I had been following Kiri’s journey creating the art for The Green Witch Tarot for nearly a year and I was so excited to receive my copy. You can check out my Unboxing Video on my YouTube channel here.

Kiri’s art beyond The Green Witch Tarot is so stunning. I love the worlds that she creates and the magic that she seems to breathe into all of her creations.

I am so happy to share Kiri’s journey with creating the art for this magical Tarot deck.

Can you share a little about yourself? Where you are from, what you are passionate about and what is your profession?
I am Danish born and bred! I grew up in a tiny, tiny village surrounded by beach, farmland and lots of animals. In 2010 I moved to the US to pursue a career in illustration, I studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for a year but couldn’t afford to continue so I took the plunge into freelance illustration. I have been thriving doing that full time ever since.

I’m passionate about fairy tales, Scandinavian folklore and mythology and of course art and illustration. I’m also somewhat obsessed with cats, though I think it’s mostly just that I’m a little animal crazy and living in a tiny New York City apartment, cats are really my only option for animal companions right now.

How did this journey of creating the deck unfold?

Through sweat, tears and long hours! Hahaha, honestly it was such a pleasure to work with Ann Moura, and the art director and editor at Llewellyn. Ann is such a kind hearted soul, she had a very clear vision of the deck and provided me with detailed art descriptions, which made the illustration portion much quicker although it was still more time intensive than I had anticipated.

There were some times where I struggled, but after I finished the first half of the cards it became easier – I built some momentum. 79 illustrations are quite a bit of work and needless to say I learned much from the experience; when I finished the last card I had to go back and touch up some of the first ones because my painting technique had improved over the 15 months I had been working on it. That’s to be expected. When I look at the cards now I still find things I want to improve upon. That’s the curse of an artist, your work is never finished.

What were the unexpected challenges creating this deck?
One of the biggest challenges as an illustrator is that your job is to paint someone else’s vision and not your own. I find that difficult because my head is always buzzing with ideas and of course your own vision is nearer and dearer to your heart than those of others, but you have to learn to put that aside and paint what’s requested.

What is your favourite Tarot Card? (of your deck or in general)
In my deck it’s the 8 of Athames, that was the last card I painted and I liked how the artwork came out. In general I don’t have a favourite, it really just depends on the situation.

How do you use the Tarot in your spiritual practice?
I’m not an active tarot practitioner; most of my time is dedicated to the pursuit of becoming a better artist. I do read for myself every now and then when I feel stressed out, it calms me and provides some guidance.

Any advice for the artists and creators reading this?
Be serious about your work. You have to respect it and put in the time and don’t put yourself down if it doesn’t come out the way you intended it to. It takes time to learn how to do it well and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with being at an earlier point in your career and your art perhaps not being as good as you want it to be. You have to be a hobbyist before you become and amateur and only after being an amateur can you become professional. So be kind to yourself when you create. It’s a long journey.

Any exciting projects in the creative pipeline?

Yes, many! To mention a few: I am currently working on a daily painting project to try to find my voice as an artist and also to learn how to paint traditionally. I mainly work digitally, so it’s a nice and fun break. I make small miniature paintings and put a new one online every day at 3pm on my blog and facebook page. I’m hoping the daily painting project will help me put together a book of pencil sketches with an underlying Alice in Wonderland theme, but mixed with my own creative journey.

I really love drawing with pencils, there’s just something meditative about the lines and also the practice is helping me become a better draftsman – I’m always striving to improve and I’m unfortunately also highly critical of my own work.  I think my drawing skills have been lacking, I rely too much on the paint and that needs to change. No amount of painting will save a bad drawing!

I am also really itching to illustrate some children’s books. I have ideas written down for at least three, I just need to get started.

In tarot related projects – perhaps a year from now I intend to make an art book with the step by step process of illustrating the Green Witch Tarot. It’ll have sketches and various steps to really give a deep look into the creation process and maybe a couple of repaints of the cards so see where my skills are at then in comparison.

Rapid Fire Round!

Starsign? Cancer!

Favourite flavour of ice-cream? Coffee!

Do you have any pets? Yes, I’m the fortunate owner of two incredible rescue cats. A big, fat red tabby male named Mishu and a petite little calico girl named Little Kitty. I have an unhealthy amount of adoration for them.
What book are you currently reading? The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell

Name a film you have seen more than 5 times? The Nightmare before Christmas and also all 11 seasons of the TV-show Frasier. My husband thinks I have a Frasier problem.

Who is your biggest inspiration? Brian Froud

What is your go-to crystal? I do not have any crystals. I’ve been told my birth stone is Moonstone though, so maybe that?

How can we follow you and your projects?

Website: KiriLeonard.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KiriOestergaardArt

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kirileonard/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kirileonard