The 78 Tarot Project involves 78 artists from across the globe, who have all been given a card from the Tarot deck to create. When it is completed there shall be 78 totally and utterly unique cards put together to make one wonderful Tarot Deck- showcasing the variety of talent of illustrators, fine artists, photographers, digital artists and many others from all over the world.
So, back in February I was told about this amazing project. My friend and fellow artist, the wonderful Anita Invararity was taking part and she was very excited about it. So I got the details and sent a few emails. Within a few weeks I have been recruited to take part! I was given the Nine of Wands as my card to create, and I got started with the all the crazed arty excitement I could muster!!
First thing's first: Inspiration
So one of the first things I do when I start a new project, is I go and do loads of research!! I wanted to relate the card back to my own interest in Scottish mythology, as well as making sure it embodied elements of what the Nine of Wands was meant to represent.
Pinterest is always a great site for finding inspiration, and so I put a little board together as I researched to spark creativity in me. You can see it here: (just clicky). And of course it was truly important to look into what the Nine of Wands was all about.
The best description of the Nine of Wand card I found was that it was for the "Battle-weary warrior inside us all, who still refuses to give up fighting". It is meant to appear in the reading when the recipient needs to learn when to lower the defences and re-cooperate, allowing healing and emotional well-being instead of overly defending themselves. It's commonly illustrated by the nine wands (or staffs sometimes) and/or an injured figure, who is battle worn- showing a long battle that has not allowed the scars to heal.
I loved this card straight away when I read what she was all about! There was a character I had in mind for her, and the card description was just perfect! I wanted to make the card based on the Scottish/Irish story of the warrior queen Scathach and her lover Cuthulainn.
So it was straight to the drawing board! I didn't do much in the way of concept sketches. I started one version, finished it and realised it wasn't what I wanted for the card and so started all over again! The second time was the charm!
The Process
When I start painting in my style I very rarely know how it is going to turn out and so it can be just as surprising to me as it is to you! First step is always to choose my canvas, which in this case was reclaimed wooden panel, and then tea/coffee stain it. The staining gives me the bones of my piece, which I then begin to paint into with watered down white-acrylic.
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| Work in Progress Shot 1- White Acrylic. |
Since I had the intention of making the piece primarily white with the stained background, it took a long, long time to get it looking the way I wanted it. Shading is key when developing a sense of depth,especially if there is going to be little alteration in the following stages.
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| WIP shot 2. Acrylic Finished. |
The Watercolour Stage
Watercolour is great fun, and so flexible as long as you have the right base down to remove with water as you go. That's why I use watercolour on pre-acrylic-painted wood or panel so that I can soak it back if the watercolour doesn't work. Used thick of thin, watercolour is lovely! So I worked all the shadows deeper using the same watercolour set I've had since high school.
This left me with just the final touches and of course, the big reveal:
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| "Nine in the Sky"- Copyright Kimberly Hagen ART 2014. All rights reserved. And here she is. Fini. So happy with her and proud to know she is going to be alongside so many other talented and amazing artists in the 78 Tarot Project! To check out the other artists taking part and see the deck as it comes together check out the website: http://www.seventy-eight-tarot.com/deck/ And if you are feeling generous, also check out my website and facebook page: www.facebook.com/kimberlyhagenart www.kimberlyhagenart.co.uk All artwork used in this post is copyright Kimberly Hagen ART. All rights reserved. |
