Illustrator Recreates The Zodiacs As Goddesses, Starts Appreciating The Myths Behind The Signs
You don’t need to believe in the stars to really appreciate these zodiac illustrations by Emilee Petersmark. A band called The Accidentals approached her with this project in 2017, asking Emilee to create 12 posters based on the zodiac over the course of a year. She reimagined all of the signs as mythical goddesses, and the images are so good, people think she should create a tarot deck.
“Honestly, prior to this project I was pretty unfamiliar with the zodiac,” Emilee told Bored Panda. “I’d low key follow my own horoscope but that’s about it.”
“The band who commissioned me, The Accidentals, have been friends of mine for years, and I was really excited for the chance to help support them,” Petersmark added. “It was a big undertaking but I felt like it was an important opportunity for me to grow as a professional artist – I would sporadically take commissions here and there but never any long-term projects like this.”
The artist said that it was both exciting and challenging. Being forced to consistently be creative while adhering to strict deadlines wasn’t easy. “Both The Accidentals and I were touring over the past year (I’m also in a band called the Crane Wives, which is my main source of income) it was tricky to make time to sit and create visual art from the road.”
“It’s been really cool to research each sign – some people connect with their sign on such a deeply personal level. It’s fascinating to dig deeper to see all the facets that those people identify with,” Emilee said. “As an artist this project gave me a LOT of opportunities to practice and become more efficient at my craft.” Plus, she can now name all 12 signs! “This was an amazing, occasionally exhausting, and satisfying experience.”
Scroll down to check the best astrological promotion campaign and tell us what you think about it in the comments!
More info: theaccidentalsmusic.com | Instagram
Aries
“This design was intended to be a grown-up version of Virgo — I wanted to portray a more mature version of the attitude in that poster. I also tried to give her a more wild, witch-like feel, taking the soft fall glow of Virgo and leveling it up with neon.”
Taurus
“This poster was super inspired by activist Emma González. I wanted Taurus to have a prominent sense of strength in the face of something ominous.”
Gemini
“The band was touring out west this month, so I went with a dusky desert theme. This one took some time to nail down, because I wanted the twins to seem subtly powerful, almost regal with their rustic crowns. It was important to me that none of the women in this series were overtly sexualized, but I wanted to keep some vulnerability and naturalness to this sign.”
Cancer
“This month, The Accidentals were playing Electric Forest. I’ve only been to EF once, but I remember loving all the glowing neon in the middle of the dark woods. I wanted to capture that feeling of finding something otherworldly in the vast wilderness in the middle of the night.”
Leo
“This design was extra tricky, because it would also serve as part of The Accidentals’ album artwork. Their album is called Odyssey, and so I wanted this one to feel kind of like the beginning of a journey, with Leo being the heroine about to set off in search of something important. The band and I also collaborated heavily to create something that combined both natural, earthly elements and outer space.”
Virgo
“Virgo is depicted as a virgin/maiden, so I tried to make the sign more youthful. My first attempt at this poster made the maiden look too timid, so I scrapped it in order to give her a little more attitude.”
Libra
“I actually took this design from a Lady Justice sketch I did the day Trump was inaugurated. While I wouldn’t call this piece political by any means, drawing Lady Justice as a black woman was a conscious and pointed choice.”
Scorpio
“I knew from the beginning I wanted one of the signs to be heavily tattooed, but it worked out so well to juxtapose the sleek, almost modern elements I’d wanted to associate with Scorpio with this traditional Polynesian-inspired tattoo.”
Sagittarius
“I really wanted to think more outside the box with this one, but I realized that I couldn’t really portray an archer without a bow and arrow. I drew the line at drawing her as a centaur, though I did try to give a nod to the traditional representation of Sagittarius with the horse skull headdress she’s wearing. Throughout this series, I feel like I slowly became aware that it could use more diversity in body shapes, so I tried to give this sign a body type that was more functional to the lifestyle of someone who catches their own food and fights epic battles.”
Capricorn
“The cool thing about this project was that it taught me quite a bit about the zodiac, like the fact that Capricorn is represented by something called a Sea Goat (which is actually based on the Sumerian god of knowledge, wisdom, mischief, and creation.) I wanted to give this poster a murky, dream-like feel, with the harpoon providing an element of conflict with the softness of the living creatures.”
Aquarius
“Sagittarius might have been my favorite poster to illustrate, but this one was a very close second. I was determined not to do three ocean-themed posters in a row, so I put this sign in the desert and tried to make it feel like a creation myth. I really wanted to evoke the thought of Egyptian gods and giant Egyptian monuments.”
Pisces
“In a few of the other posters I played with size and perspective to make the female figures feel more powerful and ethereal. For this poster, I wanted the female figure to feel dwarfed by the fish, giving her the sense of being much more human than some of the other signs and making the fish seem kind of reminiscent of ancient deep sea monsters.”
Emilee has spent a whole year on this project
But the feedback she’s been receiving proves it was definitely worth it
"As an astrologer" yeah because that adds all sorts of authority to things... Lol. What the hell kind of criticism is "its unoriginal to represent twins by using twins" I mean really?
Crying is not necessarily weak. It is the expression of a variety of emotions including empathy, grief and even joy. Water is giving life and I saw the illustration as the goddess giving life to the dessert through her own tears.
Yes, like Aquarius is strong enough to sacrifice her happiness for happiness of other people, to be strong when other aren't
Load More Replies...Is it weird I don't see weakness in Aquarius I see a person who is angry but also wants to provide for the people of the desert and once she's done will kick some butt.
You see what you see. Your opinion is valid even if others don't see it the same way.
Load More Replies...Wow these pictures are beautiful. I love the Taurus one especially 😘
I love all your Zodiac signs! Especially that you used a plus sized girl in one of them!
I'm pretty sad that you can't see much of a face or personality in Pisces, my sign. Especially when the artwork is so beautiful.
im actually a cancer leo cusp but i really appreciate making cancer something much more than crab in the ocean. (i actually hate the beach)
Although I do love the beach I've always hated the idea of being described as a crab, a crab of all things!
Load More Replies...Ahhh man they are cool as f**k! Scorpio and Aries have to be my favourite!
I like pieses coz it's the 12th sign and represents death and eternity. And the compilation of all that is gone before. The human spirit is small in comparison to the great depths of the sea.
If you had delved deeper into astrology you would understand that it's very much about symbols, a way to attempt to describe different personalities in a symbol, an image, that can be understood by as many as possible. It's not about hocus-pocus, of magic or new agey ways to read the future, but to understand yourself! It's so easy to flick away people's attempts to find out about their inner selves, the ones hidden from even ourselves, and to be mean and cruel about it, but you only disclose your own small mind and cruel disposition. Symbolism is literally to show something in one image, that would otherwise take a thousand words to explain. A symbolic image can be meditated over for days, and you would still find meanings in it you didn't see the first time. You don't have to mock people who find pleasure in symbolic images.
Some of my fellow liberal and supposedly secular people: "I f*****g love science! And astrology is true!!"
"Starts Appreciating The Myths Behind The Signs" Can we get the accurate titles for the posts please? None of the signs relate to their original Origin. Polynesian design for a Scorpio? The Art is beautiful, the artist is amazing, just whoever wrote the article please be more accurate with the title. Thanks! :)
All so beautiful and meaningful. Am I the only one who would enjoy even more? Libra, here. Reply your sign!
These are really cool. Idk about actual Zodiac signs representation, I'd never recognize most of them without an explanation, but then I'm not much into Zodiac signs anyway. As art pieces these are super awesome:) I wish there were male versions too, I mean I understand the idea was to make them all female but some of these would have really cool shaman-style male look imo.
Even though it's true, that Capricorn also has the fish-tail, it's first and foremost an earth-sign almost cut out of stone, so the kind of wably figure in this drawing is not really spot on. Many of the others are really good - especially Scorpio I think.
As an individual that has carefully worked within Astrology for decades,& has studied parapsychology, & am blessed with art skills too, i find this Artist inner viewing points & her unique stylization quite beautiful ~for simply that. This entire look could be the front for & of many a ‘mysterious’ project to which cards could be one; or perhaps a Calender Book... What i do see is the love spilling from each picture, something that tends to get lost when speaking about real energies, done in real time movements,& done with this reality (that is of the greatest dynamic of change seen), all done, as said, of true beauty.
Don't listen to the haters, Emilee. Your art is some of the most beautiful I've ever seen, and they're meaningful and just so amazing I want them all. These are really really gorgeous and I'm so glad you made them.
I loved all of these, I don't really go for the whole moon sign/ star sign thing but the drawings themselves and the meanings behind them are amazing
Blown my mind these are the most amazing zodiac signs I've ever seen
I love them, especially my Sagittarius. One of my favourite ever portraits of my star sign.
I was so excited looking forward to seeing what my Pisces would be while scrolling through the other "goddesses" well....again it's just the fish
Oh my gosh! I love aries so much! It's my favorite ever... The sparks behind, how she's peaceful and beautiful yet intense and kinda scary, the birds loving her... So gorgeous.
I don't know what i was expecting for my Zodiac sign Aquarius but i was very disappointed in it. I wasn't as cool i guess as the others
These works are similar (some of them maybe to much) to Vivien Szanszilo fine art artist’s surreal, zodiac woman portraits series, that where posted one year ago to various site, platforms and also here on boredpanda.
Vivien Szaniszlo uses more vibrant colors and also warecolor like technique. They are not similar.
Load More Replies...Being a Scorpio you might be surprised that I chose Pisces as my favorite illustration of the Zodiac signs. It is just so ethereal and comforting. What an ambitious undertaking this was! Congrats to the artist!
Sorry, but this is bad poster art reminiscent of the junk that used to be sold in what hippies called "head shops."
"As an astrologer" yeah because that adds all sorts of authority to things... Lol. What the hell kind of criticism is "its unoriginal to represent twins by using twins" I mean really?
Crying is not necessarily weak. It is the expression of a variety of emotions including empathy, grief and even joy. Water is giving life and I saw the illustration as the goddess giving life to the dessert through her own tears.
Yes, like Aquarius is strong enough to sacrifice her happiness for happiness of other people, to be strong when other aren't
Load More Replies...Is it weird I don't see weakness in Aquarius I see a person who is angry but also wants to provide for the people of the desert and once she's done will kick some butt.
You see what you see. Your opinion is valid even if others don't see it the same way.
Load More Replies...Wow these pictures are beautiful. I love the Taurus one especially 😘
I love all your Zodiac signs! Especially that you used a plus sized girl in one of them!
I'm pretty sad that you can't see much of a face or personality in Pisces, my sign. Especially when the artwork is so beautiful.
im actually a cancer leo cusp but i really appreciate making cancer something much more than crab in the ocean. (i actually hate the beach)
Although I do love the beach I've always hated the idea of being described as a crab, a crab of all things!
Load More Replies...Ahhh man they are cool as f**k! Scorpio and Aries have to be my favourite!
I like pieses coz it's the 12th sign and represents death and eternity. And the compilation of all that is gone before. The human spirit is small in comparison to the great depths of the sea.
If you had delved deeper into astrology you would understand that it's very much about symbols, a way to attempt to describe different personalities in a symbol, an image, that can be understood by as many as possible. It's not about hocus-pocus, of magic or new agey ways to read the future, but to understand yourself! It's so easy to flick away people's attempts to find out about their inner selves, the ones hidden from even ourselves, and to be mean and cruel about it, but you only disclose your own small mind and cruel disposition. Symbolism is literally to show something in one image, that would otherwise take a thousand words to explain. A symbolic image can be meditated over for days, and you would still find meanings in it you didn't see the first time. You don't have to mock people who find pleasure in symbolic images.
Some of my fellow liberal and supposedly secular people: "I f*****g love science! And astrology is true!!"
"Starts Appreciating The Myths Behind The Signs" Can we get the accurate titles for the posts please? None of the signs relate to their original Origin. Polynesian design for a Scorpio? The Art is beautiful, the artist is amazing, just whoever wrote the article please be more accurate with the title. Thanks! :)
All so beautiful and meaningful. Am I the only one who would enjoy even more? Libra, here. Reply your sign!
These are really cool. Idk about actual Zodiac signs representation, I'd never recognize most of them without an explanation, but then I'm not much into Zodiac signs anyway. As art pieces these are super awesome:) I wish there were male versions too, I mean I understand the idea was to make them all female but some of these would have really cool shaman-style male look imo.
Even though it's true, that Capricorn also has the fish-tail, it's first and foremost an earth-sign almost cut out of stone, so the kind of wably figure in this drawing is not really spot on. Many of the others are really good - especially Scorpio I think.
As an individual that has carefully worked within Astrology for decades,& has studied parapsychology, & am blessed with art skills too, i find this Artist inner viewing points & her unique stylization quite beautiful ~for simply that. This entire look could be the front for & of many a ‘mysterious’ project to which cards could be one; or perhaps a Calender Book... What i do see is the love spilling from each picture, something that tends to get lost when speaking about real energies, done in real time movements,& done with this reality (that is of the greatest dynamic of change seen), all done, as said, of true beauty.
Don't listen to the haters, Emilee. Your art is some of the most beautiful I've ever seen, and they're meaningful and just so amazing I want them all. These are really really gorgeous and I'm so glad you made them.
I loved all of these, I don't really go for the whole moon sign/ star sign thing but the drawings themselves and the meanings behind them are amazing
Blown my mind these are the most amazing zodiac signs I've ever seen
I love them, especially my Sagittarius. One of my favourite ever portraits of my star sign.
I was so excited looking forward to seeing what my Pisces would be while scrolling through the other "goddesses" well....again it's just the fish
Oh my gosh! I love aries so much! It's my favorite ever... The sparks behind, how she's peaceful and beautiful yet intense and kinda scary, the birds loving her... So gorgeous.
I don't know what i was expecting for my Zodiac sign Aquarius but i was very disappointed in it. I wasn't as cool i guess as the others
These works are similar (some of them maybe to much) to Vivien Szanszilo fine art artist’s surreal, zodiac woman portraits series, that where posted one year ago to various site, platforms and also here on boredpanda.
Vivien Szaniszlo uses more vibrant colors and also warecolor like technique. They are not similar.
Load More Replies...Being a Scorpio you might be surprised that I chose Pisces as my favorite illustration of the Zodiac signs. It is just so ethereal and comforting. What an ambitious undertaking this was! Congrats to the artist!
Sorry, but this is bad poster art reminiscent of the junk that used to be sold in what hippies called "head shops."
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