Share your art

[Joan Marie]

One thing I have noticed is that a lot of people who are into tarot are also artists of all kinds.

I want to start a topic here where we can share stuff we're making or have made that is not necessariy specifically tarot-related. I feel like it is all in the same spirit of tarot somehow. Maybe because it draws from the the same place.

If anyone could elaborate on that I'd love to hear it.

In any case, show us what you do. We can inspire each other.

(obviously your tarot projects, decks and such, are also welcome in this forum, however there is a specific place for those: Sneak Peeks and Works in Progress)


I can't wait to see what everyone is up to!

[Joan Marie]

I recently took up sewing. I've been making lots of clothes, some are even wearable outside the house!

But I recently made a new bed spread thinking it would be a relatively easy project.

It was not.

The biggest problem was the velvet I used was stretchy and really fussy and hard to control. But here it is with all it's many imperfections.
My pet bunny likes it though.

It's soft and fuzzy like her.

[Pen]

It looks lovely and snuggly - bunny likes it too

I'm in a creative desert at the moment, concentrating on releasing a small piece of land from a takeover by brambles, which have climbed 20ft into the trees and scrambled all over the ground. The last things I made were drawn and collaged birthday cards in October.

[Joan Marie]

Those are gorgeous @Pen

I love collage mixed with drawing/painting. It feels so multi-dimensional.

[Ciderwell]

I've had this simple transistor preamp circuit (for electric guitar) sitting on the plugblock for weeks as I was afraid it wasn't going to work. So this morning I decided to switch it on.
It performed quite well under test conditions, but does knock out a fair amount of white noise. This isn't too bad really as I like Indie music and lo-fi is highly acceptable.

A closer look shows the slightly excessive amount of solder used. This would have been a real pain to repair if a component etc needed replacing. Anyway, all's good, and ready for the next stage of wiring the preamp to the power amp.

[Thelder]

Many years ago, I had the good fortune to receive a piece of “LiveWood” (a Dryad) from Dusty Miller, a craftsman from the UK who specializes in producing LiveWood items. Because the piece I received is shaped somewhat like a reaper's scythe, it inspired me to carve a figure of The Reaper to act as its holder when I am not carrying it about.

Except for the hands, I carved the entire figure from a single block. After painting it, I added red gemstones for the eyes. This was one of my first attempts at carving, so it is a little rough in spots. Carving out the area under the hood and around the face was particularly challenging and required a special curved chisel.

Just as an interesting coincidence, many years later I discovered that one of Dusty's clients was the author Sir Terry Pratchett who just happened to create my favorite Holiday movie: Hogfather, which just happens to feature The Reaper as one of its main characters. For those who have not seen the movie Hogfather, I highly recommend giving it a look.

[Charlie Brown]

I just made a collection of Christmas music in kind of an ambient, chillwave style. Carol of the Bells, The Coventry Carol, and We Three Kings. It's on Bandcamp and is free to stream. It's real vibe-y.

I designed the cover myself too, using a photograph made available by a Brazilian photographer.

https://alantormey.bandcamp.com/album/c ... -the-bells

[Thelder]

I just made a collection of Christmas music in kind of an ambient, chillwave style.

Very cool music and cover art! I particularly like "Carol of the Bells," (somewhat reminiscent of Mike Oldfield.) Great job!

[Pen]

Happy Solstice everyone...

And thank you, dear Pixie (oh, and William Morris too)

[Thelder]

I purchased a couple of tarot decks recently that did not come with boxes, so I decided to create my own.

After cutting and folding the cardboard to the correct size, I cut out a window in the lid of the box for the image to be displayed.

Next, I covered the box and lid with black, faux-leather book cloth, using PVA glue.

For the Dragon Age Inquisition Tarot box image, I scanned the Justice card into the computer and added the Dragon Age logo.

After printing and laminating the image, I glued it to a cardboard backer and then secured it inside the lid so that the image was centered in the window.

Finally, I covered the inside of the box and lid with red jewelry box felt.

The Trinity Blood Tarot box was the same process, except the back of the cards that I used for a box image already had the name of the deck on it.

The advantage to this insert method is that the box image can be removed if needed. In my case, no matter what color settings I tried, the images printed out with far too much blue in them (compared to the original blacker shades). When I resolve this issue, I will be able to replace the current box image with the improved version.

[Pen]

Very professional boxes, @Thelder far more special than the originals. Making boxes is very calming and satisfying - almost like a mediation.

[reall]

Great topic! reminds me to take pic of my acrylic paintings! until then
Another hobby of mine (im not so great about!;)

[Thelder]

I occasionally receive tarot decks from online sellers who fail to accurately describe the poor condition of the decks. Because I hate to see works of art like tarots neglected or abused, I will often try to restore those decks to their original condition rather than return them for a refund.

Below are some before and after photos of two different tarot restoration projects that I have completed recently. This might not qualify as art according to the traditional definition of the word, but there is definitely an art to the “art of restoration.”

When it comes to restoration, the slightest miscalculation can end in disaster, and what works on one deck might not work on others, so please do not try any of these techniques without a lot of researching, testing, and practicing beforehand. I definitely do not recommend trying them on any deck that is valuable or irreplaceable.

Project # 1: Il Tarocchi di Valentina Visconti (1982) by Sergio Panza

When I received this tarot (pictured below), the box-sleeve was severely yellowed from exposure to tobacco smoke. The box and the cards smelled like a cigarette ashtray. The inside of the box-sleeve had the owner's name written in ballpoint pen.

I was able to eliminate the tobacco smell by treating the box and cards with ozone.

I removed the pen marks by first gently wiping them with a cotton swap dampened with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, then applying a paste made from Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda. After that dried, I brushed away the powder and then removed any remaining pen with a cotton swab dampened with Ammonia. Although this left a visible rough spot where the pen marks had been, this rough spot unexpectedly resolved itself completely with the final technique described next, which I used to remove the yellowing from the box.

I disassembled the box (a very risky operation) using a special plastic tool that I created for that purpose. Once the box was disassembled, I placed it flat in a shallow tray and then filled the tray with about 24 ounces of water mixed with a teaspoon of Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate). The yellow color began to immediately leach out of the box into the water (turning the water yellow). I continued to replace the solution until the water stayed clear and the box was back to its original white color.

Finally, I placed the box (flat) between sheets of all-white paper towels, then wax paper, then Davey Board and placed it over a heat register for about 12 hours with a heavy weight (books) on top. After letting the box air dry for a couple more days, I reassembled it using PVA Glue.

The one error I made was that, prior to trying the Washing Soda, I ran a series of unsuccessful tests wiping the outside of the box with various substances (Isopropyl Alcohol, Vinegar, Ammonia, and so on) which caused unnecessary wear to the box. The ammonia was particularly harmful to the laminate. Had I only done the Washing Soda, the box would have been in near-new condition when finished, without any wear or fading to the lettering or laminate. Even so, it is still in far better condition (in my opinion) than it was previously.

Project # 2: Astral Tarot (1969) by Katherine Yurica

The lid of the box was bowed inward slightly. There was a large brownish stain on the front of the box between the left side and the word “COMPLETE” (as well as yellowing in other areas). There was also a bright pink stain under the word “ASTRAL” in the title. The black areas on the front had some wear in various spots so that white underneath was showing through.

I straightened out the bow in the lid by lightly dampening the cardboard inside the lid and then placing it face down on a flat surface with a stack of heavy books inside to keep the lid flat till dried. I used a layer of wax paper to protect the books from the dampness.

I was able to almost completely eliminate the stains by treating the white areas of the box with a paste made from Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda. The pink stain took multiple treatments to resolve. This technique worked even though the lid has a slight gloss to it. I was surprised that the Hydrogen Peroxide was able to penetrate and yet did not harm the shine of the material or cause any bubbling to the paper. This technique would not have worked on newer, more heavily laminated boxes. Also, please note that this paste will bleach the color out of most items and should only be used on all-white areas and should be mixed as dry as possible (about the consistency of toothpaste).

The “before” photo of the front (shown below) was taken after I did an initial test on the brownish spot with the Hydrogen Peroxide paste, so the "before" photo does not show the full extent of the brown stain as it was originally (it looked as if someone had spilled coffee on the box). If you click on the photo, and look closely, you will be able to still see some of the stain on either side of the black vertical stripe on the left, across from the word "COMPLETE." Also, although the “after” photo still shows a bit of yellowing in the top area of the box, this is not noticeable when looking at it with the naked eye. I think the scanner has a tendency to magnify the defects somewhat.

I was able to touch up the black areas on the front of the box using special black markers that I have. I say, “special” because most commercially available black markers (like Sharpies for example) usually have too much blue in them and will not match the true-black ink used by many commercial printers. I was very luck to find a brand of markers that are true black.

The bottom of the box was severely bowed in. The glossy black finish was torn off in many places as if someone as stuck tape on the box and then pulled it off.

I fixed the bowed box the same way as I did the lid.

I pretreated the torn areas of the box with a thin layer of PVA glue. Once that dried, I lightly sanded the entire box to rough up the glossy finish for better adhesion. I located a seller on eBay who sells black glossy paper of the same thickness as the original box cover. Using PVA glue, I covered the box with a new layer of paper, resulting in something that looks as good as the day it was new.

One type of defect that I have not yet been able to resolve is crease marks in the laminate of cards that have been bent slightly. If anyone out there has experimented with techniques on how to achieve this or has used any kind of either spray-on or liquid laminate products, I would be interested to hear your experiences.

Repairing crease marks in laminate might sound like a far-fetched possibility, but after watching the following documentary on restoration, I have come to believe that almost anything is possible:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIoi-DSm0e4

[reall]

@Thelder Great restoration work! VV is top of my deck wish list! sclup is also EPIC diskworld fan here as well!

finally remembered to take pic of my other hobby acrylic on mini canvas inspired by some insta artist i watch!
far from pro but it makes me happy every time i take a look!

[Thelder]

@reall Thanks for sharing your art. I especially like the squirrel and acorn painting.

I am hoping to post the before and after photos of another restoration project as soon as I am finished. I am currently having trouble getting a color match. I'll be stopping by the craft store this coming Friday to see what they have.

Best wishes on your search for the Valentina Visconti. According to the information I have, there were 1,000 sets made; 400 of those sets were sold in the U.S. through U.S. Games.

[reall]

you are welcome! that’s my fav too! used some gold markers as well but look more brown than gold!
craft shops my fav!

oh! i know! tried contacting publisher/artist few years back in order to see if they would be interested to make it available with pod or colored edt! never got any word back,,, shame USG is not reprinting such Amazing deck!