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Mark Making
Mark Making
What: Use real Sumi and Digital brushes to develop a personal stamp that incorporates a kamon crest. Make a Goshuincho (stamp book) for collecting student stamps as well as recording thoughts and ideas about Japanese Aesthetics.
What: Use real Sumi and Digital brushes to develop a personal stamp that incorporates a kamon crest. Make a Goshuincho (stamp book) for collecting student stamps as well as recording thoughts and ideas about Japanese Aesthetics.
Objectives:
Discover various ways of making marks that are, or appear, organic/hand drawn
Know more about the traditions of Japanese kamon family crests
Be able to digitize a hand drawn image using Photoshop to make adjustments and using Illustrator to image trace and expand
Know the process of making an Goshuincho (expanding book) through to completion
Know how to make a stamp from a digital file
Use design language to respond and support the work of other designers
Watch the video in the link in the title
Play around with the Buddha Boards (drying paper) with water only. This practice should be less water than you might use on the Washi paper.
Another video of brush techniques
Practice using the Sumi brushes and inks on Washi paper. Try many different techniques. Save your experiments (with notes as to what technique you used.)
Find other kinds of mark making materials in the studio: water colors and brushes, brush pens, grease pens, chalk. Try different papers, too, water color, glossy, flat, etc..
After you have worked with analog materials, try using various brush styles in Procreate on the iPad with an intention of make your marks look like hand painted marks. Then use Photoshop and Illustrator brushes. You may want to use the Wacom tablets and pen to have more hand control.
In each of these processes, your goal is to have a lots of different marks to choose from in creating a digital pattern. You will choose one (or more) of your hand made marks to digitize and create a kamon (personal or family crest) and a pattern to use on the cover of your book.
Making a Symbol/Motif
Making a Symbol/Motif
To be used for in a pattern on the cover of your book and to make a stamp.
To be used for in a pattern on the cover of your book and to make a stamp.
Research imagery and motifs that connect to you in some way. Research motifs and materials like kamon/family crests, your name in Kanji or Hiragana, or an abstraction of an animal or an object your connect with.
Practice making various marks that you might incorporate into your symbol. Collect at least 10-12 ink and/or watercolor marks (color may not be that important as you may be able to change it in the digital version)
Photograph and save the images of your handmade marks to a project folder in your Documents.
In Procreate (on the iPads), experiment with the brush settings to make the same or different marks. Export them as PSD files to edit on your computer
In Photoshop, continue the experimentation and collect another set of marks by experimenting with the brush tool settings. You will only need one file and add a new layer for each variation. When you export the files as a transparent .png (high quality resolution) to edit in Illustrator, hide all the layers except the one. Save these files to your project folder, too.
Pictures of your handmade work, and even .psd files made in Procreate, will need to be edited in Photoshop to get optimal contrast and values. After editing, again, export the file as a high resolution .png and save to your project folder.
To isolate and vectorize the mark, open the .png in Illustrator and experiment with the image trace options. Before expanding your option, Command Z if you don't like the results. The Black and White option may work for most of the ink variations but don't be afraid to try any of them.
Make a collection of marks usig the Symbols window. Making it a Dynamic Symbol will allow you to scale and skew.
Using your marks, develop at least SIX personal symbol variations. You will need one to incorporate into a pattern (for the book cover) and one to use as a stamp (the area of the stamp is 1.7" x 3.5")
To make a Goshuincho, or traditional Japanese stamp book, you'll need washi paper, glue, and a cutting tool. The pages are usually an accordion-style fold of paper, which is then attached to a decorative cover made from a material like recycled kimono fabric or traditional woodblock-printed paper (Kyo-karakami). [Here is a video of a traveler making a Goshuincho in Japan]
Materials Needed:
Washi Paper - traditional Japanese paper used for the inner pages and sometimes for the covers.
Decorative Cover Material - we will be using your own print design from
However, other options such as scraps from kimono or other Japanese textiles, paper bags, or wrapping paper can be used
Steps to Make a Goshuincho (DIY Method)
1. Prepare Your Pages:
Fold your washi paper in an accordion or concertina style, creating a series of connected pages. The washi paper strips we are using are 80" long and should be folded every 4". The textured side of the paper should be inside the first and last folds.
2. Create Your Cover:
Select your chosen fabric or paper, cut it to the desired size for the front and back covers, and ensure they are slightly larger than the inside pages.
3. Assemble the Book:
Carefully glue the pages to the covers, creating a firm bond. Ensure the pages are securely attached to the cardboard core and that the covers are folded neatly.
4. Decorate:
You can add extra decorative paper or designs to the cover.
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