reall
Yeah!^^ cuz I always see that dog as a fool's guide/guardian angel!^^ and for some reason they are usualy white?^^ facepalm
The Alaire Deck
swimming in tarot
If I'm in doubt about a painting I'm working on, as with this Fool dilemma, I just put the image aside for a couple of weeks and don't think about it. Then the answer will hit me. 
Yes, the white rose stands out better with the darkly silhouetted Fool, which is a kick-ass composition. The Fool-dog-cliff trio is a strong compositional and card meaning element, and I personally would prefer to see them coloured the same as each other to maintain that compositional strength. Though, white (or cream) colouring does suit their carefree meaning. What would you think of a deeply red to red-orange sky, which only becomes yellow at the sun's disk by the white Fool's head? What about a dark (red?) outline for the Fool composition, which would help pick out the rose? (That would mean tweaking the trees' colour, so the red/green contrast wouldn't look angry; but there are, for example, blue spruce, golden spruce, autumn-golden larch/tamarack....at least the trees are "just" supporting players.) Oy, the more I think about it, the more I like the dark Fool. It ain't broke.
Perhaps we're all overthinking the matter--something the Fool would never do!
Yes, the white rose stands out better with the darkly silhouetted Fool, which is a kick-ass composition. The Fool-dog-cliff trio is a strong compositional and card meaning element, and I personally would prefer to see them coloured the same as each other to maintain that compositional strength. Though, white (or cream) colouring does suit their carefree meaning. What would you think of a deeply red to red-orange sky, which only becomes yellow at the sun's disk by the white Fool's head? What about a dark (red?) outline for the Fool composition, which would help pick out the rose? (That would mean tweaking the trees' colour, so the red/green contrast wouldn't look angry; but there are, for example, blue spruce, golden spruce, autumn-golden larch/tamarack....at least the trees are "just" supporting players.) Oy, the more I think about it, the more I like the dark Fool. It ain't broke.
Perhaps we're all overthinking the matter--something the Fool would never do!
swimming in tarot
By the way, I should have first said "Hi!" and "I really like where this deck is going!". You have a real feel for line, colour, and overall compositional balance. The deck is friendly, and the cards are easy to recognize. It would indeed be great as a borderless deck--and I hope you won't write off the idea of publishing it.
jalaire
Thank you, swimming in tarot!! That helps me a lot. I'm letting it sit right now, but I probably will end up repainting it as I keep getting different ideas lol. And your input has given me even more so thank you!
jalaire
Oh... also I wanted to post that I finished the lovers card. I'm VERY HAPPY with how it turned out, in fact I think it's my favorite so far.
https://instagram.com/alairedeck/p/0GX7b4nKMh/
https://instagram.com/alairedeck/p/0GX7b4nKMh/
reall
like color idea!^^If I'm in doubt about a painting I'm working on, as with this Fool dilemma, I just put the image aside for a couple of weeks and don't think about it. Then the answer will hit me.
Yes, the white rose stands out better with the darkly silhouetted Fool, which is a kick-ass composition. The Fool-dog-cliff trio is a strong compositional and card meaning element, and I personally would prefer to see them coloured the same as each other to maintain that compositional strength. Though, white (or cream) colouring does suit their carefree meaning. What would you think of a deeply red to red-orange sky, which only becomes yellow at the sun's disk by the white Fool's head? What about a dark (red?) outline for the Fool composition, which would help pick out the rose? (That would mean tweaking the trees' colour, so the red/green contrast wouldn't look angry; but there are, for example, blue spruce, golden spruce, autumn-golden larch/tamarack....at least the trees are "just" supporting players.) Oy, the more I think about it, the more I like the dark Fool. It ain't broke.
Perhaps we're all overthinking the matter--something the Fool would never do!
)Shade
Love that Lovers card. Also, looking at your Emperor on your site, I like that he and the Empress face each other when the cards are laid out.
jalaire
Ugh, I've been out of town unexpectedly for the last week with a family member in the hospital so I haven't been able to paint at all for a bit. I'm back home and finally painting again and finished the chariot progress I started a week ago.
I posted 4 progress shots of the chariot card over on the deck's instagram:
https://instagram.com/alairedeck/
I posted 4 progress shots of the chariot card over on the deck's instagram:
https://instagram.com/alairedeck/
blue_fusion
1. I love the fisheye lens-like distortion you're using. I think you should put this in all the cards to make the entire look more consistent. It also makes the deck stand out more when one compares it to other decks because it makes your images look more dynamic even though there's fewer visual elements there.
2. I like the color palette you used for the fool and empress cards. There's a slightly muted/yellowed tone in them that goes really well with your line art. I find the blues in the priestess a bit too strong when compared to the others, so it makes the card feel slightly less consistent with the other two. Of course, this issue can be fixed after you've scanned all the cards and laid them side-by-side (digitally) to make color corrections.
3. I like the fact that you're drawing on graphing paper! Haha I'll maybe follow suit when I tackle on projects that involve strong vertical and horizontal linear forms.
Good job and good luck!
2. I like the color palette you used for the fool and empress cards. There's a slightly muted/yellowed tone in them that goes really well with your line art. I find the blues in the priestess a bit too strong when compared to the others, so it makes the card feel slightly less consistent with the other two. Of course, this issue can be fixed after you've scanned all the cards and laid them side-by-side (digitally) to make color corrections.
3. I like the fact that you're drawing on graphing paper! Haha I'll maybe follow suit when I tackle on projects that involve strong vertical and horizontal linear forms.
Good job and good luck!
jalaire
1. I love the fisheye lens-like distortion you're using. I think you should put this in all the cards to make the entire look more consistent. It also makes the deck stand out more when one compares it to other decks because it makes your images look more dynamic even though there's fewer visual elements there.
2. I like the color palette you used for the fool and empress cards. There's a slightly muted/yellowed tone in them that goes really well with your line art. I find the blues in the priestess a bit too strong when compared to the others, so it makes the card feel slightly less consistent with the other two. Of course, this issue can be fixed after you've scanned all the cards and laid them side-by-side (digitally) to make color corrections.
3. I like the fact that you're drawing on graphing paper! Haha I'll maybe follow suit when I tackle on projects that involve strong vertical and horizontal linear forms.
Good job and good luck!
Thank you! I'm only using three paint colors ( a specific red, blue, and yellow...along with black and white) to paint all of them so hopefully they have a pretty cohesive color in the end just each with different ratios of each color. I'm almost done with the majors and I plan on doing a quick print on demand of the majors to see how they look in actual card form and if they actually flow. So then I can do some tweaking either digitally or to the actual paintings to make them come together more. I might even end up repainting one or more of the earlier paintings if I need to.
I will scan all the cards together and post them here so people can get an easier view of all the majors side by side and get a good idea of the overall flow. I also hope to have a few back designs options before I start the minors.
Thank you all again for the input! I greatly appreciate it!
