This Incredible Artist Designed A Tarot Deck With Disney Princesses And The Art Is Amazing

A Disney princess tarot deck sounds like the kind of idea that should not work, and yet the artwork here makes it feel completely natural. The artist behind the project reimagines familiar characters as tarot cards, pairing each princess with symbols, poses, and colors that match the meaning of the card.

What makes the series stand out is how much thought goes into each design, from Snow White to Mulan and beyond. Every card mixes character details with tarot imagery in a way that feels playful, polished, and surprisingly deliberate.

Even if you do not know tarot, the visual storytelling is hard to ignore.

1. {The Princess Tarot} 'La Justice: Anna'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

The Justice card represents a wrong being made right or ensuring accountability for your actions. Anna may seem like an odd choice for the card, but hear me out!

Anna really misses the relationship she had with her sister. She feels lopsided without her sister's presence in her life. Her whole story is about reinstating balance in her life.

Also, can't you just see Anna swinging from this rope and yelling, "TIME FOR SOME COLD HARD JUSTICE!" pretending to be Batman? Because I can. I also really liked the imagery of Anna being on the rope as an analogy for the scales of justice. Enjoy!

2. {The Princess Tarot} 'La Cheffesse: Pocahontas'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

The Hierophant was another card that challenged me because of its traditional masculine interpretation.

That card leans hard into symbolism.

3. {The Princess Tarot} 'La Force: Merida'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

The Strength card deals with discipline and control, something that Merida seems to lack. She is impulsive and brash, but she always follows her heart. For all her skills, it's not until Merida confronts her fears and takes charge of her life that she shows her true strength.

The traditional composition of the card features a lion and a woman, symbolizing that with presence of mind, anything is possible. It was also stressed that the woman should look calm and not struggle to overpower the lion. I replaced the lion with a bear (for obvious reasons, haha), and Merida always seemed most at peace while she was with her bow, so I drew her doing that. I wanted her hair to look like fire but also resemble knot work. I also really like how the colors in the background help her stand out.

4. {The Princess Tarot} 'L'empereur: Simba and Kiara'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

As I was planning these, I paused at The Emperor card because the card itself is so masculine, and so far, my emphasis has been on the princesses. Going through the Disney catalog, I landed on Simba and remembered the love my sister and I shared for the movie "Lion King 2: Simba's Pride." It then hit me that Kiara is TOTALLY a Disney princess and that this father-daughter pairing would be great on a card.

From a symbolic standpoint, this card is about the desire we have to "rule" or control our lives, but we must realize that there are forces outside of our control. Simba ran away from his responsibilities and tried to control his destiny, but he realized (with a little help from a certain mystical sky lion) that sometimes we cannot fight fate and must accept what we have been dealt. Similarly, he tries to exert control over Kiara, but his overprotectiveness and desire to run her life are at odds with who his daughter is, and he had to learn that her life was not his responsibility. 

From a creative standpoint, this card kind of kicked my butt for a little bit. At least in this set, it's the first time I've encountered non-human figures, and there are two of them! I tried several ways to render their fur, but I ended up really liking this limited approach. Also, Kiara and Simba are exactly the same color, and from a composition standpoint, I struggled with separating the two, but after layering some gradients a...

5. {The Princess Tarot} 'L'imperatrice: Ariel'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

This one is one of my favorites so far because it features my favorite Disney princess!

'The Empress' card has associations with Venus (both the goddess and the planet), and I wanted to evoke the iconic 'Birth of Venus' paintings while still making it look like a picture of Ariel. I wanted Ariel's train to fan out in the shape of a scallop shell, like the Botticelli painting. I also had to add a dinglehopper for good measure. 'The Empress' card also deals with 'The Mother,' and since Ariel is our first princess to have a princess of her own, she felt perfect for this.

Also wild, a divorcee refused to split her ex-husband’s hidden coin collection.

6. {The Princess Tarot} 'La Sorcierer: Eilonwy'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

I wanted to ensure that I represented many of the Disney heroines that embodied traits in the cards, and not just the standard princesses. Eilonwy was chosen because she was the first princess I could remember who used magic in her own right, making her a perfect stand-in for the traditional "Magician" card of the Tarot.

I also wanted to incorporate elements from the original card into the pieces. The infinity symbol is important to the traditional "Magician" card. Instead of the Magician's wand, I gave Eilonwy her magic ball because that was how she practiced her magic. Across the deck, I'm hoping to maintain a similar grouping of colors and a unified palette, so hopefully it works. "

7. {The Princess Tarot} 'L'amoureux: Belle and Beast'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

The Lovers card was originally going to represent all the princesses and their princes, but when I sat down to sketch it, it seemed like it would not fit the feeling of the cards so far. I brainstormed with a couple of friends about who would best represent "The Lovers." When I asked my friend, who is not a big fan of Disney by any means, who he thought would be the best representation, without hesitation, he said, "Beauty and the Beast. Their movie has both of them in the title, and it is more about their relationship than any of the other movies are." Usually, I don't listen, but in this case, he was spot on. 

"The Lovers" is pretty self-explanatory. It's about human attraction, relationships, and bonding. In some traditions, the card itself raises questions of choice and doubt in a relationship. I wanted the scene in the card to reflect the moment Belle and the Beast had in the movie where they both realized they had feelings for each other, but also recognized that there were other things in their lives that required their attention. 

Overall, I'm really happy with the colors and the lighting in this. I also really love how the drop pleats in Belle's dress turned out (I love me some big poofy skirts). Additionally, in tribute to the traditional depiction of the cards, I added the Enchantress to the card as the table to take the place of the Angel. I feel like she's sort of watching over the whole proce...

8. {The Princess Tarot} 'La Chercheur: Snow White'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

The Fool, which I've read symbolizes the beginning of a journey and the trait of openness. I feel that Snow White has a very definite journey narrative for the heroine. Also, her trusting nature may get her into some trouble, but she still approaches the world with an open heart and spirit. I don't consider her a fool, so that is why I've changed the name to "La Chercheur" or "The Seeker." 

9. {The Princess Tarot} 'Le Reclus: Elsa'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

The Hermit card signifies the power of finding strength within yourself. Sometimes, we need to withdraw from the world to do that. In seclusion, we can discover that we are more capable and wonderful than we realize.

Elsa, for me, is perfect for this position in the Princess Tarot. Only when she is on the mountain by herself and coming to terms with her powers can she see how truly special and marvelous she is. She also represents the extremes that these choices can bring. In the film, she literally builds walls around herself and shuts out those who are trying to help her. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be alone, but it is important not to shut out those who care about you.

I wanted a very quiet feeling for the card, as if the viewer were standing on the mountain with her. I also liked the idea that Elsa was continuing to build and adjust her surroundings. Her hair was probably the most challenging part because of how light it is, but I also needed color and contrast to make her face stand out. I hope I found a good balance."

10. {The Princess Tarot} 'La Fortune: Cinderella'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

The Wheel of Fortune card's interpretation can be as hard to pin down as fate itself. For the deck, I wanted to focus on the idea of how fate can whip through your life unexpectedly. One moment you're a princess, the next you're in rags.

I've always been a huge fan of Cinderella. It always struck me how she faced everything thrown at her head-on and still retained her remarkable ability for kindness. The Wheel of Fortune also reminded me of clocks and time, and how important they are in her story. My favorite part of this card was the opportunity to create a separate composition for when the card is drawn in the reverse position (that scene where her pink dress was WRECKED in the movie struck too many of my emotions as a child... I have never really recovered). "

11. {The Princess Tarot} 'La Pretresse: Kidagakash'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

I went back and forth a bit as to who could represent the High Priestess in this deck, but after reflecting that the card dealt with "otherworldliness" and "mystical vision," Kida seemed like a no-brainer. Additionally, her connections to Atlantis and the history of her people make her an ideal candidate for this.

I think this was the first card where the restricted color palette started to get a little difficult since it is so dark, but I am glad with the way it turned out. I just keep getting more excited as I churn more and more of these out!"

12. {The Princess Tarot} 'Le Chariot: Mulan'

suisei-ojii-sama / Julian Rivera

The Chariot card can be interpreted as a battle outside of ourselves that we must find the willpower to overcome. I think Mulan fits this rather well since her battle was primarily against a society that only viewed her value in her marriage prospects instead of her traits and talents. The card also implies a victory, and the greater victory for Mulan was proving herself not just as a capable soldier but as a very daring and brave person. 

Composition-wise, I wanted to convey that sense of victory, so I looked at many portraits of people on horseback. When sketching, I initially thought of her in her armor, but I thought it was important to portray her as Mulan and not "Ping," so I put her in her ending dress. Since Khan is such a dark figure, I tried to find a color in the palette that would help him vibrate a little, and I think the strong pink in the background helps him do that."

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Honestly, you may or may not know much about tarot, but you can certainly agree that Julian's art is amazing. The added insight he provided with each design really gives you a lot to think about as you ponder the details. If you want to see more of Julian's artwork, you can find him on this website.

Which tarot card design did you like the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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