Mystic readings Tanya Combrinck channels the world of tarot with the help of three illustrators
A strong natural affinity has always existed between fantasy artists and the tarot, but a recent surge in popularity is creating an opportune moment for anyone who feels called to paint their own deck.
Tarot is now seen by many as a component of self-care, similar to yoga or meditation. Rather than approaching it as an occult practice or divination tool, people are using the routine of drawing cards as a therapeutic method of making sense of life events by viewing them through the lens of the archetypes and narratives of the tarot.
A huge variety of decks have been produced to meet this demand, with different art styles and themes to connect with all kinds of people. There are endless ways to interpret the ideas of the tarot, so every creator can produce their own unique take on the stories and symbolism. Even great artists including Salvador Dalí and Gustave Doré produced their own tarot cards.
Drawing a tarot deck was a career goal that illustrator Abigail Larson had held for years. She finally got her chance when the publisher Llewellyn approached her to draw the Dark Wood Tarot, a themed deck based on the premise of a witch exploring secrets in the woods, which represent hidden parts of the psyche.
“Llewellyn introduced me to Sasha Graham, the writer of the deck, and it felt like a perfect match,” says Abigail. “She sent me very detailed card descriptions as she was writing them, and I would start sketching out rough compositions for each card as they came in. It was a fairly organic flow. It took a little longer, but in order for us to nail down the amount of detail we wanted, it worked for us.”
INTENSE PROCESS
Even though she was given a detailed brief for each of the cards she illustrated, making the deck was still a huge challenge. “It’s an incredible amount of work and research,” Abigail reflects. “The card descriptions allowed me to focus completely on the art side of the work, composing the scenes and characters, and making sure that everything reads clearly. I had to find lot
