Ch. 02 The Method 墨の方法
03/12

One ink, four decisions — how we work

  1. Begin from the palest wash.

    Every brief opens on the lightest tint — a single dilution we can still walk back. Decisions get darker only when the page asks for it.

  2. One ink, the whole range.

    No second color is added to fix a layout. We dilute, layer, or load the brush — the contrast is in the hand, not the swatch library.

  3. Leave the paper visible.

    Negative space is part of the composition, not the part we forgot. Roughly a third of every page stays untouched ground.

  4. Commit with one stroke.

    The final mark is dry-brush and unrepeatable. We approve it on the first pass or we redraw the sheet — never retouch.

Sumiya 墨屋 Studio Manual · vol. iii
03/12
This is the Sumi Grayscale Gradient design system, applied by Curio Design — a design-style library for AI agents. Full Sumi Grayscale Gradient guide → designbycurio.com/learn/sumi-grayscale-wash-modern