Oh dear, I changed my Hermit yet again

Comment

Comment by Gloria Jean on March 27, 2010 at 6:07pm

I have found that one of the best ways to learn the tarot is to design a deck and then write a book about it. You learn as you go.

Comment by Gloria Jean on March 27, 2010 at 6:05pm

This particular design (the hermit) is one that I will be painting on canvas. When I took another look at it, I decided it needed some changes. My plans are to maybe sell my cards at a fair and do readings and I will have at least three of them painted for display in my booth.

Comment by Elizabeth Langis on March 27, 2010 at 5:12pm

Hi Gloria Jean-

Producing a deck is such a labor of love, and I can't imagine all that goes into it! The new Hermit's face looks sweeter and more approachable than the other version. The waterfall lends a feeling of seclusion as opposed to the sun-more hermit-like. The water brings in more of the emotional, fluid element. Beautiful!

Blessings,
Beth

Comment by Dax Carlisle on March 27, 2010 at 12:48pm

Wow! Impressive..nicely done! It only looks like slight differences, but it actually changes the whole feeling of the card. I like the over-all congeniality of the card on the right. I've always liked waterfalls, so that is something else that attracted me to the card on the right. Perhaps that could be seen as a symbol of the raw power of the hermit.

The one on the left is still a nice looking card. I can see where it could be mistaken for a city park, but that's not necessarily bad. That would be a good deck project, contemporary scenes. Who are the Hermits, High Priestesses, and Magicians of today? I can only think of one or two attempts at this, but the artwork was less than exemplary.

Comment by Gloria Jean on March 27, 2010 at 11:13am

I am an artist and this is an ongoing project of mine. I have created three complete tarot decks in the last five years using paint shop pro and digital pictures of paintings and photos combined.

I had first intended to do the thumbnail sketches on the computer and then actually paint them in oils myself but that could take me another ten years. I hope I live that long. LOL

I wanted to complete a deck that I could share and sell to others (to help support my hobby) so I am simply self publishing them and laminating them. I call it Infinite Visions Tarot in that it IS an infinite on going project or hobby of mine. You can see the rest of this deck at my website. www.infinitevisionstarot.com.

I liked the new face of this hermit because he is looking at the boy with love, and I was luck to capture that look when I snapped the photo above. I purposely posed the hermit, but the boy was very uncooperative so I was lucky to get him before he scampered off.

Comment by John Ballantrae on March 27, 2010 at 9:31am

Dear Gloria Jean:

Seeing this makes me want to produce a set of cards too.

What a difference - in the first version, the child seems more important as if he has stumbled upon the old man who is not looking at him; The Hermit is aloof.

In the new version, the old man is looking at the child and seems much more friendly and approachable and less of a symbol of the wisdom that may come from age.

The background does look less like a city park too.

Is this an ongoing project? Are there other cards online somewhere?

Yours,

John Ballantrae