The art about Tarot is that people do not need a special gift to use them or understand them, and you do not even need to buy them for the deck to be valid or "correct". Everyone can use their own energy to apply them to making a deck of your very own.
Some people like being frugal, some people even love the art of Do It Yourself projects. I am here to help you get started on making your own tarot deck. Let us start off with the basics.
How Many Cards Should I Make?
While you can make as many as you'd like, I suggest an even number, such as 12, 22, or 30. You can even make 100 cards if this interests you. The tarot decks I've made range from 22 cards to 40.
What Do I Use To Make Them
You can make them by hand, you can use an old deck of playing cards to glue a new artwork on them, you can download tarot card templates off the internet, and I've also seen tarot making software. I used Adobe Photoshop to create the look of mine, and got graphics from free vector stock photos websites. I then printed them out using my computer printer.
What Do I Put On Them?
You can make your own artwork by using a photo drawing/editing software, or you can use colored pencils or paints to make them by hand. The template I use is 1 graphic/artwork such as a graphic of the teacher, the name of the card such as "The Mentor" and the purpose of what the card represents, such as "Guidance." You can have cards with just artwork on them without the names or meanings. I suggest first writing out a list of what cards you want to make and their meanings.
How Do I Explain What The Cards Mean?
They can mean anything you want. Like stated before, write down a list of cards you would like to build. Write down the name of each card, then write down a definition of them. For instance, if you have a "Heart" card that represents "Love" write down what that could mean to someone or yourself. In this case, if the heart card represented love, I would write a note such as "The heart represents love. This can mean that one is in need of loved ones or a better loving circle of people they associate with. This could also mean that a new relationship is coming in the near future." Try to come with a strategy that in a way that the card would pertain to the persons question.
How Do I Use The Cards?
The templates you use to use the cards is up to you. For general readings, I use 4 cards. For guidance readings, I use 3-4, and for improvement reasons, I will use between 4 and 6 cards. Everyone's strategy is different. I strongly suggest studying and defining in your own way the cards that you have made using your "Definitions" list. This just gives you a general idea of what the card could mean to somebody. The way you define them is up to you, and the questions that you ask yourself or others ask you. Practice, practice, practice by asking yourself general questions and reading them out loud to yourself by defining them in your own words based on the definitions you have written.
What Are Some Tips & Suggestions You Have?
I suggest not using tarot in order to scare or suggest harm to people. Some call this "Black/Dark Magick". Some may use tarot cards that suggest death of loved ones or self and loss of possessions, jobs and pets. The reason I say that is some people take tarot very seriously and they may feel scared to get another one. Some may also truly believe something bad will happen to them. I suggest using tarot in a positive way for guidance or inspirational purposes.
Like I have also stated, I suggest practicing on yourself, friends or family members before pursuing interest in a career. People really want to hear what your cards have to say, so study them deeply.
When building your own deck of cards using vector graphics, if you plan to sell them as a craft, I suggest giving credit to the author of those graphics to avoid a copyright claim or unfair use. This could be a simple statement in the form of a small card stating where you got these graphics and to credit the author. The graphic credit does not need to be on the card. Please read the terms of vector graphic websites before selling them.
As you can see, the art of making tarot is totally up to the imagination! Thank you for reading, bless you and have fun!