See the entire Kirlian Tunnel Tarot Deck showcase.
How the cards are made:
Just as a colorist mixes primaries to create different feels, I use Photoshop filters and layers to mix different narrative spirit / personality compositions (mostly palettes) to create each final card. 'Hierarchial Meta Filter Layering' would be a descriptive term for how it's done.
In this example I am creating the '9 of Gears' (Pentacles), a card which represents secure self-attainment.
1) I start by scanning an existing artwork which will serve as a romantic foundation for the work I intend to create.
2) The scan is converted to black & white, resized to 100 by 160 pixels (since they are designed to be seen as small web images). Working in this lo-res also decreases labor time and makes the filters act more scintillating than subtle (stronger pixel variations).
3) Each suit has been assigned a 2 color gradient as a starting point; For 'Gears' that is red and gold. A gradation is planned for each card, sometimes linear, usually radial, arranging the 2 color ramping as necessary.
4a) For the first set of compositions, identical layer sets of the b/w scan and the gradient layer are duplicated.
4b) I set 2 layers on at a time, usually the gradient is on top and is set a filter quality, 'burn' is a popular one, then merge these layers to arrive at color source layers.
5) The color images are duplicated, and each one is run through a set of filters. Often the filters are repeated, but faded as other filter types.
6) Sometimes one color source generates several interesting filter variations. In this case that whole stack of layers with it's color source at the bottom, and a duplicate b/w at the top for maintaining some of the original linework are set active, each layer is given the filter which best lends it essence to the stack, and each layer transparency is set. When everything is balanced and the stack represents that set of energy transitions, the stack is merged.
7) At this point, several merged stacks will have evolved, each containing a narrative unto itself. These stacks are blended using the same methods as step 6. This will leave a few key merged-merged stacks, which will be then be filter merged as well, sometimes interspersed with some of the more primitive images (b/w scan or un/filtered color source) if the card is not to become to abstracted.
8) Titles for each card are generated in a seperate layered image set. Each title is duplicated, used as a source for blurring, selection expanding, or other filters, then recombined with the original. The titles are then cut and paste as layers onto each card, setting placement, transparency, and filter as necessary.
9) Cards merged with titles are copied to another directory.
10) For other purposes, such as printing, more copies have their resolution enhanced and are placed four to a page. Also bmp, jpg, and psd formats are created for mailing and use in other tarot programs.
Here
I've sized a 'b/w scan', Created 'spirit' with a gold / red
radial gradient and some zoom filter stuff, 'Burned' it to
achieve a sepia,burgundy, gold fire 'maturation', then reversed
it to bring in an 'earth' palette.
I pushed the gold halo into fire, reaching the 'smoke and ashes' seen in the lower set, made an 'earth/spirit' mix to combine with it, reversed that (once you add dark & light, it's inverse is equally balanced)
Other filters and color
shifting helped me extract 'romance', 'play', and 'opulence'
All the lessons are balanced (combined) and their lasting influence (filter) for the final card is decided.
Copyright May 1999, 2000
- Kristal Rose Phoenix
McKinstry