New Year Umzobo by Jui-Ping Lee is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 Ibhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award in Ubugcisa beDijithali Competition Category.

IntsimbiUbugcisa beDijithali· 2024

New Year Umzobo

by Jui-Ping Lee

Ibhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award Winner in Ubugcisa beDijithali Category

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Colors

The Design

About New Year Umzobo

Kwintendelezo ezolileyo, phakathi kwekhephu elithambileyo lasebusika nemibala emihle yamagqabi asekwindla, kuhleli umfanekiso onobabalo onxibe iKimono entle. Lo mbonakalo uveza ingqondo yeWabisabi, ebonisa ubuhle bokuba wedwa nokuzola. Iipateni ezicokisekileyo zihonjiswe elaphu, ubukhulu becala yimipayini, ebonisa ubungangamsha; kunye neSeigaiha enesigqi ebonisa ukuzola kolwandle. Xa usondeza kuyabonakala iinkcukacha ezingakumbi ezicokisekileyo, ipleyiti yetye ephethe igama lombhali limi ngasekhohlo; kwaye phezu kweKimono, kukho iipateni zeempuku ezimela unyaka omtsha ka-2020, unyaka weempuku.

The Recognition

About the Ibhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award

New Year Umzobo ngumphumeleli weIbhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award, ukuqatshelwa okuhlonitshwayo okunikwa imiyilo elungileyo eyanelisa iimfuno zobungcali neemveliso ezilindelekileyo kwimveliso ezicwangciswe kakuhle. Abaphumeleleyo beNtsimbi babonisa ubuchule obukhulu, ubuchule obuphezulu, ukuqonda kwengcali namandla okuyila abayili babo. New Year Umzobo iyathenjwa ukuba ibe yimveliso exatyiswa kakhulu, edunyiswayo nethandwayo esebenzayo neyinto entsha. Lo myilo uphumeleleyo weIbhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award udibanisa iindlela ezilungileyo kakhulu zemboleko kwaye unezimpawu zobuchwephesha ezifanelekileyo ezidityaniswe nolwazi netalente. New Year Umzobo iyahlonelwa ngenxa yenkcukacha yayo kwaye yacwangciselwa ukunika uphuculo lomgangatho wobomi olunceda ukwenza ihlabathi libe yindawo engcono.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: An elegant figure with splendid Kimono, serenely sitting in a yard on a cold winter's day at new year, with colourful leaves and slowly showering snow around her that represents the traditional artistic term, Wabisabi (beauty of solitude and tranquility).

If we zoom in, it can be seen that the Patterns are mainly Pines, which is used in the most formal kimono, to be worn only on ceremonious occasions; and also "Seigaiha (sea waves)", which represents tranquility.

Aside from that, the stone plate on the left reads the pen-name of the artist; and on the kimono, there are patterns depicting mice, to celebrate 2020, the year of mouse.
Dimensions & Packaging: Original dimensions at 5600*3150 px, with 935 canvas layers
Tags: Illustration, Kimono, Furisode, Kouyou, Karesansui
Production Technology: Drawn using a Wacom Cintiq Pro 32, with software Easy Paint Tool SAI 2.0
Design Challenge: The key challenge is to make a painting while keep the authenticity of the elements - the kimono, the karesansui ("dry yard") and the red leaves. While many other illustrators prefer drawing kimono-like outfits, this work must be authentic on the kimono design so it can fit the theme properly; under such condition, the creating process became much more difficult due to the fact that it can not be a free-form creation, but a restricted one that the combination of all the elements in the painting must be meticulously designed and crafted.
Research: Research especially on the meaning of the kimono patterns was conducted, to better represent kimono while avoid improper designs. Books and documents are examined, and different combinations of patterns are tried in the painting, and the one with best both cultural and visual effect was determined, resulting in a design which is both having superb color representation and cultural meaning that befit the theme of the work (new year).
Inspiration: When I was sitting alone in my home watching a video about how Kimono's (traditional Japanese dress) are made, I suddenly imagined a figure in Karesansui (Japanese stone yards), surrounded by maples and wearing the most fine, magnificent Kimono; and I, a "photographer", would quietly approach, crouching on the ground and capture the evanescent moment with a single-lens-reflex camera (which is my canvas and pen)
Project Duration: The vague inspiration of it formed since 2017-2018, and the actual drawing started in December 2019, finished & published in January 2020.
Operation Flow: At first sight, you will immediately focus on the figure in the middle, in spite of the fact that the saturation level of the background is much higher. This is called the "blurring perspectives" technic that by burring out items whilst no obvious perspective cues, it creates a huge sense of space, and can lead the beholder to focus their sight at once at the non-blurred items, namely the figure in this painting, sitting in the middle, creating a "photo-like" effect.