Intro and thoughts on designing a personalized deck

[ex_lindsay366]

Hello all! :D

My name is Lindsay and i'm horrible at introductions. I picked up my first tarot deck well over a decade ago, and that might lead you to believe i could still remember what each and every card represented. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. I do tend to do fairly well with reading and giving interpretations, but i still need to use the wee booklets, which is frustrating.

I hadn't picked up a deck in months, and i got the urge to reconnect with my favorite deck the other day. I was very frustrated by the experience - not because of any problem reading the cards, but because i've got dodgy hands and could barely shuffle/hold/deal them.

First i had the idea to find a poker-card sized deck. Those are small enough for my hands, and i can still handle those quite well. I just wasn't inspired by anything i saw. Then i got the notion that maybe, just maybe, i could create my own deck.

I've already gotten 4-5 cards designed, and i've tried asking for feedback from my LJ friends, but there are so few of them that are really into tarot. And those that aren't, well, they comment on how much they like the art style or whatnot. Which is nice, and i don't hate that, but if no one minds i would be interested in posting them here from time to time, to get some feedback from folks with more tarot experience/understanding. :)

Comments

[corvus]

You made me interested in seeing the cards. I already visited your website, but I couldn't find them there.

When or before you posts card images, you should explain your approach to tarot. Even little information, like "This is based on my idea of the meanings of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot" or "I wanted to modernize the Etteilla Tarot" is helpful. It makes easier to understand your artwork.

When I speak about approach, I'm thinking about card meaning and symbolism rather than how you drew or painted the images. When people design their own tarot decks, they choose to present certain ideas and structure of ideas in their cards. That's why, for example, in Crowley-Harris Thoth Tarot, Aleister Crowley changed the traditional Strength card into Lust, and in Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot A.E. Waite kept the Strength card, but moved it to a different place. They had different ideas what the card should depict, and how it was related to the other cards. People may interpret an existing tarot tradition, or they may create many things from scratch. Or something in between.

[ex_lindsay366]

I haven't publicly posted them anywhere, actually. There's one or two behind friends-locked LJ posts, but nothing public. I'll probably post something public on the DW-side of things soonish. Just have to figure out which ones are ready for the public eye. :)

I'm not going for a re-interpretation of any particular deck. There will be some inspiration from previous decks i've used in the past, just because that is the nature of inspiration. As far as art style? Digital/photographic.

[ilyat]

I'm interested in seeing your interpretations. (I love looking at new art!)

[ladyseishou]

Not sure how much helpful feedback I could provide as the images you've selected for your cards are personal/meaningful to you but I would enjoy seeing them and talking about your choices.