Calling All Tarot Deck Illustrators
Are you a professional illustrator or artist? If so, we’d love to connect with you!
Llewellyn is known for our wonderful tarot decks, and great art is part of what makes them so wonderful. Our authors create concepts and card descriptions, and Llewellyn finds the right artists to bring these decks to life. Have you ever considered being a part of a tarot deck project? Or, if not, perhaps now is the time to do so!
Making a tarot deck is a big job, requiring 79 illustrations (78 cards and the card back). Our decks usually require full scenes (rather than portraits or vignettes). It is also a long-term commitment; most artists take 18 – 24 months to complete a deck. But, being the artist of a tarot deck can be an immensely powerful and rewarding experience! (Note that artists retain the copyright to their work.)
We love it when artists have print experience, show consistency in style, and are able to provide high quality digital files (Photoshop files are preferred).
If you are interested in being considered for a tarot project, please send the link to your digital portfolio to portfolios@llewellyn.com (please do not send attachments or pictures).
Please note that, while we do review each and every portfolio that we receive, we unfortunately are not able to provide a reply to every portfolio submitted. We also keep all submissions on file to consider for future projects.
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing your portfolios!
I have a comment and a request I would like to send to the editors and/or those who make decisions regarding Llewellyn products and illustrations and I’m not sure whom to contact. Do I enter my query in this comment space or is there an email address I should send it to? Please note, my query is not a blog post.
Hello Llewellyn folks,
The first Llewellyn Product I purchased was the Robin Wood Tarot sometime around 1998 or 99. I still have that deck, but it’s getting old, and I thought it might be nice to have a new copy.
Well, I read a lot of reviews on Amazon that had me nervous, lot’s of complaints about flimsy cards, etc. Well I know people love to whine on the internet, so I bought it anyway.
What a tragedy!
The card-stock is fine, not wonderful and a bit rough on the edges like it was cut with a dull blade, but ti was about as thick as my 90s copy and similar overall, so I guess you went back to thicker stock.
But the real problem if the horrible print quality. Several of the cards appear to be out of focus, as if the arts was scanned incorrectly, or perhaps it’s a copy of a copy. The titles are different now two, smaller and they just look more careless. The wheel of fortune card’s artwork is printed noticeably smaller than any other card!
It’s great that you’re looking for new artists. Just wish you treated your old ones with the respect they deserve.
I had to return the deck it was so disappointing.
Thank you for sharing your input!! You can send your message to moon@llewellyn.com and we’ll make sure it gets to the correct person.
All the best!
Hello,
I am working on a tarot deck that I am both authoring and illustrating. Is this something Llewellyn would be interested, or are you only looking for illustrators?
Annie
Hi Annie! We’d love to have your submission! You can view the process for submitting a tarot deck for consideration at: https://www.llewellyn.com/about/tarot_submissions.php 🙂 We hope that helps! All the best, Annie!
Hello! I have a question about Tarot deck submissions. I have a nearly completed original Tarot deck that I’ll be submitting but I’m not sure exactly how to create the proposal. I’ve read the submission guidelines quite a few times, but I want to get it right. Should I simply send a link to a portfolio of the art first, like this blog post suggests? The submission guidelines seem to suggest sending the entire deck is an alternative to sending a proposal. I don’t mind either way, I just want to submit via the preferred method.
Should I email a cover letter answering all the artist questionnaire information and relevant details, as well as the “ARTIST/CREATOR BIOGRAPHICAL DATA & DECK INFORMATION FORM” with a link to an online portfolio? Let me know what the best method of submission is. Thank you!
Hello Ben, thanks for asking. This post is seeking illustrators to create decks designed by our authors. In your case, you are proposing a deck that you’ve created, so it is a different situation. You would not necessarily send your portfolio. Instead you would follow the submissions guidelines. Include your responses to the data and deck information form and the images for the deck. I hope that clarifies things for you and I apologize for the confusion.