Ink Wash

计白当黑 · emptiness is form

Chinese ink painting spans over a thousand years. Its principles — generous emptiness, tonal breath, the living brushstroke — translate into a design language unlike any other.

Components

The Instruments of Ink

笔、墨、纸、砚 — Brush, Ink, Paper, Stone

Primary Stroke

Ghost Stroke — ink-bleed border

Disabled State — spent brush

Palette

墨分五色

Ink has five shades

焦

jiāo

Scorched

The deepest, richest stroke. Applied dry on an almost empty brush — used for outlines, rock textures, and the oldest tree bark.

#1a1a1a

浓

nóng

Thick

Dense ink, full brush. The workhorse of ink painting — leaves, near mountains, foreground elements that anchor the composition.

#2c2c2c

重

zhòng

Heavy

Mid-dark tone. Used for mid-ground elements, shadows beneath foliage, and the weight of distant ridges at dusk.

#5a5a5a

淡

dàn

Light

Diluted wash. Misty mountains, morning haze, the suggestion of water. What you feel more than see.

#a8a8a8

清

qīng

Clear

Almost-water. The barest ghost of ink on xuan paper — distant peaks vanishing into sky, breath on cold glass.

#e8e4de

山水图 · Landscape Paintings

Three Studies

Ink on xuan paper · 墨于宣纸

远山Distant Mountains

青山横北郭，白水绕东城。

Green hills lie across the northern walls, white water winds around the eastern city.

竹石Bamboo and Stone

咬定青山不放松，立根原在破岩中。

Biting into the green mountain, not letting go — roots planted deep inside cracked rock.

水月Water and Moon

举杯邀明月，对影成三人。

I raise my cup to invite the bright moon — we are three, counting shadow and reflection.

Typography

书体 · The Written Form

标题 / Title

Mountains Hold the Mist

font-serif · font-light · text-4xl · tracking-widest

副标题 / Subtitle

On the principle of formless form

font-serif · italic · text-xl · color: tea brown

正文 / Body

The master's brush does not hesitate. Each stroke placed once, with conviction — for ink cannot be recalled once it touches paper. This irreversibility is not a limitation but a teaching. Presence without revision. Action without second-guessing.

font-serif · font-light · leading-loose · opacity 80%

注释 / Caption

Detail from an anonymous Song dynasty hanging scroll, ink on silk, circa 11th century CE. Palace Museum collection.

font-serif · font-light · text-sm · color: sand

墨法 · The Laws of Ink

Rules and Taboos

笔法

Proper Brushwork

计白当黑Count emptiness as form

Leave generous white space. Every gap breathes meaning into what surrounds it.

墨分五色Let ink yield five tones

Build depth through tonal variation — from scorched black to the lightest wash.

笔断意连Stroke ends, meaning continues

Allow visual pauses. The suggestion of a line is more powerful than its completion.

气韵生动Spirit resonance, living movement

Transitions must flow — slow, deliberate, like ink spreading through wet paper fibers.

忌讳

Taboos

忌满忌堵Avoid fullness and blockage

Never fill every space. Crowded composition suffocates the viewer's eye and spirit.

忌浮忌飘Avoid floating, avoid drifting

No jarring shadows, no neon glows. Elements must feel grounded on xuan paper.

忌板忌刻Avoid rigidity and carving

Never use geometric perfection or mechanical repetition — ink is never perfectly even.

忌俗忌媚Avoid vulgarity and flattery

Resist bright saturated color. Ink wash palette is monochromatic with warm undertone only.

留白 · The Principle of Emptiness

“知其白，守其黑”
Know the white, keep the black.
— Laozi, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 28

This space is not empty.
It breathes. It waits. It means.

色彩 · Color System

The Palette

宣纸

Xuan Paper

#f8f5f0

沙

Sand

#c4b9a8

茶

Tea Brown

#a89279

苔

Moss Green

#6b7b6e

清

Clear Ink

#e8e4de

淡

Light Ink

#a8a8a8

重

Heavy Ink

#5a5a5a

焦

Scorched

#1a1a1a

Interaction

The Ink Bleed Effect

All interactions use slow ink-bleed transitions — 700ms to 1000ms. Color and opacity shift, but elements never translate or rotate on hover.

Background Bleed

Hover to see ink bleed inward

Opacity Shift

Ink deepens on hover

Border Reveal

Moss border emerges slowly

Ink Wash

计白当黑 · emptiness is form

Chinese ink painting spans over a thousand years. Its principles — generous emptiness, tonal breath, the living brushstroke — translate into a design language unlike any other.

Components

The Instruments of Ink

笔、墨、纸、砚 — Brush, Ink, Paper, Stone

Primary Stroke

Ghost Stroke — ink-bleed border

Disabled State — spent brush

Palette

墨分五色

Ink has five shades

焦

jiāo

Scorched

The deepest, richest stroke. Applied dry on an almost empty brush — used for outlines, rock textures, and the oldest tree bark.

#1a1a1a

浓

nóng

Thick

Dense ink, full brush. The workhorse of ink painting — leaves, near mountains, foreground elements that anchor the composition.

#2c2c2c

重

zhòng

Heavy

Mid-dark tone. Used for mid-ground elements, shadows beneath foliage, and the weight of distant ridges at dusk.

#5a5a5a

淡

dàn

Light

Diluted wash. Misty mountains, morning haze, the suggestion of water. What you feel more than see.

#a8a8a8

清

qīng

Clear

Almost-water. The barest ghost of ink on xuan paper — distant peaks vanishing into sky, breath on cold glass.

#e8e4de

山水图 · Landscape Paintings

Three Studies

Ink on xuan paper · 墨于宣纸

远山Distant Mountains

青山横北郭，白水绕东城。

Green hills lie across the northern walls, white water winds around the eastern city.

竹石Bamboo and Stone

咬定青山不放松，立根原在破岩中。

Biting into the green mountain, not letting go — roots planted deep inside cracked rock.

水月Water and Moon

举杯邀明月，对影成三人。

I raise my cup to invite the bright moon — we are three, counting shadow and reflection.

Typography

书体 · The Written Form

标题 / Title

Mountains Hold the Mist

font-serif · font-light · text-4xl · tracking-widest

副标题 / Subtitle

On the principle of formless form

font-serif · italic · text-xl · color: tea brown

正文 / Body

font-serif · font-light · leading-loose · opacity 80%

注释 / Caption

Detail from an anonymous Song dynasty hanging scroll, ink on silk, circa 11th century CE. Palace Museum collection.

font-serif · font-light · text-sm · color: sand

墨法 · The Laws of Ink

Rules and Taboos

笔法

Proper Brushwork

计白当黑Count emptiness as form

Leave generous white space. Every gap breathes meaning into what surrounds it.

墨分五色Let ink yield five tones

Build depth through tonal variation — from scorched black to the lightest wash.

笔断意连Stroke ends, meaning continues

Allow visual pauses. The suggestion of a line is more powerful than its completion.

气韵生动Spirit resonance, living movement

Transitions must flow — slow, deliberate, like ink spreading through wet paper fibers.

忌讳

Taboos

忌满忌堵Avoid fullness and blockage

Never fill every space. Crowded composition suffocates the viewer's eye and spirit.

忌浮忌飘Avoid floating, avoid drifting

No jarring shadows, no neon glows. Elements must feel grounded on xuan paper.

忌板忌刻Avoid rigidity and carving

Never use geometric perfection or mechanical repetition — ink is never perfectly even.

忌俗忌媚Avoid vulgarity and flattery

Resist bright saturated color. Ink wash palette is monochromatic with warm undertone only.

留白 · The Principle of Emptiness

“知其白，守其黑”
Know the white, keep the black.
— Laozi, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 28

This space is not empty.
It breathes. It waits. It means.

色彩 · Color System

The Palette

宣纸

Xuan Paper

#f8f5f0

沙

Sand

#c4b9a8

茶

Tea Brown

#a89279

苔

Moss Green

#6b7b6e

清

Clear Ink

#e8e4de

淡

Light Ink

#a8a8a8

重

Heavy Ink

#5a5a5a

焦

Scorched

#1a1a1a

Interaction

The Ink Bleed Effect

All interactions use slow ink-bleed transitions — 700ms to 1000ms. Color and opacity shift, but elements never translate or rotate on hover.

Background Bleed

Hover to see ink bleed inward

Opacity Shift

Ink deepens on hover

Border Reveal

Moss border emerges slowly