Let’s explore more Tarot, Oracle, Affirmation, whatever Cards using Design Cuts Clip Art (mostly). Continued from Creating Tarot Cards using Design Cuts Clip Art (mostly) Part 1.
10 Wheel. I based this design on the Color Wheel. I used Mandala images from Julia Dreams. I own a ton of her designs. She is so prolific! I had so much fun coloring the mandala. I created the texture.
18 Moon. I created the background textures, which are two layered textures. At the very bottom, I explain why it’s so hard to identify which artist created this.
19 Sun. I purchased a package of Yoga images. I changed changed the red and green to better match color in the rainbow. I purchased the background years ago from another vendor. I also modified it to make space for the text. This is the Plow pose. You use a plow outdoors, so it made sense to put outdoors. I actually used more of these flowers, modifying all of them.
The quote is from the beloved Yoga teacher and longtime editor of LA Yoga, Felicia Marie Tomasko.
“Allow yourself to feel what you feel.”
19 Sun. I photographed this fabric hanging outside during a fabulous event at my dear pal my dear pal, Reena Gauchan’s magical Kathmandu Boutique, Santa Monica. I used my custom texture also used in one of the 6 Lovers seen above.
21 World. I joined “A Creation a Day” Facebook group. I only joined because of Regina Anaejionu. I’ve wanted to study with her, ByRegina, for years. Allie Smith, an accomplished photographer, was the group co-founder and leader. Regina showed a photo of a woman of color touched rolls of gift wrap paper at a store. She said there’s very little representation of women of color. I created this and dedicated it to her. She’s so dynamic, hard-working, inspiring.
I searched online for images. Wow, that was really hard. If women of color start making clip art, and more varied than what I found, they’d tap into a huge need. Then I remembered I had the Dreaming of Africa from Watercolor Nomads.
I didn’t like many traditional symbols of the world card. There’s a bull which I don’t like. Plus other objects that screamed masculine. I wanted this to be very feminine. Or there’s seasons, but I didn’t have images that worked with this.
The world can also represent the four elements: land (snake), sky (eagle), water (jellyfish) and air (smoke). That would work! Plus of all the options, that’s the one that’s closest to how people represented and talked about the earth throughout the ages. I love old images, delineating the boundaries between earth, air and more.
Then I searched my many folders of watercolor images.
I also researched to verify all the symbols I found and wanted to use were native to Africa. I wanted to include a nautilus shell. They aren’t from Africa, but from the Indonesian area. Ok, that won’t work. I Googled to see if Eagles are in Africa. They are. And of course, snakes.
I carefully erased the wreath around the woman. But the flowers in her headpiece were too big. That was a challenge: remove them but make it look good. The eagle and jellyfish were colored using watercolor textures. I left the snake as is. I used a brush to paint the smoke. Yes, I have smoke brushes.
Finally, the wreath and the paper (which I colorized). Well, that was a struggle because at the time, I tried to find where the original files were. I have tons of flowers and wreaths. I don’t have many papers like this, with the ragged edges. I never could find all the original files. I also used Photoshop‘s magic to emboss and add a drop shadow, to give it more dimensionality.
Ace of Cups. I just love, love, love Lisa Glanz‘s work. I first discovered her marvelous creations on Design Cuts. I also purchased a package on her site, when she had a sale and the items not in Design Cut‘s store. Normally I make images with my photos, either new or my classic, famous punk photos.
I really wanted to use some of her animals and people. But how to use these for my teaching site? Good for kids, but I teach adults.
What is cuter than a bunny in a cup! Ok, she has kitties in a pail with flowers. I think that’s what I bought from her. All are totes adorbs. I totally knew I had to use this for something. This makes me smile! I created the blue background.
I would love to own all her products. When I looked up the link, I saw her sweet Great Dane, with a scarf around his neck, looking downward at a ladybug.
Then I searched my Lightroom catalog and I own that! I renamed folders, to make it easier to find. Design Cuts site indicated it’s Magical, vol 2. I put all three volumes into one folder. The Great Dane was in the ANIMALS folder. So cute! Hey, you can be into punk and sweet doggies and bunnies!
Ace of Pentacles. I know the green and golden dots are from Blixa 6. I LOVE their images! SO luscious. Sadly, I haven’t used many. Yet. But I love looking at them because of their very unique, luxurious, enchanting look and feel. The sky is a Photoshop cloud brush.
Ace of Wands. I photographed a lovely crystal wand when I saw a man on the street holding it. He held it over the street. Which meant it had gray blacktop and white crosswalk stripes in the background. I used a vintage frame from French Kiss. I purchased textures, frames and more from Leslie several years ago. Now some of her products in Design Cuts bundles.
The first image pulls colors from the wand: purple amethyst and green stones. I read the Ace of Wands is a fire symbol. So I changed the frame to red, and deep yellow because flames are red and yellow. I wanted a magical typeface, so I found one that looked appropriate. I’ve collected fonts since forever.
3 of Cups. More Lisa Glanz cups. The frame is by Dinkoobraz. I was pleased that images from two artists worked so well together. Dinkoobraz is selling so many cool packages I want.
I changed colors and eliminated objects. I hate that shade of green with the pink, and the orange, and another green. Plus yellow. Ouch. I love love love blue and orange. (When I was in college, I created so many huge art weavings which were mostly blue and orange. In high school, I wore as much blue and orange as I could. These colors are lifelong obsession for me.)
Blue and orange are complementary colors, one of three sets. Complementary colors are opposite each other in the traditional 6 colors in color wheel. Three sets. That’s it.
I really loved playing with these colors. Took a long time to find just the hues (colors) that work with each other. I’m patient. Doing these, especially choosing colors is meditation for me.
My tastes range from cute animals, oil pastel bicycle to lush golden with rich colors, textures … this is why I won’t make 78 cards of a set. Each card has to be slightly different before I’d think about making a deck!
Purim SuperMoon, 2020. Queen Esther and her banner from Lisa Glanz. Plus a wide variety of clip art. Vintage, new watercolor, whatever.
Princess of Swords. THIS is the card people keep asking me to make a deck. Warrior 1 image is from same package as the Plow in the 19 Sun, I created the green and blue backgrounds. Purple is associated with monarchies, money and major church status. Why? Because purple dye was expensive, so only the uber wealthy could afford it. I painted a vintage sword so it’s golden.
I have a book on the Yoga Asana myths. I also researched online. This is Warrior 1, which is vertical, fitting the format of the cards. She had a sword and wings on her feet. I had a few vintage swords. The wings are a Photoshop brush.
I was excited to use this typeface. I have so many cool typefaces I can never use. But it was perfect.
Two of Swords. I erased the middle sword in the vintage image with three swords. I made two versions: one more traditional, with textured background, vintage style banner. The other is modern, with loose watercolor background, order and flower. I was inspired by a Tarot card I found online. I love the meaning behind this card. It’s about two warriors who collaborate, rather than battle each other. If only we could do that with modern American politics!
3 Empress. The image of Lorna in the trash container, in front of the world famous Roxy, on Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood is really famous. When Lorna passed due to cancer in January 2019, I saw my photo everywhere. I mean everywhere, from fan tributes to press. No credit. No money.
First I cried over losing sweet Lorna Doom, the bassist in the Germs. She was one of the earliest LA punks. Lots of good times and memories. Then, before going to bed, I cried over the loss of my life. Dedicated to punk, yet rarely credited. The glamorous life of a rock photographer. Some great memories, though! We we wild! Lived with minimal money, but lots of sex ‘n’ drugs ‘n’ rock n roll. When cost of living was practically nothing, we ate little and slept less.
15 Devil. Oh those of us who knew Black Randy truly knew a strange, perverse, wicked man. Brilliant but so self-destructive. Who also caused harm to others. Whatta character! Perfectly typecast as the Devil card.
One of his songs begins with “Jenny Stern says she’s gonna take all our photos.” He recorded it around the time my name changed to Jenny Lens. I was constantly on the receiving end of some anti-Semitic vitriol. But one night, with all the hurtful comments, I was called Jenny Lens. You never know what good will come from people giving you a hard time. Decades later that person wrote me and apologized. I was always grateful for my name. That’s rock ‘n’ roll!
Let’s end with more wise words from Felicia Marie Tomasko, editor of LA Yoga and esteemed, beloved Yoga teacher. She’s a real survivor, supportive and always so sweet and kind. I photographed a little Camel sculpture I wanted. I always admired it. Now at least I have a photo of it. Photographed at Reena Gauchan‘s Kathmandu Boutique, Santa Monica, CA.
She wrote this before the Covid lockdown in the United States. Namaste.
“In a time of uncertainty, keep looking for the certainty in the heart.”
This is a long explanation why it’s so hard to figure out who created what. Too much? Then move on. It’s cool.
When you are creating art, your mind is playing a balancing game, often not thinking in words, but images and processes. Ask most and they won’t be able to tell you what setting in Photoshop, what brush, where every piece of clip art can be purchased. I spend many hours organizing my clip art in Adobe Lightroom. Then I spend hours looking for images suited for the vague idea I have.
I’m so into building the image, focused on what am I feeling, how I would like others to respond, the colors, the composition, the cool the many settings and menu item and textures and adjustments and experimenting, I that I can’t even remember which out of hundreds of folders did a particular piece of art reside.
I DO organize. I rename folders and put vintage together vs watercolors. But within those folders are more subfolder, with more within them. I can find all my Julia Dreams or Lisa Glanz images because all their work is in their own folders. But within their folders, it takes awhile to find that that image I know they made or might have made.
If I were to stop and label every piece of art, I’d get nothing done. Worse, I’d lose the zone or mood I’m in. I am not thinking in words! I am non-verbal. I only see images. I’m looking for that image that speaks to me, grabs my heart, makes me smile or cry with joy.
So I have no idea where these wonderful metaphysical, magical images came from. Design Cuts I bet. But which artist? Sorry.
NOW if every artist LABELED their art, that would help!!! They need to use Lightroom and NAME their art. I name the folders, which are usually missing their names! That takes hours and hours and hours when you buy thousands of folders of art.
WHY won’t artists name their art something meaningful and with their name? Few do.
That is why I spend DAYS every time I get a big bundle of art. NO matter the source. And don’t know exactly who created everything I use. I only know I either purchased it or it’s public domain. Or I created it.
