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iheartsendai β Tutorial: Draw Better Kimono
Published: 2011-06-20 21:09:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 98889; Favourites: 1724; Downloads: 617
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Description
A quick, very messy guide that I hope is helpful anyway!
Those of you who know a lot about kimono will notice I glossed over a few things, but this is meant as an overview of the most common mistakes I see artists making when drawing people in kimono/geisha/etc. Cosplayers might find it handy too. Feel free to share your own kimono art or ask questions, and I'll help if I can.
Also! If you like kimono/traditional Japanese things, please check out my blog:
[link]
EDIT: Wow! O_O I had no idea people would like this tutorial this much. Thank you very much to everyone who has favorited it!
EDIT 2: NEW TUTORIAL! If you liked this one, please check out
"Tutorial: Real or Fake Kimono". (Only #1 is repeated information from this tutorial, but I figured it was important.)
[link]
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Comments: 300
Oh, cool. Thank you very much for reading! There's a lot I don't know, but I share what I can. I really enjoy introducing others to traditional Japanese arts and culture.
I'm an American who lived in Japan for almost five years, and I had been collecting kimono for five years before I went there. To be honest, I don't know much about Kabuki beyond the very, very basics. However, just for fun I can point you toward a gorgeous (explained in English) performance of Fuji Musume if you haven't seen it, done by the famed onnagata Tamasaburo.
[link]
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Thanks for your reply.
Umm I see...that makes sense now. But collecting them must be pretty expensive or?
ItΒ΄s cool that youΒ΄ve lived for such a long time here.
I see, but the Video is pretty cool.
That actorΒ΄s name appeareds everal times during my own researchment. Amazing skills he has indeed.
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You're welcome.
Actually, while kimono are very expensive new, the price drops quite a bit when they go secondhand as most people in Japan don't care for secondhand kimono. For example, a silk komon (fine, repeating pattern casual wear kimono) might be around $600-$2000 new, but drop to $50-$100 secondhand. Minus a few summer cotton yukata and cheaper washable komon, all of my collection is secondhand.
Unfortunately, some dealers who sell to Westerners play up the myth of the super-expensive kimono and charge inexplicably high prices. If you're curious, I have a few articles on my blog about "What should I reasonably pay fox X type of kimono?".
Regarding kabuki, my biggest piece of advice in learning about any of the traditional arts would be to learn the language if you haven't started already. While I'm far from fluent, my skills have enabled me to do so much more research and learning than I would have been able to in English alone.
And yes, Tamasaburo's amazing. Check out his Sagi Musume (Heron Maiden) performance too, if you like his work.
[link]
γγ γεΉ΄γ (Yoi otoshi wo!) - Have a Happy New Year!
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Oh I see..thatΒ΄s quite a drastic price-dropping.
But honestly I REALLY would like to stroke one of THOSE wigs some-day
[link]
(My most favorite style indeed. Fluffy but still fierceful! That a strange-magnifying combination!)
But I fear I never can, because with shame I have to realize that it seems to be a pretty rude and disrespectful action or?
Learning the language? QAQ I guess IΒ΄m miles away from this. Especially when the dialogues in the plays where hold in acient Japanese, which even modern inhabitants often hardly understands. (as far as IΒ΄ve read XD) (Plus the dramatically syllabing extentions and tone-swinings...and IΒ΄ma HORRIBLE listiner to forgein languages...)
Luckily, some key-words where given in english, romanized japan and itΒ΄s special signs, so I can better search.
(One lection, which IΒ΄ve leard for sure too. XD)
Uhh...that part? I totally love th quick costume-changemnt!!!
Hehe, thanks alot - Arigatou Gozaimasu (?)
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Yes, touching the wig on an actor would be like petting an opera singer's dress.
If you start now, you never know how much you could learn! Also, what I meant about the language was information surrounding kabuki. For example, learning the Japanese names of the different types of characters, the specific names for costume pieces, and so on could unlock a lot of information for you in searching.
Dou itashimashite! (You're welcome.) Best of luck and have a Happy New Year!
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QAQ
Now I have to suffer again fomr my own embarressing childish behavior and thiughts.
*sulking in my corner of shame TTATT*
But I already guessed something like that.
(Why you lion-dancers have to be soo fluffeeh?)
Hehe..yeah thatΒ΄s whatIi alraedy try to learn. Thanks alot for confirming me.
Hope you had a happy new year too. ^^
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this is helping me A LOT.
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Glad to hear it.
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oh my god.
Thank you for this.
I badly NEED it xD
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thanks for this it's helps me up!!!
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You're welcome!
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This helps, oh so much! I've been really into Gilbert and Sullivan's 'The Mikado' and trying to draw some characters from it. Although it's set in an extreeeeemely fictional Japan it's nice to be able to so something accurately. Thank you.
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Thank you, and you're welcome! I've met several people who got into kimono and Japan via The Mikado.
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your suggestions r really interesting and good! thanks a lot!
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You're welcome, and thank you!
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I don't went to question you but, when we went to the cherry blossom festival down in Washington D.C. , a Japanese couple commented on my Kimono and the said both the fronts and backs are open on Female Kimonos. I want to know who is right but i am making a kimono and would like to know because in a manga two with the 12 layer Kimonos, the fronts are also open....
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Thanks for your comment! To be honest, some Japanese people don't know how kimono work because it's not something people wear often in modern times. It's like expecting all Americans and British people to know about bustles and corsets.
I had young Japanese men swear to me that "right over left" was for men, and "left over right" is for women (which is utterly wrong).
Please look at my other tutorial to see photos of lots of women in kimono, none of which are open in the front:
[link]
The Japanese people you encountered might have been thinking of Heian-era juunihitoe (what's probably in your manga as you mentioned the 12 layers), which were the ancestors of kimono and did indeed feature open sleeves.
[link]
Good luck with your sewing!
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Thank you so much for answering me back. And I guess that makes sense.
I will take a look at it.
Well, I might go with more of a priestess look, because I am making the costume for Amaterasu the god of the sun, (who's portrayed as female) and I hope that this shall help me. I'll think about what you said and thank you I hope the sewing shall come out wonderfully!
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You're welcome! Good luck.
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Very good! many people draw kimonos oh so wrong! lol 5 stars! ANNNND faving
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Thank you very much!
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Haha no problem!(:
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Wow, this is REALLY useful! It's a good thing I saw this, otherwise my character would be wearing her kimono like she is died xD
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Glad to hear it was helpful, and thank you!
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hmm... not bad.... I might use this to help me out....*looks further* I didn't know that the back sleeves for the womens kimono is also open... I might need to change some things for my OC's Ronin look... if that counts either way X3... but might use this too for some cosplays as well... ^^~
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Thank you for making this! 9 and 10 cleared up some things I've been confused about for over a year.
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You're welcome! They're not ones that I've seen put down on paper in a clear fashion very often, so I wanted to include them.
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when I read this, I was like "Oh sh... I've been doing this all wrong"
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No worries! Think of it as knowledge for next time.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH * A *
Most of the tutorials I've searched never really did explain this much about the kimono (especially the sleeves part).
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You're welcome, and thank you!
Yeah, I wanted to include it as it's a detail you don't often see put down on paper.
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Love the pictures, very helpful!
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You would not believe how many people see draw a kimono (or martial arts gi) crossed backwards. >< You are not dead, it should look like a 'y'.
I take karate and that was one thing we learned when learning how to cross and tie our gis, it always goes left over right, right over left is for the dead.
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Yeah, it's the one rule you must never break in kimono wearing. You can play with a few other rules (like that fold I mention in the other tutorial), but that one is unbreakable.
Thank you for this, by the way! I wasn't sure if the martial arts followed the same rule.
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Well you are welcome.
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Same thing for ninjutsu, only our sensei will make us do push-ups if he finds anyone wearing their gi the wrong way (especially if you tie your belt wrong even if you wear your gi right).
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Thank you for the additional info!
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I have no idea what ours would do if you tied it wrong, cause I've never seen anyone tie it wrong). I've seen people forget their belts on occasion(you get moved to the end of line, even lower than the white belts if that happens).
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I suppose the chopsticks in hair thing was a corruption of the kogai? Well. I'm still going to do it with my hair, since I think it's really cute, but on the off-chance that I ever get to dress in a kimono, I'll make especially sure NOT to do it then. Thanks!
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I think it probably was that: someone saw a stick in the hair and thought "Oh, that must be a chopstick!"
Have fun with things, definitely.
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Yeah. Is there another name for them? When I seached for them, I mostly got swords, not hair accessories.
For sure! Knowledge is power! Sweet, sweet POWER.
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Ah, a tip is that usually you have to search for two words at once: "kogai" and "kushi" ("stick" and "comb") because they're often sold in matching sets. "Kanzashi" will get you general hair ornaments, which can include hairsticks.
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Score! Now to spend the rest of my evening staring at pretty pretty things!
Thank you!
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