Tarot Deck Illustrations | Modern Manga Tarot |

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Illustrated by Patrick Miller (pencils, inks) and Aindri C. (colours)

Written by Hera David, design by Claire Warner Studio, published by Welbeck Publishing Group, OH Editions,
September 2023. EAN/UPC 9781804530955

Available at most booksellers including Bookshop, Allen & Unwin, Barnes & Noble, WHSmith and Eslite

ROUGHS

With a full deck amounting to 78 illustrations, I figured I'd need the same workflow for book illustration, even though the publisher didn't think it necessary. It proved essential, as a few of the roughs got batted back for changes, in some cases for minor details, while others required a total re-do. None of the cards were completed without a signed off rough, but some of the cards did significantly change after the rough.

In some cases I felt the final finished card artwork didn't match the feeling or finish of its respective rough. Perhaps, for me, that's an inevitable side-effect of changing from the fluidity of pencil brushes to the required crisply-inked line-work. It's also a two-way street – some of the cards really came into their own during the final art phases.

Below, a few favourite roughs. Photoshop with Wacom Intuos.

PROCESS

Initially I wanted each image to start with colour and add line-work only where really necessary. In Photoshop, the roughs were painted out with flat colour before adding fine line ink. I use a Wacom Intuos tablet on an M1 MacBook Pro.

But then my process needed to change completely to adapt to a new workflow when I brought Aindri in to help with colouring the artwork. Aindri has a background in animation, so to fit with a workflow that was familiar I inked the artwork first, marking out any specifically shaded areas for Aindri to add flat colours to. I then took the inked, coloured artwork and finished it with some unifying levels, saturation filters and texture effects.

Below, from left to right: approved rough, inks & shade shapes; flat colours (plus effect!); final art.