- Published on
Bamboo Trunks and Leaf Stems
The composition is established by your trunks. Because I am right-handed, it is most comfortable for me to start bamboo trunks on the left and have them sweep or arc towards the right.
Tips:
Tips:
- If you are left-handed, start on the right and move left. If you are working from a right-handed model, you can print it in reverse so it works better for you. Remember too that if your composition calls for trunks going in an awkward direction, you can always turn your paper!
- Vary the shade of your trunks, from black and dark grey to light grey, or black to green. The variation will add visual interest and give a sense of three-dimension to your composition.
- When adding the stems for the leaves, make sure they grow out of the knots or joints of the bamboo trunks. Watch my video tutorial on painting bamboo leaves.
Bamboo leaves added to stems
Start with dark grey tipped with black on your brush for the leaves and think in terms of groupings as you paint. Adding leaves to your stems should help with this.
Tip:
Materials: I am painting on a thin raw (unsized) xuan rice paper, using a bamboo/orchid brush. If you have difficulty making the stems thin enough, use a smaller brush, such as a 'Happy Dot' brush from OrientalArtSupply. You can also use double xuan paper to control bleeding better.
Tip:
- Make some groupings mostly dark, where you want your major emphasis, and some groupings light and partially hidden behind the trunks.
- Watch my bamboo video for trunks, stems and leaves
Materials: I am painting on a thin raw (unsized) xuan rice paper, using a bamboo/orchid brush. If you have difficulty making the stems thin enough, use a smaller brush, such as a 'Happy Dot' brush from OrientalArtSupply. You can also use double xuan paper to control bleeding better.
Bird added in warm tones
I could have left the painting as just bamboo, but I saw the perfect spot for a bird. Since the painting so far had been fairly monochromatic (black and blue-grey), I decided to paint the bird in warm tones to make it stand out.
Tips and links: Bamboo is a very individual subject. Allow your brush to dance! Aim for vitality and harmony! You can see more of my bamboo paintings here. My teacher, Prof I-Hsiung Ju painted delicate bamboo. Here is his Bamboo in the Snow. Michael Kopald, who also studied with Prof Ju, will delight you with his elegant style. Discover how bamboo speaks to you.
I hope my demonstration of bamboo was helpful. If you have questions or feedback, please put them in a comment. I'm always happy to answer!
Tips and links: Bamboo is a very individual subject. Allow your brush to dance! Aim for vitality and harmony! You can see more of my bamboo paintings here. My teacher, Prof I-Hsiung Ju painted delicate bamboo. Here is his Bamboo in the Snow. Michael Kopald, who also studied with Prof Ju, will delight you with his elegant style. Discover how bamboo speaks to you.
I hope my demonstration of bamboo was helpful. If you have questions or feedback, please put them in a comment. I'm always happy to answer!
6 Comments
Lovely dancing bamboo.
Thanks, Char! Glad you like it, and good to see the 'comments' button is working!
Lovely bamboo!! and the irs!! Will they be on YouTube?
Thanks! I will be putting the iris up on YouTube at some point, but you can always watch it here on my blog. I didn't film the bamboo and bird painting, so that one is lost in the ethers. I'm filming more these days, to be sure I don't miss the good ones!
Hi Virginia, love the blog, very interactive and so much detail to work with....thank you xx
Hi Lisa, so glad you're enjoying the blog. Be sure to let me know if there are particular issues you'd like me to address.