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Tarot Justice sketches

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12.9.04 Okay, sorry to keep editing this description, but I had to do it a third time because no one seems to see the edit I made at the bottom about no longer needing feedback as I've made a choice, and the final sketch is finished. Here: [link]

12.8.04 Here are two sketches for Justice. I can't decide which one to use. At first I thought the top one felt too static, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. A bit about the symbols -- butterflies are often used as symbols of the soul. In this card, the soul is sometimes being weighed against a feather (which is how the ancient Egyptians believed their souls and evil deeds were judged when they died). In the bottom one, she holds a sphere of butterflies in her left hand, and a feather in the right. I was debating taking the scales out of that completely, as she herself kind of IS the scale, or else putting it subtly in the background elsewhere, just as a reminder. In the top version, her wings would be like this [link] , one flipped upside down.

To sum it up, my main concerns are that the top one is too boring. And though I like the bottom one, I'm worried it might not speak of the meanings clearly enough.

Anyway...which one do you guys think I should use? I appreciate comments even from people who don't know anything about tarot even if it's just to say something about the compositional merit of one over the other. And for those who DO have some tarot knowlegde, anything would be helpful!

[Edit] Okay, THANKS everyone for the input! Though I don't have time to respond to each comment, I really appreciate the wonderful response from all of you. I don't need any more feedback on this. I've decided to go with the top one, with some modifications. You'll see the sketch posted right after I finish editing this. :)
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drainingraven's avatar
i believe the top one is on the sort of "boring" side...i definately like the bottom better, but you do make the point that the meaning isn't quite clear, and i agree. my suggestion would be to put more emphasis on the scale, possibly by using the bottom image, but have her raise the scale up (as you drew in the top image) rather than hold it down at her side. just a thought.:plug: