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Chinese Art of Paper Cutting

Chinese art of making a seal

篆刻艺术

What are Chinese seals?

 

Chinese seals, i.e. yìnzhāng 印章have bb3b-136bad5cf58d_bb3b-136bad5cf58d_bb3b-136bad5cf58d_bb3b-136bad5cf58d_a very long tradition , because they combine 2 in 1: calligraphy and the art of engraving. 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_a even the designation of the building material,  aśś  because each respected citizen had his own stamp.

The beginning of the history of engraving  is considered to be the period of the dynasty Shang. W tamtych czasach ludzie używali prymitywnych noży oraz dłut, za których pomocą grawerowani znaki on turtle shells and animal bones, these forms of Chinese script   are today called 甲骨文 (jiǎgǔwén), that is,   "oracle bones". It is worth adding that it is currently the oldest form of Chinese script  preserved.

Later, engravings were started on other materials  such as nephrite, stone, bronze, ceramics and bamboo. -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_panowania cesarza Qin Shi Huang (dynastia Qin), posiadanie pieczęci zostało zarezerwowane tylko dla cesarza i  for high-ranking officials. Pięęczcie it was then called them  印  yìn. Just for fun: nowadays the character 印 is often used  as a "filler", e.g. when we want to engrave 3 characters (e.g. our name), but we do not want to leave a blank space on the seal.

During the dynasty Shang, seals began to be used on a large scale by artists and art studies. 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_of Fujian districts. Also in this period, the seals began to be used as written signatures on pictures and sections. When the artwork  changed the owner, he also stamped his seal,  , therefore old calligraphy and painting works sometimes have a huge amount of seals.

Paper cutting

Yan Zhenqing, 《湖州 帖》, Tang Dynasty, approx. 772 year.

The collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing

Now that you know the short history of seal making in China, haven't you felt like creating your own unique seal_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d? The art of creating seals is no longer for the chosen ones. Making a seal is egalitarian, true DIY such as decoupage or knitting, a great creative leisure activity. Here are some helpful tips on how to create your own seal.

How to create your own seal?

Creating your own seal is not difficult, however, creating a perfect seal requires patience and many years experiences. It is also useful_cc781905-5cf-31bad-bb3cde-31bad small stone size  high precision is needed. Chinese stamp engraving masters can create the most complex seals in less than an hour. At the beginning, there is no need to rush, what counts is precision and having fun. If your hand hurts, take a break or even postpone your engraving to the next day . 

Step by step how to create your own stamp with our stamp kit:

1. First, you need to decide what pattern you want to carve. At the very beginning, it's best to choose a simple pattern from the stickers np. lucky sign (fu, 福) or horse.

2. Prepare the necessary tools: a wooden stand, chisels, sandpaper and a cut pattern from stickers.

3. Prepare a stone that will later be our seal. The place where we will stick our pattern later (shorter side) should be lightly rubbed on the sandpaper (the surface should be smooth and even).

4. Place the prepared stone in the stand (wooden vice), tighten the screw  so that the stone is firmly attached. It's best to place the stand on the table. 

5. Carefully stick the sticker on the stone. the sticker should be bbad5cf58d_pushy credit card) ._ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ After a while, peel off the foil - the pattern should be 100% imprinted on our seal.

6. From the available chisels, choose the one that suits you best and start engraving - you need to carve so as not to violate the pattern  (i.e. the black mark) ._ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_

7. The pattern should be protruding - the deeper you carve the seal, the better it will reflect on the paper.

8. After the work is finished, you can lightly wipe the seal on the sandpaper - align to unevenness and minor errors.

9. DONE! Make your stamp and admire the results of your work!

10. Are you ready for the next step? Start engraving more intricate patterns (e.g. animals).

How to engrave your own name in Chinese?

 

If you have any sitality with Chinese then you must have already taken your own Chinese name.  How to engrave them on a seal? Fortunately, we can help us internet, just search in google (in English) or baidu (in Chinese)   "Chinese stamp generators". I am giving two examples:   HERE or HERE . Enter your name in Chinese, choose a pattern, font style, seal size that suits you and generate a graphic. Later, it is enough to print it and transfer it to carbon paper for stamps (available in our store). Then, with a little water and a brush, you can copy this pattern onto the stone. The rest of the steps as above. For the more experienced: you can sam write your name right away on the stone using black ink.

Step by step:

1. First, choose the cutting pattern you are interested in, it is good to choose something simple to start with. Place 1-2 sheets of red paper under the pattern. It is best to attach the card with the pattern and the red cards on which the effect of your work will be visible, with staples or glue (on the sides), so that they do not move during cutting.

2. Place the sheets of paper on the cutting mat to avoid damaging the table or desk. First, start cutting out the center of the cutout, use a paper cutting knife. The knife should be held vertically in relation to the paper with the pattern.

3. Use scissors to cut out the edges of the selected pattern. Don't rush, keep a slow pace, cutting out one simple pattern should take you less than an hour.

4. Unevenness or roughness of the cut out pattern may appear in the first cutouts. Don't be discouraged! According to the Chinese saying 熟能生巧 Shú néng shēng qiǎo, practice makes perfect!

5. Remember the word "slowly", the slower you cut, the better and more accurate the results will be. Generally, after doing about five simple jobs in a row, you will see significant progress. The cutouts will become more and more beautiful and accurate.


Folding cutouts:

There are a lot of foldable cutouts.  Generally, the trick is to fold the paper properly. There are simple cutouts - folded in half, these will be perfect for the beginning or
b for small children. There are also cutouts that can be folded several times (3,4,5 or even 6 times), which, when unfolded, will create an amazing and quitestacked pattern. If you want to try such cutouts, please visit our store to purchase patterns :)

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