Whether you’re a dabbler, a connoisseur, or come from a long line of mystics, tarot decks are personal. They draw you in, hold energy, and have their own personalities. I’m often drawn in by dark tarot decks for their beauty and the different promises they seem to hold. And as I’m currently (it’s gonna take me a really long time) working on my own tarot deck (it’s not that dark) I thought I’d peruse the artwork of other decks for inspiration. Here are some of my favourites.
Dark Tarot Deck offering 1 -Deviant Moon Tarot
I love this deck, the colours and art are amazing. The figures are so unusual and it’s got this weirdly disturbing quality to it. This one is on my wish list already.
Offering 2 -Major Arcana Tarot Deck – Cult Movies
This second deck I found on Etsy and thought the idea of it being based on movies was brilliant. The artwork is different from most decks and the deck itself is handmade on A6 card -a little bigger than the usual deck (and perhaps a little too large for my hands) and only the major arcana (plus a bonus card) are included. The only problem is, I’m finding it impossible to share from Etsy in any way other than a link –so here it is– if anyone knows how it’s done please let me know because this artwork needs sharing.
Offering 3 -Murder of Crows
Having seen this deck in use the Murder of Crows tarot deck is beautiful and dark.
Dark Tarot Offering 4 -Tarot Chimera
What is it about this deck that just makes me want to take my time with each card, to look at the imagery and see if there’s more that I’m not seeing. Scroll down the Kickstarter page to see all of the cards again and take your time over them, there’s something about The Chariot and the 7 of wands…
Offering 5 -The Untamed Mystery Tarot
A wild and indulgent deck with options. There are eight versions of this deck to choose from to match your desires. At $65 this is an indulgent deck, perhaps ideal as a personal gift or reward but with such beautiful imagery, I’ll be adding it to my wish list. Who wouldn’t want to read the cards with one of these decks?
And last but not least The Daemon Tarot
A deck I am familiar with and, if you read your monthly tarot on my site, you should be too. Unlike other tarot decks, this deck is all demons. There’s no 3 of wands or King of swords but there are definitely a few Kings and Dukes of Hell. Drawn from the Dictionnaire Infernal by demonologist Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy and using Luis Breton’s 69 illustrations from the 500 commissioned for the Infernal Dictionary, this tarot deck uses a number of sources to provide the details for each card and provide you, the reader, with answers to your questions.
As for the deck I’m creating, I’m hand-painting with ink on paper my hand-drawn designs based on the people that I draw them for asking a specific question. I’m four cards in and it’s not a particularly dark deck. We’ll see how it goes, I’ve only got another 75 cards to design, draw, and paint.
Horror and Fantasy Author – Also writing as K.T. McQueen. Love Western Horror, cowboy boots, my cactus Collin, & my Demon Cat.
Moths – I hate moths, the way they flutter at your face!
