lanterns

We ordered many lanterns from Japan.
Left is paper ones I tested.
First I thought it could have been done before they glue the paper onto the skeleton. But no it didn't look right.
I found that you draw skeleton lines of the letters, and then make the out lines, paint them in.
Also I found that you have to think about where the lanterns go. My first one has two letters right in the middle, when you put up high you can't see the first letter at all from beneath it and notice the massive space at the bottom.

That was the trial. In the actual work I had to deal with more than 140 of them! Painter painted lanterns first then I wrote two letters and purple circles. They decided to have celebrating letters in various styles.
Rei-sho was easiest to do as they've got many straight lines. I love Gyo-sho normally but it was hardest to balance the thick and thin.
I worked through that Royal wedding bank holiday weekend but still was not enough to make quantity and also I did not have any control of how they hang them up.

I might be able to find my second chance in lantern making business when I lost my job after all.
I also sneaked in one or two of my niece's name as her character means ‘to tie’ which is appropriate to this scene.