Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot

baba-prague

EDITED TO SAY: If you are just starting this thread you will find that it has become very long, and sadly many images had to be removed due to an attempted copyright theft (long story!) . This means you may find it easier to start at the end (!) where there is one post - a short way from the end - where a lot of the cards can be seen together. Look for the post with LOTS of web links.
Enjoy please =^{^=
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Deep breath. I am absurdly nervous about uploading these and have done just about everything I can think of to put off the moment. Not sure why. I think it's because this deck has turned out to be SUCH hard work, and yet I know that it's a "love it or hate it" and that some people may not like it at all. I promise to be open to ALL feedback, good and bad.

But on the other hand, if you like cats, costumes and fantasy, well... you may well enjoy it. We've had huge pleasure out of making these cards:

http://www.tarotofprague.com/cats/c_empress-small.jpg

http://www.tarotofprague.com/cats/2cupssmall.jpg

http://www.tarotofprague.com/cats/c_chariot-small.jpg

Queen and King of Swords on their way.

Oh and I need to say that all costumes are made by our amazingly talented (and patient) Finnish friend, Anna Hakkarainen - we could never have even begun this deck without her.

Out in late spring, all being well :)

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edited to add. They are not the absolutely final versions. We've done almost the full 78 sketches and are now working through each card to finish it. These are probably 95% there, but we do have a habit of changing things right up to the last minute - especially Alex (don't tell him I said that :) )
 

Le_Corsair

Cats and clothing - - try and tell me this deck won't be popular with the ladies!

Let's see more!

Bob :THERM
 

Tallarico

I want it!

I LOVE IT!!! Yes, I am a lady!! ;)
 

baba-prague

ladies only?!?

Well, it is a man/woman partnership who designed it remember :) and I hope it will appeal to at least some men somewhere LOL

Okay, it probably is a feminine deck in many ways. But look closer and it isn't all prettiness. We do want it to be a real reader so there are some more subtle things going on, in some cards at least, than are at first apparent. Presently (probably in fact tomorrow) I will upload the very macho (er, kind of) King of Swords - just for Bob and the boys!

For some reason there is a high proportion of Siberians in these first cards - have to say that's because we have a real liking for Siberians. However, in other cards we have a lot of mixed breeds as well as pedigree breeds - Maine Coons, Persians, Exotics, Somalis (the Chariot card is a Somali, but we also have a silver Somali), Burmese, Angoras, British Shorthairs, Russian Blues and many others. We are hugely indebted to the cat breeders of Prague who have been incredibly enthused and kind about letting us photograph their cats.

All we need now is a Sphinx (actually we have one, but not a terribly good photo).
 

catdoc

Baba,
Based on this tempting pre-view, I believe that I will be firmly on the love it side of the two options offered. The costumes are luscious and the Baroque style a visual banquet. I am assuming that you did not actually 'dress' live cats........if you did your circle of cat friends provides more cooperative models than mine :). I would be interested in learning more about your creative process for this deck.

Now Bob, come out of the cat lover closet. I can't tell you the number of times a burly guy has stood across the exam table from me, his beloved cat in his arms, the depth of his love so obviously exposed. He trys in vain to pull together the shambles of his masculine facade, by stating in the most non-chalant tone he can muster "I'm not really a cat person, but this cat is different!"

It is a new world. Men are no longer oppressed and held to a limited role of obedience and dull suits. Fashion and Felines for all!

Deb
 

baba-prague

catdoc said:
I can't tell you the number of times a burly guy has stood across the exam table from me, his beloved cat in his arms, the depth of his love so obviously exposed. He trys in vain to pull together the shambles of his masculine facade, by stating in the most non-chalant tone he can muster "I'm not really a cat person, but this cat is different!"

Oh, I love this comment. That's great. I have actually seen this happen.

Must tell you that years ago when I had a kitten and was living in a shared flat I got home early one day to hear a man's voice going "Here kitty, here little kitty, here darling, come here". I walked into the room to find a rather macho type lying on the floor whispering sweet nothings to my kitten. When he saw me he shot to his feet and came out with the immortal excuse "Er, just trying to get it to come over to me so I can throw it out of the room". Yes, quite :)

Anyway CatDoc, there could not be too more dissimilar cat decks I think. I really like the contrast. Yours is very realist (much more so that any full cat deck I've seen - the behaviour just looks right) and ours is in most ways pure fantasy. Easily room for both (and more). I hope 2004 will be a vintage year for the cat in tarot!

Oh, and no, we didn't dress up cats. Though we do keep getting asked that :)
 

lark

These cards are just beautiful.
I especially love the borders you did around the pictures.
I have a suggestion.
On the two of cups the 2 off to the side bothered me.
I would rather see it in the middle with two cups at each end of the card to identify it as a cup card.
Maybe it's just me.
I like things really balanced. :)
 

baba-prague

Thanks for that suggestion Lark. The borders and titling style are not final yet, so we will certainly think about what you've said. The current font style and the style of the suits symbols certainly need work. You're right, they aren't yet balanced.

The borders are based on Rennaissance "stump work". It is actually (incredibly) micro-embroidery done on an ivory background. It is all taken from a cabinet we found in the museum here and were allowed to photograph. We had to do a lot of restoration work digitally. On screen you cannot remotely see the tiny stitches, but in print you will be able to.

I have loved embroidery all my life - though I have never been that good at it to be honest. So this deck is a real indulgence for me - fabrics and embroidery everywhere!

__

Bob - taking your quote:
What can I report of a man who, on his wedding night, wore more lace than I?" - - Isabel II of Spain

All I can say is, that's my kind of guy! (ROTFL)
 

lark

The borders reminded me of crewel work. A type of emboidery I've done for many years.
That's why I asked about them.
What a wonderful idea for borders.
Can't wait to see the rest.
 

HudsonGray

THIS IS GREAT!!! Baba, you'll sell a ton of these when they're done! I love it! You KNOW how everyone loves cats. A good looking cat deck on the market will get snapped up fast.

Ok, so you didn't dress the cats up--I'm trying to figure if you posed them with their paws in the right place & took the pictures, or did the paws as a separate picture & manipulated them digitally to where they needed to be. And if you didn't dress them, then the clothes had to be posed on some sort of framework & then be matched to the cat's size & position....NOT all that easy to do.

I think I like the numbers to be centered too, but I guess that depends on if you can find the right width bottom border design to accomodate that without having to cut sections out of the main design. I don't know if it would show off better with a black background behind the embroidery on the borders or if the lighter color is what you need to work with. I like black framing, but that's just me.

What size are the finished cards going to be? Is this a large deck (easier to see the details) or a smaller one? For this, I think large would be better, but I know everyone likes small cards as they're easier to shuffle.

Women will love this. Gay guys will love this, and I think men will also use/buy it if they like cats. A 'manly man' may balk, but then most tarot are bought by women anyways, so you're not talking about loosing much of the market due to any perceived feminine aspect.