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The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 26 Mar 2019, 11:58
by InfernalTarot
Hi everyone! My name's Erik, I'm from a place in England called Pendle. It's a place steeped in mycsticism and witchcraft. The Pendle Witches roamed the countryside here 400 years ago, in 1652, George Fox climbed the hill and had a vision on the summit spurring him to create the Quaker movement. Everyone from JRR Tolkien to Charles Dickens to William Shakespeare have all visited and been influenced by the rugged, mystical landscape.

When I was growing up, my mum was an avid Tarot reader. I used to watch her practice, and sometimes could hear her reading the cards to visitors. It was always a spine tingling experience! I used to love the artwork on her cards (never alowed to touch, obviously!), but there was just something about it that enticed me into this world of magick & energy. She also used to buy and sell rare books, and some of the volumes that she had were truly magnificent. Stunning illustrations, woodcuts and engravings were to be found within the leather bindings and I remember sneaking a look at them when my parents were out of the house!

One of my favourite volumes was called Dictionnaire Infernal. A French collection of demons, occult & mythical beings and events. The pictures in there were tiny - only about 4cm square, but they were just so detailed! You might have seen some of the images of demons and monsters & things-that-go-bump in-the-night doing the rounds on the internet. They're truly remarkable images.

A couple of images in the book stuck with me for years. One was a sea full of people with angels bearing down on them with horns, the other was a man in flamboyant costume merrily skipping along whilst being chased by a dog. It seemed very clear that they were images from the Tarot - Judgement & The Fool.

I promptly forgot all about it, and forgot all about the book for many years until it came up in conversation a few months ago. I was explaining to a friend that I beleved that a full deck of Tarot images were secretly hidden within the book. I tested the theory by taking a few of the tiny images, repairing any damage, cleaning them up and then colourising them to make the detail pop.

As a bit of fun, I mocked up a couple of cards & showed them to some friends, explaining the story of where the images came from. They immediately asked me if I intended to publish the completed deck, as they would love a copy....

And that's what brings me here. I'd love to share my work so far, get your feedback & maybe even get your suggestions. It would mean a massive amount to me, and if it helps get this secret Tarot deck out into the public, then that's a worthwhile thing to do :)

Sorry for rambling on! I'll post my updates & designs in this thread, please feel free to share links to the project with anyone you may think might be interested :)

My facebook page is here, if you want to view & share socially! Thank you!

http://www.facebook.com/infernaltarot

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 26 Mar 2019, 12:04
by InfernalTarot
Here' a few of the images from the book, cleaned up, repaired, coloured and then mocked up on the card deign. Hope you like them :
Infernal Tarot Deck
Infernal Tarot Deck
A few of the card
A few of the card
Judgement
Judgement
The World
The World
I'll update with more images as I create them... It's going to be a loooong project!

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 26 Mar 2019, 12:10
by Joan Marie
These are gorgeous.

Really looking forward to seeing more as your project progresses.

Thank you for sharing them with us and welcome to the Cult of Tarot!

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 26 Mar 2019, 12:36
by InfernalTarot
Joan Marie wrote: 26 Mar 2019, 12:10 These are gorgeous.

Really looking forward to seeing more as your project progresses.

Thank you for sharing them with us and welcome to the Cult of Tarot!


Aren't the beautiful? Far too special to stay hidden in a book for 200 years!

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 21 May 2019, 16:19
by Hedera
They are gorgeous!!

Are you planning to publish the full deck eventually?

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 22 May 2019, 12:40
by katrinka
I like it - and I'm picky.
Is the Kickstarter up yet?
Oh - and hi. Welcome aboard. Pendle...is that in the Lancashire area?

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 22 May 2019, 14:00
by BlueStar
Hello Infernal Tarot, I think it's a wonderful idea to publish the deck I'm sure it will have appeal for many. The history of it is really interesting!

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 30 May 2019, 22:09
by Fleur
Fantastic!! I'm so new to Tarot but this deck is calling to me like I've been looking for it my whole life!! I hopped over to your FaceBook to see more. I will be following this very closely. I grew up in a house with a father that appraised, collected, and sold old and rare books and fine arts. This project has me tingling with anticipation. Wishing you all the best in this exciting endeavor.

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 03 Jun 2019, 06:37
by Nemia
That's a wonderful concept. Again, some creative soul unearthed a cultural treasure that is compatible with tarot and can be turned into a deck. This looks great, and I'm going to follow its progress. Thank you for posting! If there's a kickstarter or a way to buy the deck, please let us know.

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 07 Jun 2019, 23:40
by Jo Ann
Nice looking deck! I do like the looks of that deck.

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 01 Nov 2019, 14:17
by InfernalTarot
katrinka wrote: 22 May 2019, 12:40 I like it - and I'm picky.
Is the Kickstarter up yet?
Oh - and hi. Welcome aboard. Pendle...is that in the Lancashire area?
:lol: Picky is good! I like picky!

And yes, Pendle is most certainly in the Lancashire area. It's a fantastic place to be on Halloween, too... hundreds of people brave the walk up the hill in the dark (mainly for the ability to say you've done it when you head back down to the pub after!

I've decided to keep my head down and just graft on the cards for the last couple of months. It's slow (but good) progress. I've now nailed the pre-kickstarter stuff. All uploaded and ready. So we're now in Pre-launch stage. Exciting times!

I've got a link now for people to notified when the Kickstarter goes live.


There's going to be lots of one-of-a-kind items and some lovely exclusives as well as earlybird discounts, so if you like what you see, sign up! : :)

Image

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 01 Nov 2019, 14:32
by InfernalTarot
Nemia wrote: 03 Jun 2019, 06:37 That's a wonderful concept. Again, some creative soul unearthed a cultural treasure that is compatible with tarot and can be turned into a deck. This looks great, and I'm going to follow its progress. Thank you for posting! If there's a kickstarter or a way to buy the deck, please let us know.
Thank you, and thanks to everyone else on the thread that has said such lovely things. It really is a bit of a labour of love. I've finished a third of the deck now. They look stunning, but they take such a long time to do. I just hope people appreciate the history of the deck & see what I see. I've started putting a few 'comparison' pics together so that you can see what I first spotted in the tiny black & white images of the book! 8-)


Image
Image

Not sure exactly when the kickstarter will lauch... mainly due to being terrified that nobody will want it! I guess the more people who sign up to the pre-launch on Kickstarter, the more confident I'll be, so please, please feel free to sign up if you're interested... and even better, please share the link with others who might be interested too


The deck has been hidden for 200 years... it's time the world knew about it! :)


Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 02 Nov 2019, 12:33
by reall
Wow! Old Book Tarot illustrations my fav! & Luv Your Awesome Design Layout! :D
Sharing it asap & i'm sure your ks will be one of best this year! :D

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 02 Nov 2019, 14:37
by InfernalTarot
reall wrote: 02 Nov 2019, 12:33 Wow! Old Book Tarot illustrations my fav! & Luv Your Awesome Design Layout! :D
Sharing it asap & i'm sure your ks will be one of best this year! :D
Thank you! And thanks for the encouraging words... Hope you're right! :)

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 07 Nov 2019, 06:59
by Fleur
You have another signed up for your kickstarter. This is going to be a fantastic deck!! I can't wait!!! All the best with the project.

Re: The Infernal Tarot - Sneaky Peek!

Posted: 18 Nov 2019, 21:56
by reall
InfernalTarot wrote: 02 Nov 2019, 14:37
reall wrote: 02 Nov 2019, 12:33 Wow! Old Book Tarot illustrations my fav! & Luv Your Awesome Design Layout! :D
Sharing it asap & i'm sure your ks will be one of best this year! :D
Thank you! And thanks for the encouraging words... Hope you're right! :)
I Am! All You need is ks+instagram presence & this will be backed in no time! :D