Artist Invokes Intricate Japanese Geometry to Draw an Elegant Crest of Three Cranes


Artist Zak Korvin of Geometryptamine invoked an intricate and ancient Japanese style of geometry to create a crest of graceful cranes inside a perfect circle. This emblem is known as Mon and has been in use since the 12th century. The three-crane design was Korvin’s idea.

That’s what this is, a “Mon” aka “Mondokoro” or “Kamon”. It’s a Japanese family crest. I thought one with three cranes looked particularly sick so I decided to have a go at drawing it.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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