XIX. Sun - Lucca w/ Sun Stone

[tushantin]

XIX.
SUN:

Lucca w/ Sun Stone

Summary: *Reserved*

Symbolism: "This card is associated with attained knowledge. An infant rides a white horse under the anthropomorphized Sun, with sunflowers in the background. The child of life holds a red flag, representing the blood of renewal while a smiling sun shines down on him, representing accomplishment. The conscious mind prevails over the fears and illusions of the unconscious. Innocence is renewed through discovery, bringing hope for the future. "
(From wikipedia)

Keywords: Brilliant, radiant, vitality, clarity, enlightened, greatness, assurance
Reversed: Poor reasoning, disorder, muddled, unclear, ignorance, cynicism
(From learntarot.com  & aeclectic.net)

Description: The Sun is ruled by...the Sun, of course and as the Moon was your inner darkness, the wild, untamed, unconscious part of you, the Sun is your inner light, civilized and rational, yang to yin, Apollo to Diana.

The Sun promises the querent their day in the sun. Glory, triumph, simple pleasures and truths. As the moon symbolized inspiration from dreams, this card symbolizes discoveries made wide awake. This is science and math, beautifully constructed music, carefully reasoned philosophy. It is a card of intellect and youthful energy.

Like the Sun, the querent will likely come across to others as warm and radiant, and they can be told that this is a good time to make decisions and take tests.

Standing for another person, this card can indicate those in the querent's life who are the most level headed and sunny. Also the most youthful. And, yes, the child/children in this card can be taken literally if other cards in the spread seem to suggest it. Your querent can be informed that a wanted and most welcome babe will soon be on the way. Likely a boy, or twins.
(From Aeclectic Tarot)

Fool's Journey: The Fool wakes at dawn from his long, dark night of the soul to find that the river has deposited him in a serene pool. There is a walled garden around this pond dominated by roses, lilies and splendid, nodding sunflowers. Stepping ashore, he watches the sun rise overhead. The day is clear. A child's laughter attracts his attention and he sees a little boy ride a small white pony into the garden.

"Come!" says the little boy, leaping off the horse and running up to him. "Come see!" And the child proceeds to take the Fool's hand and enthusiastically point out all manner of things, the busy insects in the grass, the seeds and petals on the sunflowers, the way the light sparkles on the pond. He asks questions of the Fool, simple but profound ones, like "Why is the sky blue?" He sings songs, and plays games with the Fool.

At one point the Fool stops, blinking up at the Sun so large and golden overhead, and he finds himself smiling, wider and brighter than he has in a very long time. He has been tested and tried, confused and scared, dismayed and amazed. But this is the first time that he has been simply and purely happy. His mind feels illuminated, his soul light and bright as a sunbeam, and it's all thanks to this child with his simple questions, games and songs. This boy has helped the Fool see the world and himself anew.

"Who are you?" the Fool asks the child at last. The child smiles at this and seems to shine. And then he grows brighter and brighter until he turns into pure sunlight.

"I'm You," the boy's voice says throughout the garden, "The new you." And as the words fill the Fool with warmth and energy, he comes to realize that this garden, the sun above, the child, all exist within him. He has just met his own inner light.
(from Aeclectic Tarot)

Feel free to post additional insights into the card, questions, & ideas for the artists to consider!

[cymorg]

Working on the Lucca card, here's my first thumbnail and a color mockup to show the direction I'm planning on moving in.

Going into my process, I don't really see Lucca as a flowery type, decided not to incorporate the flower imagery since I think the Sun Stone itself is a good equivalent for them: both needing the power of the sun to flourish. The red banner on the original card are two banners from the fair. They were also appropriately red so it worked out. I love light and the idea of having two light sources for this piece was too much for me to resist - so Lucca is posed directly in front of the sun to create the most contrast. Instead of rays I decided to do smoke that obscures the sun a bit, creates more visual movement, and also reinforces the wind direction that's affecting her hair and dress. Also, I wanted to at least allude to her element of fire.

Beyond the banners in the distant background I was going to do an implication of distant scenery, maybe the fair, but that's something to worry about later. Right now I'm just blocking the major elements of the card and seeing how they work.

Also, while I was working on this, I noticed she's holding the stone right around her belly, gives the insinuation of some maternal symbolism. It was completely accidental, but considering her role in Cross, it kinda grew on me.

Feedback is appreciated!

[tushantin]

I'm liking the composition!

Regarding the missing elements, though... as both xcalibur and Syna stated elsewhere (and long ago too... yikes!) you don't need to stick to the exact same symbolism if it doesn't fit, so long as you can find alternatives that can practically mean the same thing, or emphasize different aspects of the same card.

For instance, you're right that Lucca isn't a flowery person. We also know that now we have two Suns to contend with (the actual sun at the back, and a sun-stone that she's holding). But the Sun card also represents Reason and Math, right? So the first thing that popped into my head was a Sunflower-shaped Sun-like clock or machine at the back she'd engineer with her own hands (and it could also have a face on it; the hands would be the Sun's mustache or something). You can easily kill three-birds with one stone that way, including being a little bit more direct on what the Sun represents, and what Lucca's significance in the story is.

Additionally, later on you can also add small subtle designs on the Sun Stone itself, so that we know it's indeed a Sun Stone. (Maybe a sunflower or sun-rays on it, or something.)

As for the smoke instead of the sun-rays... I'll withhold my opinion on that one, since I think xcalibur's opinion on this would be far better than mine, especially in regards to keeping the movement in the art but without making it appear like it has a Reverse Sun meaning. (Something tells me we could probably depict that movement with the banners at the back themselves).

xcalibur, my dude, where are you?!

[xcalibur]

reporting in. looks good so far.

what matters most is the thematic meaning and style, rather than following the illustration in a literal sense. if you can do both, that's great, but there are often trade-offs in work such as this.

my idea for the Sun is to depict Lucca charging up a ball of bright yellow energy with the Wondershot. this would capture the energy, dynamism, sun imagery, reason & science connection, character, etc. in a single unified concept. of course, it's ultimately up to you the illustrator, but that's my best suggestion.