78 Tarot - 10 of coins finished!

And the card is finished!



(To see my work in progress read the previous posts on this card - sketches and card process 2)

About the Deck:

78 Tarot is an exciting deck created by 78 different artists, each made in their own style. I have painted the "10 of Coins" card you see here. Other artists contributing include Jasmine Becket-Griffith, Larry Elmore, Natalia Pierandrei, Delphine Griffin, Tanya Bond, Tiffany Toland-Scott, Carrie Hawks, Jessica Douglas, and many more!

Help us print the 78 Tarot deck by backing and sharing the 78 Tarot Kickstarter page!

About my 10 of Coins card:

Here and some questions provided by 78 Tarot for more further information on my cardHow did you decide to use the symbolism you have?
Family inheritance, wealth and material abundance are meanings for this card. I wanted to coin to be a repeated motif that could also work as a family symbol or coat of arms. As a gold colored coin it is also a symbol of wealth by itself. The family has a solid stone home with decorative work and statues of ancestors from centuries earlier. Abundance is also reflected in their rich clothing.

How did you choose what to use to represent the pentacles (coins)?

Since the Pentacles is the earth suit I knew I wanted to use a lot of green and leaves in the background. 10 of coins is all about strong foundations, and security. I chose ivy leaves because I associate them with old buildings. It takes time for vines to grow over a wall, while the wall needs to be solid stone to stand up to the roots.

How did you go about choosing the story you would tell?

I looked at several versions of the card that had been published. I didn't really really like any of them. I read as many descriptions of the meaning as I could and wrote down the main points that seemed important to me. Then I tried to think of what sort of scene could bring those together and still be something I enjoyed to paint. The mother passing her necklace to her daughter and the motif reflected in the architecture and her dress bring together the ideas of family, inherited wealth, tradition, and leaving behind something that lasts.

Why the maternal scene?

I didn't really relate to the old man's point of view in the Rider Waite card, but I still wanted a way to show generations of a family.

How long did the process take you?

I worked for about a month on it. It took a couple weeks to work out an idea from brainstorming and sketches to the final drawing.

78 Tarot Project - 10 of Coins Progress 2

78 Tarot is a group of 78 artists completing a tarot deck. Each artist has created one card in their own style. You can follow our deck at the 78 Tarot website or facebook page.

We’ve also just launched the 78 Tarot kickstarter funding page! Please take a look help us print this exciting deck!

Read the previous entry on this painting 78 Tarot project - 10 of Coins SketchesColor Sketch

Once I have the basic layout of the entire picture drawn I did a second color sketch. I wanted to base the top section of the art on Art and Crafts period stained glass designs with muted green and gold. For the coins, instead of literal Pentacles I drew them as ivy leaves. The ivy motif will be repeated all over the painting. At this point while I'm figuring out the coloring of the background I get a better idea of how to will draw the floor and the stone wall, as well as a walled city the distance.

Final Drawing

To make the final pencil drawing I used my light box to draw over sketches of the various elements on separate sheets in order to adjust the placement. In the final pencil drawing I made the right statue a man facing forward to break up the symmetry and drew the stones in the floor in a leaf or petal shape.



Next I ink outlines on some of the main figures and archway and begin painting. After many days working...



almost done!