Tarot cards have been created by numerous people over the years. Ones that are blank and have already been cut and sized for you are available for purchase. You can then design your own artwork to place on them. Alternatively, you may print them out on card stock or picture paper and cut them out by hand. The act of creating itself is wonderful and can be a tool for fostering spiritual development. You may simply incorporate any hobbies or talents you have into your artwork if you have them.
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How can I make my own deck of tarot cards?
What I actually wanted to do was open a store that offered independently made tarot and oracle decks like the ones I collected, first online and then offline. I would purchase these independent decks from vendors like Two Sides Tarot and Little Red Tarot, and I imagined that perhaps I might create my own small collection to offer to Manila residents (and maybe Asia).
Now I know some of you who frequent this blog do have tarot deck creation goals of your own… so I thought I’d put together a guide that can *fingers crossed* walk you through the creation process the way I did it.
Disclaimer: If you think this piece is going to be about suppliers, printers, and the like, I’m going to warn you right away that it isn’t. I get a lot of queries about those things. Regarding execution, I encourage you to conduct your own research. You can set together your decks just as easily as I did by conducting your own research. Your best friend is Google.
So let this serve as a guide, but don’t expect any spoon-feeding. Open yourselves up to the experience of learning through process, discovering through research, and creating a tarot deck all your own.
Decide what you want. Back in architecture school, we had to begin with a design challenge before we could even begin sketching or discussing aesthetics. You must understand your why. First and foremost, why are you building a deck? Is your deck an outlet for your creativity or an attempt to tackle a problem? Are you making a deck in order to generate income, support a certain cause, or get a little more tarot knowledge for yourself?
Knowing your why will set the tone for your entire creation process. Give this fundamental step time.
begin with a notion. These days, independently produced cards are based on themes. It’s too general to say, “I want to create a tarot deck.” Make your creation worthy. Do you want an animal-themed deck? Why? Do you favor having a “Stranger Things” theme? Eighties soap operas? political leaders
Select a form of artistic expression. If you’re into impressionism, Op-art, or post-modernism, go ahead and do whatever you feel at home with, unless you’re making a deck to broaden your style or portfolio. I selected collage because that’s the medium I’m comfortable with.
Setting your parameters will help you create a visually appealing deck (unless the concept you’re working with calls for a range of art styles, in which case mixing things up might make sense).
You need to accept your own artistic ability at this point. Consider what you can actually accomplish if you have a limited amount of time. Perhaps painting frescoes, photographing them, and then processing each image is not the ideal course of action if you want to complete a deck in a month. Consider whether you can actually complete 78 canvases (and possibly more since you’ll need extras for do-overs and such) if you’re comfortable working with oil on canvas.
Establish your guidelines so that you have a reference point to use when you build your deck.
Make sure you understand what you’re getting into before you even start. I am aware that many artists who have no background in tarot take on the task of creating a deck. But I think their cards have a distinct vibe than real tarot readers. They aren’t as useful as decks created by those who are proficient in spreads, have a thorough understanding of their archetypes, and can read for themselves or others. Even the most accomplished artists are unable to discern tiny elements when using the tarot, despite their skill.
If you are familiar with tarot, make a deck. If you know how to use one, construct an oracle deck. Do your research.
Start working. You’ll just have to put in the effort; that’s the part that the majority of eager beavers are looking forward to. Tarot cards cannot “magician their way into existence.” Get your iPad out, start using Procreate, get some scissors, paint thinner, and brushes.
Be prepared to make a lot of stops and starts at this phase of the process, and be nice to yourself. When you’re ready, display your work to the public. To assess if what you’re doing resonates with both groups, it would probably be beneficial for you to seek feedback from both a non-tarot reader and an experienced reader.
To keep the big picture in mind, remind yourself. Although we occasionally interpret tarot cards individually, we often use pairs of cards and broad spreads. You must have the ability to take a step back from your task and assess how the cards stack up. three, five, ten, and twelve-spot spreads. Lay them all out to check for stragglers, see if any visual or thematic trends emerge (extremely important in a deck! ), and determine whether you like the way they all look when arranged in a formation.
Beyonc staging Bey-chella comes to mind. She had to make sure that everyone on stage appeared flawlessly coordinated.
Make a trial run. The effort isn’t ended once the art is finished, whether you plan to build your deck for sale or just want a copy for yourself. You want to check to see how the tarot cards represent everything. If you want to drive your inkjet printer to the limit, do it yourself at home or look for a printer that can make an inexpensive one-off production on standard card stock. This is to determine whether your art, in any size you decide, works. You can use this to check for border problems, uneven cropping, etc.
Use your test deck as soon as you obtain it. Carry it around and do readings for friends, family, and future clients. Trust me, once you acquire that tester, it won’t leave your hands. Check out how it functions in the wild.
Revision is essential. My least favorite project stage, but one that is absolutely necessary if you want to do things correctly. You’ll know what needs shifting and what needs tweaking once you’ve held the sample in your hands and used it for 10, 20, and 50 readings.
With my initial run of the PM Starter Deck, I saw a few things I wanted to change. The fact that I only had 11 copies printed allowed me to fix any errors I found without incurring significant costs.
Examine the market. If you’re quite certain about your deck, you can have a professional finish it right away. You can either order a task for a small print run for yourself or a large print run if you want to take the plunge. You may relax knowing that you tested your deck, made any necessary adjustments, and took into account everyone’s input.
See whether people are interested in your cutting-edge independent deck. Consider going commercial if individuals appear to be really engaged. Examine your numbers to see if you can feel as like you are taking a calculated risk.
Make a Hail Mary and wish yourself luck if you decide to place a large print order. Who knows, your invention could be the next item to appear on the independent shelves of Two Sides Tarot and Little Red Tarot.
Can I create a custom tarot deck?
- cards in the shape of tarots
- There are between 10 and 160 cards in each deck.
- Customization: As needed, the front and back of each card may be changed individually.
- Size: 70 x 121 mm, or 2.75″ x 4.75″
- Options for materials
- professional standard card stock S30 (FSC-certified) with blue core (smooth finish)
- Black core, S33 exceptional smooth card stock (smooth finish)
- Blue cored M28 professional standard linen card stock (linen finish)
- Blue core M29 professional BGM linen card stock (linen finish)
- The minimum order quantity for this option is 1000 pieces of M30 magic quality card stock with a black core (linen air light finish).
- Black core M31 casino quality card stock (linen finish)
- The minimum order quantity for this option is 1000 pieces of the M32 master quality card stock with a black core (linen air finish).
- A35 typical card thickness
- 100% premium white plastic card stock, P10.
- E27 ecological card stock for bags
- Options for printing
- In holographic (front)
- In holographic (front & back)
- Full-color print and high gloss (back)
- full color print with a gold gilded edge
- Full-color print with a silver gilt border
- Gold gilt edge and holographic (front)
- Silver gilt edge and holographic (front)
- Full color print with spot gold cold foil on the back (front)
- Full-color print and spot silver cold foil on the back (front)
- Full color print with spot holographic cold foil (back) (front)
- No color print, spot gold cold foil on the front and back.
- No color print, spot silver cold foil on the front and back.
- No color print, spot holographic cold foil on the front and back.
- Finish:
- Options for packaging (per deck):
- tightly packaged (default)
- plain or unique rigid box (uses 100 percent recycled chipboard)
- Tuck box in plain white.
- print on box:
- UV-coated T30 (gloss)
- aqueous T30 (matte)
- Aqueous, T25 100 percent recycled (matte)
- Aqueous T27 Eco Herbage (matte)
- Choices and results:
- stamping in gold foil
- stamped with silver foil
- embossing and gold foil stamping
- embossing and silver foil stamping
- Debossing and gold foil stamping
- Debossing and silver foil stamping
- foil in gold (full cover)
- aluminum foil (full cover)
- foil with holograms (full cover)
- a box’s seal
- typical seal for MPC
- individual stamp seal
- individual gold stamp seal
- Add-ons:
- If no box is selected for delivery, each card deck will be individually shrink-wrapped. If a plastic or tin box is selected, a card band is utilized for the cards. Tuck boxes will be shrink-wrapped if chosen. Roll up the uncut sheets and place them inside a firm tube.
- No order minimum is necessary. purchase one deck of cards for