This Section looks at my design process for building the final tarot cards. I go through each step from references through to the finished product. I have split this into 3 main sections.
The Frames
When working to build the frames I first took the time to look at some examples from the wider internet.
I considered using a more elaborate, ornamented frame much as those seen above. After several sketches and attempts, I decided against this. The finish for the main card art was already highly detailed and having a highly elaborate frame in addition to that would lead to an overly busy overall impression. It may also take away from the impact of the art.
Instead, I decided to use a simple dark blue (stand-in for black as I think it will look better in print) that does the job without drawing the eye away from the centerpiece. The final frame is simple and elegant. Ornamented only with an extra, thinner line around the inside for a little bit of interest, it does a far better job of drawing the eye towards the midpoint, where it should go.
The Font
Primarily in order to avoid potential issues with copyright, I decided to design my own font using a free trial of Calligraphr – a program designed to make a font out of handwriting. I did not use my natural handwriting for this, as I do not think it would be visually pleasing or legible enough to take such a prominent space on the cards. Instead, I did a deliberately somewhat-off rendition of traditional printed letters – neat enough to look good in context, but still maintaining some hand-drawn whimsy that fits well with my overall visual language.
This proved more complicated than I anticipated. Initially, I messed up and did not realise I needed to fill a specific template downloaded from the Calligraphr website in order for it to pick out specific glyphs. Pictured above is the initial sheet of letters I did that I was not able to use – could have edited them into the template but I figured it was good to have a practice run, so instead decided to redraw them.
Based on the instructions provided it seems the intention is for users to print out the template and fill it out on paper with a traditional writing implement. I did not see a need to add this step as I have a screen tablet that I am experienced enough at using that my handwriting/line quality using it is effectively identical to what I can do on paper. So I simply imported the template into Clip Studio and filled it in there. This is pictured below.
The final font is something I am very happy with. It encapsulates the style and effect I wanted to portray and fits perfectly into the overall tarot card. Below is an image of the font in use.
The Back
This was a considerable challenge for me, as I was given quite specific directions by the client – to create my own rendition of a geometric symbol he had designed, representing a prominent organisation and magic system in the fictional setting that his writing, as well as the games that inspired the tarot cards, are set in. This image can be found below.
This was very far out of my comfort zone, as my usual visual language is loose, and somewhat sketchy, with lines and shapes only as straight as I can get them by freehanding. I do like to simplify complex organic shapes into vaguely geometric ones, but it isn’t quite the same. Precision is very much not my strong suit. I made a few attempts at drawing the symbol freehand, but quickly realised that would never look presentable, and I needed to make use of Clip Studio’s geometric shape and ruler tools – something I was aware existed but had never used beyond the occasional straight line when I could not get a table leg or similar right. The more complex tools I had never used extensively.
For the final design, my process was: to draw the symbol first using the symmetry ruler, circle tool, and straight-line tool, with a grid displayed over it for extra precision. This took many tries. Then, once I managed that, lower the opacity, and on a new layer, freehand trace over precise lines. This would result in an accurate translation of the original symbol but would retain some of the organic line quality that I value in my art. In one of my previous attempts at a back design I just used the figure tool drawing directly, but the final result of this I thought looked far too stiff in an unappealing way. This is pictured below.
I decided to go for a stained glass-esque look for the finish, due to the prominence of religious imagery/subject matter in a lot of the narrative I was drawing from. Textured painting similar to what I usually use, with Clip Studio’s gouache/watercolour brushes, allowed me to achieve this effect. I tried to make the symbol look somewhat like a circular window through which light is shining, brightest at the center and dimmer near the edges, seeping slightly through onto the “wall” around it. I went with a limited colour scheme in order not to draw attention away from the front side of the cards. The text was freehanded in a style inspired by art nouveau, I thought the lightly curved lines would work well as something that could make sense being metalwork.
Considering how out of my comfort zone this was, I think the finished result is not bad. If I were to design another version I would perhaps lean even more into the stained glass style, making the inspiration clearer than it currently is.
The Final Tarot Base
In all, I am quite happy with the final product. The Frame and Back blend well together and the Font serves as the perfect highlight to the card, offering the required information while not taking away from the images. The client has also expressed a love of the finished product and we both look forward to continuing the collaboration to complete a full set of High Arcana in the future. A turnaround of the base can be seen below.
Here are a few rough drafts of some of the in-progress pieces, should the collaboration continue.
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