AI Tarot Decks: Why We Champion Independent Creators
There has never been a more exciting time to discover tarot.
Every month brings beautiful new decks, fresh interpretations of the cards and artists from every corner of the world sharing their unique visions. The tarot community has always been rich with creativity, diversity and imagination and we celebrate that wholeheartedly.
At the same time, another creative revolution is taking place. Artificial Intelligence (AI), has made it possible to generate hundreds of images in a matter of hours and AI-generated artwork is becoming increasingly common, including within the tarot world.
As a newly opened online shop that specialises in independent tarot creators, we have been asked whether we will stock AI-generated decks.
Our answer is simple...
Our passion has always been to support artists whose decks are born from imagination, lived experience, years of artistic development and a genuine relationship with tarot. We believe that matters. Not because technology is inherently bad, but because the creative journey behind a tarot deck is part of what gives it meaning.
Tarot Is More Than Beautiful Pictures
Anyone can appreciate a beautiful illustration.
A tarot reader, however, usually sees much more than colour and composition.
Every card carries layers of symbolism. Every choice, the direction a figure faces, the flowers growing beneath their feet, the weather in the background, the expression on a face, the way light falls across a landscape, can carry meaning.
The most memorable tarot decks are not simply collections of attractive images.
They are complete visual languages.
When an artist spends months, or often years (thinking of Margarete Petersen, who took about 22 years to paint her breathtaking Tarot deck), creating a deck, every decision becomes part of an evolving conversation. Ideas change, cards are redrawn and symbolism deepens. New experiences influence later illustrations, themes emerge naturally through the process.
A human creator does not simply illustrate seventy eight cards.
They build a world.
The Soul Behind the Artwork
People often say they can "feel" something when working with a particular deck.
Some decks feel comforting.
Others feel fierce.
Some speak with gentle wisdom while others challenge us relentlessly.
Whether you see this as psychology, intuition or spirituality, many readers form genuine relationships with the decks they use. That connection is not only about the finished artwork. It is also about the knowledge that another person sat with these archetypes, wrestled with their meanings, reflected on their own life and translated those experiences into images.
Every creator leaves something of themselves behind.
Their joys.
Their grief.
Their cultural heritage.
Their humour.
Their fears.
Their beliefs.
Their artistic influences.
Their years of studying tarot.
Their countless revisions.
Their moments of doubt.
These invisible layers become part of the deck.
When you hold an independently created tarot deck, you are often holding thousands of hours of someone's life.
That story matters.
Creativity Is a Journey, Not a Prompt
Every artist develops their own visual language.
Over time you begin to recognise their work instantly.
You might notice recurring themes.
Certain colour palettes.
Distinctive line work.
Favourite animals.
Unique facial expressions.
Personal symbolism.
These are not accidents. They emerge over years of drawing, experimenting, failing, learning and growing.
AI image generators work differently.
Rather than developing a personal artistic voice through lived experience, they generate images based on patterns learned from enormous collections of existing artwork and imagery. While the results can be visually impressive, the creative process is fundamentally different from an artist slowly refining their own perspective over many years.
That is why, for us, the journey matters just as much as the destination.
We are not only choosing an image.
We're choosing to support the energy behind it.
Why Supporting Independent Artists Matters
Buying an independently illustrated deck does more than add another tarot to your collection.
It supports real people.
Many independent creators spend years saving money to commission printing, learning publishing, testing prototypes, writing guidebooks, packing Kickstarter rewards and building small creative businesses from scratch.
They take enormous financial risks.
They often work evenings and weekends.
They answer customer emails.
They promote their work themselves.
They celebrate every sale because every sale genuinely matters.
When you choose one of their decks, you are helping someone to continue creating.
You are encouraging original voices.
You are investing in the future of independent art.
That has always been important to us.
Why Transparency Matters
We believe customers deserve to know how a deck was created.
Some creators openly explain that they use AI-generated imagery. Others combine AI with digital painting or extensive editing. Others illustrate every card entirely by hand.
There is not always a single right or wrong answer.
But honesty matters.
We believe people should have enough information to decide what aligns with their own values. As a retailer, our values are clear, we prioritise decks that are illustrated through human artistic practice because that reflects what we want to support.
How Can You Tell If a Tarot Deck Is AI Generated?
This is one of the questions we're asked most often. The honest answer is, not always. AI image generation has improved dramatically and there is no foolproof way to identify AI artwork simply by looking at it.
That said, there are some things that may encourage you to look more closely and ask questions.
For example, does the creator share sketches, concept art or work-in-progress images?
- Do they talk about their artistic process?
- Have they discussed why they made certain symbolic choices?
- Can you see an artistic style developing over several years?
- Does their work show consistency and intentional design across all seventy-eight cards?
Creators who document their process often reveal the fascinating evolution of a deck, from rough pencil sketches to colour studies, revisions and final illustrations. Seeing that journey can offer confidence that the artwork reflects a sustained creative practice.
If very little information is available, it's perfectly reasonable to ask respectful questions.
Most genuine artists love talking about their work.
Style Takes Time
One of the joys of following independent artists is watching their style evolve. No artist begins with complete confidence. Their early work often differs from what comes later. Their confidence grows. Their storytelling becomes richer. Their symbolism becomes more personal.
Eventually their work becomes unmistakably theirs.
That is one of the greatest pleasures of supporting independent creators, you become part of that journey.
More Decks Doesn't Always Mean Better
It's also worth remembering that creating a tarot deck is a substantial undertaking.
Designing seventy-eight coherent, meaningful illustrations usually requires considerable research, planning, revision and artistic effort. Some artists are extraordinarily productive. They may have decades of experience, work full-time as illustrators, collaborate with writers or publishers, or simply have an exceptional creative output. Producing multiple decks is not, by itself, evidence that AI has been used.
However, if a creator releases an unusually high number of fully illustrated decks in a very short period while sharing little about their creative process, it's understandable to be curious about how that work was produced. Rather than making assumptions, we encourage asking respectful questions and looking for transparency.
The goal isn't to judge artists unfairly.
It's to make informed choices.
Tarot Is Built on Human Stories
The tarot has survived for centuries because it continues to evolve alongside humanity.
- Every generation finds new meanings.
- New artistic styles.
- New cultural perspectives.
- New interpretations.
That evolution comes through people.
Human beings living complicated lives.
Artists responding to love.
Loss, hope, faith, identity, history, family, dreams and transformation. The cards continue to live because people continue to pour themselves into them.
That human connection sits at the heart of tarot.
Why This Matters to Us
Every product we choose to stock reflects our values.
We don't simply ask whether a deck is attractive.
We ask who created it?
What inspired it?
What story it tells?
How it came into existence?
We love discovering creators whose passion shines through every card. Creators who spend years refining symbolism.
Creators who immerse themselves in mythology, folklore, nature, psychology or spirituality before putting brush to paper. Creators whose artwork carries the fingerprints of their own lives. That's the kind of work we want to celebrate.
A Choice Rooted in Community
Supporting independent creators is not about rejecting technology.
Technology has always played a role in publishing, printing and digital illustration. Many incredible artists use digital tools as part of their creative process and digital painting is every bit as valid an artistic medium as watercolour, ink or oils.
Our distinction is not between traditional and digital art.
It is between artwork that grows from a creator's own artistic practice and imagery generated primarily through AI systems.
For us, the difference lies in authorship, intention and connection.
When someone spends years developing their artistic voice, studying tarot, refining symbolism and carefully crafting every card, that process becomes part of the deck itself.
We believe readers feel that care.
Our Promise
When you shop with us, you are supporting more than a business.
You are supporting independent creators who have dedicated themselves to making something deeply personal.
We believe tarot deserves that level of care.
Because tarot isn't simply seventy-eight pictures.
It's seventy-eight conversations.
Seventy-eight acts of imagination.
Seventy-eight opportunities for one human being to share something meaningful with another.
In an age where images can be generated in seconds, we believe that kind of human creativity is more valuable than ever.
And that is why we will continue championing independent tarot creators, celebrating authentic artistic voices and choosing decks that carry not just beautiful imagery, but the unmistakable imprint of the people who brought them to life.
"Every tarot deck begins long before the first card is printed. It begins with a question, a sketch, a notebook filled with ideas, a walk through a forest, a vivid dream, a moment of grief, or a flash of inspiration. Long before it becomes a deck, it is simply one person trying to express something true."
•♡• May your path be illuminated, your intuition trusted and your cards always reveal the wisdom you seek. Until next time... welcome to The Guilded Veil •♡•