Team Chow 3: Hot Magic!

[Ian Barker]

Hey I just want to let you guys know that I'm having a bit of trouble with google wave with my current comp, I may not be able to use it for a couple weeks.

[Ian Barker]

Hooray, the topic is announced! http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...85#post2571285

You both get to choose your own 2 cards each you want to do, just claim them in that topic. I'm going to do The World and Queen of Wands.


Here are some examples of Tarot Cards:






Obviously we're free to use our own style and design.

I'm going to copy paste the rules here so we can keep them in mind:

TEAM CHOW III :: TAROT

DESCRIPTION

Hello boys and girls! Once again, we saved something special for team chow. This is a liiittle different then what we usually have going on, so please pay close attention!

This month, Team Chow will be attempting to create it's very own Tarot Deck! For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a deck of cards very similar to the usual 4 suited deck, but with 22 extra cards called the 'major arcana'. The four suits are also different : Swords, Cups, Wands, and Pentacles/Coins. In the following post there will be a list of all the cards.

For those of you who don't know much about it, please allow me to send you to a couple of sites to read up on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/

Though often used as a form of divination, we'll be approaching it from a strictly design perspective. Each card is meant to tell a very particular tale (though this tale often depends on the reader) and has many symbols and meanings attached to it. The goal will be to do each card as a character-based (this is still chow) illustration to illuminate the meaning of the card. However, the specific meaning and the symbols will be up to you. We will, however, be following mostly to the Rider-Waite deck, with the exception that we will be using Princess instead of Page.

If you have any more questions about the above, please feel free to ask.

And here are the Rules ::

1. Your team will choose TWO CARDS per person to illustrate. So, a 2 person team needs 4, a 4 person team 8, etc. This is the minimum requirement, you may choose more.
2. You may only take major arcana for half your cards, please choose Lesser Arcana (The Suits) for at least half. Bonus points for those who do mostly Lesser Arcana!
3. You will post your choices in this thread. I will allow 4 teams per card. First come, first serve. If we get all the cards covered by at least four teams each, I will then be open to letting you pick cards that are already full. We want to make sure to get a full deck!
4. Please make sure that your files can be sized down to 9 cm by 15.5 cm (or 3.543 x 6.1 inches) at 300 dpi. I'm exploring the option of seeing if we can get it printed, so please make sure your work is print-quality, or please write "OPT OUT OF PRINT" when you submit your work so I know you're not interested in having your cards printed as part of your deck.
5. PLEASE DO NOT START DRAWING UNTIL JANUARY FIRST! Right now is the time to get everyone's cards assigned and start brainstorming, but please don't start drawing as it's unfair for the other teams.
6. That's it, Have Fun!

Thanks, and Good Luck!

[skorpi]

I like the topic, why I just see it now.
I'll do the fool and eigth of coins.
How is it with a forth team member? Since you couldn't use google wave, we couldn't discuss it there.

[Ian Barker]

No fourth member yet... but since we're doing two cards per person it's not essential.

[skorpi]

Let's start brainstorming. We need a common visual mood. And a frame for all cards.
In wich direction do you like to go?
I thougt, something showing the card themes in the modern world would be interesting.

[Ian Barker]

Have you heard from Monika lately, skorpi? She still needs to pick out her cards.

But yeah, modern could work, although I think we should narrow it down to a somewhat specific culture.

[Monika Gruszka]

hello hello, i'm back and ready to design my cards i hav to do some research, i'm not very familiar with the tarot cards... so, i'm going to wikipedia or something like that and today i will cose cards.


I like you idea, Skorpi, modern tarot seems great

[Ian Barker]

Awesome, I'm glad everybody is here!

Alright well I guess the first step like skorpi said would be to choose a theme... modern could work, although I'm not really sure what kind of specifics that would involve. any ideas?

Also here are the descriptions for my card:

The World
Some frequent keywords used by tarot readers are:

Fulfillment [1][2]
Accomplishment / Success [1][2][3]
Integration [1]
Involvement [1]
Prospering [1]
Satisfaction / Repleteness [1][2]
Contentment / Good feelings [1]
Wholeness [1]


Christ in Majesty is surrounded by the animal emblems representing the four evangelists in a German manuscript.A naked woman or hermaphrodite hovers or dances above the Earth holding a staff in each hand, surrounded by a green wreath, being watched by various creatures. In older decks, these are usually a human face or head, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, the symbols of the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It also holds reference to the vision of Ezekiel in the Old Testament. This is a reference to the all-encompassing knowledge of the Bible, the Word of God. Later decks avoid such blatant Christian symbolism, or ignore it altogether, choosing to explain these observers as representatives of the natural world, or the kingdom of beasts. An alternative explanation is based on astrological symbolism. The human face, bull, lion, and eagle represent the fixed signs of the zodiac, Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio.

In some decks the wreath is a basilisk (crowned reptile) biting its own tail; this basilisk is also sometimes called an Ouroborous.

The World represents an ending to a cycle of life, a pause in life before the next big cycle beginning with the fool. The figure is at once male and female, above and below, suspended between the heavens and the earth. It is completeness.

According to Robert M. Place in his book The Tarot, the symbolic fourfold structure of the physical world is used to define the sacred center of the world. The World card is thus a symbol of this sacred center, the goal of mystical seekers. The lady in the center is its symbol. In some older decks, this central figure is Christ, in others it is Hermes.

The four figures in the corners of the card are also referenced in the Book of Revelation, 4:7, "And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle." Together with the central figure enclosed by a wreath, they make up the five elements.

According to astrological tradition (for example, see Nicholas DeVore, Encyclopedia of Astrology, p. 355), the Lion is Leo, a fire sign; the Bull or calf is Taurus, an earth sign; the Man is Aquarius, an air sign; and the Eagle is Scorpio, a water sign. According to Place, Sophia, meaning Prudence or Wisdom (the dancing woman in the center), is spirit or the sacred center, the 5th element. It is the fourth of the Cardinal virtues in the Tarot.



Queen of Wands
The Queen of Wands combines the properties of the Suit of Wands, associated with elemental fire, with the figure of the Queen, which embodies nurturing, feminine, inwardly-focused and embracing personality. This combination results in a card which represents a vivacious and warm personality, full of a fiery passion put to the service of encouragement, assurement, attraction, esteem, and enthusiasm. The back of her throne doesn't have a top, indicating endless possibilities. The lions on the back of her throne are associated with the element fire. Her golden atire shows that she is strong and her fire is burning with great intensity. The desert behind her is another indicator of fire. The rocks on the right side of her throne can show toughness, a hard soul, her independence.

She is holding a sunflower. In their bud stage, sunflowers face and track the sun in its motion across the sky, a behavior called heliotropism. The sun in astrology is considered to be the ruling planet of the sign of leo, a sign which is often associated with this card.

She is the only figure in the Wand court that has no animal portrayals adorning her clothes, which may testify to her simplicity, just being her natural self.

[Ian Barker]

When I look at the descriptions I wonder if modern is the best choice, it would definitely be a challenge. I think it might be better to go for something futuristic enough that we could more easily design some of the items in the descriptions (they would look quite goofy in a modern setting), or we could go back to say renaissance/baroque/romantic painting eras too where they would look natural. Or we could mayve even find some way to combine future, past and present? Ideas?

[skorpi]

Sice THE FOOL has a long description, I only link the wikipage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fool_(Tarot_card)
My mother has a rider tarot interpretation book in german, I think I'll work with this, because it's easier to work with all the themes and symbols if you relly understand the detais (And my english isn't that good)

THE EIGHT OF COINS is a card used in Latin suited playing cards which include tarot decks. It is part of what tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana" Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play Tarot card games.
In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes.

Divination usage

An artist in stone at his work, which he exhibits in the form of trophies. Divinatory Meanings: Work, employment, commission, craftsmanship, skill in craft and business, perhaps in the preparatory stage. Steady patience with achievement kept in mind. Reversed: Voided ambition, vanity, cupidity, exaction, usury. It may also signify the possession of skill, in the sense of the ingenious mind turned to cunning and intrigue.


Modern interpretation I would really work with the meaning of the cards, what they can say in their different aspects. And not cramp with the picture elements who are used often.
So we can also work with the elements, wand symbolize also fire and spirited, cups water and sensitive, swords air and smart and coins earth and realistic.

But baroque/ romantic sonds interesting too, especially because they loved such mystic things.

[Ian Barker]

Maybe we should go for a modern setting with a baroque/romantic style then?

[skorpi]

Maybe we should go for a modern setting with a baroque/romantic style then?

First thougt to that was something like perfume commercial, they play with this style.









but maybe not that much naked skin

[Ian Barker]

Oh, I never would have thought of that but those images are really cool. Nice.

[Monika Gruszka]

haha, thats funny Skorpi, i have been thinking about very similar photos

I choose Strength and Ten of Cups



i'm still not in my home right no so not much from me at this time. But i like the ideas so far... especially working with the meaning of the cards not only with picture elements as you said Skorpi - that sounds great

and i thought also about something... this cards can be inverted, right? And the meanings could be inverted, that sound interesting to me

[skorpi]

It's not much, but it's a start: I thougt the Fool in a modern world would be some kind of hitchhiker or street musican.
And those things right are some frame scribbles, I thought some clear Vector forms would fit.

[Ian Barker]

skorpi: I would suggest giving him some kind of crazy homeless beard, or something to make him look more eccentric. Right now he looks too pretty.

Sorry I haven't posted anything yet guys, I've been doodling, but for the most part my job has been sucking the life out of me this last week. This is my last week of work though, so I'll have something soon.

[skorpi]

@Liffey: Thanks, I like drawing pretty guys But I think, I give him some stranger clothes.

And I'm courious how your cards will look like

Some more idea sketches:

[Ian Barker]

I like the middle left one, it has good composition

[skorpi]

How you guys doing?

I liked the sureal idea with the doors the most. And started painting, but I'm not lucky with the colors yet.

[Ian Barker]

So uh... bad news.
I didn't expect this semester to start off so busy, but it did, and I'm just not going to have the time to do this. I should have given you more notice, but I kept thinking that I would have a free weekend sometime that I could do it, but it's clear now that that's not going to happen.
I'm really sorry guys!