We have previously written a guide for how to create incense seals (also called incense stamps or incense trails) using incense powder, a traditional Chinese practice known as zhuan xiang (篆香 ) or yin xiang (印香). We consider this method to be the more "formal" method of using incense powder.

In this follow up article, we'll explore some more creative methods of working with ash and incense powder, methods such as creating incense mountains with the ash, or drawing letters with the powder. Besides what we create below, there are many, many other formations you can create. This is why we love working with incense powder - it is so simple to customize the practice to you. We'd love to hear from you, leave us a message if you come up with a cool design!

Tools and Other Items Needed for Burning Incense Powder

Like creating formal incense seals, we'll also need a burner and some tools. The main difference is that we will not need a mold to work with the incense powder. Before starting, please ensure you've prepared the below:

• A fire-proof incense burner - look for one that is relatively shallow with a wide mouth opening

• Ash - typically store bought white ash is used

• Incense powder - start with plain sandalwood if you're not sure what to use

• Lighting device - a small stove lighter or kitchen torch is best, as the long snout for the flames helps with pinpointing the starting point of the trail. Sometimes a lit incense stick is used in lieu of a lighter

• Incense powder dropper kit (the flow of the incense dropping is important to this tool, ours drops at a well controlled rate, you can check it out here)

• Handheld tools (you can check out ours here)

  • Chopsticks

  • Ash press (香压/香壓)

  • Side Ash press (灰侧押)

  • Incense spoon (香勺)

  • Incense spatula (香铲/香鏟)

  • Incense sweeper (香掃)

Once you're prepared, run through the designs in this article with us to get started, then try out your own designs -

Incense Powder Letters and Scripts

This is one of our favorites: creating letters and numbers using incense powder. This also doesn't need to be limited to English, incense powder looks great when formed into Chinese characters - the original incense seals of the Song dynasty would have been Chinese characters of the seals of various families. But you can use incense powder to draw out any language of the planet, and take it much further than that - any relatively simple line drawing can be drawn using incense powder!

Here is a step-by-step video guide of how to draw an incense powder letter:

(Here is the link to the dropper set we used: https://kinobjects.com/products/incense-powder-dropper-kit)

For those of you who prefer reading, or would like a supplement to the video, here are the instructions below. Experiment with different tools for other shapes:

1. Start with a mound of loose ash in an incense burner. Smooth the ash as you would for creating a formal incense seal (if you're unfamiliar with this step, you can find more details of smoothing ash in our previous article here)

2. Using the back end of the incense spoon, draw out the shape of the letter you're creating with a series of indentations. For narrower parts of letters, use other tools like the side ash press or incense spatula

3. Hold the incense dropper upright with the narrow tip pointing down. Place one finger over the bottom hole to prevent powder from dropping out, then place several spoonfuls of incense powder into the dropper

4. Place the tip of the dropper over the shape drawn in step 2. Gently tap the dropper on the top edge with the mallet. Try out the speed and intensity of tapping until you feel comfortable with the amount of incense powder being dropped out

5. Move the dropper over the entire shape until it is fully filled with incense powder. Voila! Your unique incense powder shape is complete

6. The shape can be lit and burnt as is, or flattened with the ash press, then lit and burnt

7. When the incense powder finishes burning, simply stir the burnt powder in with the rest of the ash and re-use the ash. Over time, the white ash will turn gray with more and more burnt incense (as you see in this video)

Here is an alternative video of the process, where we write the letter "k" using a different script:

Incense Powder and Ash Geometric Incense Mountain

The geometric incense mountain is simple to create, and has a zen look. To create this incense powder and ash mountain formation, follow the below video and steps:

Here is the link to the toolset we used: https://kinobjects.com/products/incense-powder-toolkit

1. Start with a mound of loose ash in an incense burner. Gently push the ash on the sides using the side ash press to form a sloped mountain with a center peak

2. Once the basic shape of the mountain is formed, smooth the slopes gently

3. Press into the peak of the mountain to form a small crater. There's no specific tool for this step, you can use anything that's the right size in your home - the top end of a thick pencil, the back end of a kitchen utensil, a stick that's the right thickness... anything works. We used the back end of a small tool we had in the studio

4. Gently spoon some incense powder into the crater until it is half filled

5. For the next spoonful, scorch it with a flame. If it catches fire, fan out the live flame, you want the incense powder to be turning back and smoking, indicating that it is lit (but not burning with a flame). It's the same process as lighting incense sticks or cones

6. Place the lit spoonful of incense powder into the crater, then continue to fill the crater with unlit incense powder until it is full

7. Tidy up the outside slopes again if needed. You can increase the slope of the mountain sides and smooth them further at this stage

8. Press into the sides with a chopstick to form the geometric lined pattern

9. Finally, light the incense powder at the tip of the mountain and fan out the flame. Once you see steady flame rising up from the crater, you can allow it to burn. The spoonful of already-lit incense powder we placed into the crater previously will help the burning along

10. When the incense powder finishes burning, simply stir the burnt powder in with the rest of the ash and re-use the ash. Over time, the white ash will turn gray with more and more burnt incense

Incense Powder and Ash Volcano

The volcano is simpler than the geometric mountain above. In fact, if you're a parent, you might even enjoy trying to create this with your kid/s. To create the incense powder and ash volcano, follow the below video and steps: 

Follow steps 1-7 from above

7. Sprinkle the side slopes of the volcano with incense powder

8. Light the incense in the central crater and also the sprinkled powder on the slopes. These form the decorative "lava" of the volcano

Note: You'll notice that the ash we used in this video is gray. This is white ash that has been mixed with burnt incense over a period of time. Still looks great!

Why Do We Create these Incense Powder Formations?

We have written extensively on our website about the various benefits of incense - i.e they calm and relax, fight inflammation, and are naturally antiseptic and repel insects.

These creative formations take it a step further - you not only reap all the benefits of burning incense, but the process of creating the formation itself is soothing, providing a mindful experience that also fulfills our sense of creativity.

How to Choose the Right Incense Powder

Like all things incense (and all things life), there is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing incense powder. We would recommend you choose based on two important factors:

• Consider the type of scent you prefer. If you're not sure, sandalwood is a great place to start, and you can experiment by adding small quantities of other ingredients like aloeswood (agarwood), cinnamon, benzoin, florals

• Look for all natural incense powder. As we've written many times before, we can only reap the full benefits of incense from all natural ingredients, and it is very likely artificial enhancements are harmful when breathed in

Last but not least, we'd love to invite you to explore our range of burners, tools, ash and incense powder. Check them out at: https://kinobjects.com/collections/powder-incense-holders-burners