The Importance of a Website?

Hello everyone,

I am currently in the process of writing and illustrating a tarot deck - the Dreams of Gaia Tarot - and I was wondering as to how important it is to have a website that explains the deck and showcases the art. I do most of my arting business online so I understand how beneficial they can be, but I'm interested in learning whether it has helped other tarot creators garner interest in their own decks.

Is having a website to promote a deck important, helpful? How much information about the deck, it's philosophy and structure should be posted online? Does posting such information online worry you with so many out there being so willing to steal another's hard work for their own benefit? Do you post all of your card art online, or do you keep some of it a secret for when the deck is released?

Your thoughts and opinions on this subject would be greatly appreciated as I am trying to decide whether having a separate website for my tarot is going to be of benefit and not a hinderance instead. On one hand, I want a separate website, and on the other, I'm wondering if I should simply set up a separate gallery for the tarot on my already established art website.

Thank you in advance ...

congratulations on working to birth a new deck!
I hope other artists will jump in here but as a deck user I love it when an artist has a website, it is one more way to bond with a deck and understand it's viewpoint.

If you run down the threads in this forum module you can find lots of links to artists websites and how each approached the issue you are thinking about.

If nothing else, the easiest and quickest would be blogger or wordpress for a blog,from which you can sell the deck when published. More pennies in your pocket, and collectors like signed decks.

edited to add: I should have looked at your profile first, I see you have a site on deviant art. This ace of water is beautiful.
http://artoftheempath.deviantart.com/art/Tarot-Ace-Water-129434427

Ooooo, that's very beautiful dreamsofgaia!
I think a website would be beneficial for you, just because you'd have a place of your very own to talk about the deck and what it means to you, and invite people in on the creative process. A site wouldn't be cost much (other than loads of personal time) to operate, and you can get a free one from many places if you don't mind advertisements.
You can link your site to your profile, advertise, just have it for more exposure, that kind of thing. Plus it's just fun to have a place where you can do anything you want
As for people stealing your art/ideas I don't know if I would worry too much about that. An entire deck of 78 cards is ambitious and anyone that ambitious and talented to copy your work would probably just make a deck of their own. But I would think you can also limit the scans you put up and watermark them. That kind of thing. But yes, do get a site I think you'll be glad you did!

i think it would be good...

for u have a website although the website u have is really well done. i must say the dragonfae oracle is beautiful but i want to know when the soul of the dragon is coming out or are they going to be individual cards because of what i did see i want it anyway looking forward to the tarot deck and the book of dreams coming out HARLEY

Here is a question though, will a web search for your name or deck bring up you on deviant art? It would if you named your blog your name...

First of all, let me just say thank you for sharing your thoughts and advice.

I will have a look through the older posts and do some reading.

Let me just say that I actually -do- have a website, several actually. I'm a bit of a web code junky from way back and have had an art gallery and professional portfolio online now for almost eight years separate to my deviantart gallery. My art site is Dreams of Gaia and my portfolio site is Art of the Empath, and both come up in the search engines when a search is done on my name.

That being said, I also own the .com of my own name too, but have not changed my main sites because I am known by Art of the Empath and Dreams of Gaia and by changing domain names I risk losing the search placements I already have.

I usually post a link to my deviantart gallery because it gets updated more frequently than my art sites do. I can simply upload the newest images as opposed to having to write and change several pages of html coding. I'm tend to get a little too focused on painting and writing to have enough time to update my website every week.

I am at present, wondering if it is more worthwhile to simply set up a tarot specific subdomain off my main art website, which again, I would have to find time to write the code to update, or whether a blog (which is a really good idea) would be a better way to go. Blogging is easy as it's a simple case of write and hit the submit button. It's nowhere near as fiddly or as time consuming (although with the way I ramble it would probably be quicker to update my webpage once a week *laughs*)

Hmm ... mayhap I should do both? I could blog everytime I have a new painting and then update the website with less frequency as the art is made available for purchase.

It's more the content I am still indecisive about. What kind of things do you like to read about? Do you want to know why the symbology used was chosen and what it means? Do you want full card meanings? Or would you be happiest with keywords and teasers that make you want the deck, but don't reveal everything before it's released?

Harley ... with regard to the Soul of Dragons oracle, unfortunately it could be at least a couple of years before it will be completed. My first priority is the tarot and it will take at a minimum another year. My hope is that my publisher will want me to do the Soul of Dragons as my next project after the tarot is finished, but even then it will take me at least six months to a year to paint the remaining cards and write the accompanying book.

Again, thank you ... AJ, your question about my deviant art listing has me thinking. My facebook page appears on page one of a search, while my DA gallery appears on page eight. I've been on facebook for less than three months and on DA for almost five years. Even my often forgotten website blog appears on page two.

It's food for thought. I am guessing that if I chose to update my website journal more often, or made my facebook profile public, both would probably serve better to promote my deck more than Deviant Art does.

Millions of people wouldn't touch Facebook or Myspace with a 10 foot pole. Of course the opposite is true also, they are really popular sites You seem to pretty much already have the web covered.

I still like the idea of a blog best. As you say it is so easy you would be more inclined to keep it up.
But this site is beautiful
http://www.dreamsofgaia.com/dreams_of_gaia_tarot.html