A project involving 40+ artists in order to create an illustration based on different characters/environments based on the single-player campaigns of Splatoon to be turned into a deck of tarot cards based on the Major Arcana.
About
This is a project focused on portraying the world of Splatoon!It will be conducted as if it were a zine however the only physical way to own the art would be a tarot deck instead of an art book!We will be showcasing art and merchandise of the characters, locations of the entire Splatoon franchise, including every game up to this point!This will be a SFW project, only allowing canon-typical content such as battling.The tarot cards and its accompanying merchandise will be available in both physical and digital formats.This project will be for charity. Project profits will be donated to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and The European Roma Rights Centre (Charity decision is still pending and may change in the future).
Card Info
The cards will be 2.75" x 4.75" (70mm x 121mm) and printed on 16pt gloss paper.The cards would come in a custom card box and a digital zine of all the art in high quality would be included with purchasing a deck.
Card Mockup
Please be aware that these are not actual cards that will be in the deck and are merely a concept of what the cards could potentially look like in terms of layout.Design is subject to change and may look different over the course of the project.
Content
Each card from the tarot has been assigned a specific character/place.
Please see the list below of the characters that are hoped to be portrayed in this project:
Back of Cards:
*The design for the background is still to be decided on
and will be changed
Major Arcana Cards:
These cards will feature a a full illustration focusing on a specific character/scene complete with a background*. Other characters that are not the designated one may be featured but the focus should still be on the character representing that specific card.*Leniency/exceptions may be given with in regards to backgrounds due to large amount of different art styles.
Major Arcana Characters
0. The Fool - Captain/Agent 3
1. The Magician - Callie
2. The High Priestess - Marie
3. The Empress - Dedf1sh
4. The Emperor - Octavio
5. The Hierophant - Zapfish
6. The Lovers - Pearl & Marina
7. The Chariot - Little Buddy
8. Justice - Agent 8
9. The Hermit - Captain Cuttlefish
10. Wheel of Fortune - Splatsville
11. Strength - Agent 4
12. The Hanged Man - Tartar
13. Death - Salmonids
14. Temperance - Neo Agent 3
15. The Devil - Mr. Grizz
16. The Tower - Side Order Tower
17. The Star - Big Man
18. The Moon - Shiver
19.The Sun - Frye
20. Judgement - Judd & Little Judd
21. The World - Inkopolis
Minor Arcana Face Cards:
These cards will feature a simple illustration (minimal shading/lineless styles) without background/a very simple background focusing on a specific character/scene. Other characters that are not the designated one may be featured but the focus should still be on the character representing that specific card.
Minor Arcana Face Cards Characters
Page of Cups - Jelonzo
Knight of Cups - Spyke
Queen of Cups - Harmony
King of Cups - SheldonPage of Pentacles - Murch
Knight of Pentacles - Crusty Sean
Queen of Pentacles - Marigold
King of Pentacles - JelfonzoPage of Swords - Gnarly Eddy
Knight of Swords - Jel La Fleur
Queen of Swords - Annie
King of Swords - Iso PadrePage of Wands - Shelly & Donny
Knight of Wands - Bisk
Queen of Wands - Flo
King of Wands - Mr. Coco
Minor Arcana Suit Cards:
The Minor Arcana number cards (1-10) will be a simple linework design on each one most likeley featuring the swim forms, small fry and jelllyfish.
There are 4 suits (swords, pentacles, wands and cups) with 10 cards each. These will be done by the mods.
Mods
| Mod Chaim | They/Them | Head Mod/Project Lead & Social Mod |
| Mod Fern | She/Her | Co-Head Mod, Social Mod, Assistant Merch Mod |
| Mod Kensa | She/They | Graphics Mod |
| Mod Corrin | She/Her | Merch Mod |
| Mod Calmari | They/Them | Finance Mod |
| Mod Eli | They/Them | Art Mod |
| Mod Emil | He/It | Art Mod Intern |
FAQ
Is there an age limit for the artists?
We require all artists to at least be 16+. Moderators will all have to be 18+.Will this project be age-appropriate?
Yes, this will be age-appropriate and Safe For Work. This means, there will be no explicit gore or nudity. Of course some blood, cuts, bruises are fine! If you have any questions, feel free to ask us! :)What currency are the prices in?
USD (US Dollars)How will you decide which artist gets what card?
We will be asking artists on their applications to list all characters they would be willing to illustrate. People will then be sorted into "Lottery Groups" where we will use a randomiser to choose which artist gets what card until there are no cards left.The mod team will do their best to accommodate everyone but please know some characters will be in high demand so you may not get your first pick.Will it be a problem if I live internationally?
Not at all! We will be able to ship world wide and contributors do not have to be from the US to participate.What would the deadline look like?
We will be giving the artists 6 months to produce their pieces as we understand that many people have commitments and they are participating out of their own time. We respect that time is valuable to people.Can I still work on the project even if I do not buy it?
Absolutely! If you are chosen to participate then you are not required to purchase the merch at all if you do not want to.Will we be able to draw original characters for this?
No, this is a canon character only art project. We will give leniency on designs of the Agents but OCs are not planned to be included.Is there a specific artstyle that is being looked for regarding potential artists?
Not at all! We welcome all artists regardless of their art style. The whole point of this project is to have nearly every card be unique!Will artists be receiving any profits?
Unfortunately no, this is a charity project. Contributors will receive a tarot deck and merch bundle as compensation for their work but due to taxes and production costs even if we were to pay everyone it would not be very much money. Nintendo is also very strict with their copyright and the project could be taken down or the mods could potentially be sued if we made this project for profit.Will contributors get a free copy?
Yes! All contributors will get a free copy of the tarot cards! We are hoping to send everyone merch bundles, however depending on profits this may not be attainable. In the event we are not able to send all contributors a merch bundle merchandise may be purchased by contributors for a discounted price.Will there be a Discord server?
Only for contributors and only when the project takes off.
If you have a question not listed please send it in through one of these ways:
Schedule
*These times are subject to change, this is simply a rough outlineAll times and dates are in EST.
Interest Check: 16th of September - 16th of OctoberMod Applications: 18th of October - 31st of OctoberArtist Applications: 1st of November - 1st of DecemberAcceptance Letters Sent Out: 14th of December1st Check-in: 1st of February2nd Check-in: 1st of April3rd Check- in: 1st of JulyFinal Submission for Merch Artists: 1st of AugustFinal Submission for Card Artists: 1st of September
We acknowledge the cultural significance and importance Tarot reading and divination has to the Romani people.As such we will not be promoting any sort of 'Tarot Reading' with our cards and insist people look into not only the Romani peoples influence on Tarot but learn about the unique and fun European games that can be played with tarot cards!Furthermore we will be donating 50% of the leftover funds to the European Roma Rights Centre in an effort to support the Roma.
We would like to thank the people who brought our attention to this issue, if it had not been for them we would not have known about this ourselves.We are open to feedback and understand this is a complicated issue within the Romani community as well as the Tarot community. We're dedicated to doing the right thing and wish only to make a fun and collaborative art piece centered around the Splatoon community.Some articles we researched and wish to promote to spread awareness about Tarot's history:Before They Were Divination Tools, Tarot Decks Were Playing Cards.Knock on Wood? Crystal Ball Emoji? Those Are Rooted in My Romani Heritage.Before Fortune-Telling: The History and Structure of Tarot Cards.Fortune Telling as Part of the Roma Culture.Tarot Mythology: The Surprising Origins of the World’s Most Misunderstood Cards.Hungary’s “Last” Roma Fortuneteller Preserves Traditions.
How will you choose who gets which card?
Each portfolio will be reviewed, the mod team will then approve who they think would be a good fit for the project, at which point they will be shortlisted and moved forward to the next stage;Applicants will be asked to list which characters they would like to illustrate, they can list as many as they like but no fewer than 3. To keep things as fair as possible the names of the applicants will then be put in a randomiser depending on which characters they have chosen, we will then randomise all the cards until we have none left and each card has an artist.So, for example, if Artist 1 and Artist 2 both want to draw Big Man they will both be put in the randomiser and have a chance of drawing him. Now let's say, for example, Artist 2 gets chosen to draw Big Man then that's ok because Artist 1 still has other chances to draw the other cards they listed. This system is to simply keep it as fair as possible.
Portfolio Criteria
Please include a SINGLE link to a Google Drive folder (Make sure you set it so that ANYONE with the link can VIEW), Dropbox folder, or other site where we can see samples of your work. Please do not submit social media links such as Twitter or Tumblr as your portfolios as we will not count them.-Please do not include any NSFW material in your portfolios such as gore, nudity or suggestive content.
Card Artist Criteria:
-3-5 illustrations are required to be submitted to qualify, 3 of which must have backgrounds.-Experience in digital or traditional art.
Traditional artists: submit art scanned to the highest possible quality.-Please select art that demonstrates your grasp of anatomy, compositions, backgrounds, and color.-Send only finished pieces of art. Works in progress and sketches will not be considered.-While not required, we encourage you to submit art of Splatoon characters.-Your portfolio does not have to be super flash or professional, we just want to see your art.
Merchandise Artist Criteria:
-An art style fitting for merchandise (strong silhouettes, clear shapes, clean lineart/coloring, etc.)-Examples of physical merch is preferred, but not required.-Mockups of merchandise you’ve designed if you don’t have a physical version of it.-An understanding of how to use a template for making unique merchandise.-While not required, we encourage you to submit art of Splatoon characters.-Please note that mods will be ordering merchandise, we just need your design for it!