I have been completely and utterly spoilt this month as Deckstiny, a Thailand-based Tarot creator and publisher very kindly sent me a whole heap of decks to work with, read with, and review including The Brush Tarot.
The Brush Tarot
The Brush Tarot is a marvelous monochrome, digitally drawn deck designed and created by Mate Horonumber with illustrations and graphic design by Amontape Ball and Oomsin Phumphat. This limited-edition (of which I now own copy number 112/500) beautiful black and white deck is based upon the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot, though this particular deck is aimed at promoting amity and equality through its divine, diverse imagery.
Packaging & Guidance
The Brush Tarot arrives in a smooth, cardboard, tuck-box which features imagery of paintbrushes against a monochrome backing. The cards and the box come wrapped in cellophane to provide further protection prior to use.
Whilst the Brush Tarot comes without a guidebook, the imagery throughout the cards is so clear and easy to understand that I personally feel that readers may be able to use these cards intuitively or if necessary consult alternative guidance.
The Cards
First published in 2020, The Brush Tarot includes seventy-eight Tarot cards and nine special cards, all of which are standard Tarot card sized and are printed on 310 GSM matt Japanese quality card stock.
These borderless, black and white cards are without edging (have plain white edges) and feature reversible backs with a simple centered image of a double-ended paintbrush surrounded by paint strokes. The imagery on the front of the cards is also centered whereas the titling brushstroke font is written on an angle at the base of each card. The off-white backgrounds of the cards appear as slightly mottled and paperlike.
This deck is a dream to shuffle as the cards are silky smooth and glide through your hand with ease.
Bonus/ Additional Cards
Deckstiny has included a number of additional bonus cards as part of the Brush Tarot, these include a signed limited edition certificate identifying precisely which number deck out of five hundred you may own, digital images of the artists, information upon how to be “arts on tarot”, and digital images of both Pamela Coleman Smith and Arthur Edward Waite (the founders of the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot).
Happy Squirrels
Almost every Deckstiny Tarot deck that I have worked with thus far includes a ‘Happy Squirrel’ card including the Brush Tarot which includes a beautiful black and white, paint stroke-style Squirrel. Whilst I’m still a little unsure as to the meaning of this card (as there is no guidebook) I have added it to my deck and am associating this card with the concept of freedom.
Customising The Major Arcana
The Brush Tarot is an incredibly unique deck as a few of the major arcana cards may be customised, as Deckstiny has included several different versions of particular cards including Strength, Justice, The Fool, The World, and The Lovers.
I really like that these particular major arcana cards may be switched and swapped around according to personal preferences.
Each of the major arcana cards is titled with a beautiful brush font and numbered at the base of the cards. The artwork has soft lines and edging, which works really well as black and white can seem somewhat bold and a little harsh on the eye for some.
The Minor Arcana
Deckstiny created the Brush Tarot with the aim of promoting amity, equality, and diversity thus each of the suits within the minor arcana of the Brush Tarot features differing ethnicity.
Whilst similar in style to the major arcana, some of the minor arcana cards seem almost as if they are to be presented in landscape rather than portrait orientation. However, the pictures are clear, incredibly simple to interpret, and very easy to understand
Browsing Through The Brush Tarot
As always with Tarot and divination deck reviews, I have put together a detailed walkthrough of when I first opened, unboxed, and unwrapped the Brush Tarot.
Diversity Within The Deck
The Brush Tarot is designed specifically with the aim of amity and equality. This deck strives to be diverse and to include and encompass all through its beautiful brush-stroke artwork. Society is far more open and accepting than it once was – whether it’s sex, ethnicity, hair colour, size, sexuality, or even skin colour, we are all different. We are unique beings living together and sharing the Earth, we should therefore aim to work together to make the world a better place, thus giving everyone the right to live on the planet in harmony.
Reading and working with the Brush Tarot
I’ve spent the past few days reading and working with the Brush Tarot and I’ve found readings to be rather relaxing, I’m not sure whether it’s due to a lack of colour in the cards or perhaps the smooth, soft imagery, either way, it was an enjoyable experience.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t particularly keen on the idea of using monochrome Tarot decks and for that reason didn’t own any up until now. I’m so accustomed to using multicoloured Tarot cards that I wasn’t sure at first as to whether I’d enjoy working with the Brush Tarot. However, I was wrong as the Brush Tarot proved to be a simple, no-fuss, easy to read, beautiful black and white Tarot deck that I’ve very quickly grown to enjoy.
Purchasing & Pricing Information
Retailing at £37.87, the Brush Tarot is available to purchase online directly via Deckstiny’s Etsy Shop with an additional shipping and postage fee of £29.30 for customers within the UK.
To Summarise
The art of Tarot reading is often considered to be a difficult skill to acquire, yet there are a few Tarot decks that make the art of divination incredibly easy – the Brush Tarot is one of these decks as it is simple, clear, and very easy to interpret and to understand. Suitable for all levels of Tarot readers, the Brush Tarot is a delightfully diverse deck that may even be customised to readers personal preferences – this is an ideal starter deck for those considering venturing into the marvels of monochrome Tarot decks.
For further information upon the Brush Tarot or alternative Deckstiny divination decks visit https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ShuffleTarot
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Product Rating
Disclosure: I was sent the above product for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.