New deck

I'm creating a deck from scratch. I've been an artist since 2010 and all my work is heavy on metaphor and symbology. I'm creating this deck to get into better touch with my personal symbology and instincts.

There's no theme but it is going be influenced by my love history, knowledge of folklore, my bisexuality - there will be two lovers cards in the deck both numbered 6 - my religion I'm a Kemetic Neo-pagan (I worship the gods of Ancient Egypt and venerate the ancestors) and my experience of being disabled - strength - is an old man with a walking stick hailing a bus.

I'm going to be making other changes to the Major arcana. Some small -Fool is becoming Trickster - a three tailed kitsune with blue eyes in High Goth - the fool is often read as innocent and he isn't. More dramatic changes empress is being replaced with the artisan and the emperor with the warrior. There are others but I won't list them now.

I need to do research because I'm stronger on some aspects of the tarot than others. I'm going to sketch each design in pencil. Then paint them in acrylic on water colour paper slightly smaller than A4 in proportion to Tarot cards. I'm expecting it to take months.

But the Fool IS supposed to be innocent/naïve - he's the start of the Fool's Journey, the progression from Fool through the major arcana.

A Trickster would more likely be the Magician.

Congratulations and Good Luck!

But - before you take brush to paper - I'm confused by how A4 is 'in proportion' to Tarot cards - you may want to glance at the thread 'If Only I Had Known' which is tacked to the top of this same forum ... it might save you some heartache or hair-pulling down the road ....

If the Fool is innocent, why is he shown in Jester's motley in RWS? A fool in the context of the jester only appeared innocent, one of his very important roles was speaking truth to power through humour and this apparent innocence. A trickster can appear innocent too, in some cases it's a matter of survival.

A4 isn't. I'm going to measure and cut it down. Unfortunately I don't have the exact numbers for you because this is the sort of maths I'm bad at and I'm getting my partner to do. (I have looked through if only I'd known)

I meant to add this to my original post, my deck is intended for me first and my Auntie second. My auntie reads tarot for herself and always adores my art.

To clarify, I don't at this time intend to do a commercial printing

oh! I like this!)) already see this will be one fantastic deck!))
creating a deck is big job!^^ it's something you do for yourself so don't listen to anyone and stay original!^^ ))

imo fool was always carefree not inocent or naive! /but can seem that way!))
and it can be that cuz fool know he/she don't have a reason to worry cuz he/she will get out of any situation!^^ /thanks to its special skills?^^ XD LOLZ ))

all best!^^ and don't give up on this!^^)

mauvedragon said:

To clarify, I don't at this time intend to do a commercial printing

Click to expand...

Yes - but if you are 'creating a deck' it is going to have to get printed 'somewhere by someone' at some point in time; - even if it is only one copy for your own use. I am merely trying to point out - before you design 78 cards and a card back - that A4 may be more comparable in size to a poker-size card than a Tarot card ... it is easier to create artwork in the correct proportions NOW than have to expand or reduce 78 completed artworks later ...

Just my two cents ...

Except mauvedragon didn't say they would be A4 - rather, "in proportion to Tarot cards," on paper that is smaller than A4, and that they would measure and cut it down.


Good luck with your undertaking, mauvedragon! It sounds like it will be an interesting and personally meaningful deck.

Yes that's true. 70 x 120 mm is the size of a tarot card. Multiply that by a factor 2.46r. 173mm x 296mm is the result. Turns out it needs to be narrower than A4 but the same length.

While people seem to be getting picky or prickly here I would like to point out that the thread 'If Only I Had Known' contains information about many parts of the 'I want to create a Tarot Deck' process, and is NOT primarily aimed at people who wish to create a commercial Tarot deck; there are many, many helping bits of info contained there that anyone may find helpful in the process of their deck's creation.