Arthurdubya
I started my deck about a month or two ago, but since I have a full-time job I've only been able to get one image done every week or two. This is going to take a while!
I've got descriptions and symbolism for each image on this page:
http://imgur.com/gallery/2RiZX
This deck started rather innocently as a personal project. I had never read tarot cards, but was drawn to the ideas, symbolism, and occult references. I looked around to find a deck I really wanted, but thought: "I don't see any decks that I'm drawn to, that really represent me. I should make my own."
I wanted my deck to be something luxurious, captivating, and loved. Coming from a product design field, there were certain details I needed to have, especially in an item that carries so much meaning and sentiment. Soft-touch nonreflective coatings on all the cards, metallic ink, UV gloss-on-matte coatings for the back, and black edging. After a week of research, I realized this was going to cost big money, and take about 900 hours to fully complete.
In that case, go big or go home! This deck is still in its infancy, but the plan now is to get 30-40 cards done by next September and fund it via Kickstarter!
Anyway, more about the actual deck concept! This is copy-pasted from an explanation I gave to someone else, which was my first time putting this into words:
"I've always imagined that visions are removed from their context, much like how dreams are difficult to decipher because they have no obvious context or meaning. We wake up, and we have a vague feeling and recollection, but things are not very clear. I love this feeling, not in a warm-and-fuzzy way, but in an intriguing and thought-inspiring way, and I wanted to recreate it.
Another analogy is like having the reader temporarily take the perspective of a trans-dimensional being. Crazy, but bear with me.
To them, time and space have no set properties. The symbols we have in these cards are artifacts from another world, transplanted from our time into their museums, frozen halfway in motion and souvenirs of how humans embodied their intuitions, fears, and hopes. Even when a person is depicted, that person is not seen as its own human personality and entity, but as a vessel for an idea. This is the reason I plan on obscuring every human's face: so they have no identities, and stand as a symbol for a human. When a reader sees an image in this deck, I want them to see through the eyes of our trans-dimensional visitor for a brief moment, to see their anthropological take on our human nature, and to be present in this barren museum room of man's psyche's artifacts."
Sorry for the long read! If you've kept up so far, thank you!
I can't say I have much experience reading tarot, as I'm a beginner, but I've got a professional reader as an aide to ensure I have the requisite symbolism and meanings behind each card, and I want to share all of this with you guys in exchange for your thoughts and suggestions!
I'd also like to think that I can help contribute back with my experience in the illustration field and product design, so if you have any questions regarding the nitty-gritty, never hesitate!
I plan on keeping this forum in the loop as things progress, but if you want to follow outside of it (especially when Kickstarter time starts to near) you can join up here! https://www.facebook.com/TrueBlackTarot/
I've got descriptions and symbolism for each image on this page:
http://imgur.com/gallery/2RiZX
This deck started rather innocently as a personal project. I had never read tarot cards, but was drawn to the ideas, symbolism, and occult references. I looked around to find a deck I really wanted, but thought: "I don't see any decks that I'm drawn to, that really represent me. I should make my own."
I wanted my deck to be something luxurious, captivating, and loved. Coming from a product design field, there were certain details I needed to have, especially in an item that carries so much meaning and sentiment. Soft-touch nonreflective coatings on all the cards, metallic ink, UV gloss-on-matte coatings for the back, and black edging. After a week of research, I realized this was going to cost big money, and take about 900 hours to fully complete.
In that case, go big or go home! This deck is still in its infancy, but the plan now is to get 30-40 cards done by next September and fund it via Kickstarter!
Anyway, more about the actual deck concept! This is copy-pasted from an explanation I gave to someone else, which was my first time putting this into words:
"I've always imagined that visions are removed from their context, much like how dreams are difficult to decipher because they have no obvious context or meaning. We wake up, and we have a vague feeling and recollection, but things are not very clear. I love this feeling, not in a warm-and-fuzzy way, but in an intriguing and thought-inspiring way, and I wanted to recreate it.
Another analogy is like having the reader temporarily take the perspective of a trans-dimensional being. Crazy, but bear with me.
To them, time and space have no set properties. The symbols we have in these cards are artifacts from another world, transplanted from our time into their museums, frozen halfway in motion and souvenirs of how humans embodied their intuitions, fears, and hopes. Even when a person is depicted, that person is not seen as its own human personality and entity, but as a vessel for an idea. This is the reason I plan on obscuring every human's face: so they have no identities, and stand as a symbol for a human. When a reader sees an image in this deck, I want them to see through the eyes of our trans-dimensional visitor for a brief moment, to see their anthropological take on our human nature, and to be present in this barren museum room of man's psyche's artifacts."
Sorry for the long read! If you've kept up so far, thank you!
I can't say I have much experience reading tarot, as I'm a beginner, but I've got a professional reader as an aide to ensure I have the requisite symbolism and meanings behind each card, and I want to share all of this with you guys in exchange for your thoughts and suggestions!
I'd also like to think that I can help contribute back with my experience in the illustration field and product design, so if you have any questions regarding the nitty-gritty, never hesitate!
I plan on keeping this forum in the loop as things progress, but if you want to follow outside of it (especially when Kickstarter time starts to near) you can join up here! https://www.facebook.com/TrueBlackTarot/
