Illustrating the Strength card
Strength, card 8 in the Tarot’s major arcana, is sandwiched between The Chariot and The Hermit. I find this really interesting. The Chariot is all about getting ready to go into battle, and The Hermit is about retreat. It turns out strength is needed for both.
Examples from other tarot artists
Traditionally, the strength card is illustrated with a beautiful young maiden taming/canoodling with a lion. This image never really resonated with me, personally. I knew I would have to dig deep to come up with another concept for the strength card that was meaningful to me.
Here are some examples of Strength cards by various artists of tarot decks I own and use myself.
The Chariot cards from my collection of tarot decks, clockwise from top left: Rider-Waite Tarot, illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith; Modern Witch Tarot Deck by Lisa Sterle; The Wild Unknown Tarot by Kim Krans; The Gentle Tarot by Mari in the Sky; Rainbow Heart Tarot by Rachel Rosenkoetter; and The Reclaimed Tarot, ReClaim it! PDX, collage by Emilia Ciurtin.
What is Strength, anyway?
I grew up in the Midwest at a time when strength was more about what you didn’t do than what you did. Being strong meant being able to tolerate difficult things. To be strong meant keeping your cool and never letting anyone see you sweat.
As an adult, I am learning the hard way that strength comes from our ability to accept and love the parts of ourselves that we don’t like. What parts of myself do I deny, push away, or ignore? What would it look like to recognize my own shadow as a valid part of me that deserves loving kindness and compassion?
Easier said than done.
That’s why I illustrated the strength the way I did. It’s that moment when we’re on a darkening path into the dark woods at twilight. It’s a scary place to be, until we realize we aren’t alone.
We’re on that dark path with our own shadow, and that shadow needs our love. We can walk that path together. It might get dark in there, but we’re no longer walking the path alone.
My original sketch - colored pencil and paint pen.
On the path into the darkening forest, holding my own heart.
The final illustration
Below is my final illustration for the Strength card. I love the way the watercolor and inks flowed together to create the forest floor to the twilight sky.
The Strength card illustration from my forthcoming Tarot of These Times deck, anticipated 2026.
© Registered copyright Molly Chidsey, all rights reserved.
Process notes
To protect the main character while painting the dark forest background, I used Winsor & Newton masking fluid. I used walnut ink for the path. I painted the rest with Ecoline liquid watercolor and paint brush pens, blending with a water brush as I went.
Next up: The Hermit 👩🚀
The next card in the Major Arcana I am illustrating is The Hermit. You know, for when you just need a little space.
What do you think of this card?
Leave me a comment below
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Footnotes
Materials notes from this post
Blick Hot Press 100% cotton watercolor paper; EcoLine liquid watercolor paint and brush pens; Winsor & Newton masking fluid; Winsor & Newton walnut ink. I use an Epson Workforce Pro printer to print my drawings onto watercolor paper, using their water-resistant Durabrite ink.
Learn about tarot
Want to learn more about tarot? I highly recommend the book Modern Tarot: Connecting with Your Higher Self through the Wisdom of the Cards by Michelle Tea.
A note about Ai and this project
I do not use Ai (artificial intelligence) to write any of the content for this blog, my other blog Behind the Scenes, or this website.
