So new it doesn't have a name yet...

Thanks Patrick. I'm usually a very fast (and impatient!)worker and part of the process on this deck has been teaching myself to slow down and pay more attention to detail. I'll be working on the other three Aces next and like this one, I'm looking to build the emblems completely in the computer rather than using photographic reference sources as I have previously. If you hear loud screams coming across the Atlantic, you'll know I'm tantrumming over not getting quick results! LOL.

Chris. xx

The 78th Fool said:

I decided to design my Pentacle emblem today and having come up with a satisfactory design, I went on to complete the Ace of Pentacles. This is nothing like I envisaged but I've rarely been so pleased with a finished piece of work. I've attached it below.

Chris. xx

Click to expand...

I like it - at last a Ace of Pentacles that dares to look different than most - it has a kind of massive and material "look" that fits that suit perfectly

la-luna said:

I like it - at last a Ace of Pentacles that dares to look different than most - it has a kind of massive and material "look" that fits that suit perfectly

Click to expand...

I wanted a sense of someone being outside, looking in. The girl is looking through the window of a castle. It's a secret place - you can see the gardens behind her are overgrown and the house itself has been forgotten as the greenery overshrouded it. We can't see what she's looking at; the only sign of the castle's hidden wealth is the jewelled and golden pentacle, set as an ornament within the stained glass window. If this is anything to go by, the room behind the window is a haven of riches and luxury, just waiting to be re-discovered and reclaimed. This is the promise and the potential of the Ace of Pentacles.

Chris. xx

Two new cards!

The Ace of Wands has taken a couple of weeks to formulate, both in my head and on the screen. The Sun was an unexpected surprise. I had planned to work on a different card but the Sun image took over and came to life within an afternoon's work. I hope you like them.

Chris. xx

Chris,

Definitely a lot of energy in that Ace Wands! I like the Sun, but to me it seems to have a different feel (as in it belongs to a different deck) than both the Ace Wands and the other cards you've already posted, especially the other Majors.

Rodney

Yar, I is agreeing with Rodney!

The Ace of Wands is very in keeping, and stunning! The Sun is gorgeous too, but rather 'San francisco' compared to the others so far...

The Sun should make a little more sense as more cards are completed. There will be other cards in a similar style and I'm also hoping to fuse this more 'graphic' style with my usual techniques in some of the images. I've already done this on a small scale with the Fool. The face is a photo reference but the hat is made up of flat shapes with added textures. Once there are a couple of other 'hybrid' cards, I'm hoping this one won't look so out of place.

It would be nice if possible to create a deck that slips in and out of several illustrative styles in one instance but also combines them all together in others. How successful I'll be is another matter! I'll have to see how the cards relate to each other once more of them are complete.

Chris. xx

I love the Sun and would love to see more cards like it!

Wow! Lovely artwork! What techniques are you using to create these images?

Sincerely,
Judy Z

Thanks Lee

Judy, I'm using photoshop to create these images but combining several different functions of the programme. Firstly, I'm using photocollage techniques where I can edit together and layer various photographic sources and add special effects. On top of this, I'm using some of photoshop's vectographic functions, although my skills here are still quite limited. The Sun was done almost completely out of vectographic custom shapes (I have loads of these on file - you can buy them online or build them yourself). I have thousands of them from the resources discs you get with photoshop magazine.

The Ace of Wands is a combination of the two techniques. I started out with a photo ao some fireworks which I put through a kaleidescope filter. I added several gradient and colour layers then I superimposed several custom shapes to add to the texture. The wand itself was made completely out of vectographics and custom shapes with various textures added.

Likewise, the Ace of Pentacles uses photographic sources but the windowframe and pentacle are created from custom shapes and the vectographic tools.

Chris. xx