The Bohemian Gothic Tarot

Master_Margarita

karen0205 said:
For anyone in the US who might remember Creature Features??? Doesn't this deck remind you of those old movies? I love the dark gothic decks and there aren't too many of them that I'm familar with that have that vintage feel too.

Karen

This deck has an air of fun that actually reminds me a great deal of "Dark Shadows," to which I was devoted as a schoolchild before my parents forbade me to watch it (which of course heightened my enthusiasm for the show).

M~

baba-prague

Interesting. Yes, I am just off the phone with the guy who does our editing and he was saying that the deck scares him rigid in some places - and that he also loves the sense of humour. I do hope, very much, that others find that in the cards - to me the Gothic is all about combining wicked humour with real shock.

Master_Margarita

baba-prague said:
Interesting. Yes, I am just off the phone with the guy who does our editing and he was saying that the deck scares him rigid in some places - and that he also loves the sense of humour. I do hope, very much, that others find that in the cards - to me the Gothic is all about combining wicked humour with real shock.

I think the scariest card in the entire deck so far is the Sun. With Judgement a close second. Not coincidentally there is little humor in either (although I see wit in the double suns of the Sun).

I'm really curious to see how Temperance will be rendered.

M~

baba-prague

Master_Margarita said:
I think the scariest card in the entire deck so far is the Sun. With Judgement a close second. Not coincidentally there is little humor in either (although I see wit in the double suns of the Sun).

I'm really curious to see how Temperance will be rendered.

M~

So are we! We actually have just about all the other cards part-finished but that one keeps going back to scratch. Difficult to solve in a deck like this.

Master_Margarita

baba-prague said:
So are we! We actually have just about all the other cards part-finished but that one keeps going back to scratch. Difficult to solve in a deck like this.

Yes, it does present a real design problem, doesn't it? How do you depict temperance in a deck that is deliberately intemperate?

I suppose you've been concentrating on the alchemical aspect of this card to try to design it, or maybe dark angels. Hm. Lucifer as alchemist, now that would give me the willies in a drawing.

I just had a vision the--is it Repin?--portrait of Ivan IV cradling his dead son in his arms. Might be a nicely perverse way of showing temperance by negative example. I know you're not looking for design suggestions, and this isn't offered as one, just as a glimpse into my own wicked visions of this deck.

M~

WolfSpirit

Master_Margarita said:
I think the scariest card in the entire deck so far is the Sun.

Oh yes ! So many people think the kid in the Sun of the Druidcraft looks creepy, but he looks really innocent compared to this one !

There is something about creepy kids...(and creepy clowns, lol.)

Sidhe-Ra

baba-prague said:
So are we! We actually have just about all the other cards part-finished but that one keeps going back to scratch. Difficult to solve in a deck like this.

Dr. Jekyll mixing up his potion? Just a thought.

Absolutely love all of the images so far. I've always had a bizarre and inexplicable fixation on the nine of swords, and I like your version very much...just have to hope I can get paid for my new commision in advance- I don't want to miss out on the silver edition!

Blessings,

Em x

baba-prague

Master_Margarita said:
I just had a vision the--is it Repin?--portrait of Ivan IV cradling his dead son in his arms. Might be a nicely perverse way of showing temperance by negative example. I know you're not looking for design suggestions, and this isn't offered as one, just as a glimpse into my own wicked visions of this deck.

M~

Oh goodness. Alex has been talking about Repin quite a lot recently too. Nice synchronicity.

But for Temperance we have tried a lot of things, and you're right, in a deck like this temperance is an odd notion to deal with.

baba-prague

Sidhe-Ra said:
Dr. Jekyll mixing up his potion? Just a thought.

Yes, nice thought, but we have used him in the Nine of Cups. And I suppose one could argue that he wrecked his balance - though that could make him work as a kind of flip side to temperance.

I think we will go with something less tied in to any one story though.

Thanks - the Nine of Swords is one of my favourite cards in the deck - though it verges on the sentimental (but then again, the Nine of Swords often does).

Elly Magritte

Maybe a werewolf pastiche? Just popped into my head that way.

The Bohemian Gothic Tarot

Master_Margarita

baba-prague

Master_Margarita

baba-prague

Master_Margarita

WolfSpirit

Sidhe-Ra

baba-prague

baba-prague

Elly Magritte