Art vs. Readability in Creating a Deck

HudsonGray said:

Those are absolutely gorgeous, you don't even need the washes. I love that style of black/white art.

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I'm with her. They are lovely - and I like them in black and white too. I actually think colour might detract...

I would buy these in b/w right now, but I'm sure they would be equally lovely in colour. No need to choose- do both versions

Thanks, all, for the encouragement. I will definitely be doing both black and white and color versions. I scan my inks before I add any color to any of my works anyway because this allows me to adjust the values later in Photoshop; so, just in case the color takes away from the contrast of the ink, I can fix it

I'm going to set up a blog dedicated to the deck and it's progress and will post the link when it's ready, so if anyone who's interested in seeing it coming along or would like to add any suggestions to specific cards, they can and are welcome!

I would love to stay posted on your progress. I am already intrigued by the cards that you have shown us.

I have to be able to get some interpretation for cards but the art is equally important. I can't cope with scruffy or uncommitted art.

If I liked the art a great deal I'd go for it and work to determine meanings from the cards.

Lovely start to a deck.

When I did mine, I tried to get as close to the Rider-Waite original as I could using what I could find. Which in a number of cases wasn't very. I work in low-end 3D and my program isn't a modeling program, so I have to work with what is already out there.

It was an interesting challenge. But it wasn't the same thing as *drawing* a deck from scratch.

Rhapsodin: I agree with you about uncommitted art, and I think I'm going to stay close to the Rider-Waite model, as JOdel did. I've done a number of children's books, which has really taught me how to tell a story with an image, so I think that's the way I'll approach my Tarot deck. And Ladyblackbyrd, I will post a link to my blog as soon as it's set up! Thanks for the replies!

Lovely! In my view both are important - an art deck that does not express of the principle of a tarot deck (structure, meaning) it isn't a tarot deck (maybe an oracle deck or an art deck). If you are making a deck for you AND others the cards should be easily recognizable not only for you but to others as well. There are a million of creative ways to do that (wish I would have talent and could be an artist - as it is easy to write about I ques is different in practice).
All I meant was that personally for me both are equally important.

Your deck is BEAUTIFUL, good luck with its creation!

Pretty elaborate stuff!

BTW - you may or may not want to check out this thread I started a while back.

That being said - remember that YOU are the one that has to be happy with your deck ... even when your Mother-in-law tells you she doesn't like it. She is entitled to her opinion but that does not mean you have to change something because one person doesn't like it. Think of Picasso - many people HATE his stuff - didn't stop him from laughing all the way to the bank ... or being the 'Father of Cubism.'

We are our own worst critics ... do what makes you happy and remember the immortal (or immoral) words of Bette Midler: "F*CK 'em if they can't take a joke!"

OMG! Such talent !!! I agree with tarotbear that ultimately, YOU should be happy about your work. I wouldn't change anything about the cards you posted but, unlike some posters, I would opt for the color version. For some reason, B&W decks with a lot of details feel more overwhelming than colored ones.

Besides, you could use color to accent the focal points of each card. BTW, LOVE the HM detail of the nest in a precarious balance. LOVE the concept!
Really looking forward to seeing more