Project: Classic of Mountains and Seas (山海经)
Interactive Artists' Book & Mythological Illustration
Project Overview
This project is an interactive artists' book that reimagines six legendary creatures from the ancient Chinese mythological text, Classic of Mountains and Seas. By combining contemporary digital illustration with a tactile, hand-bound editorial structure, the book bridges ancient folklore and modern visual communication.
The Class of Mountains and Seas Book Video
Design & Interaction Concept
As demonstrated in the video to the left, the core reading experience revolves around the concept of "discovery and transformation" through rich texture contrasts:
The Overlay System: Each creature is introduced through a delicate, semi-transparent layer featuring minimalist crimson line art.
Mixed-Media Hand-Drawing: The hand-drawn portions leverage a bold, expressive combination of red color markers and metallic gold gel pens, creating a vibrant contrast against the pages.
Material Exploration: The physical production juxtaposes traditional and modern materials, utilizing authentic Xuan paper alongside sleek, contemporary PVC sheets to achieve unique tactile and translucent qualities.
The Reveal: Physically lifting the translucent overlay reveals the intricate, full-color digital illustration underneath, metaphorically "awakening" the mythical beast from historical text into a vibrant visual world.
Bilingual Editorial Layout: The left pages utilize a structured, high-contrast typography system in both Chinese and English, balancing academic lore with clean, modern readability.
Technical Specifications
Dimensions: 5 × 5 inches
Mediums: Red Color Markers, Gold Gel Pens, Xuan Paper, and PVC Sheets
Concept Art: Digital Illustration (Procreate)
Design & Layout: Editorial Design, Bilingual Typography
Production: Interactive Book Structure, Mixed-Media Exploration, Hand-binding