For many, many years I have dreamt of owning a personal seal written in traditional Chinese seal script. Watching the various Emperors of China issuing edicts in films and spiritual mediums stamping on powerful talisman only cemented that love for the ancient craft of seal engraving. Having a notably horrible signature did not help with times when I needed to put a personal signature on an artwork and thus, with a strange feeling that it was now or never, I drove straight to Malacca after an interview session to catch up with Mr. Tham, an artist who specialises in seal engraving and portraits. He operates out of a family run art gallery at 49, Hereen Street. Below is a step-by-step rundown of the process of getting a seal for myself and the company. Step 1. Writing the name. If you have a Chinese name then it’s much easier but if you don’t, then your name is translated with the closest sounding combination of characters. In my case, it was written according to the characters already on my name card, Ma Hen Ba La.
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