Chinese Seal Carving

About

This course will allow participants to discover the ancient practice of seal carving. This discipline has a venerable history and seal stamps, also known as ‘chops', are still in regular use in China, both to enhance artwork and as part of the requirement for the signing of important documents. Each seal is unique and will contain a name, poetical saying, a design or a symbol. The seals are pressed into a pot or tin of cinnabar paste, a scarlet red colour, which is then block printed onto plain paper or a piece of calligraphy or a painting. When printing a red seal on a monochrome painting, it is said to be ‘adding the eye of the dragon'. During this course participants will learn how to write Chinese characters in seal script and practice Chinese calligraphy; be introduced to the basic knife technique and make their own carving. All materials included in the course fee.