Collaborative Decks

[RunningWild]

I've seen a few collaborative tarot decks over the years.  I don't own any myself yet but I'm interested in how many there may be.  The names of the decks and how well the art is received (are they usable?).

 

I don't know if it's permitted but perhaps Lenormands and the like can be included here.

 

I'm primarily interested in decks that have 78 different artists, one for each card.  Post an image or a link to an image if you'd like.

 

There is a list on AT of a few:  https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/collaborative.shtml

 

One deck that caught my eye years ago was the Lowbrow.  Sadly, it's a majors only deck.  https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/lowbrow/

 

I know a couple of forum members that have been involved in collaborative decks. 

[DanielJUK]

The problem I think with a collaborative deck is the different artists and artistic styles involved. This can make or break a collaboration. The best ones take a theme or topic and everyone creates for that but it has to have cards which tightly match that set theme and it needs good organisation. It needs a manager or supervisor who makes it all work out. Also I have seen some collaborative decks which are really the poorest depictions of tarot cards and the core "ideas" of the cards. So I think it works best when people create their own style but tightly adhere to the tarot card they have been given and also to the overarching theme.

 

The Aeclectic Collaborative Decks and our very own deck here, We Are One all worked out well. A lot of the people who designed cards were not professional artists but they showed their passion and personality in the cards and it was well managed to make the projects complete. I have a copy of We Are One and use it regularly, it's a good reading deck, even though every card is totally different in style. Perhaps they worked because everyone sung from the same sheet or something, there was a collective in making it and they worked out. I think it shows people's personalities, when I pull a card and it's created by a familiar face from this forum and it makes me think of them, it's their style, persona in the art. Perhaps it's almost a personal connection in our community. Someone buying from outside here might seen it completely differently. They are a product of the community where we all have a connection, even if I have never talked to some of the people, I see them around here 🙂 .

 

Tarot Pink was a bit of a disaster. The deck was designed as a charity deck to benefit Breast Cancer and was a crowd funder. Many of us bought one back on the AT days. It has major artists involved, like some of the best in the game designed one or two cards and gave their time for free to it. A percentage of the sales was going to the charity for the cause. But the deck was very very late and we were left waiting. The artists had sent in their art and then finally the decks started to come out. The final design was awful, it had ugly looping pink ribbons as the card backs and (you can see on the deck page) they squeezed the exclusive beautiful art by the artists into a box which was 2/3 of the card, the rest was ugly framing colours and a box at the bottom which told you about the artist! Not even some keyword hints of the card but artist info! This deck was a failure due to mismanagement in the supervision and organisation. Also I think there was no common thread bringing all the artists together, just donate some card art, do anything you want! People were angry with the final result and they promised a reprint in future with better layout of the cards (dunno if that ever happened!). Some people here cut out the artwork and binned the rest of the card. Apparently the deck overspent and I am not sure how much money went to the charities in the end 😮. Some definitely did but I personally would not back a deck for charity again after that, I would just donate to a charity myself and just buy a deck separately. I have issues with buying products for charity these days, not just because of this deck but I think it's a poor way of fundraising for them.

 

I quite like the Ostara Tarot by 4 female illustrators from Vancouver, Canada. Ostara is another name for the Spring Equinox and the idea of the deck is it's an "awakening", metaphorically connected to Spring. One artist does each suit and they share the Majors between themselves. They have a good shared theme of the deck and it's well managed and supervised, it has a high end finish, in a cute little box with a good LWB. I have seen mostly positive reviews for it but the artists are very different in their styles, one is a surrealist artist, another is all natural colours and animals and plants in the cards, another is quite whimsical. They are very diverse in styles and you could easily hold up a card and say "this artist". Some people are very unnerved by this but I think with a collaborative deck that is what you have to take on. I think it's pretty good but if you have different cards from the different suits in your reading, they do look like almost entirely different decks. I have to say I love all the artworks, they are high end, glossy and nice but it;s just a fact of the deck 🙂 . It actually celebrates the different styles rather than forces people to comply to being the same.

 

Collaborative Decks are risky to buy because they either work or they don't. I have some I love and some I am deeply disappointed in. Shop wisely in this genre 🙂

 

 

[katrinka]

I give them a wide berth as a rule, lol. But this one looks pretty cohesive for a collab deck:
 

 

I went ahead and backed it way back when. It should ship soon. I don't know how it will be as a reading deck, but even if it's a wash, the myths and stories will be interesting. It promises rabbit holes. 😉

 

Other than that, I don't think I've ever seen one that wasn't a hot mess of anime, photographs, collages, crayon art, good stuff, bad stuff...they don't flow.

Edited February 15, 2022 by katrinka

[Niobium]

The 78 Tarot group exclusively makes decks of this kind. They're quite popular, but ultimately I can't get into them. 

 

https://www.78tarot.cards/

 

Among MM decks, the Ostara Tarot is a 4 artist Collab, but has the same issue (IMO) as 78 Tarot. Each suit is relatively self consistent but between them there's huge variance in style.

 

https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/ostara-tarot/

 

Light Grey has also done a couple of 78 artist decks--the Cosmos Tarot and Oracle, and the Light Grey Tarot. Same issue for me as with 78; lots of amazing individual cards but not enough synergy on the whole deck.

 

https://shop.lightgreyartlab.com/products/cosmos-tarot-oracle-deck-second-edition

 

http://lightgreyartlab.com/tarot-mystics-and-the-occult

 

Now, on the other side of it, here are three I did get:

 

Corrupted Tarot 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wyrmwood/corrupted-tarot-by-wyrmwood

 

Literary Tarot

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brinklit/the-literary-tarot

 

Chromatic Fates Tarot

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chromaticfates/the-chromatic-fates-tarot

 

My decision to get these was largely based on the fact that most of the cards were available for viewing. This let me discern if I was okay with the varying styles, and in particular if any one card was so off I couldn't deal (there's one in the Cosmos deck like that).  I also love several of the artists in these three projects, which made it an easier sale.

 

But by and large I've rehomed most of my collab decks. I'm glad some people enjoy them, I've just learned that my requirements for deck style often rule them out.

 

[Niobium]

5 hours ago, katrinka said:

I give them a wide berth as a rule, lol. But this one looks pretty cohesive for a collab deck:
 

 

I went ahead and backed it way back when. It should ship soon. I don't know how it will be as a reading deck, but even if it's a wash, the myths and stories will be interesting. It promises rabbit holes. 😉

 

I wound up not backing this one, but sometimes I wish I had. (I'll be honest, what I want is Tarot Nusantara, but getting a copy of it stateside is a real chore, and this seemed like an affordable alternative; I didn't like some of the card styles, though.) I'd love a preview once you have it, is you have the time and wouldn't mind!

 

5 hours ago, katrinka said:

Other than that, I don't think I've ever seen one that wasn't a hot mess of anime, photographs, collages, crayon art, good stuff, bad stuff...they don't flow.

 

This is pretty much what holds me back as well. You'll be like 'yeah this looks good, yeah this wor--wtf is that'.

 

(Sorry for the double post, my earlier one was sitting unfinished on my phone from earlier today.)

Edited February 15, 2022 by Niobium

[gregory]

The oldest one I have is NoMonet's Artist's Inner Vision

 

There were only 26 artists, so maybe that helps, but to me it is perfectly cohesive.

 

I'm also fond of the Fantasy Showcase - less cohesive in a way - but there are single artist decks that have that kind of variety of art.

 

There are others I own and like - but I have to go out.

[ilweran]

I have a couple of the 78 Tarot decks, the first two I think. Also have the Fantasy Showcase mentioned by gregory.

 

I had the Mage: The Awakening deck which had a different artist for each suit - one whom was Stephanie Pui-Mun Law of Shadowscapes fame, which is why I bought it.

 

Never used any of them. 

[PathWalker]

I have a couple which are produced by a group, but not 78 people. I think Adam mentions 24 artists.

This one - with thanks to Adam Mclean for these pages, and the other deck he mentions,

 

https://www.alchemywebsite.com/tarot/database/record283.html

 

https://www.alchemywebsite.com/tarot/database/record420.html

 

I enjoy them, and the art styles work together, but as previously mentioned by others, some decks seem disastrous - like the Pink.

Always hard to tell unless you can see all of the cards beforehand.

[katrinka]

5 hours ago, Niobium said:

I wound up not backing this one, but sometimes I wish I had. (I'll be honest, what I want is Tarot Nusantara, but getting a copy of it stateside is a real chore, and this seemed like an affordable alternative; I didn't like some of the card styles, though.) I'd love a preview once you have it, is you have the time and wouldn't mind!

 

Will do. And I wish somebody would reprint the Nusantara! 
 

5 hours ago, Niobium said:

This is pretty much what holds me back as well. You'll be like 'yeah this looks good, yeah this wor--wtf is that'.

 

Or being happy to see the Tower because the art and the colors are so much prettier than the rest of the deck...

[PathWalker]

There is a late 1970's deck that was collabrative, but again not to the extent of 78 artists

 

https://tarotgarden.com/amazon-tarot/

 

The difficulty with 78 different artists is like trying to make a scrap quilt - it can come out beautifully, but it can be a disparate mess.

You'd really need to try and keep to a theme, or perhaps ask every artist to include a certain colour in their card or something.

 

Although I am a person who makes patchwork decks with cards from 78 existing decks - but there the differences in size, colour and style are part of the appeal and reading experience.

[gregory]

PW - do you own that ? If so I could possibly use your help, depending which version you have - long story.

[PathWalker]

2 hours ago, gregory said:

PW - do you own that ? If so I could possibly use your help, depending which version you have - long story.

What - the Amazon? Yes i do  . . .?

[gregory]

Great - do you have the one with the pink sheet of instructions ?

 

Oh wait - you were in the discussion on the collectors forum.... I need to find someone who has the version AFTER Susun Weed quit....

[RunningWild]

My apologies to all for not posting sooner.  I've had some things going on and couldn't concentrate long enough to create a complete sentence.

 

On 2/14/2022 at 9:03 PM, DanielJUK said:

The problem I think with a collaborative deck is the different artists and artistic styles involved. This can make or break a collaboration. The best ones take a theme or topic and everyone creates for that but it has to have cards which tightly match that set theme and it needs good organisation. It needs a manager or supervisor who makes it all work out. Also I have seen some collaborative decks which are really the poorest depictions of tarot cards and the core "ideas" of the cards. So I think it works best when people create their own style but tightly adhere to the tarot card they have been given and also to the overarching theme.

 

I wondered about that.  I looked at the examples mentioned in the thread and I'm not sure I'd be able to work with any deck where there was too much variation in method.  What do I mean by that?  Well, even if there are only a few different artists involved and three are using paints or pencils and the fourth is using photographs or photographic composition, for me, the images in photos would end up taking on more significance than the other cards because they're more realistic.  However, if all the artists were using photography then the cards would be more or less equal. 

 

On 2/14/2022 at 9:03 PM, DanielJUK said:

The Aeclectic Collaborative Decks and our very own deck here, We Are One all worked out well. A lot of the people who designed cards were not professional artists but they showed their passion and personality in the cards and it was well managed to make the projects complete. I have a copy of We Are One and use it regularly, it's a good reading deck, even though every card is totally different in style. Perhaps they worked because everyone sung from the same sheet or something, there was a collective in making it and they worked out. I think it shows people's personalities, when I pull a card and it's created by a familiar face from this forum and it makes me think of them, it's their style, persona in the art. Perhaps it's almost a personal connection in our community. Someone buying from outside here might seen it completely differently. They are a product of the community where we all have a connection, even if I have never talked to some of the people, I see them around here

 

I've put the We Are One deck on my wish list.  Thanks for the link.  I finally got to see the cards.  I'd been looking but if you've seen my other posts, you know I don't have great luck with searches (couple that with my current short attention span problem).

 

On 2/15/2022 at 3:32 AM, Niobium said:

My decision to get these was largely based on the fact that most of the cards were available for viewing. This let me discern if I was okay with the varying styles, and in particular if any one card was so off I couldn't deal (there's one in the Cosmos deck like that).  I also love several of the artists in these three projects, which made it an easier sale.

 

But by and large I've rehomed most of my collab decks. I'm glad some people enjoy them, I've just learned that my requirements for deck style often rule them out.

 

Being able to view a good portion of a deck is important to me as well.

 

On 2/15/2022 at 3:39 AM, Niobium said:

This is pretty much what holds me back as well. You'll be like 'yeah this looks good, yeah this wor--wtf is that'

 

I get that with at least one single-artist deck.  Otherwise, the rest of the artwork is great...but wait...why a unicorn?

 

I haven't ever backed any on Kickstarter although I've seen a few that piqued my interest.  I think I was put off on those by a thread on AT where the artist was a bit dodgy.  I don't think the deck was ever produced and a lot of people lost money.

 

I like the idea of using tarot as an artistic focus but I'm of the opinion that the artist needs to be familiar with the tarot in more than a superficial manner for the art to work.  And if the artist has more than a passing interest in the cards, I love seeing their interpretation of tarot concepts. 

 

I'll post more later.  Thanks all for responding.

[Niobium]

4 hours ago, RunningWild said:

I haven't ever backed any on Kickstarter although I've seen a few that piqued my interest.  I think I was put off on those by a thread on AT where the artist was a bit dodgy.  I don't think the deck was ever produced and a lot of people lost money.

 

This is, sadly, the main risk in KS. I've been fortunate to only have one possibly fall through, but I'll admit to being *extremely* careful in vetting the people doing the KS. There is, of course, only so much this can tell you, but it's a start.

 

4 hours ago, RunningWild said:

I like the idea of using tarot as an artistic focus but I'm of the opinion that the artist needs to be familiar with the tarot in more than a superficial manner for the art to work.  And if the artist has more than a passing interest in the cards, I love seeing their interpretation of tarot concepts. 

 

Definitely agree on this. I can tell when a deck is an 'art deck' vs. someone who actually thought about the card meanings. Even if they interpret it differently than I would be inclined to, at least there was *some* interpretation, some thought going into the process aside from 'this card is sad'.