Animal/Nature Tarot

Annabloem

Great card, love the pictures and colours. Keep up the good work! I'll be following your progress
 

hereeternally

Bhavana said:
Oh, I just love this deck, and your work! The llama as fool is excellent, not just your painting, but also because llamas can be so funny, they are such characters - a little silly, a little foolish!!

Can't wait till this is a full deck....
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I gotta give some credit to a friend of mine for that one! We were talking about the cards and I mentioned that I was looking for a 'derp-y' looking animal for the fool, something silly and whimsical and funny. She suggested the llama and I laughed because it was a perfect fit :D

Topsy said:
Beautiful, creative and charming. I've loved every card so far, but I think my favourite is the Ace of Pentacles, closely followed by the Moon. You have a lot of talent. :)

It's interesting how taking away the human element can subtly change some cards, for example the Chariot. In traditional imagery for this card, the human charioteer is the focus, rather than the horses pulling the chariot. So the card is usually interpreted from the charioteer's perspective - struggling to stay in control of a situation, etc.

Portraying the Chariot as a wild horse puts a different slant on the card. While the traditional charioteer is reliant on the obedience of the reined horses to get where he/she needs to go, the wild horse can take herself anywhere at whatever pace she chooses. She is in control, but the challenge for her is to stay focussed. She is barrelling along but seems to have been distracted by something and is turning her head to look. So often, we resent being controlled by others but when we finally gain our independence we change our mind about where we wanted to go after all.

Ok, perhaps I'm reading far too much into the image there, haha! XD Just my individual take on the card. But seriously, this is beautiful, beautiful stuff. Please keep the pictures coming.

ETA: Oh, and I simply must ask... Was the 6 of Cups intended to be reminiscent of Bambi and Faline? Whether intentional or not, I can't think of a better picture for this card! It really embodies the fond memories and sweetness of childhood. :)
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Wow thank you so much! I'm blown away by your wonderful interpretation. Not including people in the paintings has been a challenge sometimes and the chariot was definitely a challenge as well; balancing the control and the loss of control was kind of tricky and I've been hoping to play with the images in a way that someone can still find some of the basic elements felt in the traditional cards. My fingers are crossed that when the deck is finally done, it will feel 'right' and that all the cards are nicely balanced.

I don't think Bambi was really in my head when I painted the Six of Cups though it did kind of hit me once it was done, lol. I had a few animals in mind for it but I felt that the gentleness in the young deer would work well with the card. I hoped the mother being in the distance but close-by would kind of give a sense of safety/security and that the children would be safe :)

Fly My Pretty and Annabloem, thank you so much! I'm only about a third of the way there, but I'm trying my best to continue working through them and making more :)

Here are the latest two:
The Three of Cups: http://sobeyondthis.deviantart.com/art/Three-of-Cups-Tarot-Card-310427399
The Two of Wands: http://sobeyondthis.deviantart.com/art/Two-of-Wands-Tarot-Card-311316825
 

Annabloem

I really love the two new cards. The Giraffe for the Two of Wands fits great, especially in the picture you drawn.
Also the happy dolphins are amazing. I think it's probably my favourite card as of yet, it's like the card sparkles with joy.
 

Moonson

great artwork!
like the cartoonish feel of some cards and the colors
Lovers and Wheel of Fortune are awesome!!
the reflection on the Moon is a great detail, Happy Squirrel and hanged man are sooo cute
keep up the excelent work!!
 

marimorimo

I absolutely love your paintings!
Now I have to admit, I'm not really much into animals but I think you convinced me :D I hope this gets published one day.
 

marimorimo

More beautiful cards! And I especially love how you chose the Northern Lights to represent the 7 of Cups. Very fitting :)
 
Liber for Simpletons: a stoned out Dead of the Dead Thoth fusion deck with bacon I Tarocchi di Fumo