Coloring Instructions for the 22 Major Arcana Tarot Keys

0 – The Fool

Yellow: Background, circles on garment, (but not flame in top circles) Green: Trefoils surrounding circle on outer garment and other tendril-like figures (not belt); leaves on rose, wreath around head. Violet: Mountains, (use somewhat diluted solution since they are snow-capped, so do not paint where snow is to be). Brown: Eagle on wallet; precipice in foreground where the Fool stands. White: Sun; inner garment; dog; rose; eye on flap of wallet; mountain peaks. Flesh: Hands and face (mixture or red, yellow, brown, black and white –Representative of all 5 races), proportioned to your personal desire. Applies to all keys except 6 & 20. Blonde: Fools hair. Citrine: Fools hose (citrine is a yellowish-green secured by a mixture of orange and green; mix only a little since this is the only place it is used). Gold: Star on shoulder; girdle; knob on staff. Silver: Moon on shoulder. Red: Feather; spokes of wheels; flame in top circle and lining of sleeves in outer garment; wallet (except eagle and eye).

1 – The Magician

Yellow: Background; Spear head; lily stamens. Green: Foliage. Blue-green: (Viridian) Girdle. Brown: Table. White: Inner Garment; head band; spear shaft; uplifted wand; lily petals. Gold: Pentacle (or coin) on table; sword hilt; circle at end of spear shaft. Silver: Cup. Steel: Sword blade (mix a little blue with grey). Red: Outer garment; roses.

2 - The High Priestess

Yellow: Left foreground. Green: Palms on veil (not centres) Blue: Background; robe (should have white in it also where it shimmers down in front and out of the picture to represent flowing water). Grey: Throne; veil background. White: Inner garment; cross on breast; head drapery; right pillar; centres of palms; Hebrew letter on left pillar. Silver: Crown. Brown: Scroll (Diluted to look like parchment). Red: Pomegranates (seeds deeper than skins).

3 – The Empress

Yellow: Background; shoes; staff of sceptre. Green: Foliage; grass; wreath on head; robe (except cuffs, girdle, collar edging and panel); ball on sceptre (not ball and cross). Blue: Stream and waterfall. Brown: Tree trunks; ground area beside waterfall. Grey: Stone bench. Gold: Stars; collar edging; girdle; cross and bar on sceptre. Silver: Crescent. Copper: Shield (except dove; mix red and brown to secure copper colour). Blonde: Hair; wheat ears. White: Pearls; panel in dress; cuffs of dress; dove; high lights in waterfall. Red: Roses; triangle on breast.

4 – The Emperor

Yellow: T-cross and circle in right hand. Green: Foreground. Blue: Stream at base of cliff. Grey: Stone cube (except rams head). Violet: Belt and flaps on tunic (not borders nor medallion on left shoulder). White: Borders of tunic flaps and belt; medallion; rams head; beard and hair; border only of inverted T on globe in left hand; sleeves. Gold: Inverted T and cross on globe; framework and points on helmet. Brown: Slopes from height in foreground to streams edge. Orange: Background above mountains. Steel: Leg armour and breastplate. Red: Globe in left hand (except borders and points); entire mountain.

5 – The Hierophant

Yellow: Crown (not trefoils, crossbars or circle at top); yoke behind ears (except fringe); staff in left hand; orphreys (Ys) on vestments of kneeling priests; lily stamens. Green: Garments of figures in foreground (except collars, sleeve edges, flowers and orphreys). Violet: Fringe of yoke. Grey: Background (light); pillars (dark); throne (darker). Gold: Gold ornaments; key pointing to right (except dots in circle). Silver: Crescent at throat; key pointing to left (except dots in circle). Blue: Undergarments showing at bottom. Blue-Green: Scarf or border of outer robe. White: Undergarment at throat; navel and sleeves; shoes; collars and sleeves of chasubles; dots in key circles; lilies on chasubles on right. Alternate squares at base of throne. Red-Orange: Outer garment (not scarf or border); dais. (Mix equal parts of red and orange). Red: Roses on chasubles at left.

6 – The Lovers

Yellow: In every case, except the sun, the yellow in this key is used beside red or red and green. The 5 fruits on the tree behind the woman are yellow with red cheeks. The flames behind the man are yellow with red at the base, after the manner of the blue and yellow in a flame from an old gas-jet. The angels flesh is yellow, but diluted so as to give the appearance of flesh. Blue: Background (but not above angels head). Green: Foreground and foliage; serpent around the tree; angels hair (with yellow and red). Violet: Angels garment; mountain (diluted). Gold: Sun and background above angel. White: Clouds. Blonde: Womans hair. Brown: Tree trunk behind woman. Red: Angels wings. (See also note under yellow).

7 – The Chariot

Yellow: Background; chariot wheels. Green: Trees and grass; wreath under riders crown. Blue: Stream; moon faces on shoulders (faces only not crescents); deeper blue on canopy and panel behind charioteer (but not stars) and on wings on front of chariot (not disc behind them). Grey: Chariot and chariot pillars; wall behind chariot (both sides of chariot). Gold: Crown; belt (not figures); collar edging; ornament in square on breast-plate; disc between wings; sceptre in right (except crescent at top of sceptre). Silver: Crescents on shoulder and on sceptre; stars on canopy and back panel. White: Cuffs; castles in city (not rooftops); shield on chariot; white sphinx and stripes on headdresses of both sphinxes; design on skirt of rider. Steel: Armour on arms of rider. Brass: Breastplate (greenish yellow to simulate brass). Blonde: Hair. Red: Roof-tops; symbol on shield on front of chariot.

8 – Strength

Yellow: Background; lions eye. Green: Foliage; rose leaves, leaves in womans hair; foreground (but do not extend all the way in right background, because the mountain range carries over to the right). Violet: Mountain (both sides of background). White: Womans dress; lions teeth. Blonde: Womans hair. Red: Roses; lion; flowers in hair of woman.

9 – The Hermit

Yellow: Lantern rays between black lines. Blue: Hermits cap. Grey: Staff; shoe. Brown: Robe not right sleeve of undergarment); foreground (not peaks). White: Hair; beard; right sleeve; mountain peaks. Gold: Star. Indigo: Background (indigo is a deep blue-violet and black, indicating a night sky, but difficult to apply; use black unless skilled in handling water-colours).

10 – Wheel of Fortune

Yellow: Serpent; eagles eye; lions eye. Blue: Background; sphinx (not headdress). Brown: Animals (lion should be tawny, a mixture of brown and yellow). Orange: Entire wheel in centre. Gold: Sword hilt. Steel: Sword blade. Grey: Clouds (but they are grey on white, storm clouds). Blonde: Mans hair; eagles beak (upper and lower). White: In headdress of sphinx; clouds as stated above; bulls horn; eye of Hermanubis Red: Hermanubis (jackal-headed figure, except eye); eagles tongue.

11 – Justice

Yellow: Between curtains in background. Green: Surrounding square on crown; cape over shoulders. Blue: Sleeves; (same shade as canopy of Chariot in key 7). Indigo: T on chest. Violet: Curtains (not ropes, tassels and fringe); oval around neck; veil connecting pillars of throne (lighter violet for this veil). Grey: Throne and dais. Gold: Balances; sword hilt; rings holding ropes on curtains; outline and peaks on crown. Steel: Sword blade. White: Shoe; square on crown; panels beside T on chest. Blonde: Hair. Red: Circle in square on crown; garment (not cape or sleeves); ropes tassels and fringes on curtains.

12 – Hanged Man

Yellow: Slippers; halo around head. Blue: Coat (not crescents, buttons, belt or stripe down front and around neck) same shade as canopy in key 7). Green: Grass. Brown: Scaffold; hill slopes. Grey: Background. Silver: Crescents, belt, buttons and front stripe. White: Hair; rope. Red: Hose.

13 – Death

Yellow: Yellow; band on mans crown. Green: Leaves and rosebush (not rose). Blue: Stream. Brown: Scythe handle. Steel: Scythe blade. White: Skeleton; rose; cuff on hand in centre; leave the seed in upper left corner unpainted. Blonde: Womans hair. Gold: Points on mans crown. Red: Background.

14 – Temperance

Yellow: Crown over mountain peaks; Yods over eagle; torch flame (interspersed with red to represent flames); lions eye; path up to mountains. Brown: Lion (see key 10); eagle (except beak and legs); torch handle. Blue: Pool; stream from case. Green: Grass. Orange: Ornament on head of Archangel; vase. Violet: Mountains in background (diluted violet colour). Gold: Background; star on breast. White: Dress (robes). Blonde: Archangels hair; beak; legs and talons of eagle. Red: Archangels wings (these are highlighted with blue). Rainbow: Rainbow is a succession of bands of colour, beginning on upper side of arc with violet and applying in succession blue, green yellow orange and red.

15 – The Devil

Yellow: Insignia above cross below navel of devil; hair of female and male figures, the torch flame and the tail of the male figure are yellow shot with red. Green: Tail of female figure. Brown: Feathers, legs and horns of devil; torch handle; foreground; body and wings of devil (more effective if a little grey is mixed with diluted brown to give a dull earthy colour). White: Star; beard; horns of female and male figure. Steel: Chains; ring on pedestal. Red: Cross on devils body; grapes on tail of female figure; devils eyes; note also what is said under Yellow.

16 – The Tower

Yellow: Two rope-like bands on crown; crown on woman; Yods (with tongue of red in right corner of each); flames (with preponderance of red to make realistic); Solar disc, except gold edges around triangle rays. Blue: Dress of woman; hose of man. Gold: Crown (except yellow parts); lightning flash; points around Solar disc. Grey: Tower; Clouds (heavy storm clouds as in Key 10). Brown: Cliff (top of cliff lighter brown). Blonde: Womans hair. Red: Boots and coat of man; shoes of woman; see also under yellow.

17 – The Star

Yellow: Central star. Green: Grass; tree leaves. Blue: Background; pool; water from vases; deeper blue for ovals on vases and stripes around their necks. Violet: Mountains (note there are rising hills before the peak). Orange: Vases (except stripes designated otherwise, ovals and handles). White: Smaller stars; vase handles and stripes across ovals not indicated red; highlights on water. Brown: Tree trunk. Blonde: Hair. Red: Top band over oval in vase at left of card; lower band over oval in vase at right; bird on the tree.

18 – The Moon

Yellow: Moon and rays; path; Yods same as in key 16. Green: Grass in foreground (note this does not reach towers). Blue: Background; pool. Grey: Towers; wolf; stones around pool. Violet: Crawfish; mountains (diluted). Brown: Dog; plains between grass and mountains. White: Tower windows; highlights on pool; wolfs fang.

19 – The Sun

Yellow: Sun and rays; sunflower petals. Green: Grass (circle should be darker than rest of grass); leaves. Blue: Background (this should encircle the rays extending from the sun, with blue projections similar to those on the face of the sun in the key extending inward from the blue circle toward the sun). Brown: Sunflower centres. Grey: Wall. Orange: Yods. Blonde: Hair of both children.

20 – Judgement

Yellow: Bell of trumpet, rays form clouds. Blue: Background; water; Archangels dress (darker blue). Grey: Bodies of human figures; coffin (dark grey). White: Clouds; banner (not cross); icebergs (with delicate blue highlights); collar edging on Archangels dress-robe. Gold: Trumpet. Blonde: Hair on woman, child and Archangel. Red: Archangels wings; cross on banner.

21 – The World

Green: Wreath (except binding top and bottom). Blue: Background (leave blank ellipses around spirals in hands). Brown: Animals (as in key 10). White: Clouds as in Key 10; paint rays from ellipses around spirals extending into the blue of the background. Blonde: Hair on man and dancer; beak of eagle. Violet: Veil around dancer. Red: Binding at top and bottom of wreath; wreath on head of dancer.

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