Tarot 0 – X

Here are the first 11 cards in my tarot deck. My goal is to put together a book for this deck as well. I have all the cards made, but now I have to start writing. This has been a fun creative process digging into my sub-conscience psyche for the ideas of these cards. I actually am more proud of my minor arcana than the major arcana, so I can’t wait to show you those cards in the coming weeks.

I am still trying to come up with a name for this deck. This has been the hardest part of the making of these cards.

There are some obvious inspirations in some of these cards. Yes, The Lovers is a copy of that famous Gustav Klimt painting. It’s funny, when I got to the Lover card, that painting was immediately my thought, so I went with it. Other inspiration isn’t as obvious. Our friend The Magician is based on a depiction of Caspar, one of the Magi that visited baby Jesus. The Hierophant is based on the mythological Pope of the East, Prester John.

Some of the cards are a straight redrawing of the cards that already exist. Sometimes the icon of the Rider Waite or other popular tarot decks just speak to me the most, so there wasn’t a need to reinvent the wheel, as I did with the Wheel of Fortune.

Other cards were just pulled out of my head like my Justice and my Chariot. These just were in my head and when I sat down to draw them, that is what came out. I drew the ostrich and the peacock pulling the Chariot and I had to sit there and wonder why I thought that (other than my terrifying fear of drawing horses – one of the reasons I abandoned the western comic).

You will probably see as I publish more of these cards, I found a stronger voice. I drew these first. I went in order until I got to the minor arcana which I went by the numbers, drawing the four twos, the four threes, and so on.

Please let me know what you think.