A quick introduction of materials and methods that I used to create oracle cards myself shown in this photo.
Please note that the methods shown on this page are for personal enjoyment only. If you are creating a deck for commercial purposes, it would be better to outsource to an original card manufacturing company for mass production.
The motivation
The motivation behind creating my own oracle cards was a simple desire for something more personalized and tailored to my own preferences than the oracle decks available on the market. Personally, I had a few ideas in mind:
2. I wished the keywords were more applicable to my own situation.
3. I wished the designs were more to my liking.
4. I wished there were more cards in the deck.
With these ideas in mind, I decided to start creating my own cards.
How to Create
Materials
All you need are paper, image editing software (photoshop, etc.), and a home printer.
It’s best to choose cardstock that fits the size, color, and material you want. In my case, I wanted to make business card-sized cards, so I prepared A4 paper for business card printing.
Colour paper, glossy paper, thick paper, translucent paper, and so on. This time, I used the photo glossy type.
If you want to make cards in other sizes and shapes, such as circular cards, squares, or strips of paper, you’ll need to create a template beforehand or cut them into your desired shape after printing. Even if it’s a bit of work, it’s still a fun part of the process to create it to your liking.
I am using a cutter that curves the corners of the cards. I believe the product name is “Kadomaru PRO.
“Kadomaru PRO” has three angle sizes of curved corners to choose from: “S, M, L”. Choose the best curve depending on the size of the paper to be cut.
Designing
Let’s consider the concept for the deck you want to create.
- Will it only contain positive words or will it include some harsh words?
- Will it be limited to specific scenarios such as romance, work, or money?
- How many cards will it have in total?
- Where will you obtain the images?
- What information will you include on the card face?
There are many things to consider before creating a deck.
For reference, here’s how I approached it:
If you don’t have good photos or can’t draw, it’s easy to use image processing software to automatically generate fractal images or collage together random images. If you’re only using the deck for personal enjoyment, it’s fine to use existing images, but if you upload those images to social media, copyright issues may arise, so please be careful when handling existing images.
Or, you can use AI-drawing pictures. I will mention this later.
Thoughts after work
For those who seek holiness or talisman-like power in the cards themselves, I do not recommend making your own deck. For those who want to gain inspiration from the words on the random cards you pick for self-improvement or as a tool for ideation, I highly recommend making your own one.
The cost is minimal.
I created business card size deck, so a desktop business card case is perfect for its storage. On the other hand, if you have any favorite case already, it might be a good idea to create cards in that size.
Wrap Up
I also made my own Lenormand cards.
If you are struggling with the design of your cards, there is a way to use AI. I have provided some examples in this article, so please take a look if you are interested. I am considering making my own Tarot cards using AI.
Remember, IT will be YOUR cards, made by you, for you. Make it enjoyable for yourself above anyone else!
