The Alice Tarot

baba-prague

tarot heart said:
I really like the cards you have up so far, er, except for the Hanged Man. I don't think the cat looks like it's hanging. It looks more like his head is stuck in the branches of the tree. The other cards, however, look fantastic. Of course, that's just my opinion. I like the idea of it though. Maybe it's one of the cards you're still "tweaking?"

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of this deck!

tarot heart
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No, he isn't hanging. In the book, he simply appears - in stages (not all of the cat is there all of the time). We're sticking to the story for this deck, rather than changing things to be more RWS. So we are showing him as he's appearing and before the whole cat is manifested.

ncefafn said:
I'm curious, Karen -- what is your thinking behind the use of the Cheshire Cat as the Hanged Man?
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We chose the Cheshire Cat as the Hanged Man because he's the only character who "rises above" all the action - he comments and questions more than he takes part. Of course, this means that he could, perhaps, alternatively have been the Hermit, but he's not philosophical or isolated in that way. There's also a bit of a joke (though you need to know the books to get it) about the execution aspect that many people read into the Hanged Man. The Cheshire Cat is under sentence of execution but as the executioner points out, you can't cut his head off when he doesn't have a body!
 

OctoberGwen

baba-prague said:
We're both enjoying this project a lot.
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I'm so glad. Your art brings joy to so many people; it's good to know you are enjoying this process while working so hard.

Your decks are very magical - all of them - and they are among my most treasured possessions. I will NEVER part with them. :D
 

ncefafn

baba-prague said:
We chose the Cheshire Cat as the Hanged Man because he's the only character who "rises above" all the action - he comments and questions more than he takes part. Of course, this means that he could, perhaps, alternatively have been the Hermit, but he's not philosophical or isolated in that way. There's also a bit of a joke (though you need to know the books to get it) about the execution aspect that many people read into the Hanged Man. The Cheshire Cat is under sentence of execution but as the executioner points out, you can't cut his head off when he doesn't have a body!
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Aha! Thanks for the explanation, it makes sense to me now!
 

FaireMaiden

baba-prague said:
Yes. This time we're just doing what we feel. Somehow, the break in making decks has freed us up a lot and we're having great fun and taking quite a lot of risks.
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I can certainly feel the difference in energy from this 'Alice' deck as opposed to the 'Bohemian Gothic' deck.

From the very beginning, it felt like the 'BG' was just under so much pressure... like a hot-house orchid being forced to comply in a timely-fashion for entry in a competition. Whereas the 'Alice' feels more like a wildflower, just out in a field, drinking in the sunshine and Spring showers to unfold its petals before our eyes.

I'm so glad both you and Alex are having fun with this one, Karen... it shows, *vbs*
 

OctoberGwen

FaireMaiden said:
I can certainly feel the difference in energy from this 'Alice' deck as opposed to the 'Bohemian Gothic' deck.
From the very beginning, it felt like the 'BG' was just under so much pressure... like a hot-house orchid being forced to comply in a timely-fashion for entry in a competition.
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Hm, well as someone who didn't witness the process at the time I can say the BG certainly doesn't carry any such vibe. It's a darkly beautiful masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

If Karen and Alex felt rushed or pressured, it doesn't show in the finished product.
 

cardlady22

It might have even helped, what with the mood in Gothic tales!
 

baba-prague

OctoberGwen said:
Hm, well as someone who didn't witness the process at the time I can say the BG certainly doesn't carry any such vibe. It's a darkly beautiful masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

If Karen and Alex felt rushed or pressured, it doesn't show in the finished product.
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We didn't feel rushed, but we did feel very pressured. I actually think that's in the nature of a Gothic deck - it almost has to involve becoming fraught and working late into the night and making yourself exhausted and neurotic. I think we just got too caught up in the whole thing })

The Alice Tarot is moving at a different pace, and proving quite... curious.
 

alice_addams

Love it! Honestly, when I saw the first scan I wasn't sure if this deck would be for me, but the more I see...looks like you will be outdoing the Wonderland for sure!
 
What Insights would you want from the Deck Artist and Designers? Which card did you create first?