Phoenixdawn
Hi everyone! I'm at the beginning stages of deck creation. I'm doing an animal deck, because I've always gotten along with animal oracles the best and I think they have a lot to teach us. The theme for the art style is Art Nouveau - which is great because I can fit some of the more traditional symbols in the geometry of the backgrounds if the main animal "character" doesn't quite cover everything that needs to be said (like the Emperor - I can fit the rams and eagles and mountains and such in the background without taking too much away from the character).
I have most of my Majors picked out. The Minors will be themed depending on suit. Cups/Water will be fish and sea mammals, Wands/Fire will be predators, Swords/Air will be avians, and Pentacles/Earth will be prey animals. I'm not positive how I'm handling court cards yet - but I've got quite a while to figure that out.
I'm stuck on choosing animal representation for some of my majors. They're cards that I've typically struggled with in regular readings and are eluding me once again. Can I get your guys' input on them?
Empress - Not a card I usually have trouble with, but I have no idea who she should be. I thought of a Lioness, but I'm not sure that truly portrays the abundant nature of the Empress.
Lovers - I'm set in the floral representation for the background (flowers are a big Art Nouveau theme) and am using Callah Lilies and Roses, but have no idea who the Lovers should be.
Justice - my earliest notes say Raven, but it doesn't quite feel right. I thought about going the endangered species route (a very specific balance has to be maintained for the species to not die out) or even an invasive species route (as a warning to what happens when the balance is upset) but I'm feeling kind of lost and aimless for this one.
Temperance - Would a black koi fish and a white koi fish circling one another in a pond be too cliche? It's really the only thing I can think of, which either means that it's so obvious it can't be anything else or that I'm thinking too superficially.
Devil - I've been meandering between the traditional portrayal as a goat and a less traditional portrayal of a Raven. Maybe even some sort of owl.
Moon - Gosh darn this card. I've never had a good handle on it. All I've got is that the lower third of the card will portray the stream leading to the ocean with the wolves running through the scene. The top two thirds? Maybe the moon is a giant eyeball of some creature. Or maybe the moon is a white, luminous creature. Who knows. Maybe even both. I don't know. The Moon is hard. I do want to emphasize the bipolar nature of the card in some way.
Judgement - I'm strongly leaning towards a bird of some sort - this card to me is all about flying free and releasing yourself from the past and moving on. Maybe a Dove? As a nod to the often religious imagery used on the card?
For kicks and giggles, here are my tied down cards (I'd like to avoid repeating the exact same animal in the Majors. Different species is fine (a snow leopard and a tiger would be okay, a snowy owl and a barn owl would be okay), but I'd like to avoid something like having two of Fox or Coyote.
Fool - White dog with pointy ears
Magician - I'm back and forth between Fox and Coyote
High Priestess - Snowy Owl (I've also considered Polar Bear)
Emperor - Wolf (with eagle and rams in the background)
Hierophant - Eastern Dragon
Chariot - a Black Pegasus and a White Pegasus
Strength - a Lion (perhaps a white one) and a domestic Cat
Wheel - Migrating birds (maybe the Arctic Tern) The bottom of the card will be winter, the top summer, and the birds move in a circle around the card
Hanged Man - Bat (there's so much rich transformative connotations around the Bat)
Death - Phoenix. The first card I planned out, actually
Tower - the only non-animal. It will be a forest fire. Perhaps with the plume of smoke forming an animal of some sort?
Star - Hummingbird
Sun - I'm heavily leaning towards a Golden Retriever, but am still doing some searching.
World - Butterfly.
What do you guys think? I'm excited to start releasing artwork - I'm starting to release on Oct 1!! If you're interested, you can catch updates on Instagram and tumblr. My handle for both platforms is handdrawnviolist.
I have most of my Majors picked out. The Minors will be themed depending on suit. Cups/Water will be fish and sea mammals, Wands/Fire will be predators, Swords/Air will be avians, and Pentacles/Earth will be prey animals. I'm not positive how I'm handling court cards yet - but I've got quite a while to figure that out.
I'm stuck on choosing animal representation for some of my majors. They're cards that I've typically struggled with in regular readings and are eluding me once again. Can I get your guys' input on them?
Empress - Not a card I usually have trouble with, but I have no idea who she should be. I thought of a Lioness, but I'm not sure that truly portrays the abundant nature of the Empress.
Lovers - I'm set in the floral representation for the background (flowers are a big Art Nouveau theme) and am using Callah Lilies and Roses, but have no idea who the Lovers should be.
Justice - my earliest notes say Raven, but it doesn't quite feel right. I thought about going the endangered species route (a very specific balance has to be maintained for the species to not die out) or even an invasive species route (as a warning to what happens when the balance is upset) but I'm feeling kind of lost and aimless for this one.
Temperance - Would a black koi fish and a white koi fish circling one another in a pond be too cliche? It's really the only thing I can think of, which either means that it's so obvious it can't be anything else or that I'm thinking too superficially.
Devil - I've been meandering between the traditional portrayal as a goat and a less traditional portrayal of a Raven. Maybe even some sort of owl.
Moon - Gosh darn this card. I've never had a good handle on it. All I've got is that the lower third of the card will portray the stream leading to the ocean with the wolves running through the scene. The top two thirds? Maybe the moon is a giant eyeball of some creature. Or maybe the moon is a white, luminous creature. Who knows. Maybe even both. I don't know. The Moon is hard. I do want to emphasize the bipolar nature of the card in some way.
Judgement - I'm strongly leaning towards a bird of some sort - this card to me is all about flying free and releasing yourself from the past and moving on. Maybe a Dove? As a nod to the often religious imagery used on the card?
For kicks and giggles, here are my tied down cards (I'd like to avoid repeating the exact same animal in the Majors. Different species is fine (a snow leopard and a tiger would be okay, a snowy owl and a barn owl would be okay), but I'd like to avoid something like having two of Fox or Coyote.
Fool - White dog with pointy ears
Magician - I'm back and forth between Fox and Coyote
High Priestess - Snowy Owl (I've also considered Polar Bear)
Emperor - Wolf (with eagle and rams in the background)
Hierophant - Eastern Dragon
Chariot - a Black Pegasus and a White Pegasus
Strength - a Lion (perhaps a white one) and a domestic Cat
Wheel - Migrating birds (maybe the Arctic Tern) The bottom of the card will be winter, the top summer, and the birds move in a circle around the card
Hanged Man - Bat (there's so much rich transformative connotations around the Bat)
Death - Phoenix. The first card I planned out, actually
Tower - the only non-animal. It will be a forest fire. Perhaps with the plume of smoke forming an animal of some sort?
Star - Hummingbird
Sun - I'm heavily leaning towards a Golden Retriever, but am still doing some searching.
World - Butterfly.
What do you guys think? I'm excited to start releasing artwork - I'm starting to release on Oct 1!! If you're interested, you can catch updates on Instagram and tumblr. My handle for both platforms is handdrawnviolist.
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