Restoring A Classic

I too would agree to leave the original lettering - I cannot see the point in changing it if part of the task is to present the deck as historical deck.

With the colouration, of the example presented, it would be useful to see more clearly the woodblock design behind the dark blue of her robe, and also behind the current green.

In terms of whether to maintain the current bleeds, I'm frankly neither fussed one way or the other - I really do like the precision presented by Flornoy (as suspect that the intent was always for greater rather than less precision) - but also like to be able to see what actually occurred in the exemplar we happen to have.

Well, as someone who is color-blind, I cannot really comment much on the colors. I will say, however, that I didn't notice the color bleeding, and I do like the fact that you haven't brightened the colors too much (although I do like the brightness of the restored Noblet - I think it's entirely in keeping with the general bawdy/cheeky nature of the deck). I think this is going to be a lovely deck.

Jean Payen 1743 Restoration Project

Hello all, and Thinbuddha,

Any news ?
What about this project ? Have you decided after you got our reflexions wich parts will be changed and/or improved.

Or to be more unpatient... to wich card are you already gone )

As JMD I thinks that to see black lines is a good way to restores this deck.
With of course good blue and green.

About bleeding, I constat that most of us prefers to let some bleeding as per original. It is just a question to in the same process to highlight slowly the black lines.
Not an easy job but you seems qualified for it.

Waiting with passion...

Yves Le Marseillais

I have "completed" about 15 cards (all trumps). I took a couple weeks off, and just got started up again a few days ago. Bringing out the details of woodblock lines that are hidden in the dark blue areas has (so far) proven to be beyond the scope of the project. I do plan on trying a few more tricks, but it seems that to do it right will be incredibly labor intensive. I can barely see the lines, and much would be guesswork, so I may not actually do this step.

Until I actually choose a card stock, I won't finalize the colors, but I expect this to be relatively easy- the hard part is cleaning up the images.

I was actually going to post a new card today, so here it goes:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj293/thinbuddha/ChariotTest1.gif

The original is on the left, restoration in the middle, and on the right is a previsualition of what it might look like once it is printed on a card stock. Again, the blue and green won't be finalized until I pick out the card stock ans see how this all looks when printed. The light blue is a little too neon for my tastes, at the moment, but it looks more subdued when printed, so I'll tweak it later.

-tb

Jean Payen 1743 Restoration Project

Hello Thinbuddha,

It is good to have fresh news: Thanks.

Your project is good and I appreciate to see that somebody take care of an authentic tarot deck for restoration.

Your blue color remind me of a real Jean Pierre laurent Deck I did saw and manipulated last year in a Paris Museum before shooting him by courtesy of Museum Curator:
Same deep blue slightly electric (or neon if you like).
And JP Laurent is a really nice full deck (besancon type for his Junon/Jupiter addition).
A fac similé was édited around 1985 if I well noted. OOP of course now.

Waiting like all Tarot fanatiks )

Pace I Salute

Yves Le Marseillais

Hello Thinbuddha:
You re doing a wonderful and a too awesome work about Jean Payen deck.
I love it deeply and also think that here along with Jean Pierre Payen there will be a more deep focusing on them.
I yet have on my mind the excellent (as allways ) "post Academic article" of Mr. Caldwell about those authors decks.

All the fire of my heart and my mind are with you and I m sure you will conclude your "finese" work at soon.
I m agree with Yves Le Marseillais and also with JMD.
Surely your Payen will finally achieve the "touch" as a pianist performing Mozart,trying to understand "What was on his Mind".

Friendly=Fire-ndly !!!

Eugim

I am not a Marseilles person but this restoration is lovely. How wonderful that you can bring an old deck back to life.

If by "bleeding" you mean that slight fuzziness I like it very much. It seems softer than some other Marseilles decks. The colors work well, I especially like the almost teal blue color of La Papesse's dress.

Personally, I think the muted, older looking colors are more attractive than the more brightly colored Marseilles reproductions.
--Myrrha

Yes, it has a very different feel, definitely! I like the softness of it.

thinbuddha said:

Thanks all for your input.

After printing out a test run of a few cards, I've decided that the light blue is probably a little too "electric" for the look I'm going for. I need to shop for card stock to be sure, but I may need to bring that color into the realm of a more realistically colored pigment.

Click to expand...

This is a great project you have taken on TB! Such dedication!

I have to agree with you on the blue colouring aspect - I understand what you mean about the "electric"(ness) of the colour, as I get this impression a little as well - but maybe the card stock will sort this too? Im sure you are making the right decisions - its hard to actually know that exact colour on the computer anyway. The cards are looking great - I just had a look at the chariot as well.

This will be a beautiful deck to own ...

Cheers
Elven x

here is my take

first my question

is the original colour a very very very faded blue or was it a dark gray?
what sources did you use to get that colour from (not a marsielles person here)
for it to be restored,, it should click to the original colour as much as possible but look like it was vibrantly, deeply colour today.

as it is,, i love your restored look, but i wouldn't called it restored it would call it thin buddha recoloured restored deck. see the difference?
once you change the colour ,, it is no longer a restoration.

the bleeding effect in the necklace can easily be rectified, simply draw a line there where there was none before and voila no bleeding.

and so if you are going to change the colours (i do not necessarily know if you did that for that colour in the original could be very very very faded blue ) might as well go the whole way and put some back ground colour like black in all that white space behind the figure.
that is something i would like to see.

*hint *

perhaps do two decks ,, one restored with original colour andone where you took artistic liscense and went at it