The Avian Tarot - new WIP

[Tarot Orat]

I've mentioned this in a few places on the forum but haven't officially declared that I'm creating it yet. So here goes!

The Avian Tarot will feature birds from around the world in a naturalistic style, with what I hope will be recognizable Tarot archetype symbolism, but not anthromorphized. (None of them will be wearing clothing, for instance.) It will probably be more of an art deck than a daily-use reading deck, but I do want people to be able to read with it if they choose.

So far I've figured out what birds and scenes to use for most of the Major Arcana, most of the court cards, and a few of the pip cards. (I'm still deciding between partially- and fully-illustrated pip cards; I want them to be more than suit symbols, whatever I do with them.)

I haven't actually finished any cards yet but I have done some sketches and studies for the cards (Strength and the Fool are having a tug-of-war over who gets put on paper first!). My concept for Strength is an oxpecker on a lion, and you can see my practice-oxpeckers here:

Oxpecker Sketches
Oxpecker Color Studies

Those are still fairly loose drawings; here's my favorite completely-finished bird drawing so far, a Goffin's cockatoo:

Cockatoo Drawing

I think this post has gotten long enough, I'll do more posts with information on the cards and photos of the drawings as I go along! I've been planning this deck for several years and it's time to take the plunge...like a wood duckling from the nest into the water. (That's going to be the image on the Fool card.) I may not feel like I'm fully fledged as an artist yet, but I DO know it's time to start spreading my wings!

[baylys]

Good luck and I look forward to following your progress.

[Alta]

I'll be very interested in watching you tie in the avian theme to tarot. I can see it is quite possible and should be interesting to develop.

[Est]

Gorgeous artwork! I'll be following this with interest

[Tarot Orat]

Thank you all so much for the support and interest! I'm going to sketch out the first card tonight, for sure, and maybe a little more than that.

I think I will start with the Fool - it gives me an opportunity to start the deck (my journey) where the Tarot's journey begins too. I don't know if I can follow the entire fool's journey sequentially, inspiration will be needed for the cards I haven't decided on a bird for. Then again, if I follow the journey, maybe that'll help the inspiration occur organically. That seems like a good approach, if I can manage it!

[Tarot Orat]

I've been thinking about the essential elements of the Fool - which isn't the same as the essentials of the Fool card, is it? The Fool to me is innocence, naivete, curiosity, intrepidness (is that a word?), fearlessness or at least inconsiderate of consequence.....just ready to Get Out There, to get up and GO.

The Fool card, starting with the TdM and Visconti, has the motley figure with a bundle, at the edge of a precipice, with a small animal (usually a dog, but I've seen a cat in historical decks too), and whether the small animal is helping the Fool ("Look out! Cliff!"), trying to hare him over the edge, or just ... messing with him ("I'm going to bite a hole in your pants!") is up for grabs. Whether the animal is with him, literally (his companion), figuratively (on his side, helping him), or against him (messing with him or trying to hurt him) seems to have changed throughout the history of Tarot imagery.

I'm kinda wondering if I can leave it out altogether.

Or maybe that's a bad idea; maybe I need some representative of "conscience" (which seems to be the RWS-and-clones symbolism, at least to me; the helping companion).

The elements I do have in my concept of the card are basically the ones I listed as being essential to the Fool, if not the Fool card: what's more innocent and naive than a day-old duckling, or more intrepid than that leap of faith out of the nest and into the water? (And they jump from pretty significant heights if necessary.) Doesn't matter how far the fall....they have to start the journey...

[Alta]

Well, in the older Marseilles decks, instead of a dog there is sometimes something that looks like a crocodile. While the dog in GD decks is 'warning', the crocodile represents the real dangers to such an approach to life.

Carp often swim up from beneath and kill (& eat) baby ducklings. I grew up on the water, I have seen this. Maybe a shadowy Carp off in the background representing that?? Just a thought.

[Debra]

Originally Posted by Alta

Well, in the older Marseilles decks, instead of a dog there is sometimes something that looks like a crocodile. While the dog in GD decks is 'warning', the crocodile represents the real dangers to such an approach to life.

Actually the crocodile in the Fool card does not go back that far. It's seen in occultist decks, like the Oswald Wirth and Crowley Thoth. There's also a crocodile in old Etteilla decks but it's hanging out with a bunch of other animals as far as I recall. http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.p...17&postcount=8

I believe it was JMD who identified the catlike-dog or doglike cat in the old Marseille decks as a civet. Or something like that. A mammal at any rate.

I'm much in love with birds and look forward to seeing what you come up with.

[Tarot Orat]

Originally Posted by Alta

Well, in the older Marseilles decks, instead of a dog there is sometimes something that looks like a crocodile. While the dog in GD decks is 'warning', the crocodile represents the real dangers to such an approach to life.

Carp often swim up from beneath and kill (& eat) baby ducklings. I grew up on the water, I have seen this. Maybe a shadowy Carp off in the background representing that?? Just a thought.

Originally Posted by Debra

Actually the crocodile in the Fool card does not go back that far. It's seen in occultist decks, like the Oswald Wirth and Crowley Thoth. There's also a crocodile in old Etteilla decks but it's hanging out with a bunch of other animals as far as I recall. http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.p...17&postcount=8

I believe it was JMD who identified the catlike-dog or doglike cat in the old Marseille decks as a civet. Or something like that. A mammal at any rate.

I'm much in love with birds and look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Interesting insights on the Fool card! I was thinking on the walk to work of having a snapping turtle lurking in the water...just its head above water and that sharp beak half-open. Oooh, shudder. But it'll be back near the bank, the duckling WILL have a chance. The reptilian turtle ties into the crocodile, too.

I'm not necessarily basing my deck on any one system - I hope to take some aspects of the historical decks (TdM, Visconti), the early occult decks, and the 20th century decks, but not "clone" anything. I'm still thinking about what I'm going to call Major Arcana V ("Hierophant" or "High Priest" or "Pope" or....something else) and whether I'm going to have Justice and Strength as 8 and 11 or 11 and 8. I want to do something that works organically for me but doesn't throw off readers accustomed to other systems.

[Tarot Orat]

This is just a study of a wood duckling to give me a sense of the proportions, colors, and pattern, as well as to play with some background options. It's not finished yet, but I thought I'd show some signs of artistic progress! Also, it's darn cute...a nice little squee for the day.

Wood Duckling Study - in progress