B&W Or Colored?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 31 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Tarot_Cupcake	31 Aug 2002
What do you think or the strengths and weaknesses of black & White decks versus the colored ones? Does b&w make the imagery stand out more, or does colors add to the intuitiveness for you? Would love to hear opinions!

Kaz	31 Aug 2002
i have the book of chaos deck, that is black and white and i love it :-) another one that is beautiful is the deck mentioned somewhere else, by david chastain, i would like to have that one. victoria regina deck, don't have it, but is also beautiful what i have seen of it online. if the arts speaks to me, i like a deck, corlored or b/w kaz

Laurel	31 Aug 2002
I'm going to agree with Kaz. Its the provocative quality of the art that grabs me. I generally choose colored decks, but that's just because they're more comon. There are several B&W decks I consider just as gorgeous and would happily work with if they crossed my palm. :) Laurel

truthsayer	31 Aug 2002
for some reason, i find myself feeling more serious when using my black and white decks. i love colored decks but sometimes that color can be distracting from the overall artistic quality of the deck. i think great color is used sometimes to try to cover up deficient art in a card. in a black & white deck, the artists has to work harder on artistic quality b/c there is no color to distract the reader's attention so you end up really seeing how good the drawing really is. i feel the same way about old movies. i've seen a lot of old movies and imho more creativity was involved in trying to translate words into images. now there's so much color and special effects that even if a movie is awful you usually don't notice b/c the action and fx blow you away. i wish everyone enjoy seeing the old movies in black and white. color detracts from the art of the film. i'm not saying i prefer B&W decks but i find them better artistically in a general sense. right now i can't think of a color deck that i can rate artistically as high as i do the Victoria Regina. i also like the tarot of light and shadow. i've noticed lots of ppl trading that one. the art is rather harsh but it's the decks originality and uniqueness that draws me. i've never read w/ it but who knows. right now i'm trying to track down a copy of david's tarot. the art is simple but packs a lot of punch in that image. it wouldn't be as effective in color. i also enjoy doing pen and ink drawings myself. somehow it's easier for me to communicate feeling in the black and white. detail stands out more so i work harder for strong artistic merit. when i paint in color, my emphasis changes to color and texture. my mind is on artistic merit w/ color but i'm more relaxed when i paint so my paintings are much freer than my drawings. what about color decks that might have more impact as a BW deck or BW decks that might have more impact colored? thanks for posting this question. in the back of my mind i've been thinking about this concept for a while but didn't have the presence of mind to say anything.

candace_griot	01 Sep 2002
Hello, I have several decks, two of them black and white (Victoria Regina and Light and Shadow). For me, there is no deck that is as powerful as the Light and Shadow. I find Victoria Regina clever and intelligent and I love having it, but I haven't yet been able to read with it. As for the colored decks, the best one for me has been the World Spirit. I'm looking for more black and white decks that have the intensity of Light and Shadow.

Phoenix	01 Sep 2002
I am going to go against the majority and say that I do not care for black and white decks. To me, the images look very....blah. No dimension, very plain. I much prefer brightly coloured decks. I sometimes feel that I can walk into the cards. They are so much more in depth. I would probably get very bored with black and white decks.

candace_griot	01 Sep 2002
Hello, Phoenix, When you say that black and white decks are "blah", do you include Light and Shadow? It's one of the most intense, "coming right at you decks" I've ever seen.

Phoenix	01 Sep 2002
Yes. I consider that deck to be blah too, in my opinion. But if you like it, more power to you.

Xarokys	01 Sep 2002
I love my B&W decks like the Victoria Regina and Light and Shadow and use them quite often. But I also love the brightly colored decks like the Glastonbury. And I love the decks that are in color but more muted. Heck, I love 'em all, I'm a tarot-holic. I guess it just depends on my mood.

catlin	02 Sep 2002
Today I got my first black and white deck, the Ravenwood Eastern deck. I still have had no time to explore it but I will come back later to it again.

Emily	02 Sep 2002
The only black and white deck I have is the Victoria Regina, I like the victorian era and loved this deck as soon as I saw it properly. It does take a little practise to be able to read with it though lol :)

Jewel	03 Sep 2002
Personally I prefer decks with color ... the brighter the better *LOL*. I have nothing against black & white decks, but I have found that in working with the cards I am stimulated by color. For some reason the b&w decks just do nothing for me. I have briefly owned 2 B&W decks (Victoria Regina and Light & Shadow) and I traded both of them very quickly. But I have to confess the VR was not traded because it was B&W it was the guns suit that turned me off, the art is exquisite. I rather them be in good homes where they'll get used than sitting on my shelf collecting dust. But to sum it up, I am with Pollux here ... I like color.

Keslynn	03 Sep 2002
I too love color and BRIGHT colors too. I found some lovely orange paint for my new bedroom. heehee But I digress... I love decks like the World Spirit because of the brightness and light. However, I do own and like the Victoria Regina but that's probably due to my interest in history. Normally, black and white really doesn't do it for me. :) Kes

juice	04 Sep 2002
The few b/w I've seen just looked limited to me. I admit that b/w artwork requires work. My problem with anime and a lot of latest and greatest cartoons looked like they tried to smear some color around in a blotchy way and hope you find detail that they didn't take the time to add in. I just looked at some sample of Victoria Regina and think it is better than many escpecially since it is b/w/shades of grey, plus good artwork. Ok I checked the sample of light and shadow on this site too and VR is much better. Once you get past the use or abuse of color, good art decks in color are far more powerful. Its like using the dimentions available in b/w and then having another set of dimensions to express ideas in.

jmd	04 Sep 2002
Not counting the BOTA, which is produced Black & White in order for the owner to colour it, the only other B&W deck I have used is the Hermetic Tarot - and not for reading, but for Golden Dawn sudy. Personally, though delineation may be finer in B&W decks, I find that fuller depth is presented with fully coloured decks - or at least decks having partial colour (as the Royal Fez Morrocan).

truthsayer	05 Sep 2002
if i'm not mistaken the mountain dream tarot is a B&W photo tarot that is tinted w/ colored lens filters. i don't know of any other B&W photo tarot. when i compare it against other colored photo decks, there seems to be a clarity and detail to the pix i don't see in colored decks. maybe it's just me. it's not that i like B&W decks better. i find them visually interesting in a different way than colored prints. it reminds me of something i heard the great B&W landscape photographer ansel adams said. someone asked him when he was going to try colored photography. he said as soon as he understood everything about B&W. i think you could say the same about color. both are so different in how you perceive imagery. the more i understand graphic design the better i'm able to understand why certain decks are better than others artistically. for example, i now understand why the cosmic tribe is so popular. the graphics on the photos are expertly done. i can also understand the graphic problems of the gendron better. nothing better to help one understand an art form than studying the craft used to create it. some scenes are better in B&W. some better in color. the major difference is the skill and choices of the artist. knowing whether one wants color or B&W to communicate an image is a lot of trial and error and then some gift/instinct.

Jewel	05 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer some scenes are better in B&W. some better in color. the major difference is the skill and choices of the artist. knowing whether one wants color or B&W to communicate an image is a lot of trial and error and then some gift/instinct. I so agree wtih this! I think you have hit the nail on the head.

Strega	06 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel Personally I prefer decks with color ... the brighter the better *LOL*. I have nothing against black & white decks, but I have found that in working with the cards I am stimulated by color. Same. Me loves colors! :D

The B&W Or Colored? thread was originally posted on 31 Aug 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.