Donorians have a large variety of traditional arts and crafts which often still continue as part of the continuation of Donorian traditional life. Most of these crafts are used to make luxury goods and modern mass-produced alternatives have become common.
Textiles
Donorians have various kinds of textiles that they use, with large upright looms being the most common. Their fabrics are often very finely woven and lightweight. Patterns are added through brocade weaving, wax-resist dying, or painting along with other techniques.
Plant fibers are often used for traditional textiles with animal fibers being less common apart from winter clothing. More modern other materials including artificial materials are also used.
More modernly, traditional handwoven textiles have been mostly replaced by industrial factory-made fabrics. This is especially true in the more built-up urban areas. Traditionally crafted textiles tend to be more expensive and valued for their craftsmanship and cultural value.
Embroidery
Embroidery is often used to add decorative patterns or imagery to clothing, more modernly it is mostly used for formal and ceremonial clothing having mostly been replaced by less elaborate machine embroidery.
Donorian Embroidery designs often involve natural elements of scenery like flowers or leaves. They may be a single central scene or more spread out in a repeating pattern over the fabric.
There is often also embroidery done along the hems of the sleeves and the bottom of shirts and dresses, most likely to reinforce those areas. These are often patterned as thick geometric bands rather than specific scenery.
Regular dyed threads can be used and in the most expensive variations, thread made of precious shiny metals may be used. These are of course more expensive.
Basketry
Baskets are commonly made by the coiling or weaving of dried grasses into the desired shape. The grasses may be dyed to achieve different colors and patterns. Baskets can be made waterproof through a coating, and then used for liquid storage.
The baskets are used for storage and carrying of things, they may also be used for the winnowing of grain or processing other plants.
These baskets are not often used modernly, having been mostly replaced by modern mass-produced containers.
Stone Carving
Stone carving is used to make many different items ranging from small decorative items like jewelry to large grand buildings carved from cliffsides.
Tools like chisels, drills, files, and hammers were traditionally used but more modern power tools have become much more common, especially when cutting away large parts of stone.
The general stone carving technique is used to carve rough stone into statues, furniture, and building facades. This technique can also be used to carve buildings and statues into cliffs or large rocks.
For smaller more delicate items Hardstone carving technique is used, mostly to carve semi-precious and precious stones into things like small statues or jewelry.
Shell Carving
Shell carving is a traditional Donorian craft that often involves carving shells into beads, pendants, or other accessories. The shells may also be in inlays that decorate items.
Traditional tools like rasps, drills, and files were used to shape and smooth out the design. Modernly, more electric and power tools are used, though hand tools are often used for the finishing process.
One version of shell carving involves removing parts of the shell and giving it a completely new size and shape. This method is used to make things like beads, spoons, etc, and makes simpler items. Once the item is cut out from the shell, artisans may add more decorative details.
The other version means keeping the original shape of the shell and simply carving a decorative design into its surface. These are more often used for decorations and are more of a prestige item as the details are very small and delicate.
Products
Lucky Toad Statues
Donorians will often keep statues of the toad spirit
Mati to try and get some of Mati’s luck and favor. These statues often depict a very exaggerated image of the Donorian toad with lots of cubbiness and roundness.
These are often made out of stone, wood, or metal and may even have inlays of mother of pearl or enamel to make them more decorative. Traditional craftsmen often make these, but cheaper mass-produced versions also exist.
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