Wicked Tarot Kickstarter Campaign

Colleen007

The artwork does look dark and interesting. I especially like those big cats in the Queen and King of Wands. They just reek of passion and power.

I am also wondering about the size of the cards, and the artwork medium. I can't tell if they are painted or computer generated.
 

mrossi

The artwork does look dark and interesting. I especially like those big cats in the Queen and King of Wands. They just reek of passion and power.

I am also wondering about the size of the cards, and the artwork medium. I can't tell if they are painted or computer generated.

Hi Colleen. Good questions. The cards are the size of a Rider-Waite, Deviant Moon, etc. The artwork medium is a mixture. The central images start as illustration by hand. They are then brought into the computer and completed digitally. Simple reason for that - to print these decks, the artwork must be transferred to digital in order to generate the plates for proper printing (fyi - we do not use digital printing, we use real printing, but the tools to create the printing process start with digital). When images are hand painted to completion, then go to print, often times they can lose detail due to the process of transferring the painted art to a printable form. We wanted to ensure the highest quality image after print. Coming from a background where I have used a lot of printed materials, I find we always get much sharper detail when we use this method. And sharp detail is where it's at as far as I'm concerned. :)

Have you backed the campaign yet? I hope you will. And let me know if you have any more questions. Thank you and I couldn't agree more about your comments on the King and Queen of Wands. Wait till you see some of the other ones! Backers on the campaign get private updates with all the images. *wink wink* haha.
 

mrossi

I thought the same as Theta Choir - pretty big borders resulting in smaller images. It's those huge borders that are putting me on the fence of backing the campaign.

Rodney

Hi Rodney! And Theta! Something to keep in mind. Many of the cards you're seeing seem to have much larger borders as the files were set up with bleeds so they can be printed all the way to the edge of the card. Much of the outer (black) border will be trimmed to maximize the image size on the card. Check out my other comments about the stylistic approach as well for more explanation there too. I know you'll love these when you see the printed versions.

Hopefully you'll contribute to our campaign. We've tried to keep the price and packages very fair to make it a great deal for everyone. We'd love your support.
 

mrossi

I'm the same way. It looks more like a card game like Magic The Gathering rather then tarot with those borders. I love like for patterns and how cards flow together and even with the borders chopped off I'm not sure how much of card would be left to see.

Can you give us any insight as to the reason behind the border design?

Hi Starlight! So here's the insight.

1) yes, part of the idea is for overall artistic flow. When laid out, it creates a beautiful image, pattern and flow, which I find more pleasing to read with and less fragmented than many decks I own.

2) You'll see size info in some of my other posts made at the same time as this one. But you'll find as much of the necessary part of the image is as clearly and sharply visible as you would see on a Rider-Waite (for example) when you focus on the image. Keep in mind, most decks have a central image and the rest of the image (that would be where the borders are on ours) is simple background imagery that is unnecessary to the message of the card (true for many decks, but certainly not all decks).

3) I used to read a lot with the Russian Tarot of St. Petersberg. Pros and cons for me - I LOVED the overall style, feel and flow of that deck. But I thought the central image was too small. With this deck, I wanted to mimic that feel and flow (brought into our illustration style), but create a stronger, bolder central image. To me, it's more pleasant to have a flow and consistency to the collection of images rather than what often results in a more fragmented feel to the art that you see frequently.

4) Both the artist and I have studied many decks. Both of us are inspired by strong, central, impactful images. Using this style, we focus the reader on the central image and its message. It's like writing. Too much flowery prose can often soften the message. Clear, concise language conveys a message more directly. Our design aesthetic is to convey the message of the card in a more impactful, central image to assist the reader. It's, to me, more direct of a message in the image rather that spreading the message out over too many elements. A reader is best benefitted in my experience by quickly seeing the unambiguous message in the card. This is why I tend to avoid more abstract art in Tarot decks like some of the others I've seen or own.

As a 20 year student/reader, this was a critical issue to me as well. I find the images very easy to work with this way and I get to much clearer messages as well as the "feel" of the card. I have always gravitated to decks with similar style and the "feel" of the image tends to open me up more to the overall point of the spread. This has always been a critical part of reading for me and I find that many of my students spend too much time focusing on the various elements of the image when they are too large or cluttered with too much detail and miss the point. To me, readers need to rely on their own information as well, and too much distraction from the message can cause confusion in our mind.

Anyway, I hope you'll give our deck a try. I think you'll find it fabulous to work with and I hope you'll back our campaign. :)
 

mrossi

I have no objection to the borders and they certainly will not deter me from buying a deck :love:

I think the borders are rather magnificent and they help to set the deck apart from all the numerous other decks that seem to be flooding the marketplace (USP)

Also, the large borders give the cards an antique appearance. Those of us who will be reading for others, be assured the general public will absolutely love the cards :love:

Question 1: Are the cards reasonably large, larger than the average set of playing cards?

Question 2: Will most people be buying the cards to use while giving readings to other people?

When I am reading for other across a table, I like the cards to face me, I do not read upside down :laugh:

The client looks at the cards upside-down, often in dim light. I am doing the same with my Mythic Tarot as I write this. It is VERY difficult for me to make out the details, even though I know what the cards are

It is my belief that very few clients will see details in any upside-down cards clearly. But spread out the Wicked Tarot and they will notice the magnificent antique looking borders and be duly impressed by them :love:

If in any doubt use a focus group to gain feedback. Just print off 2 or 3 cards as they are now, and 2 or 3 cards as they would look with a much border. Also do the upside-down test in subdued lighting, with the Wicked Tarot and the much more mundane RW and maybe a couple of other decks :lightbulb:

GOOD LUCK :thumbsup:

Hello Anthea! Let me comment on your points too!

First, thank you for your WONDERFUL comments. I agree that the borders hint to an antique feel. As a designer, I like to take things from the past and bring them into the more modern. And I agree (obviously from this deck) that I didn't want another deck like the myriad of others that are too similar to cards of old. There's plenty of those out there already. And the response we've received from people with no experience with Tarot cards is similar to yours as to the art as well.

Second, it was important to me to bring the deck into a more updated/modern feel. As times change, imagery and artistic style does too (see, e.g., the fashion industry). With so many new generations of people in our world, I also wanted imagery that the generations of people behind us can connect with too. Hence, the boldness of the images. The modernized, but antique style borders, however, still connect this ancient art to its very rich past as well.

Third - as to your Question 1 - yes, larger than playing cards. Same size as a Rider-Waite so PLENTY of room on there to work with.

Fourth - as to your Question 2 - based on the backers so far, yes, most are using them to give readings. Remember, I am a 20 year student/reader so using them for readings is as much of the point.

As well, I completely agree with your points about when using the cards to actually read, especially in dim lighting, hence, the bold central images. Remember as well, your clients tend to focus MUCH more on what you say and how you interpret rather than the images on the cards. They generally can't interpret them anyway, but with this deck, the client can get the "feel" of the image, which is something they don't often get with many traditional or abstract art decks. And FYI - I did exactly what you suggested as we went through and printed/compared the spreads to many of the decks I own (I own about 50). It makes for a VERY impressive looking spread when laid out!

Anyway, I hope you'll back our campaign! We can use your support! :)
 

starlightexp

Hi Rodney! And Theta! Something to keep in mind. Many of the cards you're seeing seem to have much larger borders as the files were set up with bleeds so they can be printed all the way to the edge of the card. Much of the outer (black) border will be trimmed to maximize the image size on the card. Check out my other comments about the stylistic approach as well for more explanation there too. I know you'll love these when you see the printed versions.

Hopefully you'll contribute to our campaign. We've tried to keep the price and packages very fair to make it a great deal for everyone. We'd love your support.


Is there any way you could post a picture of the actual physical deck , not the digital mock ups, on a table in a reading spread? You have said that the images on the site are the digital files but if we could see what the deck looks like in action via a video or series of pictures that might be very helpful. Seeing how the artwork looks with the card stock and finish, how it looks in real life can be very persuasive.
 

mrossi

Is there any way you could post a picture of the actual physical deck , not the digital mock ups, on a table in a reading spread? You have said that the images on the site are the digital files but if we could see what the deck looks like in action via a video or series of pictures that might be very helpful. Seeing how the artwork looks with the card stock and finish, how it looks in real life can be very persuasive.

I currently only have the digital proofs, hence the kickstarter, but I'll see what I can do.
 

mrossi

Is there any way you could post a picture of the actual physical deck , not the digital mock ups, on a table in a reading spread? You have said that the images on the site are the digital files but if we could see what the deck looks like in action via a video or series of pictures that might be very helpful. Seeing how the artwork looks with the card stock and finish, how it looks in real life can be very persuasive.

wait, this may work. it's from the campaign.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8978919/Wicked-Future-Package.jpg
 

Aunty Anthea

I currently only have the digital proofs, hence the kickstarter, but I'll see what I can do.

If you have digital proofs could you not use a normal printer to print a few off ;)

The quality of the cards will obviously not be as good but should be good enough to create a spread and give people a better feel for the cards :D