Carving seals and stamping onto calligraphy and artwork

5 October 2020

Here is an example of stamped calligraphy (this is kokotsubun shell and bone style). You can stamp on your shodo calligraphy, artwork, poetry or sutra copying, or anything else you fancy 😊

This example is of stamped artwork by Blair was inspired by the dynamic skyline of Tokyo, using Japanese gansai pigments.

To join our stamp making online by zoom, you only need pencil and paper to get started. Enjoy and practice working with traditional tenkoku 篆刻 materials or the simpler keshigomu eraser to carve your very own hanko はんこ stamp.

In this video Blair has fun stamping a few papers, using the L shape to guide the alignment of stamps for shodo (very handy!), whilst going for a more squinty off angle approach on the artwork, and stamping in the middle of an enso circle.

Stamping is such fun, the physical pressing down and moment of suspense to see the stamp impression. After first designing the 印 – such as name or artist name, then carving or cutting into stone or eraser. It is enjoyable to work on each part of the process.

Blair is carving his zen name, using the insho clamp and into cutter. He can help you translate and choose suitable katakana Japanese or Chinese characters for your own name 😊

This picture is of some reisho 隷書 calligraphy Blair was stamping a few days ago✨

Category: Art Tags: Japanese and Chinese stamp making, Shodo calligraphy

Exploring vast spaces through small stamp designs

17 September 2020

At our first regular 篆刻 tenkoku (seal engraving) group on zoom we had fun pioneering Japanese and Chinese stamp making online! This time we mainly worked on designs for our in 印 stamps.

After a short intro by Blair to the practice, his experience of it in Japan, and the history of it in China, we learned how to take our initial ideas and then work with kanji characters, and combine in certain ways using the old styles.

He showed some of his stamps he has made over the years, ones with his name in Katakana, Bu-re-a, others with artist name or his zen dharma name.

The designing is such an enjoyable and fascinating part of the process when you can engage with kanji Chinese characters that are thousands of years old, and discover their varied styles and choose which ones, adjusting the sizes and shapes to suit your personal design. And some stamps can use simpler Japanese script, or English, or images, so the options are really boundless.

It was fascinating to see how different each person’s designs were – with characters for mountain, sky/ emptiness, fish, crow, and hand there was a lot of images coming through the tensho style of characters and the other stamp styles.

So we swam together through deep waters and soared over peaceful fields towards distant hills 🙂

Towards the end Blair gave a short demo about how to use traditional materials – stones and cutter – as well as the alternative and popular ‘Keshigomu hanko’ method cutting an eraser with craft knife.

At this group participants work at their own pace and Blair guides them, so each person will design or carve or press their stamps – the ‘try not to hold your breath’ moment 🙂 –  at different times. It is an easygoing and supportive group.

Category: Art Groups Tags: Japanese and Chinese stamp making

Practicing intuitive wisdom with each small stroke 

16 September 2020

We gently traced and copied the famous and inspiring Mahayana Buddhist Heart Sutra, or to use the full title, the Great Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra.

After Blair and the group discussed about the Shakyo practice and some of the meanings and structure of the sutra, which can often seem very mysterious and baffling, and the fun history bit, he gave a short demo of how to practice, whether tracing or copying using a brush and solid ink, or simply a pen or pencil freehand.

Blair lit the incense, rang the bell and some of us read or chanted the Kaikyoge verse for opening the sutras. Then we practiced meditatively, taking time and talking here and there about how to copy certain kanji characters or strokes, or about some meanings.

Here are some pictures from some of the participants. It was a lovely group, many thanks to all who wholeheartedly took part 🙂

Also here is a delightful short haiku by Andy Kokuu inspired by ink and brush:

ink brush
night wraps paper
wraps stone

Category: Art Groups Tags: Shakyo

Eternal peace with the eight strokes of 永 Ei – Yong

2 September 2020

At Zen Brush we worked with the graceful eight strokes of eternal eijihappoh 永字八法, also known as the eight principles of yong – getting a feel for them and having some fun with the flow of the brush.

Inspired by some Japanese haiku and old waka poetry we brushed 永平 eihei – meaning eternal peace – also the name of Master Dogen and his Zen temple Eiheiji- which is such a lovely combination of kanji characters.

It was great to see the participants on zoom enjoying the shodo calligraphy practice, and embracing the two styles this month – kaisho and the fun reisho which comes from the cliff faces of China. Many thanks to some of the participants for sharing images of their calligraphy below.

With a buzzing cry
A bee shifts on the bloom sought
By a butterfly
Taigi

Category: Art Groups Tags: Shodo calligraphy

Eijihappo The Eight Strokes of Shodo Calligraphy

29 August 2020

永字八法. Practice the eight classic strokes of Ei or Yong 永 brushed in Japanese and Chinese calligraphy.

Category: Art Groups Tags: Shodo calligraphy

Creative time – From late Summer to early Autumn

28 August 2020

As the season gradually changes from summer towards autumn and we reach out for more jumpers and get cosy during the darker nights, let’s take a moment to notice the atmosphere and what going on around us. And write a haiku or short poem about it! Or just a few words about something that you saw or happened.

You could type some words, draw or brush the words, or use a drawing app on your phone or iPad. Here are some lovely examples from participants, thanks for sending to us 🙂

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sharp breeze
change in the weather
sycamore ‘copters

Ken

dashing under the sycamore we take cover as
the august rain starts to pour

Blair (in response to Ken’s haiku)

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Shodo

Look! A pheasant’s tail
I grasp the reigns of a horse
Night spills on parchment.

Laura

Gently squeezing the soft hair of the brush
I wash away the sumi traces as the autumn breeze beckons

Blair (in response to Laura’s haiku)

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sand martins or swallows?
swooping through the sky
above the yet to ripen blackberries

M

giving up foraging as the thorns block our way
we take a moment to savor the mid afternoon pause 

Blair (in response to M’s haiku)

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one footstep
after another
– temple bell

Andy

bathed in soft light
I return to the cushion

Blair (in response to Andy’s haiku)

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Broken Broken yet
perfect the Harvest Moon
Upon the Rivulet…

Mike

Slowly dancing purple shadows
Massage the rippling golden currents

Blair (in response to Mike’s haiku)

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The wind
and a dream
The leaf on the breeze

Walking and watching
toying with composition
and colour

Misty morning
breeze bringing
golden music

Haiku by Alan, inspired by his sketchbooks and photos of the west coast of Scotland.

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Wind hisses in the grass
Gorse branches rattle
Crowns of tangled thorn

Margaret

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fading colours of flowers and grasses
effortlessly merge as I unhurriedly cycle 
alongside sparkling canal waters

Blair

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Have fun, doodle or come up with some creative words at our free online art community. Our regular relaxing activities – Creative Time – encourage you to have some creative enjoyment and keep in touch with us and find inspiration from other participants in Scotland and beyond!

It would be great if you would like to send us an image of anything you make, for us to show online if possible, please either 1. post on our Facebook page or 2. email us your image.

Category: Art Tags: Community Groups, Creative Time

Spirit of the way in each Shodo stroke

9 August 2020

At the last Zen Brush calligraphy group on zoom we were inspired by the two well known characters dou 道 (Way/ road/path) and shin or kokoro 心 (heart/mind/spirit).

Brushing them in the kaisho as well as the sousho ‘grass writing’ styles, we explored their meanings, as well as their combined poetic meaning when written together – inspired by poet, calligrapher and Zen master Dogen who wrote about Doushin 道心 as the spirit of the way. 

His waka poem (translated by Heine) conveys this mood beautifully:

Seeking the Way
Amid the deepest mountain paths
The retreat I find
None other than
My primordial home: satori!

It was great to see the group enjoying the flow of the brush, particularly with the movement of the sousho calligraphy, and finding balance in their own way. 

Folk worked with different sized brushes, ink and papers but were all absorbed by the strokes, shapes and feeling of the kanji 🙂

Category: Art Groups Tags: Shodo calligraphy

Creative Time – doodling ice cream cones and lollies

10 July 2020

It’s been sunny again in Glasgow and the best way we think to enjoy the summery sunshine is to indulge in a satisfying ice lolly or cone. Let’s draw or photograph one of our favourites!

Or we can doodle a few in the one sheet – Blair was feeling quite greedy and drew eleven! Including his cherished choco almond covered vanilla, on the top right 🙂

He worked on an A3 sheet with water based felt tip colouring pens, and posca paint pens. You could draw and doodle with any pens or materials you like, on any paper and size, and you can find inspiration from an image of one online or use your imagination and any patterns you fancy. Or a bit of both like Blair did.

Drawing summer ice creams and ice lollies D+P Studio from Drawing and Painting Studio on Vimeo.

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More of us are being at home now, so we are bringing you some regular fun and relaxing activities – Creative Time – to encourage you to have some creative enjoyment and stay in touch!

It would be great if you would like to send us an image of anything you make, for us to show online if possible, please either 1. post on our Facebook page or 2. email us your image.

This project is kindly supported by Glasgow Connected Arts Network

Category: Art Tags: Community Groups, Creative Time

Creative time – looking up at the wide sky

29 June 2020

Over the last few weeks and months there have been such a variety of different cloud shapes and colours in the sky, here are some sky themed snapshots we have taken, mostly over the north and west of Glasgow. 

Please send us your photos of skies that you have looked at. They might inspire us to draw from them or write a few words too.

Even on an overcast wet day it can be soothing as well to look out the window at passing clouds, with a momentary glimpse of a seagull or duck if we’re lucky!

shaken by rain and wind from purple clouds
glittering green tree tops dance freely
buffeted sand martins dart, roll and dive above us

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Your photograph below has a tranquil and settled mood Joan, thanks for sending this sunset photo from British Columbia. 🇨🇦

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Thanks Alan for these dramatic and peaceful wide open photos of the West Coast of Scotland, as well as in the quiet sanctuary of a spacious Glasgow park. Some pictures below are from Sanna Bay looking towards the islands of Muck, Eigg and Rum.

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Mark, thanks for the lovely colourful photos, we feel transported to places we love but haven’t been able to get to during the lockdown. These summery pictures are from around Glasgow and Crieff, thanks also to your family for sending some 🙂

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Elaine, love your inspiring sky photos and artworks – really magical and full of energy and drama!! Thanks a lot for sharing these. It’s great how you have so much variety to your artworks 😀

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Fascinating, uplifting and curious skyscapes from Margaret, the glowing lights really pull us in. The locations are to the north of Glasgow and from the silvery waters of Loch Lomond! Thank you.

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More of us are being at home now, so we are bringing you some regular fun and relaxing activities – Creative Time – to encourage you to have some creative enjoyment and stay in touch!

It would be great if you would like to send us an image of anything you make, for us to show online if possible, please either 1. post on our Facebook page or 2. email us your image.

This project is kindly supported by Glasgow Connected Arts Network

Category: Art Tags: Community Groups, Creative Time

Brushing Zen at online Shodo

27 June 2020

At our recent Zen Brush shodo group – our first online 🙂 – we enjoyed brushing the character 禅 Zen in four very different styles, which were developed over centuries. It was really intriguing to explore the meanings of the different parts of the kanji character and how this can be understood with the reading of it as zen and the connections with awareness, coming partly from the translation of dhyana.

After some loose marks and practice of horizontal and vertical strokes, we worked with kaisho style first, before going on to the sosho. We were inspired by the Chinese calligrapher Chiei with both these styles. He wrote these in his 千字文 Senjimon or Qiānzì Wén- Thousand Character Classic – a beautiful work.

Then we had some fun with the wider reisho and the taller more linear tensho , both fascinating styles to brush, which use a different technique from the previous two styles. 

Some of us had large fude brushes and liquid ink, and some of us used smaller brushes or fudepen or brushpens, or solid ink, but we all had enough materials and time to appreciate the kanji and each stroke.

We talked a bit about how to practice shodo calligraphy to get a feel for the kanji zen, and also how to work on it more meditatively. Also we discussed how and where to write our name on the paper. So we covered a fair bit in this group, and had some fun too!

Category: Art Groups Tags: Shodo calligraphy