The Mythical Creatures - gilded and water-coloured. Standard edition.

This is a pre-order for the standard format "water-colour" version of The Mythical Creatures Tarot. The deck has been in process since - wait for it! - August 2005 - so we want it to be an exceptional piece.

The images are painstakingly drawn in pen and ink by the brilliantly-talented Russian artist, Lena Kozachuk, with a great deal of input and image editing by Alex Ukolov. It's been a real partnership, with both enhancing the skills of the other. Karen Mahony designed the concept and structure of the deck. The water-colouring was done by Irish artist Geraldine Woessner, working in close co-operation with Karen and Alex.

For clarity, please note that the original drawings have been water-coloured, and then we have printed from these originals - i.e. we have not hand-painted every deck! (we know you know this, but best to be very clear).

The deck is based on a variety of magical and fascinating creatures from world mythology, ranging from the familiar, such as the unicorn and the giant, to the less known, like the Irish Amadán and the strange, conjoined alchemical Rebus.

This is an open edition, although it is definitely not mass-market and there will never be a large quantity of these decks printed.

Please note that the first pictures are of the actual deck that you will receive. However, the later pictures (of individual cards) are done from graphics and do NOT show the cold-stamping.

• Short run as this is not a mass-market deck. 
• 78 fully-illustrated cards, 128 * 78 mm (about 5 * 3 inches) plus a title card (79 cards in all).
• "Metallic ink overlay" - in fact, this is actually put under the varnish, so it does not wear off. It's also technically a plastic so does not cause any metal sensitivities when handled (we have been asked this so hope this clarifies).
• One extra card - a scenic and beautiful Three of Cups. This is our gift because of the original delay in printing the deck. It can be used for display or perhaps as a bookmark.
• Majors and Courts each have an illustration of a mythical creature. Minors ("pips") have highly decorative illustrations and show the suit symbols.
• A few minor adjustments from the monotone deck - there are no major changes besides the colouring.
• Printed in Europe on high-quality 330 gram playing card stock with a carbon inner layer to protect against bending and creasing.
• Lightly varnished for durability without a plastic feeling - the finish is very matte so that there is a great contrast between the general finish and the cold-stamped areas.
• Sturdy hinged box for long-term storage. The second edition box is gold-foiled and is a new design.
• Booklet with meanings and guide for use.

We also have optional items listed separately. These include:

• Extensive and highly-illustrated companion book with coloured card illustrations!
• Limited edition Mythical Creatures Tarot bags — with prints from the cards and with high-quality silk velvet. For 20% off these bags, please use code: 

  Creatures20off

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