helmet simultaneously blocking out the world around him but emphasizing his own thoughts. His world is one of many possibilities, endless stories of colorful fancy and hopes, elegant words strung together, one where swords and any manner of artifacts can be summoned from water itself, but where little has tangible existence.

Balance is key, and while critics can deride him for failing to deliver on dreams, creatives applaud his openness and limitless thinking. After all, one cannot build the future if it has never been imagined.
 

rwcarter

Beautiful image, but why is there a watery sword in the Knight Cups card? I had to look hard to see the cup under the sword. Because the sword is huge compared to the cup, at first glance it looks like a KnS card.
 

Arthurdubya

rwcarter:

Thanks for the feedback! I didn't want the cup to be so large that it'd look like a bowl, but maybe a little bigger would help it be noticeable. I'll keep this in mind for future revisions!

The sword is there as a symbol of this knight's creativity and dreaming, but his tendency to avoid the tangible and realistic need of a sword: he can shift water into as many forms as he has ideas, but it cannot serve as the hardened steel of a real sword.
 

barefootlife

I absolutely love this deck, and I'm sad I missed the Kickstarter. Generally, people in decks aren't my thing, but the abstraction and beautiful coloring really speaks to me. I can't wait to see the whole thing finished!
 

Arthurdubya

Thanks barefoot!

The next set of 10 posters will be on Kickstarter in April. I'll be sure to let the board know when that happens :D

And there'll be people in all the court cards and major arcana cards, with the Ace-through-10 cards being just objects. Surprisingly though, sometimes the objects take longer to paint than the people!
 

Arthurdubya

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The last of the knights, the Knight of Pentacles is exceptionally well-prepared, obsessively crafting her armor and inspecting it for any abnormalities. She holds a heavy tome, poring over the logistics and theory behind her work while clad in the heaviest protection of all the knights. She can be considered a stubborn one, represented in the most static poses of the knights, and is also the only knight (and card so far) to have her feet planted on solid ground.

The design of her armor is also straightforward and realistic, crafted in flat easily formed plates, as opposed to the Knight of Cups' flowing and adorned forms. Her's is a tad uninspired, but effective.

The fruits of her labor hang above her helmet, dangling from antlers, a symbol of the tenacity and stamina this knight employs. There is very much to be gained from a steadfast and dedicated obsession with one's work, but be sure that you are not left behind, as the other knights dash off to put their armor and weapons to the test. The world's best chestplate is useless if it has not been struck.
 

rwcarter

Beautiful KnP. Definitely in my Top 5 KnPs of all time!