~ Kayne's 21st Century Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Apr 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

kayne	23 Apr 2002
Alright... some of my friends here have been encouraging me to show everyone my latest project... and I have already posted a link in a study group thread (and TB made a reference to it in another thread) so... here it is... nowhere near finished. 21st Century Tarot I'd love to know what you think... and if there are any potential publishers out there... email me! :D

truthsayer	23 Apr 2002
kayne, i think your ideas and art are inspired. i would love to hear how you got some of your associations like hairdresser for death. psychologist for the high priestess and gambler for wheel of fortune made sense. terrorist for the tower was unusual but creative. i think that the idea works. your breakdown for the minor arcana court cards is very interesting, too. i can see where you're going w/ the breakdowns. it's a very original idea. i'd love to see the finished product. have you started the minor arcana yet? are you going to continue the theme of ppl in jobs in the minors or do you have something else planned. did you draw the pictures yourself? keep up the good work. with all the decks out there, it's good to see an original idea about tarot.

Tarotbear 2	23 Apr 2002
I must admit that I haven't had time to poke through everything yet, but when Kayne sent this to me he said it was a 'gay friendly' deck. O.K. Kayne-- is the hitch hiker (with or without his shirt - kayne sent me a 'special edition') a self-portrait?

faunabay	23 Apr 2002
Kayne, Very, very cool!!!!! I'll definitely be in line to buy one when it's published. I think you need!!! to get in touch with Llewellyn. By the way, you listed the Terrorist as the tower but the card sample is Arsonist. ???? I like the Arsonist card, but Terrorist could be very appropriate too. And I love the Psychologist as the HP. :)

Pollux	23 Apr 2002
I won't be praising you again... People get tired soon... P.S. Mind you all on the Forum, I was the first to see it :P

Liliana	23 Apr 2002
Yeah I love this deck, I want it :) I think you should change arsonist to terrorist, it would make it really a 21st century tarot with what is happening, ad make a big statement as well :) :THP

amyel	23 Apr 2002
Kayne - this is really well done!

Melvis	23 Apr 2002
Yay! It's the official unveiling of the 21st Century Tarot! Unfurl the banners! Strike up the band! Start the parade! :D Congratulations on the debut of your new 'baby', Kayne! I think it has a strong, cohesive theme and style that will lend itself well to Readings. So I'm with everybody else...when are you publishing? ;) One reason that I know this will be a great Reading deck is that I discover little touches in the cards each time I look at them. Have you noticed the graffiti on the Moon card? Too cool! Great job, Kayne! I look forward to each new card! (Not that I'm rushing you or anything...no pressure...just keep rolling out the good stuff!) Peace, Melvis :TSTRE (And hey, look at that...there's a little bit of Kayne in each post I make when I include his Tarot Icons in my signature. Maybe someday when you publish, you can recreate the Icons to carry subliminal messages that say, "Buy 21st Century Tarot." But then again, us Aeclecticans don't need much encouragement when it comes to using our purchasing power! :) )

kayne	24 Apr 2002
Thanks all of you for the encouragement! Regarding the Terrorist / Arsonist Tower... I originally decided to depict the Tower as a Terrorist, inlight of current events and all... but then I couldn't decide how to depict him. I want this deck to be very multicultural and appeal to no 'set' religions (by keeping strong religious imagery out of it...) and I felt that no matter what nationality the Terrorist was depicted as... in a way it would be offensive to those people. (btw. I have updated my 'Major Arcana Associations' now :)) Also, I am really pleased with how that Arsonist turned out. If you look carefully at the cards (you may have to click on them to see the large version) you will see the tradional name and number somewhere, as well as very tradional imagery from Rider Waite (eg. The Pomegranate Wallpaper in the Psychologist card and the 'Aries' badge on The Proprietor) I have used a photographed model to draw from in all these cards... Sometimes it is someone from a magazine but usually it is me or my friends posing in all sorts of positions... You would laugh if you saw that side of this deck! :P TB: You asked if the Hitch Hiker is me... ;) Truethsayer: You will just have to wait and see about that Hairdresser... At the moment I plan on depicting the Minor arcana with the suits Pens (swords), Keys (Wands), Coins (penatcles) and Rings (Cups). The actual images will show scenes from 'everyday' life in the same style as the majors... sometimes a bit more distant, sometimes in extreem close up, depending on where I want the emphasis. The number of objects (eg 7 Keys) will also appear in the picture.

Zhritza	24 Apr 2002
I love this deck, the Hitchhiker as Fool is perfect. I think Terrorist instead of Arsonist would sort of add political baggage to the deck, but also make that card much easier to identify with. I would like to see more of the gay-friendly aspect though :)

Major Tom	24 Apr 2002
Way to go Kayne! :D If you want to publish - perhaps you should put together a business proposal and send it out...

Malachite	24 Apr 2002
They Rock! Yay Kayne! (now, hurry up and get them published so i can buy some!)

Kaz	24 Apr 2002
its beautiful kayne, really really like it i hope you will publish it, coz i definately would like a copy. kaz

Liliana	24 Apr 2002
Well, even as an arsonist, we all can still THINK of him as a terrorist ;) I think you should scan in the images you drew from, itd be interesting to see. You minors soud interesting, I wasnt sure about rings for cups til i realized wedding rings for love, then it made sense :) What are the courts going to be?

kayne	24 Apr 2002
Lili: If you check out a link on the main page called "Minor Associations" it tells you all about it. :)

destinyawaitsme	24 Apr 2002
Wow, I like it! It's really original. I am really surprised because I am Ms. Traditional Tarot Deck...and I really like this deck. Also I'm a psychology major and I noticed that the High Priestess was the Psychologist..and the High Priestess is my Soul Card. I've always ha ideas for making my own cards,but never had enough faith inmyself to do it and stick with it...Kudos to you for sharing your work!

funkpuss	24 Apr 2002
When I first saw your cards, I thought it was quite simlier to the project that I'm working on. Anyway if i was you summitt your work to a Publishers NOW!! Funky p.s It would be good to hear from you:*

Tarotbear 2	24 Apr 2002
In truth, kayne, you should submit it BEFORE it's finished. Publishers want to see a potential in an unpublished work. You work on it between rejections and while they make their decisions. Remember...a book and deck set is the way to sell it! (Gee! who around here writes Tarot books....?) 8)

Diana	24 Apr 2002
edited

kayne	26 Apr 2002
Just finished :TDEAT Death, otherwise known as Hairdresser... It is online now if you wanna check it out.

Liliana	26 Apr 2002
great death card,I love the white roses on the patrons shirt. I also noticed today that your hermit appears to be left handed, being left handed myself I like that hehe :THP

kayne	26 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Liliana ...your hermit appears to be left handed... Well, you know, I am trying to cater to all minority groups. :D

funkpuss	01 May 2002
Hi Kayne, I forgot to ask how long did it take for you to get the idea for your cards and how long did it take doing the 8 cards you have already done?? Funky

kayne	01 May 2002
Thanks for asking Funky :D The idea has been running around in my head for well over two years... not sure exactly. The list of ideas has developed from there and is still subject to change if I have not made the card yet... I have tried many different methods of illustration as well (completely digital, collage and drawn, various drawing media, water colour paints etc) and it wasn't until I did my cards in the combined photoshop and drawn way for the First Aeclectic Collaborative Tarot Project when I really decided "I like that style!" And I have gone from there. I really started The Hitch Hiker at the beginning of 2002. I take a photo of my friends as models or find an appropriate photograph from a magazine, draw it, out line it, scan and colour it in Photoshop and add all the extra bits like photos I have taken (and sometimes directly from RW cards such as the flowers on the Hair Dresser's Customers cloak)... All this takes anywhere between a day and a week. My goal is defiantely to have completed my Majors by the end of the year (hopefully onto my illustrated minors too...)

funkpuss	01 May 2002
Hi Kayne, I will be using Photoshop & Illustrator for my cards but I need to practice drawing in Illustrator, it's taking ages. So I think I might buy one of those tablets with a pen that you can draw with, then put that in to photoshop. I had the idea for over 8 years now but I never had the time nor software to do it at the time. But now I know what I want to do with my cards I just have to take one step at a time because I know it will be a long process. But I don't want it to seem like a chor otherwise it will put me off for another 8 years so so. But I've now got the time to do it so I'm goig for it!!!! Funky

kayne	03 May 2002
Spent all day yesterday and at 3am last night I finally finished them! The Lover... check them out... (2 cards...)

Pollux	03 May 2002
WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!

Liliana	03 May 2002
Doing it with one person on each card was brilliant love, only have to do 2 instead of three, the apple tattoo was inspired, the angel from rider-waite being a painting above the bed is amazing, and also makes me want a real one for above my bed lol, wonderif Id look good with that apple tattoo ;) :THP

Zhritza	04 May 2002
I can't say it any better than Liliana did... Gorgeous, kayne.

MeeWah	05 May 2002
Kayne: The concept of a 21st Century Tarot in your hands is magnificent & inspired! Not surprising, considering the artistic genius you bring to it. I love the cards you have designed thus far & am eager to see the rest of the deck! I am also looking forward to purchasing it. The Arsonist instead of The Terrorist is appropriate & wise for the reasons you state. Also to avoid political overtones. If you are able to self-publish the deck, you could retain control over the deck by eliminating the middleman & sell it from your website. On the other hand, an established publisher could offer you exposure to a wider audience.

kayne	06 May 2002
I have been thinking a lot about publishing and I think I would like to attempt to be published by a known publisher, especially to get the benifits of distribution etc. If it looks like there will be no chance of that then I may self-publish. It will be at least three years before the deck is complete, if I stick to my goals... before would be nice but not realistic... As I am traveling all next year I think I will have to put this project on hold for a bit (if only I could lug my PC with me... or afford a lap top, portable scanner etc etc etc...) Therefore, my plan is to finish the Majors by the end of the year - definately - and then I think I will either work on the minors or courts... The main reason the Majors must be done before I go away is that I don't want the style changing (it tends to naturally evolve, in a sense) and if it is slightly different for the minors after I get back from Europe, it doesn't matter so much. This project I will complete I promise! (Even if it is just because of all the encouragement I have had from my fellow Aeclecticans! Thankyou!!!)

purplelady	09 May 2002
Who hitchhikes anymore?! But it does seem an apt symbol for the fool! The hairdresser for death , how original and befitting! The hairdresser cuts away the old , and re-shapes ,to transform someone into a new person. I Love All your deck creations kayne! Hope to see them completed and published someday.

The ~ Kayne's 21st Century Tarot thread was originally posted on 23 Apr 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.