I’m battling swords placement in my Six of Swords wip. In truth, there’s quite a bit to this illustration composition that I’m battling. Perhaps you’ll have some recommendations on what I can do.
I’ll begin from the start. I knew I wished to play with the faith and science dynamic within the Six of Swords, and my ambition was to do this in a approach that isn’t too cliche.
Within the Orsini and Lemarchand texts on Etteilla tarot card meanings, the Six of Swords upright corresponds with roadways, development, journey, a journey or tour, and discovering one’s Manner. The implications are constructive and progressive.
My idea for the cardboard can be that it’d talk each an internal non secular journey and likewise a extra mundane prognostication of bodily journey.
Reversed, the cardboard signifies issuing a decree, assertion, or realizing a specialised, necessary perception, a discovery, publication, announcement, and an unveiling. I like how Crowley’s key phrase “Science” encapsulates that.
In earlier printings of Grand Etteillas, the underside third featured Confucius, whereas in a later Etteilla II printing, Confucius was swapped out and changed with Fuxi (on the time in France known as Fohi). Someplace right here there’s an all-Chinese language-people-look-alike joke.
That is how we all know that these bust engravings have been meant to be Confucius (left) and Fuxi/Fohi (proper) respectively:
These engravings have been snagged from prior publications. So in a approach, these early Etteilla deck designs have been piecemealed and collaged.
The upright place of my Six of Swords composition options Hildegard of Bingen to precise that steadiness between religion and science.
Saint Hildegard right here additionally represents the internal journey and receiving perception into the Path ahead via divine inspiration. My drawing is predicated closedly on a well-liked depiction of Saint Hildegard discovered on Catholic prayer playing cards.
Past the archway (to point a threshold one should cross) is a lifeboat guided by Polaris, the north star. And naturally, the boat is popularly related to the Six of Swords card. I like how each the foreground and the background tales play on the theme of “Pathfinder.”
Following the historic Etteillas, I went with my tackle a kind of legendary figures depictions, and opted for Fuxi, as a result of he tends to be extra related to the sciences than Confucius, who tends to be related to philosophy and statecraft.
Fuxi gave humanity information of the sciences by observing patterns in nature and documenting these patterns by way of the eight trigrams. This depiction of Fuxi goes to be simply identifiable by most Chinese language– it’s based mostly on Ma Lin’s “Portrait of Fu Xi” silk scroll portray circa 1230 AD.
Right here’s the place we get to the primary downside.
The a number of ideas altogether yields a really busy tarot card, and whereas my fashion tends to be busy and that’s fantastic and that’s not the half I’m making an attempt to vary right here, there’s additionally such a factor as too busy even for me.
Not solely is there an excessive amount of occurring, with proper aspect up and the other way up photographs competing noisily in opposition to one another, the six swords get misplaced within the composition and defeats the aim of even needing to incorporate the six swords.
Right here’s my evaluation. With out the swords, I don’t suppose it’s too busy to have each Saint Hildegard and Fuxi (Fohi) featured on a single card to point the upright and reversed indications respectively. Have a look at the stacked illustrations within the above proper. However as quickly as you add the swords, the illustration seems chaotic. Living proof, see above left.
So I’m considering the issue is with the location of the swords. However the place else can I put them?
If I put them on the boat, that can make them teeny tiny, after which it gained’t be per the opposite Swords playing cards within the go well with. Right here’s the precedent I’ve already set for myself for the Swords:
You see? If I make the six swords teeny tiny and place them on the boat, Card 58 gained’t match the opposite Swords playing cards.
After I tinker with placement of the swords, even making an attempt to rotate them at odd angles, I don’t need any of the sharp tricks to be pointed at both Hildegard or Fuxi, proper? That’d be unhealthy kind. Any pointy suggestions ought to be pointed away from and never within the direct line towards both of the figures. So that basically limits how I can place the swords.
An alternative choice I’ve is to forego my religion/science by way of Hildegard/Fuxi idea. I may transfer Fuxi to the Eight of Swords decrease third, which is the place that Fuxi engraving is put in Etteilla I. The drawing of Fuxi I did, nevertheless, doesn’t fairly match the that means of the Eight of Swords reversed, whereas it aligns quite a bit higher to the that means of the Six of Swords reversed. Arrgh.
Welp. Good factor I’m tinkering with the composition digitally with a number of layers. Will simply carry on shifting the items round and round till one thing seems good. Sigh.
UPDATE #1:
Tried out a few of your recommendations. I’m nonetheless not loving any of those preparations. That is going to want extra time and much more tinkering.
I feel I’m giving up on pairing Hildegard with Fuxi. Fuxi will probably be moved to the decrease third for the Eight of Swords, which nonetheless pays homage to the Etteilla I. The decrease third for my Six of Swords will probably be an illustrated web page unfold from Hildegard’s writings and a few botany-looking thingies. We’ll see what occurs.
UPDATE #2:
Yah I must step away from this and take a beat…
The extra I noodle with it, the more serious it’s getting I feel… I hadn’t even gotten to including the alchemical vessels and vials of botany-things but! I used to be about to, after which realized oh crap, I feel I’ve truly managed to make it busier!!
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