Alright, damnitall, here we go:
I need to get my online data organized. First off is this blog, which IS still alive, honestly. It's connected to my private account and a webspace where I host designs for clients, though, which is less than optimal. Also, it is ugly. I can't design the space here the way I'd like to without circumventing a bunch of Blogger rules and garbage. Vehement MEH.
SO, with everyone's merciful understanding and forgiveness, please know that things are going to go royally haywire for a little while. I intend to leave everything up and accessible for as long as I can, and I will make any hot switches in the shortest length of time possible. That said, there are going to be broken links here and there. In the end, things should seamlessly redirect to wherever I decide to drop them for permanence... fingers crossed.
In the process, I will be permanently deleting some posts. These will generally be the posts that have nothing of interest to anyone, anywhere, anyway. (All the "oh crap what happened let me fix this sorry brb" posts, for example.) Anything that contains a pattern, tutorial, or experiment will remain online and fully accessible by the end of the cleanup. The current links to PDF patterns and diagrams, however, will break. I intend to replace them with a forwarding image.
Lastly, I will establish a secondary blog for some of the things that I would have previously posted here. I think. Maybe. Let me think it over. (If you're only here for patterns, don't worry; you'll still be in the right place.)
Postscriptively, happy new year to everyone. :3 I hope you've all had a great first week.
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, November 4, 2011
Damnitall.
Something snapped in the overburdened monstrosity of a template I have been using on this blog for a long time, so MEH. I intend to redesign the whole thing this weekend.
...and then post new stuff.
Don't be afraid of any weird errors you see here for the next however many days, thanks. m(-_-;)m
...and then post new stuff.
Don't be afraid of any weird errors you see here for the next however many days, thanks. m(-_-;)m
Friday, February 26, 2010
家紋：kamon, meaning "family crest"
I have been wanting to write about these forever. :D
家紋：かもん、kamon, meaning "house" (家) + "crest" or "coat of arms" (紋)
Alternative terms include:
紋章：もんしょう、monshou, "coat of arms badge"
紋所：もんどころ、"coat of arms place" (?)
...or simply mon in conversation.
If you have any sustained interest in Japan, you've likely seen kamon symbols somewhere before. They are embroidered or dyed on the chest of formal kimono, on the eaves of traditional roofing, printed on noren curtains, on flags of temples and shrines, and can generally be spotted in many other places.
on a roof peak
Kamon symbols, much like the lions and eagles of heraldry, are powerful graphic elements. Unlike western heraldry, however, kamon are uncomplicated and geometric. They were originally simplified by the constraints under which they were designed, used, and cataloged.
All traditional kamon are plain black and white, with no intermediate tones or shading. This two-tone limit makes them much easier to reproduce in a variety of media, as well as bold enough to be seen clearly on flags across the ancient battlefield. Most kamon are also round, and thus all the easier to fit on variously-shaped surfaces and items. Lastly, the vast majority of kamon have one or more axes of symmetry, sometimes as many as 14 or 16.
Common motifs found in traditional kamon include flowers, leaves, birds, turtles, butterflies, kanji, or representational abstract shapes, but there are always exceptions.
Likewise, many kamon rely on the same popular icon, but present it in markedly different ways to distinguish each from the other. Closely related kamon may (but do not always) belong to offspring of a famous family or separate families who established themselves in similar professions.
If you have a traditional Japanese name, there are books and websites whereby you can look up your family's kamon symbol. Some people even design an original kamon to represent their own family in modern times. I had a student who made his own stamp of a kamon with a Super Famicom controller ringed by its cord... he used it on his homework. :3
If you like history, this article on Epoch Times gives a brief overview of the origins of the kamon system. There are also a few modern, for-fun Kamon Generators by Ayataka beverage group - you give your name and birthdate, and they assign you an original kamon (you'll need Japanese text enabled on your machine to use the input form).
Here are some sites that provide a catalogue of the traditional kamon:
Kamon Shijou (Kamon Marketplace by BBPlus)
You can search by keyword, browse by subject, or browse alphabetically (hiraganically?) by kamon name. (You can also order stickers, keychains, pins, and other goods with any kamon you like... if you know how to navigate in Japanese.)
Japanese Clip Art
An English site with a selection of the more famous kamon (and other images) for free download. Yay!
Kamon Japan
A site that offers display plaques and castings with the kamon of famous rulers... has adorable little illustrations of those rulers, too. XD
楽しみして、ね！ ^_^
家紋：かもん、kamon, meaning "house" (家) + "crest" or "coat of arms" (紋)
Alternative terms include:
紋章：もんしょう、monshou, "coat of arms badge"
紋所：もんどころ、"coat of arms place" (?)
...or simply mon in conversation.
some famous rulers and their family crests; the bottom right crest is that of the Tokugawa family
If you have any sustained interest in Japan, you've likely seen kamon symbols somewhere before. They are embroidered or dyed on the chest of formal kimono, on the eaves of traditional roofing, printed on noren curtains, on flags of temples and shrines, and can generally be spotted in many other places.
on formal kimono
this curtain at a jinja (Shinto shrine) displays the kamon of two families
the "dove" mon at Morooka Kumano Jinja (師岡熊野神社）
lanterns painted with kamon
shirts decorated with kamon are a popular item with the younger generations: which family's kamon they display is not necessarily important...
...while keychains with one's family mon are popular among the middle generations; many services exist in Japan that will personalize lighters, cellphones, portable game systems, etc. with any mon you like
a kamon on a public building, in this case a community meeting center
a chrysanthemum kamon appears on the Japanese passport; the 16-petal chrysanthemum crest is a symbol of Japan as a sovereign nation
Kamon symbols, much like the lions and eagles of heraldry, are powerful graphic elements. Unlike western heraldry, however, kamon are uncomplicated and geometric. They were originally simplified by the constraints under which they were designed, used, and cataloged.
All traditional kamon are plain black and white, with no intermediate tones or shading. This two-tone limit makes them much easier to reproduce in a variety of media, as well as bold enough to be seen clearly on flags across the ancient battlefield. Most kamon are also round, and thus all the easier to fit on variously-shaped surfaces and items. Lastly, the vast majority of kamon have one or more axes of symmetry, sometimes as many as 14 or 16.
the kamon of the Imperial Family of Japan 十六弁八重表菊紋, or jyuurokuben-yae-hyou-kiku-mon, "16-petal double layer displayed chrysanthemum crest"
Common motifs found in traditional kamon include flowers, leaves, birds, turtles, butterflies, kanji, or representational abstract shapes, but there are always exceptions.
Likewise, many kamon rely on the same popular icon, but present it in markedly different ways to distinguish each from the other. Closely related kamon may (but do not always) belong to offspring of a famous family or separate families who established themselves in similar professions.
selected kamon variations on the kikyou (Chinese bellflower)
If you have a traditional Japanese name, there are books and websites whereby you can look up your family's kamon symbol. Some people even design an original kamon to represent their own family in modern times. I had a student who made his own stamp of a kamon with a Super Famicom controller ringed by its cord... he used it on his homework. :3
If you like history, this article on Epoch Times gives a brief overview of the origins of the kamon system. There are also a few modern, for-fun Kamon Generators by Ayataka beverage group - you give your name and birthdate, and they assign you an original kamon (you'll need Japanese text enabled on your machine to use the input form).
a modern kamon design, appropriate for Arizona :3
Here are some sites that provide a catalogue of the traditional kamon:
Kamon Shijou (Kamon Marketplace by BBPlus)
You can search by keyword, browse by subject, or browse alphabetically (hiraganically?) by kamon name. (You can also order stickers, keychains, pins, and other goods with any kamon you like... if you know how to navigate in Japanese.)
Japanese Clip Art
An English site with a selection of the more famous kamon (and other images) for free download. Yay!
Kamon Japan
A site that offers display plaques and castings with the kamon of famous rulers... has adorable little illustrations of those rulers, too. XD
楽しみして、ね！ ^_^
Monday, July 13, 2009
What ho, changes afoot!
Time once more to scuttle the page design... please ignore any temporary color clash, broken images, or poor column spacing.
Back shortly with new amusements, for serious.
Back shortly with new amusements, for serious.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Mweh, wharrgarbl.
YET ONE MORE EDIT: Clickiness is fixed. Everything now pops into a new tab (or window, depending on your browser and settings). Also, there is a searchy box for to search this blog and meh buddy's blog. Yey. :3 Now to fix the colors... -_-;
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Gonna be redesigning the blog for the next few days, so if you stop in and suddenly everything's all like "doodwtf," that'll be why.
...also, PS: THUNDERSTORM, きゃああああああ!
February has gone insane~ X_x
February has gone insane~ X_x
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Gonna be redesigning the blog for the next few days, so if you stop in and suddenly everything's all like "doodwtf," that'll be why.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sources d'Quex
Pinks and greens, and eff yeah, I get to use a stock photo that I've wanted to use for so long. Damn. Feels good. やっとこのブログを変えたんだ。ウ・レ・シ〜〜〜。。。。っすが、このスタイルもちょっといやだね。-_-; まだまだ変えなきゃ。
When I'm not sleeping or making material stuff, I like to hunt around for stock images, brushes, textures, typographic elements, etc for the making of immaterial stuff, i.e, digital graphics. (Technically, that is what I should be doing first and foremost; sleep and material goods can come later.)
One delicious place to find said elements is Stock.Xchng. Lots of free stocks for student work or mock-ups. Also a good source for quality reference images (better than an open GIS, anyway).
楽しみしてね〜 ヾ(｡･w･｡)
When I'm not sleeping or making material stuff, I like to hunt around for stock images, brushes, textures, typographic elements, etc for the making of immaterial stuff, i.e, digital graphics. (Technically, that is what I should be doing first and foremost; sleep and material goods can come later.)
One delicious place to find said elements is Stock.Xchng. Lots of free stocks for student work or mock-ups. Also a good source for quality reference images (better than an open GIS, anyway).
楽しみしてね〜 ヾ(｡･w･｡)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
˙˙˙sıɥ⊥ pɐǝᴚ uɐↃ no⅄ ɟI
˙pɐǝɥ ɹnoʎ ɟo uoıʇɐʇuǝıɹo ǝɥʇ ɥʇıʍ ƃuoɹʍ ƃuıɥʇǝɯos ǝq ʇɥƃıɯ ǝɹǝɥʇ˙˙˙
XD ˙sʞɔıɹʇ ǝʇıɹoʌɐɟ ʎɯ ɟo ǝuo ɯoɹɟ 'ʎɐp s,ʃooℲ ʎddɐH
Friday, February 29, 2008
Conflicted
As a graphic designer, I don't think I'm supposed to appreciate the subversion of someone else's advertising campaign. But, as the same, I can't help but admire the brilliance of it.
Please visit the Billboard Liberation Front and have a look at their clever snark. It's pure gold.
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