You’ll not be surprised that I am a fan of contemporary illustrated tarots decks, though you might be surprised by how many of them there are. There has been a strong current of contemporary illustrators taking on the challenge of illustrating tarot cards in the last few years and the results are, for the most […]
It’s hard for me to say how much I like Marie White’s Hanged Man from the Mary-El tarot deck. When the deck was still in its infancy I made a bookmark out of the image along with a small description and laminated it, which I still have (the Star was on the reverse). The Hanged […]
– Tarot, as a system that attracts intuitive, artistic people, is understandably most critical of the element that represnts the power of rational thought and the home of reason: Air and its suit, Swords. Redeeming the power of air is key to balancing the elements and utilizing what the rational mind has to offer. – […]
Chibi Nation! It’s been a bit on the quiet side for awhile (tho I am posting updates on the Kickstarter site), but I come with good news: The Decks have arrived! It’s been a thrilling ride and one I will never forget. You’ve all been so patient with me and I hope your patience is […]
I’ve played chess as long as I can remember. Not well, mind you. I thought I played well until my friend Ethan beat me in roughly 7 moves when we started playing in Mrs. Hoffman’s 4th grade class. My father taught me the rules early, over a variety of chess boards, though the one I […]
The Chibi Tarot Major Arcana is coming to a close, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve finished the Chariot and started work on the World Card. The last two remaining cards, the Star and the Sun, should be very straightforward, as I’ve already completed the major pieces for each of those cards. I’ve been […]
A few months ago my 4-year-old son took to the page and drew three of the tarot’s major arcana: the Sun, the Emperor and the Hanged Man. The results are below. Here’s what he had to say about the cards: Those are beautiful cards. Them mean the truth and prosperity. (You can see the originals […]
Let’s just get this out of the way: You shouldn’t need a book to read the tarot. All the information that we need to read the tarot is already inside of us. All the stories, lessons and wisdom we’ll ever need are already at our fingertips. The key to learning to read the tarot is […]
I struggle a lot with the use of the tarot. I am not naturally a tarot reader, at least, if I am I haven’t discovered the way that works best for me. I struggle with the phrasing of the question and the structure of the answer that the tarot provides. I struggle with structuring the […]
As I wrote about in my last post, I’ve been immersing myself in Joseph Campbell’s seminal text, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Being plunged so purely into the essence of mythology is revivifying. Being bathed in the the totems and talismans of cultures from across the world and watching as they’re woven into a […]
There’s nothing more irritating than starting over. Professional artists do it all the time. Dan Clowes has said that it’s better to redraw an entire page than to regret it when the piece comes out. I don’t like agreeing with him (he’s one of my least favorite visual storytellers), but in this case I’m forced […]
The world is an oracle, if we know how to read the signs. I have no doubt of that fact now, after having spent nearly 2 years producing my own tarot deck and related materials. And wisdom and insight into the tarot often come from unexpected place. I’ve been struggling with deep understanding of card […]
I spoke briefly in my comments on Justice about it being the center of the tarot, and I’ve mentioned before about a card’s placement within the first, second or third line of the tarot and I thought that I’d address that for a moment, since I’ve never explicitly explained the meaning behind that train of […]
One of the interesting things about the Hanged Man for me are the coins that sometimes lay on the ground below him, fallen, we assume, from his pockets as he was hung. The meaning, of course, is that the hanged man has forsaken worldly wealth for an inner wealth of knowledge and deep spiritual insight. […]
It’s been two months since the Chibi Tarot Kickstarter was funded, but for me it’s still not entirely real. I don’t think that’s simply because the cards aren’t in my hand. There’s enough art and momentum at this point that the project is very real. I think that’s because I have a hard time taking […]
A gallery of sketches that I worked up last week while I was on vacation. I’m really looking forward to getting started on these two pieces.
Chibi Nation! I know that some of you have already contributed to the Kickstarter campagin, and for that I am grateful. It may be that the rest of you are waiting to ride to the rescue as the Kickstarter ends, but I would urge you not to do that. I really want you to give […]
Special thanks to my friend and amazing photographer Rebecka Regan of ReganHousePhoto.com for the GREAT photos during the shoot. Hi there! It’s been awhile. How’ve you been? Me? Oh man, I’ve been busy. Let me tell you about it! A lot of my time in the last few weeks has been spent prepping for the […]
Before I dig into my review of the Emerald City Comicon I want to give you a little history. I grew up in San Diego. That won’t mean much to anyone who isn’t familiar with comic conventions, but if you are familiar with them you know that in the last 10 years the San Diego […]
Here are some peeks at the Hierophant. I posted two so that you can see a little more clearly my working process. The most drastic change between the first and the second is in the girl in the bottom right-hand site. Let me know what you think in the comments!
The Hierophant card represents the traditional, orthodox teachings of religion considered suitable for the masses. She is the ruling power of organized religion. jasonbeamstudios.com/site/g_thehierophant.asp (NSFW) I don’t think there’s an unhappier card in the Tarot deck than the Hierophant. There are more frightening and probably saddening cards to receive in a reading, the Tower and […]
Hey look! We’ve got stickers! They arrived today from PSPrint! They look REALLY good, so you should buy one! That’s right, our first merch is up and online in our new shop! It’s not much yet, but I’ll be continuing to add merchandise throughout the year and hopefully before too long we’ll have a deck […]