Okay, so I had this idea stuck in my head for a while: “Sword of Convallaria” tarot cards, but like, on a battlefield. Sounds cool, right? I really wanted to see how it would turn out, so I jumped right in.
Getting Started
First, I needed some good reference images. I spent a good chunk of time just browsing online, looking for pictures of old-style tarot cards and, of course, battlefields. I wanted something that felt dramatic, a bit gritty, but still with that mystical tarot vibe.
The Sketching Phase
Next, I started sketching. I’m not the best artist, my drawing all look like elementary kids’ work, but I can usually get the basic idea down. I roughly sketched out a few card layouts, trying to picture how the “Sword of Convallaria” (whatever that even is – sounds epic, though!) would look on the cards. I played around with different battlefield settings – some with smoke, some with more visible soldiers, that kind of thing. I tried few different styles and layouts, and felt a little bit lost there.
Digital Rendering
After I was happy with the basic sketches, I scanned them and used my old drawing software. I spent a bunch of time figuring things out. It was very time-consuming, and I was getting a little frustrated. All I had was a simple image, it didn’t look like the cool, dramatic idea in my head.
Playing with Colors and Effects
Here’s where things got, well, messy. I started messing with colors and effects. I wanted a dark, almost ominous color palette for the battlefield, but with the cards themselves glowing or somehow standing out. I went through a LOT of trial and error – some combinations looked absolutely awful, like a child had thrown paint at the screen. Others were kinda okay, but just not quite there yet.
The Final Touches (and Frustrations)
Eventually, I got to a point where I was… tolerating the results. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but I had to call it quits at some point. I added some final touches, like trying to make the swords look a bit more detailed and adding some subtle textures to the cards. Honestly, I’m still not 100% happy with it, but I learned a bunch along the way. And now, I get to keep this picture and keep my memory.
So, that’s the story of my “Sword of Convallaria Tarot Cards on a Battlefield” experiment. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but hey, that’s how these things go sometimes, right?
