Love the art, lousy reading deck/hate the art, great reading deck

[Asbestos Mango]

I'm wondering how many people have had these experiences, because I've had it both ways.

I have the Archeon Tarot, bought it at Borders (oh, how I miss Borders) after seeing scans of the cards, and was sorely disappointed. The deck wasn't as colorful as the scans had led me to expect, and many of the cards just left me cold. But, I had spent my money, so I decided to give it a chance, and was blown away by the readings I got from it. It is now numbered among my favorites.

Last August, I got the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight. I really loved the artwork on the deck, but once I had it in my hands, I found myself thinking, "How the hell am I supposed to read with this?". But, I had spent my money... I found myself laying out the cards and writing paragraphs on each card, but couldn't find anything in them that I could relate to, or had anything to do with my life. I gave it the old college try, then finally put it up for adoption in the Trading Forum (it is now happily living in the Netherlands).

How many people have found a deck with really cool artwork that they just couldn't read with, or bought a deck, found the art just wasn't all that, but that it was a great reading deck?

 

[Le Fanu]

How many people have found a deck with really cool artwork that they just couldn't read with?

This happens so often with all Thothy decks except the Thoth. The Magickal, the Via, Hermetic, the Liber T (still working on this last one though).

It's funny, for all that I think of the decks, I find Thoth-based decks unreadable. Artwork is often excellent and I love reading about them and studying them, but there's something paralysing, too stiff and overlaid about them when it comes to reading.

I think it's peculiar to Thoth decks. And yet the original is such a dream to read with.

But the Rosetta feels different, more welcoming...

 

[GryffinSong]

...How many people have found a deck with really cool artwork that they just couldn't read with...

Happens to me all the time.

... or bought a deck, found the art just wasn't all that, but that it was a great reading deck?

Never happens. Why? Because if I don't care for the artwork I don't bother even trying to read with it. I figure if there are decks that have awesome artwork AND read well, why should I compromise on either variable.

 

[Asbestos Mango]

This happens so often with all Thothy decks except the Thoth. The Magickal, the Via, Hermetic, the Liber T (still working on this last one though).

Really? You have a hard time reading with the Hermetic? Because when I did my DotW with it, it read like a dream, but the actual Thoth wouldn't talk to me until I threatened to trade it away... well, there was that one really awesome reading when I did a Celtic Cross with it at the beginning of the week, but then it clammed up on me for a few days.

But the Rosetta feels different, more welcoming...

Yeah, I'm still sitting on mine waiting for it to come up in the DotW rotation (dammit, I will use my new decks in the order I bought them), but when I was looking at it when I first got it, it had a very warm, inviting vibe to it.

@Gryffinsong

Never happens. Why? Because if I don't care for the artwork I don't bother even trying to read with it. I figure if there are decks that have awesome artwork AND read well, why should I compromise on either variable.

Me, I'll give any deck that comes into my possession a chance, especially if I've spent good money on it. If it doesn't read well, it goes back out the door, no matter how pretty but if it does, it's a keeper, even if the art doesn't do anything for me. I'm pretty utilitarian when it comes to my Tarot decks. I buy decks to read with, not to sit around and look pretty, and the Archeon reads great, cold artwork aside.

 

[VGimlet]

Love the art, not a good deck to read with...oh, so many. But, I don't let it bother me, I just keep those decks for the art. A good example is the Ironwing, which I had such high hopes for I was going to keep an eye out for the 78 card deck. Beautiful, but I have no connection with it.


Hate the art - I mean REALLY hate the art - the Unicorn Tarot, but it reads for me amazingly well.

 

[Cassandra022]

loved the art on Charissa's steampunk tarot, couldn't read with it at all.

there are a few like that. i'm with gryffinsong if i dont like the art i dont even bother getting/reading with the deck

 

[caridwen]

This is a good question

The Vargo Gothic with its idealised scantily clad ladies shouldn't really appeal but I love the artwork and the readings it gives. So it sits uncomfortably with me.

The Fey Tarot with its scantily clad, somewhat eroticised fey also makes me a little uncomfortable but again I enjoy reading with it.

 

[Le Fanu]

there are a few like that. i'm with gryffinsong if i dont like the art i dont even bother getting/reading with the deck

You may be in for a big revelation one day...

Of course nobody would recommend reading a deck you hate, but not loving the artwork can actually make a deck very undistracting and readable. I genuinely believe that expecting to love all the artwork on decks we read well with can be a bit of a red herring. I genuinely believe that needing to love the artwork on a deck is not always the way to go. Who said that loving artwork and reading tarot were one and the same?

And yes, Asbestos Mango, the Hermetic is just unreadable for me and it is a shame as I love the artwork, so if this happens, I just know the opposite can too!

 

[Cassandra022]

You may be in for a big revelation one day...

Of course nobody would recommend reading a deck you hate, but not loving the artwork can actually make a deck very undistracting and readable. I genuinely believe that expecting to love all the artwork on decks we read well with can be a bit of a red herring. I genuinely believe that needing to love the artwork on a deck is not always the way to go. Who said that loving artwork and reading tarot were one and the same?

And yes, Asbestos Mango, the Hermetic is just unreadable for me and it is a shame as I love the artwork, so if this happens, I just know the opposite can too!

well, i don't have to LOVE the artwork, although that is a plus. Like, I really wanna get a PCS RWS soonish, and I don't think I will ever really 'love' RWS artwork, though I've come to appreciate it more than once. I just can't...activiely dislike it. If I dislike the art or think it is ugly, THAT will be a major major distraction for me, because I am such a visual person...

 

[GryffinSong]

well, i don't have to LOVE the artwork, although that is a plus. Like, I really wanna get a PCS RWS soonish, and I don't think I will ever really 'love' RWS artwork, though I've come to appreciate it more than once. I just can't...activiely dislike it. If I dislike the art or think it is ugly, THAT will be a major major distraction for me, because I am such a visual person...

Yes, this. I love my Kissa Tarot. I find some of the cards, especially the courts, too primitive and static for my tastes, but I like many of the cards and it reads very well. If the whole deck were like the courts, I can't imagine that I'd have bought it.

As for the Archeon, other than the nubile nudes, I actually like the artwork. But I find it very difficult to read.