geoxena Posted January 30, 2020 Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) 37 minutes ago, Jewel said: @RaggydollI have no idea why or how this idea came to mind, but when I saw this card was available the concept popped into my head immediately so I knew I had to request to do this card and see if I could bring it life. I also made sure the ant is within a little more than 1" of the borders so loosing stuff on the sides is no big deal 😆 It's a great concept, and I love how you drew it. But . . . not a criticism, but . . . ants give me the creeps. Just the big black kind, eww. I used to have nightmares about them when I was a kid. But many times I have been mesmerized watching ants cooperate with each other in hauling things much larger than themselves in long lines to their destination Those were smaller ants, so they weren't creepy to me. Insects, in general, tend to freak me out. Oh, why am I going on and on about it? Just a visceral reaction I guess. Please don't color your ant black, I suppose I want to say, or I can't look at it! LOL. Your drawing actually does remind me of a sci-fi book I enjoyed reading when I was in about the fourth or fifth grade - this science geek boy somehow shrinks himself and to get around, he harnesses a butterfly and rides it! Odd how I still remember it. Edited January 30, 2020 by geoxena
Jewel Posted January 30, 2020 Posted January 30, 2020 37 minutes ago, geoxena said: It's a great concept, and I love how you drew it. But . . . not a criticism, but . . . ants give me the creeps. Just the big black kind, eww. I used to have nightmares about them when I was a kid. But many times I have been mesmerized watching ants cooperate with each other in hauling things much larger than themselves in long lines to their destination Those were smaller ants, so they weren't creepy to me. Insects, in general, tend to freak me out. Oh, why am I going on and on about it? Just a visceral reaction I guess. Please don't color your ant black, I suppose I want to say, or I can't look at it! LOL. Your drawing actually does remind me of a sci-fi book I enjoyed reading when I was in about the fourth or fifth grade - this science geek boy somehow shrinks himself and to get around, he harnesses a butterfly and rides it! Odd how I still remember it. No worries I will not paint the ant black, I promise! (I never was going to color it black 😊). It will most likely be in the honey tones so he can stand out better against the wood branch. This ant will be your friend, as you can see it is of a cooperative nature since it is partnered with the Explorer of Earth 😊 and together they get stuff done no matter the task or distance. It is the fortitude and work ethic of the ants that made one the perfect mount for this Explorer. Honestly I am not into insects at all, so I was very surprised that I felt so compelled to render an ant. After I completed the drawing I decided to look up the symbolism of the ant, and after reading it I now know why I felt so compelled, it is perfect for this card as it mirrors what this Explorer represents. Here is what I found: The ant symbolism represents community and how you need to work with others and establish camaraderie to have a peaceful coexistence. The ant meaning is all about discipline, planning, order, teamwork, and self-sacrifice.
Jewel Posted January 30, 2020 Posted January 30, 2020 1 hour ago, joy said: @Jewel your Novice of Air is so coooool, love her! And the ant will be fabulous too! I love to see how your creativity is just flowing! Well done ❤️ Thank you hon! I so enjoyed doing the Novice of Air. When learning Tarot I was one of those that really struggled with the Court Cards so here is hoping that the ones I am doing help someone have an "AHA!" moment of grasping their personalities. As I was telling @geoxenathe idea for the ant came out of the blue, but when I looked up its meaning it made so much sense, call it serendipity or the Tarot/Insect Gods giving me a flash of inspiration. 🤣
gregory Posted January 30, 2020 Posted January 30, 2020 2 hours ago, Jewel said: OK this project has just had me all kinds of inspired so I requested to do a third card 🤣 ... I wanted to keep the trend of doing cards from different elements as I love that the suits are the elements. Here is my concept for my steady, persistent, dedicated, industrious, hard working, and loyal Explorer of Earth: I could think of no better mount for this hard working Explorer than the industrious ant! In service to his kingdom or element in this case, no task to big or too small for him. Though tiny he may be, he gets the job done every time! And yes, if need be, he can lead an army of ants! I will most likely not get around to coloring him until next week, but at least I got the concept out of my head before I lost it! 😆 LOVE it - and @geoxena - I hope Jewel colours it whatever way she wants. Cards that bother us make us think harder.
Grandma Posted January 30, 2020 Posted January 30, 2020 1 hour ago, joy said: Hey @Grandma great concept looking forward to the final results! @Jewel your Novice of Air is so coooool, love her! And the ant will be fabulous too! I love to see how your creativity is just flowing! Well done Thanks @joy - I'm so glad your scouts found me and brought me in! And ditto what you said to @Jewel!
Jewel Posted January 30, 2020 Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) @gregoryI am so glad you like the concept and I will color the ant any color I want, who knows I might even color him an unconventional color just because I can 😜. I was never going to color him black because then his cute little buggy eyes would not stand out as well, and eyes are very important to me even if they are ant eyes . @Grandma, thanks hon! I am glad the scouts found you too! Edited January 30, 2020 by Jewel
geoxena Posted January 30, 2020 Posted January 30, 2020 25 minutes ago, Jewel said: . . . eyes are very important to me even if they are ant eyes . LOL!
Starlight Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 2 hours ago, Jewel said: As I was telling @geoxenathe idea for the ant came out of the blue, but when I looked up its meaning it made so much sense, call it serendipity or the Tarot/Insect Gods giving me a flash of inspiration. 🤣 Your Muse was whispering in your ear! I think the Ant is a good fit for the Explorer of Earth, I can see where you're coming from. I'm looking forward to seeing what colour you settle on!
Starlight Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 On 1/30/2020 at 3:09 AM, Grandma said: Wonderful work, everyone! You are all so talented. It would be difficult catch up with specific remarks at this point but I will comment on new posts hereon out. Since I can't draw a straight line and my infamous cartoons are a little too primitive for my vision here, I will be doing a collage Five of Earth. The five clods of earth will be represented by yin yang symbols. I couldn't find a ready made Birth/Death to my liking so I'm putting one together myself. I've blocked out most of the images here because I haven't purchased them yet. If I have left enough recognizable work to violate copyright, moderators let me know and I'll delete the image. Right now and subject to change I'm thinking of an ancient Chinese farmer sitting next to the five yin yangs as the main focus of the card. WOW, @Grandma. That's a really unique vision for the 5 of Earth. Love it! I cannot WAIT to see this deck when it's finished!
Jewel Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, Starlight said: Your Muse was whispering in your ear! I think the Ant is a good fit for the Explorer of Earth, I can see where you're coming from. I'm looking forward to seeing what colour you settle on! Thanks hon 🤗. I am doing some ant color research - don’t laugh- but if I feel they blend in too much with the log I will use artistic license and color him whatever color strikes my fancy 😁 I love color 🤣 ps I love Kermit!!!! 😍 Edited January 31, 2020 by Jewel
Raggydoll Posted January 31, 2020 Author Posted January 31, 2020 47 minutes ago, Jewel said: Thanks hon 🤗. I am doing some ant color research - don’t laugh- but if I feel they blend in too much with the log I will use artistic license and color him whatever color strikes my fancy 😁 I love color 🤣 ps I love Kermit!!!! 😍 You could also take artistic license with the color of the log! This is a magical forest, I presume? So then anything goes 💗
Grandma Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 5 hours ago, Starlight said: WOW, @Grandma. That's a really unique vision for the 5 of Earth. Love it! Thank you, Starlight. As I'm working on it I'm realizing that I have no idea how to make clods of earth look like yin yang symbols so they will just be yin yang symbols! And I'm moving away from my original Chinese Farmer Zen Story inspiration as well. But I'm staying with the concept that makes the Five of Pentacles my favorite card. To quote myself from the Creative Circle, "This often maligned card represents pain, rejection, hardship and sickness and loneliness and abandonment and on and on, but it also represents the possibility of hope, safety, recovery and warmth. If the weary travelers in the typical RWS depiction changed their perspective they would see the welcoming lights of the church that they are passing by".
Grandma Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 4 minutes ago, Raggydoll said: You could also take artistic license with the color of the log! This is a magical forest, I presume? So then anything goes Oh, this brings up the wonderful memory of coloring with my Papa, my maternal grandfather, when I was a child. He made skies yellow, grass purple, hair turquoise and dogs striped. What a very special man he was.
Raggydoll Posted January 31, 2020 Author Posted January 31, 2020 33 minutes ago, Grandma said: Oh, this brings up the wonderful memory of coloring with my Papa, my maternal grandfather, when I was a child. He made skies yellow, grass purple, hair turquoise and dogs striped. What a very special man he was. That's so lovely! I remember a school teacher that I once had. She was an artist herself, but she was a stickler for having things done realistically. I remember her openly critiquing a 7 year old boy in our class who had rendered a tree in blue. He was deeply discouraged. But she was also the one who looked at my portraits and told me I needed to work on getting the expressions right, and she gave me examples on how to improve my art. (I was also 7 at that time, to give it context) So one the one hand, her examples made my portraits evolve quickly, but on the other hand her talk about realism proved to be a double edged sword for all of us. I hope that modern day teachers don't behave like that because it can really stun the imagination of children. She meant well, no doubt. It just wasn't the best way to stimulate children and build up their confidence. As an adult, I always encourage my children to be brave and to be adventurous with their art. Some people who visit us are surprised that we have several of our children's drawings framed like real paintings. I just tell them "because that is what they are - it is real art". And come to think of it, I have none of my own art on the walls. Funny how that works!
Wanderer Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 Here you go, then - a coloured 4 of Water. A confluence of four streams leads to a new vista: the river stretching out into the distance, funneling thoughts into a new direction. Strange patterns emerge, for the scene is only partly real and partly of the imagination; the straight river is shaded by regular lines of gnarled, overhanging oaks, with light in the distance. Is this real, or an allegory? It is time to stop, absorb the strangeness before you, and come to terms with what you feel, and what it is telling you.
Raggydoll Posted January 31, 2020 Author Posted January 31, 2020 22 minutes ago, Wanderer said: Here you go, then - a coloured 4 of Water. A confluence of four streams leads to a new vista: the river stretching out into the distance, funneling thoughts into a new direction. Strange patterns emerge, for the scene is only partly real and partly of the imagination; the straight river is shaded by regular lines of gnarled, overhanging oaks, with light in the distance. Is this real, or an allegory? It is time to stop, absorb the strangeness before you, and come to terms with what you feel, and what it is telling you. You render landscapes so beautifully!! And you write like if you have created guidebooks before. Have you? 🧐🤓
geoxena Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Wanderer said: Here you go, then - a coloured 4 of Water. A confluence of four streams leads to a new vista: the river stretching out into the distance, funneling thoughts into a new direction. Strange patterns emerge, for the scene is only partly real and partly of the imagination; the straight river is shaded by regular lines of gnarled, overhanging oaks, with light in the distance. Is this real, or an allegory? It is time to stop, absorb the strangeness before you, and come to terms with what you feel, and what it is telling you. Beautifully done, @Wanderer! Your trees are amazing. Just that hint of color gives it such depth! The color makes the opening at the far end appear to glow bright white. I like that this "tunnel" brightens in the distance rather than darkens. Great concept. Edited January 31, 2020 by geoxena
Wanderer Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 1 hour ago, Raggydoll said: You render landscapes so beautifully!! And you write like if you have created guidebooks before. Have you? 🧐🤓 Thank you so much...! That really means a lot. And no, not not at all... well, I've written quite a lot of guidebooks etc., but only on scientific stuff. This is a whole new ball game..! 13 minutes ago, geoxena said: Beautifully done, @Wanderer! Your trees are amazing. Just that hint of color gives it such depth! The color makes the opening at the far end appear to glow bright white. I like that this "tunnel" brightens in the distance rather than darkens. Great concept. Thank you, geoxena! I'm glad you spotted the inverse tunnel effect, as that is one of the key points. There's a lot to dive into when I write the full blurb, but the darkness in the forest hides a lot of interest, and yet it is the simple clarity in front that demands the attention. In the Wildwood, the card is named 'boredom' and represents an inability to see the wonders around us, because we are too focused on one thing. Lots of angles to choose from!
geoxena Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Wanderer said: There's a lot to dive into when I write the full blurb . . . Question for everyone participating: Are you writing an extended longer version of your text for the LWB? If so, are you doing it to expand on the meaning and possible interpretations of the card, keywords, etc., or to provide details on your artistic concept and the symbolism you used? Or both? Mine came to around the required 100 words and I'm happy with it. I wasn't going to write a longer version, but don't want to be the only one who doesn't. So, what's the concensus? . Edited January 31, 2020 by geoxena words
Raggydoll Posted January 31, 2020 Author Posted January 31, 2020 1 minute ago, geoxena said: Question for everyone participating: Are you writing an extended longer version of the text for the LWB? If so, are you doing it to expand on the meaning and possible interpretations of the card, keywords, etc., or to provide details on your artistic concept and the symbolism you used? Or both? Mine came to around the required 100 words and I'm happy with it. I wasn't going to write a longer version, but don't want to be the only one who doesn't. So, what's the concensus? Haha, I doubt you will be the only person who doesn't do it, but sure - most have done so. If you look at the ones posted in the big guidebook already then you can perhaps get an idea. But if you wish to compare the short and long meanings for a single card, then here - have a peek at mine. I did some repetition on the most important aspects but I elaborated further in the long one. I haven't really stuck to one style for my long write ups so I might tweak them later on. If I have the energy to do so! (For Elder of Earth) Short one: This is the woman who listens to the voices of the mountains. She is in tune with nature and she is guiding her tribe to a prosperous relationship with each other and with the land. She speaks for the ancestors and informs her people of traditions and of times past. She reminds them of the importance of legacy; not to underestimate their ability to influence or to create long lasting change. This card tells you to consider your responsibilities as well as your greater potential. Be what you can be. Create abundance that generates more abundance, and make it benefit as many as possible. Long one: This is the woman who listens to the voices of the mountains. She is fully in tune with the nature around her and she is guiding her tribe to a prosperous relationship with each other and with the land. She will listen more than she speaks and when she speaks, it will be from experience and with the greater good in mind. She will speak for the ancestors; to inform her people of traditions and of times past. She reminds them of the importance of legacy; of what they are to leave behind for generations to come. She knows life and she has seen all sides of it. She also sees the bigger picture - the Great Web. She knows that we all are interconnected and that everything we do will come to impact the world as we know it. She understands the powers that are at our disposal when we take an active role in our lives and in the creation process. A lot of the time we are led to perceive the Web more as a labyrinth; where there is little rhyme or reason for what happens. This can lead us to the false notion that we are insignificant or that nothing truly matters. The labyrinth pendant is a reminder of how it is possible to transcend that limited view of ourselves and of the world. There is a sense of responsibilities and of heritage; a reminder to do what is necessary and to think of the long term consequences. This leader - this Elder - will give you courage and reassurance. She can help you rise to your potential and to fill the shoes that you were meant to walk in, as you go forth to create footprints that can be felt for generations to come.
Wanderer Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 5 minutes ago, geoxena said: Question for everyone participating: Are you writing an extended longer version of the text for the LWB? If so, are you doing it to expand on the meaning and possible interpretations of the card, keywords, etc., or to provide details on your artistic concept and the symbolism you used? Or both? Mine came to around the required 100 words and I'm happy with it. I wasn't going to write a longer version, but don't want to be the only one who doesn't. So, what's the concensus? I reeeally struggle condensing stuff into 100 words, and tend to get carried away - so yes, I'm writing a more detailed description of the meaning that I intend in the card, the symbolism, and so on. People will find their own meanings as well, of course, but I always find it's useful to have a feeling for the original as well. But I'm expecting mine to be much longer than most peoples, just because when I start writing, I have difficulty stopping...
gregory Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 I'm not. My short one isn't even 100 words.... But what I WILL do is put a few words about how it was created.
geoxena Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) I can be very wordy, so I am glad I was able to get mine to 100 words! It's a miracle, really. But the main reason I didn't want to write a longer version for my card is because I want anyone who uses the deck to discover what I put into it on their own. I don't think it necessary to explain every little thing about it. I had an interesting interaction with the owner of the place that scanned my artwork for me. He said he'd heard of tarot but doesn't know anything about it. He was obviously interested in the picture, and as I was explaining it to him, he was saying things like, "Ah, I wondered about that," which is exactly what I was hoping someone would do when looking at it! Far better to stir a reader's curiosity than spell it all out for them, was my thinking on this. I might still write a longer text but I don't wanna give it all away, if you know what I mean. 56 minutes ago, Raggydoll said: If you look at the ones posted in the big guidebook already then you can perhaps get an idea. Thanks, I didn't realize you were posting the descriptions online here already. I don't know why, but I just assumed they wouldn't be up until all cards were in. I'll go take a look. 🙂 Edited January 31, 2020 by geoxena typo
Arania Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 It will depend what is in the finished picture but I tend to be brief and give people room for their own interpretations.
Grandma Posted January 31, 2020 Posted January 31, 2020 @Wanderer I love your Four of Water! My first response was "two roads diverged in a yellow wood". Food for thought, yes?
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