HP Tarot thumbnails - The Emperor
I was also blocked on this one for a long time because James Potter is such a cocky bastard. Glad to have pushed it through, will probably go back and put in better lighting later.
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"You know, Harry, in a way, you did see your father last night... You found him inside yourself." - Albus Dumbledore
The Emperor represents structure, masculinity, and established rules, like the role of a father figure. I eventually settled on James Potter for this card not only because he is Harry's actual father, but because he serves as an imagined guideline for Harry's actions and as an aspirational figure.
Notable art bits:
1. The traditional Emperor has depictions of rams on his throne, symbolizing male virility. Sometimes other tarot decks put horns of rams or other animals on the Emperor himself, bringing to mind imagery of Cernunnos. This thumbnail went a lot easier once I got the idea to do the same thing - the tree branches behind his head look like stag horns, which not only suggest masculinity but of course James's animagus form as well.
2. The Emperor holds a globe (the world) in one hand, and a scepter in the shape of an Ankh (life) in the other. James has his wand and that damn Golden Snitch. Seriously, mate, stop playing with that thing
3. Unintentional, but his pose ended up mirroring The Empress, which is just fine with me.
4. Why's he in a tree? Well I don't really know, aside from the fact that it's more grounded and solid and structured than him on a broom, which was the only other alternative I thought of. Gave the leaves autumn colors to contrast with the lush greens of The Empress and because I've had enough of boring green trees.
5. The Emperor wears red robes for strength, vitality, and whatever else fits red. James is wearing his Quidditch sports jacket captain's robes like the jock he is.
I got the Chinese Tarot deck today and it's just as nice as I imagined! The detailed review will have to wait till after E3 though, it's gonna be a big post. My original plans had me finishing off the thumbnails JUST before the Nintendo conference on Tuesday, but am having a busy weekend so we'll see if it happens.
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"You know, Harry, in a way, you did see your father last night... You found him inside yourself." - Albus Dumbledore
The Emperor represents structure, masculinity, and established rules, like the role of a father figure. I eventually settled on James Potter for this card not only because he is Harry's actual father, but because he serves as an imagined guideline for Harry's actions and as an aspirational figure.
Notable art bits:
1. The traditional Emperor has depictions of rams on his throne, symbolizing male virility. Sometimes other tarot decks put horns of rams or other animals on the Emperor himself, bringing to mind imagery of Cernunnos. This thumbnail went a lot easier once I got the idea to do the same thing - the tree branches behind his head look like stag horns, which not only suggest masculinity but of course James's animagus form as well.
2. The Emperor holds a globe (the world) in one hand, and a scepter in the shape of an Ankh (life) in the other. James has his wand and that damn Golden Snitch. Seriously, mate, stop playing with that thing
3. Unintentional, but his pose ended up mirroring The Empress, which is just fine with me.
4. Why's he in a tree? Well I don't really know, aside from the fact that it's more grounded and solid and structured than him on a broom, which was the only other alternative I thought of. Gave the leaves autumn colors to contrast with the lush greens of The Empress and because I've had enough of boring green trees.
5. The Emperor wears red robes for strength, vitality, and whatever else fits red. James is wearing his Quidditch sports jacket captain's robes like the jock he is.
I got the Chinese Tarot deck today and it's just as nice as I imagined! The detailed review will have to wait till after E3 though, it's gonna be a big post. My original plans had me finishing off the thumbnails JUST before the Nintendo conference on Tuesday, but am having a busy weekend so we'll see if it happens.