The Bohemian Gothic Tarot

[HearthCricket]

Do we want these cards to be like the Vargo? No, if that's what is being asked for then it's best to stick with the Vargo, I know it works really well for some people. I don't want to go down that route at all. I respect the Vargo, but do I find it chilling? Personally not even one little bit

I think each of the two decks will tend to attract different users - in one way they are too different to appeal to the same people.

I suppose I am one of the few that will like both. The Gothic Vargo is not chilling to me, either. It is almost ethereal in many places and other cards almost look out of place. Many of the cards still remind me of the graveyard scene in the latest move version of Phantom of the Opera. It isn't a bad thing-I use this deck-but it doesn't quite capture the eerie, creepy, spine chilling feeling I would like to have. It doesn't allow for nightmares or jumping at things that go bump in the night! I want a deck that is beautiful, image wise, but also makes me uncomfortable! So far your pictures are doing just that.

 

[Apocalipstick]

9 of Swords reminds me eerily of a decades' old black & white movie called "Carnival of Souls"--a sort of quiet horror movie.

Spot on, MeeWah!

I had intense dreams for nights after watching that. Granted, I was about seven or eight when I first saw it, but it's stayed with me since.

As soon as I found a copy, I bought it.

The 9 of Swords has that feel.

 

[Lillie]

Herzog's Nosferatu? A very quiet, still film with no shlock-horror to be seen. But frightening - chills the soul. Utterly Gothic - real horror.

Totally beautiful film.

 

[baba-prague]

Totally beautiful film.

Hi Lillie. Yes, if we could get even a hint of that I'm be content. That film amazes me every single time I watch it.

 

[Myrrha]

Well, I'll just say that I had the same reaction to the LS Vampires. Too much blood everywhere (and why such messy eating?)

But that's precisely what has made that deck work well for many people - I've seen here that for many people the blatant blood is important. So I think our approach isn't better or worse. But it's quite different.

I even considered putting a small trail of blood from the corner of the Queen of Swords mouth, but then decided not. Too "stated" - it would close down the meaning too much. Is she vampiric? You, the viewer/user has to decide.

There are other ways to be vampiric than by drinking blood. I think you made a good decision.

I admire the High Priestess card very much. Seeing the source image for this card it just amazed me how nuanced your work with facial expressions is.

The Tower card actually did inspire a sense of forboding in me and also that sense of, you know, "home" that dark imagery can bring up for those who are drawn to it.

I didn't like the "danse macabre" scene very much though. In fact my first reaction was laughter. Maybe if I could see it larger it would have more impact.

I can't *wait* to see more cards! I suppose the Moon card will be very very special. I'm really hoping this turns out to be a deck I can use and love. Anyway it is sure to be lovely.

--Myrrha

 

[Apocalipstick]

It looks like the most mixed reactions so far have been to the 9 of Swords and the Tower.

Could it be because darkness is so personal, we're all sure exactly what it is?

 

[MeeWah]

baba-prague: Whilst feedback on a developing deck can be helpful in providing insights, best to conserve the focus & not corrupt the artistic vision &/or even hinder the creative process.

Based on those decks created thus far, the artistic vision uniquely realized in each deck, & each with its distinctive personality.

The Bohemian Gothic Tarot promises more of those same qualities that contributes to the success of all the previous decks. If not 'more'. More in the sense that in my view, more skill required to convey the horrific by the quiet & subtle means rather than by the in-your-face horrific--blood & gore (hence, the reference to the film, "Carnival of Souls"). Can easily see that this deck promises just those subtleties which can also contribute to a deck's versatility & the memorable experiences with it.

 

[Sar]

Finally a deck from Baba Studio that seem to speak to me! This is great guys! Spasiba Horrosjo!

 

[Scion]

rereading Gothic by Botting ?
Another great read on Gothic is Art of Darkness ::Anne Williams with 3premises: that Gothic is "poetic," not novelistic, in nature; that there are two parallel Gothic traditions, Male and Female; and that the Gothic and the Romantic represent a single literary tradition.

Gothic lit and film is one of my obsessions and I'd like to second the recommendation for Williams Art of Darkness, Karen... It's pretty spectacular! As is the Botting for a quick overview.

I'm over the moon about this deck, obviously! And just to stoke the creative coals, I'll just add a couple more book suggestions that I've found especially inspiring when working on Gothic projects of my own. Any of these will wind up oft-read and spark thoughts in the birthing of the monstre :
The Contested Castle: Gothic Novels and the Subversion of Domestic Ideology by Kate Ellis (which is sort of a cornerstone classic of modern Gothic scholarship)
The Biology of Horror by Jack Morgan
In the Circles of Fear and Desire by William Patrick Day
Mazes of the Serpent: An Anatomy of Horror Narrative by Roger Salomon
The Coherence of Gothic Conventions by Eve Sedgwick

If you want more book recs, just say. You know how much I love recommending books. And I;'m such a completist that if it's on Gothic, odds are I own it. No lie. I'm a fierce Herzog fan (Anyone ever seen My Best Fiend? Vicious!) and can't wait to see where you end up with these ideas.

And thank you to Greenbeans for pointing out the distinction between Horror and Terror, they are two completely different modes that often work in tandem. But for some reason, studio execs have a harder time understanding Terror as richer or more compelling. And, uhhh, I'm speaking from experience there. Hence the botched wreck that was Van Helsing, which in fact based on studio marketing and structure was technically an action film with horror elements. 'Nuff said!

Let me also second the vote against card-by-card art by committee. Invariably frustrating and valueless. After all, a camel is a horse designed by committee. Committees can barely design toilets. This is a thread in Decks and not Creation, which does indicate a difference in approach. Little Buddha offered some real, fair questions and got some extraordinarily articulate answers from several sides. Notice that he made no request for "mouse in paw" edits, but did more of a thematic probing. That seems a perfectly concrete question about a "Decks" thread and the kind of spur that can be useful. And frankly if it isn't, Karen and Alex will toss it in the bin: As they should.

Karen, you've got a big juicy ghoulash brewing here and I for one, napkin under my chin, am lining up with a stone bowl and an iron spoon for my portion...

Scion

 

[Lillie]

Hi Lillie. Yes, if we could get even a hint of that I'm be content. That film amazes me every single time I watch it.

From the little I have seen of the deck, you are getting more of a hint.
Beautifully stylish.

I'm glad you didn't go the run of blood from the lips.

That's more Christopher Lee than Klaus Kinski!