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Lotus flowers can be painted in many different ways in sumi-e or Chinese brush painting style. In this video I am demonstrating the outline and color technique. Some artists color their flowers meticulously; because this is a quick demonstration I am using more of a 'splashing ink' style. I used dark grey ink for a gestural outline and carmine, blue and yellow for the colors. The brush is a 'Happy Dot', which has a great point and springiness. You could also add stamens in black, red or yellow when the painting dries.
Here is a different style of lotus flower, using white on top of red while the paint is still wet to create the petals. If you wait until the flower is dry, you can add a wash to the back of the paper and the white petals will show up clearly.
Below you will see how the flowers pop out when I add outline in red , then turn the painting over, spray the back with water and apply a soft greenish-yellow to give a background color. Yes! This is the same painting!
Lotus flowers outlined in red
Quick-stroke sumi-e lotus and dragonfly
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May Pan of HMay Art Supply in China has posted a wonderful documentary article on me and my work. You can see it here and one on the lovely Egyptian artist Tereza Mitry here. Tereza allowed me to post a critique of one of her paintings here.
Hmay Art Supply is a xuan paper manufacturer from Jing county Xuancheng city Anhui province - the birthplace of xuan paper. They produce top grade xuan paper (shuen paper, rice paper) and provide superior quality paper crafts and other art items for Japanese calligraphy, Chinese brush calligraphy & Chinese sumi-e painting, etc. I highly recommend their products.
Hmay Art Supply is a xuan paper manufacturer from Jing county Xuancheng city Anhui province - the birthplace of xuan paper. They produce top grade xuan paper (shuen paper, rice paper) and provide superior quality paper crafts and other art items for Japanese calligraphy, Chinese brush calligraphy & Chinese sumi-e painting, etc. I highly recommend their products.
Virginia receives her package of goodies from China!
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In the spontaneous styles of sumi-e or Chinese brush painting, which I have trained in for the past 40 years, there is no pre-sketching or tracing. The brush dances on the paper, seemingly having a life of its own. While I may have an idea ahead of time of what I want to paint, I never know exactly how it is going to come out. If it is a bird, I start with the eye, the beak and the head. That inspires me to paint the body, but in which direction? Facing front? Facing the side? Will we just see the beautiful back feathers and the wings and tail? If there is a pair of birds, will one be speaking and the other one listening? Surely I will want to establish a relationship between them. How do they fit into the overall composition? I imagine different scenarios, different possibilities without touching the paper, because there will be no changing the strokes once they have been made.
In this video I had decided to paint a kingfisher, but had not decided on the colors or the pose, just trusting that it would come together as the brush spoke to the paper. I captured the dance very intimately with my smart phone, getting closer to the action than a camcorder usually does. I hope you enjoy being in the thick of it!
In this video I had decided to paint a kingfisher, but had not decided on the colors or the pose, just trusting that it would come together as the brush spoke to the paper. I captured the dance very intimately with my smart phone, getting closer to the action than a camcorder usually does. I hope you enjoy being in the thick of it!
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Prof I-Hsiung Ju demonstrates pine trees
The summer before he died, I visited my teacher Master Painter I-Hsiung Ju at his home in Princeton, NJ. In this video he is demonstrating pine trees for Charlene Fuhrman-Schulz and Sandy Schatz, long-time students and good friends of the Ju family. The audio is the sound of birds outside my studio.
Tips for painting your own pine trees:
Tips for painting your own pine trees:
- Start with light grey on the brush and paint the main trunks and branches. Keep the brush perpendicular to the paper
- Avoid making the trunks rigidly upright and parallel like soldiers
- Add strong black to the brush and create needle groups above the branches, using the side of the brush
- Add outline strokes to the trunks in black, but without making the lines continuous like a cut-out
- Add small branches to unify the groups of needles in black ink
- Keep your brush pretty dry throughout the painting process
- Don't overwork them!
You can purchase Prof Ju's books and teaching videos at ihsiungju.addr.com
Why not try painting some pine trees now? With courage and a good brush, you can do it!
Why not try painting some pine trees now? With courage and a good brush, you can do it!
Hoodoos & Pine Trees by I-Hsiung Ju (wash added later)
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Painting birds in spontaneous style can be quite a challenge. My advice? Study the anatomy of birds carefully and then practice the bird in "bits": I've done sheets and sheets of beaks and eyes, practiced wing patterns, studied feet and how to place them. See this blog post for more bird poses.
A good reference book for artists is Laws Guide to Drawing Birds. It will answer many of your questions and give you plenty of models. Looking at photos of birds can actually be confusing since that snapshot moment in time may not show you clearly what's going on. My teacher I-Hsiung Ju has several bird videos available here. He shows you how to paint them in Chinese brush style.
And when you've done all that practice? Take heart! It takes courage, but bit by bit you will triumph!
A good reference book for artists is Laws Guide to Drawing Birds. It will answer many of your questions and give you plenty of models. Looking at photos of birds can actually be confusing since that snapshot moment in time may not show you clearly what's going on. My teacher I-Hsiung Ju has several bird videos available here. He shows you how to paint them in Chinese brush style.
And when you've done all that practice? Take heart! It takes courage, but bit by bit you will triumph!
Do you have questions? Let me know! I'm happy to help.
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Goldfinch Practice
I painted the goldfinches first, then this big, noisy blackbird had to get into the picture! I find gestural, spontaneous painting is often like this: I start off minding my P's and Q's and then something rowdy jumps out of the brush.
In the next painting, it was the other way round: Old Loudmouth made his appearance first and I tried to match his energy with a flying bird in the upper right quadrant. That bird didn't work, so the splashing ink became autumn leaves. Perhaps you can still see a beak and eye peering out up there. Or perhaps some wings and a tail...
In the next painting, it was the other way round: Old Loudmouth made his appearance first and I tried to match his energy with a flying bird in the upper right quadrant. That bird didn't work, so the splashing ink became autumn leaves. Perhaps you can still see a beak and eye peering out up there. Or perhaps some wings and a tail...
Old Loudmouth
You can see more of my bird practice sheets here. Got questions? Let me know!
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Ever wonder how a Chinese brush painter creates a landscape? Today I am going to show you how I went from a tree to a misty mountain landscape, with all the moments of panic, optimism and despair along the way! Enjoy the journey!
The Tree that Started it All
Mountain Meditation - completed
Chinese brush painting landscapes are backwards - that is, if you're used to Western painting, where you start with the background and work your way forwards. In Oriental art, you start with what's closest and work your way towards the distance in layers. The start of a painting is often either a rock or a tree in the bottom left or right corner. In this case it was a tree. I sketched the trunk in quickly with Chinese ink and added clumps of greenery using mineral green mixed with gray. It looked like it needed a companion, so I added another tree:
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It's been a week of bird practice for me. As with most subjects I paint, I don't plan my birds out. That doesn't mean I don't practice. Improvisers of all kinds (dancers, musicians, artists, actors) still need to keep the wheels greased so that technique doesn't get in the way of the performance. Sumi-e birds are all about capturing the essence of 'birdie-ness'. Here are my practice sheets: some of the birds are good, some are so-so, and some are a bit of a train wreck! But that's the beauty of practicing. I hope you enjoy them and feel inspired to try your own.
Bird Practice Painting #1
Bird Practice Painting #2
Bird Practice Painting #3
Bird Practice Painting #4
Let me know if you have questions!
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Demonstrating peony at The Villages Workshop in Florida
Step 1: Relax! You're going to have fun! Peonies come in many varieties and different colors and they're all delicious!
Select one or two colors for your flower: Marie's Rose and Rouge Tint work well, or Rose and Carmine. Apply the lighter color diluted to halfway up the brush; apply the darker color more strongly to the tip of your brush.
Tip: use a small, soft brush for the petals. Click here for more info on brushes and colors.
Select one or two colors for your flower: Marie's Rose and Rouge Tint work well, or Rose and Carmine. Apply the lighter color diluted to halfway up the brush; apply the darker color more strongly to the tip of your brush.
Tip: use a small, soft brush for the petals. Click here for more info on brushes and colors.
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My last post offered suggestions on Chinese brushes, ink and colors. This time we’ll explore the mysterious and richly rewarding world of Chinese papers.
Paper for Chinese brush painting comes in varying thicknesses and absorbency, depending on its purpose. I use mostly raw (unsized) paper for quick-stroke flowers and birds, and a selection of raw and semi-sized papers for my landscapes. There is no right or wrong. You find out what works best for you by trial and error.
Tip: When you start off, you may find that a good practice paper in a roll, which imitates the handmade rice papers pretty well but is a lot cheaper, works best for you.
Paper for Chinese brush painting comes in varying thicknesses and absorbency, depending on its purpose. I use mostly raw (unsized) paper for quick-stroke flowers and birds, and a selection of raw and semi-sized papers for my landscapes. There is no right or wrong. You find out what works best for you by trial and error.
Tip: When you start off, you may find that a good practice paper in a roll, which imitates the handmade rice papers pretty well but is a lot cheaper, works best for you.
Tip: You can also practice on newsprint, but the danger there is that you get used to that surface and then have to make a big adjustment when you move to rice paper. You may also create a masterpiece on newsprint, only to find it yellowing and turning brittle in a couple of years. Regular watercolor paper does not work because it does not absorb the moisture of the stroke.