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【IC】GMK Shanshui 山水 - Pricing and Final Kits

IC, 键帽, GMK 本文总阅读量次

类型: IC
作者: grundlemere
发布时间: 2020-09-12 12:53:10
更新时间: 2020-12-24 11:25:00
原链接: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=108587.0

GMK Shanshui 山水
The long path home.
Coming New Years Day 2021 from vendors everywhere.



Note: new renders featuring retooled legends coming soon.
Jagged peaks rise like the teeth of some long-fallen colossus from the horizon, worn to harmlessness by water, foliage, and time. A placid thread of water weaves among them. For ages, the water has borne rafts carrying silent, wizened men and their gently chattering companions: great, fearsome waterfowl perched on long bamboo canes. They are ancient cormorants, eyes smoldering like lanterns. Part duck, part eagle, part feathered hunting dog, they slip beneath the currents with hush and speed and return with throats full of wriggling fish, dutifully disgorging their catch for a treat and a gentle stroke.
In few places does man live in such harmony with nature; in few places is man so noble an animal. For those who have been to the Li River (Lijiang in Chinese), it’s unforgettable. For those who have not, they have surely seen the ghosts of the mountains and water conjured from memory and ink. Perhaps no other subject is depicted so often in shanshuihua, the Chinese style of ink painting perfectly suited to capture the layered depth of the South China Karst and the reflections off the tranquil waters of the Lijiang. Literally “mountain-water-painting” in the Chinese, these words are immortalized in the local slogan of this stretch of the Lijiang between Guilin and Yangshuo: 山水甲天下, “the best landscapes under heaven.”
About the set
GMK Shanshui is a white-on-black Cherry profile keycap set designed to capture both the enduring shanshui images of the Lijiang and the essence of the uniquely Chinese artform of shanshuihua, practiced by artists in China and around the world. Designed by Grundlemere of Fort Stevens Mercantile, conceived and rendered by NathanAlphaMan of Alpha Design.
Base keys are molded in GMK stock CR black, with legends rendered in crisp stock WS1, matching existing WoB sets and kits, and compatible with other monochrome Cherry profile keys. The base kit offers sublegends in Cangjie, while modifiers are rendered in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese + icons—the first GMK legends in true Chinese characters.
Complete the Interest Check form to make this set a reality
See a full gallery of board and scene renders
Follow me on IG @grundlemere for photos and project updates, and feel free to reach out on Discord at grundlemere/#1126 with questions or to say hello. New: join my Discord server for updates!
Updates

  • September 12: IC posted

  • September 14: GB Date set and new collab partners added

  • September 17: Minor updates on process and more collabs

  • September 19: GMK Shanshui x RAMA artisans posted

  • September 25: Deskmat renders posted

  • October 12: Kit changes posted

  • October 20: Posted collab wrist rests

  • November 21: Posted retooled legend map

  • December 4: Added new collab partners

  • December 9: Added new collab partner and project update

  • December 24: Posted pricing, final kits, and other details

  • Vendors*
    Available from these vendors for group buy January 1, 2021.
    US: Cannonkeys
    China: Zfrontier
    SE Asia: iLumkb
    Europe: CandyKeys
    Australia: Daily Clack
    Canada: Deskhero.ca
    UK (non-EU): Prototypist.net

  • Kits*

  • Inkstone 砚台: the Simplified Chinese base kit*

    The Simplified Chinese base kit offers sublegends in the Cangjie Chinese typing system, while modifiers are rendered in Simplified Chinese + icons—the first GMK legends in true Chinese characters. Designed to cover a wide range of layouts. Included numpad is rendered in Chinese financial numerals as monolegends. Alphas include basic special Chinese punctuation sublegends.

  • Old Path 旧路: the Traditional Chinese base kit*

    The Traditional Chinese base kit offers sublegends in the Cangjie Chinese typing system, while modifiers are rendered in Traditional Chinese + icons—the first GMK legends in true Chinese characters. Designed to cover a wide range of layouts. Included numpad is rendered in Chinese financial numerals as monolegends. Alphas include basic special Chinese punctuation sublegends.

  • Clear Water 清水: the Cangjie monolegend alphas kit*

    A complete alphanumeric kit with Cangjie Chinese character monolegends, and duplicate modifiers and spacebars to assist base kit buyers in covering a second board if desired. Includes both Simplified and Traditional Chinese character alpha supplements and east/south/west/north Chinese character arrow keys. Recommended for compatibility with GMK WoB, Minimal, and other monochrome sets.

  • Lijiang 漓江: the novelties kit*

    Novelties feature images, real and imagined, of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo, China, in Guangxi Province amid the world-famous South China Karst geologic formations. Novelty icons include:

  • Nighttime scenes of the local mountain and river landscape (shanshui),

  • the famous Moon Hill (a karst mountain with an enormous hole through the base, famed for rock climbing),

  • the fishing cormorant,

  • the ubiquitous “phoenix tail” bamboo that lines the banks of the Lijiang,

  • the traditional lantern hung on the eaves of the winding streets of Yangshuo,

  • a vignette of local South China architecture,

  • alternate BoW Esc/Enter keys in TC and SC.

  • Negative Space 留白: the spacebars kit*

    Includes non-traditional spacebars and spacekeys, as well as variant WS1 bars for a distinctive touch.

  • Pricing*

  • Cannon.keys (prices in USD)*
    Inkstone 砚台: the Simplified Chinese base kit (154pcs) 134.99
    Old Path 旧路: the Traditional Chinese base kit (154pcs) 134.99
    Clear Water 清水: the Cangjie monolegend alphas kit (66pcs) 79.99
    Lijiang 漓江: the novelties kit (23pcs) 44.99
    Negative Space 留白: the spacebars kit (13pcs) 27.99

  • Zfrontier (prices in RMB)*
    Inkstone 砚台: the Simplified Chinese base kit (154pcs) 968.00
    Old Path 旧路: the Traditional Chinese base kit (154pcs) 968.00
    Clear Water 清水: the Cangjie monolegend alphas kit (66pcs) 544.00
    Lijiang 漓江: the novelties kit (23pcs) 302.00
    Negative Space 留白: the spacebars kit (13pcs) 184.00

  • iLumkb (prices in SGD)*
    Inkstone 砚台: the Simplified Chinese base kit (154pcs) 180.00
    Old Path 旧路: the Traditional Chinese base kit (154pcs) 180.00
    Clear Water 清水: the Cangjie monolegend alphas kit (66pcs) 106.50
    Lijiang 漓江: the novelties kit (23pcs) 60.00
    Negative Space 留白: the spacebars kit (13pcs) 37.50

  • CandyKeys (prices in EUR)*
    Inkstone 砚台: the Simplified Chinese base kit (154pcs) 129.99
    Old Path 旧路: the Traditional Chinese base kit (154pcs) 129.99
    Clear Water 清水: the Cangjie monolegend alphas kit (66pcs) 75.00
    Lijiang 漓江: the novelties kit (23pcs) 42.00
    Negative Space 留白: the spacebars kit (13pcs) 28.00

  • Prototypist.net (prices in GBP)*
    Inkstone 砚台: the Simplified Chinese base kit (154pcs) 119.00
    Old Path 旧路: the Traditional Chinese base kit (154pcs) 119.00
    Clear Water 清水: the Cangjie monolegend alphas kit (66pcs) 69.00
    Lijiang 漓江: the novelties kit (23pcs) 39.00
    Negative Space 留白: the spacebars kit (13pcs) 25.00

  • Deskhero.ca (prices in CAD)*
    Inkstone 砚台: the Simplified Chinese base kit (154pcs) 177.00
    Old Path 旧路: the Traditional Chinese base kit (154pcs) 177.00
    Clear Water 清水: the Cangjie monolegend alphas kit (66pcs) 105.00
    Lijiang 漓江: the novelties kit (23pcs) 59.00
    Negative Space 留白: the spacebars kit (13pcs) 37.00

  • Daily Clack (prices in AUD)*
    Inkstone 砚台: the Simplified Chinese base kit (154pcs) 178.00
    Old Path 旧路: the Traditional Chinese base kit (154pcs) 178.00
    Clear Water 清水: the Cangjie monolegend alphas kit (66pcs) 105.00
    Lijiang 漓江: the novelties kit (23pcs) 59.00
    Negative Space 留白: the spacebars kit (13pcs) 37.00

  • Retooled Legends*
    After submitting the original renders and legends to GMK, we were expecting some notes on necessary adjustments to meet their mold tooling specs, but were told, basically, try again. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks completely overhauling the legends to meet the specs: adding cutaways to minute interior spaces, broadening strokes, narrowing and straightening negative space, rounding corners, and in a few cases, simplifying elements altogether.
    This represents my best efforts to adhere to the integrity of the written Chinese language and to create a consistent typography that will serve not only this set but all sets that will use these legends to come. These legends are essentially as detailed as GMK’s machining will allow while maintaining consistent character size with conventional mod and alpha legend sizing. I hope you are as pleased with how they’ve turned out as I am, and most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing them in the next round of NathanAlphaMan’s kit renders, which we’re hoping will be done over the US Thanksgiving break. Special thanks to A.Jakkkke for his final review of the character forms and his extremely helpful suggestions.

    Here’s a link to download a full-size image and see all the detail

  • Keyboard renders*





    See a full gallery of keyboard renders

  • Collaborations*

  • Digital Carpentry* for custom branded rare wood wrist rests

  • Luxe Cables* for a set-matched aviator cable

  • RAMA WORKS* for metal artisan keycaps

  • Salvun* for artisan keycaps in bronze

  • Latrialum* for collab artisan keycaps in resin

  • DE∆Gcaps* for a collab artisan keycap in resin

  • Sodie Caps* for collab artisan keycaps in resin

  • Destroyer Caps* for collab artisan keycaps in resin

  • Bludgeoned Kaps* for collab artisan keycaps in resin

  • Rascal Caps* for collab artisan keycaps in resin

  • Frumpzkeys* for collab artisan keycaps in resin

  • Fraktal Kaps* for collab artisan keycaps in resin

  • Rejeck Kaps* for collab artisan keycaps in resin

  • Froue Loop* for a collab multimedia artisan keycap
    If you’re a maker or artisan, I’d love to work with you to develop an exclusive collaboration for GMK Shanshui or a future set. Please get in touch!

  • RAMA WORKS artisan keycaps*

    All three GMK Shanshui x RAMA artisans

    The Shan cap, in anodized black aluminum and white enamel fill, with the character 山 (“mountain”) in ancient Liushutong script

    The Shui cap, in e-white aluminum and black enamel fill, with the character 水 (“water”) in Liushutong script

    The Chop cap, rendered in deep red enamel on black PVD brass, displaying my adopted Chinese surname 魏 in a yin seal script imprint with a slight off-axis tilt.

  • Deskmats*

    Rafts 钓鱼筏 deskmat: An ink painting of traditional fishing rafts afloat on the Li River beneath the leaning phoenix tail bamboo, emblazoned with the Shanshui logo chop at bottom left. Based on artwork by Baoyan.

    Karst 岩溶 deskmat: an ink painting of the South China Karst seen through the mist with the inscription, “best scenery under heaven” (山水甲天下), an unofficial local slogan of the Li River area. No seal for users who prefer a completely monochrome look. Based on artwork by Elina Li.

  • Relationship to GMK Houhai*
    GMK Shanshui is the predecessor set to GMK Houhai, enabling the molds for Houhai, a far more complicated and prohibitively expensive set, to be produced using stock colors at an attractive price point. In the wise words of one vendor with far better business sense than most designers, “you can have 80+ new molds, or you can have seven custom RAL colors, but you can’t have both.” Hence, the long path home.
    If you are a Houhai supporter, the best way you can help make that set possible is to support this set, and to let our existing vendors know that you want GMK Houhai to follow shortly on the heels of GMK Shanshui.

  • Sharing the Cangjie legends*
    Designers interested in using the Chinese-language legends we’ve created are welcome and encouraged to reach out for design files to use in their renders, free of charge.
    This is likely my last set design to use Chinese character legends—I don’t want to get typecast as the Chinese keycap guy! But I hope that other designers will take up the mantle and use these legends to produce beautiful work, as others have with Hiragana and Hangul legend designs.

  • Acknowledgements*
    This design goes to the great people of China, the Chinese-speaking world, and the Chinese diaspora, who contribute so much to our community through their creativity, passion, knowledge, and work. You changed my life and I’ll never be the same. Also,

  • NathanAlphaMan* for the incredible collaborative partnership, the initial idea to do Houhai as a WoB set, the gorgeous renders, and the critical feedback

  • Michael at Digital Carpentry*, for being my first partner, my biggest sounding board, and my unrelenting critic

  • Exclusive*, for the cultural translation help and his friendship

  • Alex*, for the kernel of the idea of what Shanshui would become

  • Upas*, for taking a chance on this set, and his important advice

  • Louis*, for his kindness, his passion for my work, and his partnership

  • Jae*, for his honesty and sense, and for the use of his beautiful J-01 and J-02 models

  • LBaron and the S+R team*, for making their gorgeous Iron165 and Iron180 models available

  • A.Jakkkke* for helping me make this set as good as it can be.
    Thanks for reading this far and thank you for your feedback.
    Show your support for GMK Shanshui with this signature banner!

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IC, 键帽, GMK