Wednesday 30 September 2009

art of war - wisdom and the city



Another experiment on the art of war theme, im trying to incorporate modern elements to the design, thus i used a cityscapes negative to simulate ink on a page.

art of war - wisdom ying yang early design



Another concept design, this time incorporating the ying-yang symbol, something anyone wise would understand in the art of war.

Art of war - wisdom early design.



A poster based on wisdom, no real deep concept other than the use of cherry blossom and the chinese symbols, just seeing if i can capture a style and experimenting.

source image - cherry blossoms



cherry blossoms are a very east asian motif, and symbolise extreme beauty and quick death.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom

DEF13 - designer




Some inspirational designs from the designer DEF13, i really like the modern take on the chinese dragon, something i want to play with in my designs.

Development - Poster design art of war



First trial run on getting a art of war/oriental feel to a poster, very rough, but i am enjoying working with a inky splatter. I may add more real images to the design. I am considering a modern businessman twist in with the traditional.

Deadliest Catch Case Study



http://abduzeedo.com/case-study-deadliest-catch

A case study for the development of the deadliest catch poster. I love how this piece captures the energy of the show and its interesting to see how it all came together. I am thinking of using something like this blending the real and ink like scatter into the art of war brief.

The Commander

In the art of war the commander stands for 5 things

wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.

I could base my poster set around a poster for each of these values. The poster could work in a set.

Hokusai - Mt. Fuji Off Kanagawa (The Wave)



Hokusai (1760-1849) created "Mt. Fuji Off Kanagawa" (popularly known in the West as "The Wave") as part of his subscription series, "Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji," completed between 1826 and 1833. This is one of the best-known Japanese woodblock prints, and with others of this period inspired the entire French Impressionist school. James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903, of "Whistler's Mother" fame) was strongly influenced by the strong lines and bright colors of Japanese prints.

http://art-in-japan.blogspot.com/2008/06/mount-fuji-ukiyo-e.html

modern chinese design - Leslie chen



A more modern design by leslie chen, i like the intricy of the pattern that works as a whole, the black line through it gives it a strong composition.

Japanese Tattoos




A proper japanese traditional tattoo can take upto 5 years of weekly visits to complete. The striking design is complex yet powerful. This style could be twisted for a modern take to be mixed up in the poster designs.

Wenda Gu




Wenda Gu

http://www.wendagu.com

I really like this guys take on working with calligraphy, making something new for a modern world.

Modern Chinese Calligraphy




http://www.slideshare.net/kim_munson/modern-chinese-calligraphy

Above is a slideshow about some modern chinese calligraphy, something that has inspired me to do this project.
The images are works by Gu Gan, one of the first people to start using colour in calligraphy. I love the interplay of the black and the white shapes as well as the texturing thats modern compared to traditional techiques.

Ink and Wash Paintings





Ink and wash paintings come from an extension of calligraphy. Using ink and water on paper, they have a definite east asian feel to them, they reflect well the mystical nature of the culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ink_and_wash_painting

East Asian Calligraphy





I love the paintbrush style of traditional chinese calligraphy, it has a whole art form to it that has been developed over thousands of years. It has a lot of tradition about it. - For instance the tools used are the four treasures of study - brush, paper, ink and inkstone, with a seal to sign. To practice calligraphy well takes years of practice and copying other exemplary texts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_calligraphy

The Art Of War



One of the first ideas i want to base a project on this module is "The Art of War", a chinese military treatise from the 6th century BC written by Sun Tzu. This text even though written long ago is still read by people wanting to know more about management leadership. I find this book fascinating, how it can be relevant today. I am considering doing a set of posters based on some of the core tenants in the book. This will also allow me to explore old chinese design which i love, including calligraphy, and possibly put a modern twist on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War