Playing cards arrived in Europe in the late 1300s, travelling from Asia through the Islamic world. They quickly spread, evolving into the familiar suited decks we love today. I took inspiration from their journey and the cultures they passed through. Tarot cards appeared in northern Italy in the mid-1400s as a variation of playing cards, created for a game with extra illustrated trump cards. Their use for symbolism and divination came several centuries after - becoming one of the best tools for divination and meditation. With this project, I want to celebrate both of these journeys. Introducing Shuffled Stories Vol. 2 - Arcane
Wildlife Tarot
- 78 Hand-illustrated, fully-custom art Tarot cards
- Two-piece box with painted-effect antique gold foiling
- Painted-effect antique gold gilding on card edges
- Luxury card face painted-effect antique gold foiling
Arcane Wildlife Tarot is a journey of questions, inspired by animals far more knowledgeable than us. Animals that understand natural cycles, climates, dangers, when to rest, and when to cause trouble. They do not overthink. We will try to (not) do the same. The card back is an expanded version of the playing card back transformed into full-bleed. The image depicts our natural attempt to connect with the universe and heightened intuition.
The Major Arcana - Each card represents a large force — moments that shift direction rather than add detail. When they appear, forget your tea, something important is underway! Each carefully selected animal balances familiar tarot structure with instinct, translating traditional compositions into my own visual language.
The Minor Arcana - Bring true uniqueness to the deck. This is a pip deck unlike one you've seen before. As an award-winning playing card designer, I wanted to explore the two mediums together. "Playing cards and tarot are cousins who pretend not to know each other"—I wanted to reunited them.
Each number card shows a symbolic scene — a narrative moment caught mid-fidget. Nothing is shouting. Objects lean, gather, wander off, or quietly refuse to cooperate. The story is happening whether anyone narrates it or not.
Each court card depicts balance — The court cards are characters. Each split into a light and a shadow side, shown as mirror images having a polite disagreement on where in the cycle they are.
