Start of the Dance
A re-creation of a classic ukiyo-e image.
A re-creation of a classic ukiyo-e image.
About the Project
I love the style of classic Japanese ukiyo-e artwork. While the compositions are basic and although the subject matter are usually simple, they often depict an interesting story. This project was a re-creation of a ukiyo-e print entitled 'Start of the Dance' (or simply 'Dancing Girl' depending on the source of the print and the translation). It was created during the 1950's by Tatsumi Shimura (c. 1907-1980).
My goal with the project was to recreate Shimura-san's piece. However, instead of just painting it, I wanted to create it as vector art using Adobe Illustrator. This proved to be somewhat challenging. All of the line work was drawn with a mouse and individually tweaked to establish the correct weight and taper. The colors are lot more vibrant in my version which gave it a more "Nagel-esque" graphic design quality to it. This is much different than a ukiyo-e woodblock print but I was fairly happy with the result.
I love the style of classic Japanese ukiyo-e artwork. While the compositions are basic and although the subject matter are usually simple, they often depict an interesting story. This project was a re-creation of a ukiyo-e print entitled 'Start of the Dance' (or simply 'Dancing Girl' depending on the source of the print and the translation). It was created during the 1950's by Tatsumi Shimura (c. 1907-1980).
My goal with the project was to recreate Shimura-san's piece. However, instead of just painting it, I wanted to create it as vector art using Adobe Illustrator. This proved to be somewhat challenging. All of the line work was drawn with a mouse and individually tweaked to establish the correct weight and taper. The colors are lot more vibrant in my version which gave it a more "Nagel-esque" graphic design quality to it. This is much different than a ukiyo-e woodblock print but I was fairly happy with the result.
The original print (left) and my re-creation (right).
The artwork in process...
Created with Adobe Illustrator.
