Award-winning illustrator Jason Raish knows how to turn deadlines into diamonds. As an adjunct professor at FIT’s Illustration & Interactive Media program in New York, he was tasked with developing a pictorial problem-solving project for his spring semester class. To ensure the project was completed by the end of the semester, Jason personally illustrated a few of the cards himself. The result: a fully realized deck of 78 tarot cards, featuring contributions from both students and professional artists, who were invited by Jason to also pitch in.
Proving that inspiration has no time limit, Jason chose to incorporate themes from traditional Korean culture into his cards:
For The Knight of Wands, a card symbolizing free-spiritedness, passion, energy, and adventure, Jason drew inspiration from the Haenyeo: female divers from Jeju Island known for their fierce independence and determination. These women also represent the island’s semi-matriarchal family structure, making them a perfect embodiment of the card’s spirit.
For the Two of Wands, which represents partnership, forward movement, and letting go of the past, Jason reinterpreted a traditional Minhwa folk art motif. In his version of the Korean saying “back when tigers smoked,” the magpie bids farewell to the tiger, symbolizing a conscious step forward into the future.
Neolttwigi, the traditional Korean seesaw where participants launch each other into the air, inspired his version of The Lovers card. The game’s requirement for balance, unity, and commitment mirrors the values of the card itself.
The Ace of Swords is as cultural as it is literal: the undeniable force of inspiration arriving to change one’s path.
In the Seven of Coins, representing investment, patience, and long-term growth, Jason highlights the foundational effort behind traditions, like the careful, time-honored process of making kimchi.
Finally, the Four of Wands, a card associated with celebration and marriage, is beautifully illustrated with the wooden ducks traditionally given as a Korean wedding gift.
See Jason’s cards below. For more on the project itself, visit his Instagram. And for more on Jason, visit his Workbook portfolio.
Represented by Central Illustration Agency.
