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Japanese Ink Painting - The Art of Sumi-E PDF
Japanese Ink Painting - The Art of Sumi-E PDF
D
U
-
3Q3nese
Ink Paintin ~
TheArr ofSumf-e
. .
Naomi Okamoto
II stmblg
Publiobing ce.,IDe. New York
Uhutd by 1:1
Tt111 tsabtth E. Rtlnrrstf\J.nn
Okamoco.Saord. 19' 1-
Uap;anlsc:M Tuschnuk rd ft!r EinmiatT. t:nltish)
t1ng: thc=art of sumi-r-' N.tOml Ob m
j ' pl ndr ink p;&1n
p. em.
Includn icdtx.
ISBNl).8069.O8327
L Swnit- Trchniqur. I. 'rule.
:'\OH62 .03813 1995
" I. ... 252-dc2 0 9+-1-.
10 987654)2 1
Some tlme ~'O. 1 decided thai J cheerful; rather; it is the result of a indMdually what seemed unlamiIW
"~.mted to write a bookabout j apa- mental process. &e: aut) is gift of and by transforming and bl<nding It
nese ink painting. also knooi\-
" as rn. presem "~ry day. gmngJo}' "1mthe traditional. In order for
,.umf-f. In the beginning. I thought I and hope to life. It cxpreS5tS tht )"OU to gain access to this sryle of
..-ouJd fi", d,,~lop my own 51)i < characte r of the artist ; it Is JO\"t
. painting. you " iII eeed dear in-
and use the pictures I painte d in This subjtcti\ -e undcl'$tanding of the nructicms. t believetha t it would be
that .5[}-k as a means of introducmg il6thni cs of beauty has a!v.'l}" been helpful for me to shue "ith }"OU the
the art of JapaDC'Kink painting to at the hem of DJ)' work. IS a Stu- expeneeces and InsightsI "" ..
people of Other cultures. E\"tn dent of West ern painting and even gained. They will SCI'\'t as guidesas
though manythought dl!s couldn't before t began Illy Intense in\'Oh-r- }"OUcontinue to de\-elop rour an . l
be done. 1bt lir\yd it was possible mtnt wah ink palmJng. I am con lfke to compare this process to a
b)' pointing to w-hatJapanese ink seemly U)ing to IncrtI.K my under- growing bamboo tree tha t de\'t.lops
painting lw in common ..... hh other standing of the secret of beauty." new nodulesas it gTOW'S.
.t}i .. of palntlng and by pali ng at-
tendon to our subjecdve tmpres- Allthis started when t rcaltud tha t In this spirtt, the knowledg. of
in the:absence of anistic skillsand sumi-t that 1 have gained 50 far is
. ions. Mer all, paintlng is basically
an immediate expression of the sub- beauty, p3indng lU it Lspresently contained in this book. It is my
jecdve: human feelings art not all pra used in the West can onl )' be wish that the discussions that allow
that different. &tsldcs. the Spon tll- seen a5 an expresstcn of eccentric be received by your heart. 1hope
necus. expreestve character and the Ideas and a deplcdon of problems. yeu will be able to develop a 5C:Nt
visual ..esthedcs oCink painting such as the portrayalof the superfi- of the Intuim-c process as you be-
ctsl. On the othe r han d, I am aware come mort and more familiarwtth
make it \'fl') ' accessible to the mod-
that in the West. too , people long thl" an form.
em Western\1e-wer . 1 believethat
suml-t ,,111continue to stem str'.J.ng for quiet, freedom. harmon).. and
c
!>taut)"as antidotes to the alienation Let', be on our wayl
115long as we try to understand It
su:lcd)' from an Intellectual, rhecrer- so prevalent in our ttchnological se-
I
,
, 7
ptct OO\\-er5.
birds. and landscapes
THE are:so popular.
This SlYle of painting. heavlly Influ-
dons, mirroring the intenstt) of the
interest the painter brings to the
work. In a sense, it is tht procns
8
TH l B ASI C S 9
touched 1 ' Its \1ta1ll)" As the raeli "whi te space" Is a direct expression the distance. Thi5is a moment
ante:of the ink I.suansfe:rre:dco the: of Taolsmand Zen 'Buddhlsm. The when you btgin to become one
paper "'iUtcht strOkeof a brush. understanding of tTlO\-e ment. of the with the newer.
the I lewer in )"OUl'p iCWR seems to "real" nCM ing and d.Issohi ng InfO
"breathe," and this breath begins to nothingncss. and the existence of Or think of music. Landscapes,
birds , and rocks an: notes created
till the white space sunounding it. "emptiness ' are of central signUi.
in nature. First )0'00 study the notes.
just as It docs In nature. in ink cance to both beliefs.
paintings. a line docs not represent
next you practice on }'0Uf instru-
The essen tial character of ink paint . ~nt. and then }"OUremotionsplay
the contour or W outer edge of t
Ing. expressingthe d)'tWll1cso( !Ue, these DOtrS .
form: rather; it represents the inner
is. quit e pcwlbl}". a forc:tgnconcept
JXW'"tt of tht painted form itself. It When )'OU experiencehowthe
for Western artists. because }"OU
represents soul.spirit. and life gentle , ten der shades of the ink and
have to become one \\;t h the object
rhythmill at once, a simplt lint , created from a state
in the palnung, 1n Western pain t.
Aher this an form arri\-edin Japan ing.s.)"OU.arc not the ~er. HO'o' " of Inner quiet. ere tramformed and
f",m ChIna, It ..... hca\11yInDu ever, picture )'OUl><lCpain ting OUt expttSSthe most po'IIo -erfule.ntrgy.
)'00 \\;ll ha\~ sense of what these
enced 1'Taoism and cspccla1Iy by stde. Sense the nl)'S of the .sunon
Zen Buddhism.The concept of )"OUt skin; let )"OW' C)'Cs get lnt o
philosophies arc ill ahouL
10 J " P" %'I
1SE INK P AINT ING
---....- -
I
L
A(
.;- ----
T HE BASI CS 11
more difficult to handle. Therefore, tends to 10Kink \"I:1J qui kl)'. Be- ink stone dun is :lpproxlm:,ucly 3 by
1 recommend that begin ncrs UR a cause the ink has to be replaced 5 Inches (8 by 13 cm) and deeper
stlfferbrush. Althoughnunl' differ- more frequently. there is ohcn 1U\ on one end is very practical. Most
ent brushes on the market often uneven and "restless" appearance stones are made from :I particular
look tempting. 1always ccme back to the paindng. On the other hand. kind of slate and art of different ,
to the brush that alL:m., me to ae - the lazgeslbrush Is tlCl quit< as qualllY.depending on the grid of
ate shapes ranglng all the ""l - from elS)' to handl e. H(J\\'e\'t r, It is pesst- the surfa ce. The mos t famous Slone
a thin halrUm:to a broad stroke. ble to draw with it the vtr}' finest is the Chinese Tan-hi .
line 1U\d to 6ll in large spaces. Ad,
ditionally. this brush lasts for a long
If the surface of the stone is t OO
J"l""'OK Choryu B".. h rough.the p'.gment panicles hom
This Is one of th< trall1rlona1lnk tim e. In the beginning, we art in -
the stick will not dissol\'t prcperly,
brushes. Usuall)', It Is made from terested in learning 10 master the
and the ink loses its brilliance.
sheep or goat hair.occasionally, tools. I eeueve we learn fasterwhen
somewhat stiffn badger, berse. or a too! is not quite IS eas)" to handle.
deer hair Is ustd. Thisbrush has Thus. I recommend thaI th< begin-
soh. pliable bristles and a good ner Stan wuh the largut brush. Ink - The Liquid
abilit),to hold wa ter. HCM'(\ 'er. be- The bristles of a new brush an CC'o'- Produced from the Ink
cause of iu softness, the shape of a ered uith I coat of glue. Thiscoat- Stick
line:tnJ}' change when prtl5UR is Ing Is remeced b)' clipping the brush
applied to the surface, Becauseof a in cold wa ter and squeuing tht The soul of the ink is the po'Yt
'er oC
brush's excellent absorbmC).. it is bristles gendr between the fingers. its brilliance and Its rich numces.
often difficult to control the amount Soap is not necessary. Do not It.l\'t Sunil.. primarily dlsdngutshcs be-
of water In the bristles, the brush Stan ding in water. or the tween blue and brown ink sticks. .
bnsdes " ill bend and separat< from The so-calledblue ink Is made from
Japa nOK Muuyoma BruJIl the shaf~ Aft<tthe glue has been the SOOt of burned pine wood, In
(Gyolturm) rt.mO'+'edL"Omthe bristles. gentl) the process of burning, blue ink
Usually. this brush Is made from th< shape the end of the brush into a sticks are ccntamlne ted with rough
belly halr oCa horse with an addi- tip. Let the brush dry by laying II panicles that leave scratches on the
don of badger, sheep. and deer hair, down or b)' hanging it with the surface of the ink stone. However.
It 15firmer thanthe Ororyu and has bristles polnring downv.'ards. When this alsoincreases the amount of
slight point , making It Id.. l for the bristles are dry. store the brush nuances in blue ink. The finer, sof-
creatingshapes, HO\\'(\"Cr.this brush in a place where it will receive ter bl'O\\'I1
ink does not have as
is not yee I\-..Ilable in all areas. some air and make sure It 15pro- many nuances. Becauseblue ink
rected against moths, doesn't reflect Hghr very well. It lip-
ChlnOK Ran-clllku B"..h pears to be black with a bIU( hue.
This brush. made from badger hair.
When you purchase. new brush. a
sleevececers the bristles. This Blue ink is \'try popular in Japan.
lw less capacitYto hold water and sleeve Is 001)'p rorectlcn and not Brownink Is usuallyproduced from
is somewhatstiffer than the two the soot of rapeseed 011.The pig-
meant for permanent use.
brushes discussedabo\'t. It is ~..ell ment particles an: much smaller
suited for cnadng shapesIn rough thanthese in blue ink and reflect
outlincand Cor suong, bony OUt- more Ilgh~ This Ink has brown
lines. Grinding Ink tint and seems to be warm and
'. Chinese painters and calligra-
1\"1:1)
All three brushes discuss<dhere The best Ink for Ink painting is phers are \-ery fond of b~l1 ink.
come in rhree dlffen:ntsizes, The made from pigments that art
length of th< hair Is 11" Inches (t prC55Cd into a stick. The srick is In addition to pigment particles, ink
em) for lazgebrushes, 1V. Inches ground. combined v.ith water. and sticks alsocontain animal fats that
(3.' em) fot mtdium brushes, and mixed into usable liquid. Ink are usedas glues. These animalCal!
aboul 1 inch (3 em) for small .stones. or grinding stones. come in absorb humld!')- ' ''lj' quickly. whlch
brushes, The smallest of the:three 15 different shapes. from round to 0'0"11 malus them susceptible to mUdew,
\'Clj ' handy but, because of It! see. to rectangular. for the beginner. an rendering them useless. It is impor
12 J AP AN l SE I w," P AI N ti NG
,
16 J APAl'i!ESE ISK P AIN T IN G
Hohtn.:ollt't1l Castle Fin t. the whole surface ""&5 mois- seemed particularly important. I
(em .iI~) tened 'Aim a large brush. Then. blended the contours of the m e-
whtle the surface WIS still wet. the tops in order to create rDa\"t
ment.
outlines were pain ted in ink. blend- maldng it seem 15 if th~ were
mg the cOtlrours immediately wtrh a U)1ng to reach out to the castle.
hard and dry brush. Afterthe silk
had dried. the roughcentours of the
castlewere filled in wtth a fine-
tipped brush. For this step. 1used a
very Ught shade of Ink. liUIng In
with darker shades those pans that
T HE B A5 1CS 17
Working with
Ink and Brush
\
Grinding and
PreparingInk
,-U already discussed. lor best re-
sultS. make)'OUt own ink. using an
ink Stick:and I.nkor grin clin&S{on~ .
and the method of applying ink to If )'OU wan' to chang. from (lilindng
the (lilper. wming '0 lo. d brush a wtder to a nartO\\'cr line, rotate
proper!)' and usinggood brush the brush between )'OUt 6ng...
DJO\'ctntnts wt1lenable }'OU to ere- (. round lIS own axis). reduce the
Itc lnk in many difftrtnt ,hades pressure. and continue(lilintlng
and to paint ~l)'thing from dots to "i th the brush sdll in a '-e.ntcaJpo-
tines to spaces. "don (.),
, I
Holding1MBrusItat an Angle Pllshing 1MBrusItAcross
r1t~PapeT
When creating. space , the brush is
broughtIn contact with the-paper wbee you push rhe brtsdes of the
brush across the paper and sense a
and l'DO'~d O\"U it at an angle. The
dp of the brush Is a1W2)'Skept in certafn resistance (as the bristles
the sam. pcstdcn. If the brush has begin to bend), the Ilne tha' is ere-
been load~ in threedi!dna con- . ted wUl. ppear 'mms- p"",.rful
and hea't')'. Very lnterutin g textUrtS
centrations (liglu. medium.and
dark Ink), IS outlined on page 19, within a line can be created. This
SoIo>o
grip lin. wUllook like (.) on (lilg. 21. If JnO\-e.ment is used for pain ting
)'OU ja, -e dipped the brush int o the
brm ches and tree mmks.
Lt, ,II<...""" oj dot hnu!I mI oF""
your "ngjingtr , Mldi"g it btCWml d1t" water again,after it lw been ters summarizethe most imponant
Inda and middlefifI8US. Ktq it in load.d. It wUllook like (b). The points:
pLIu with )'Our Mlim". This willan- width of the palmed Un. "il l de-
pend on the length of ,he brlsdes -e-Pressure.speed, and the wetness
chor rht &nuh StC\IfT fy '1'1 , MM.
YOIA oCthe brush tnfluence form and
that havebeen in contact vdth the
paper, This can be chang.d by ad- appearance. Take noteof these
time po in ts and practice them
justing the pressure tha t is applltd.
to the-brush.
until )"0\1 arc p1'06dcDL This rech-
roque:b also Vtt)' effecti\'e in cee-
A lin. painted "ith the brushheld 110IIin g the nowof ink 00 the
at an anglt will \"It) ' more in its paper.
width, ha\'t a more carted shading . - If a brush Is roo wet, IDO\"t it O't'C
r
and look smoother and mort ..ert'k). the paper quicklyand "1m ''ery
donal" than one rhat is pai nt ed Ught pressure.
wleh the brush held in an upright - If the brush is nor wet enough.
posirion . 1nO\"t it ccer the paper slowly and
. pply more pressure,
- The mc,vemenr of )"OW' brush
Holdingr1t~ Handlein r1t~ 'um In your heart , goes through
\b1icall'ositlan your ann. through)'our fingers, all
If . brush Is held v'e rtiaJ1}'. the the " '2)' ' 0 the Up 01 the brush,
"1dth of uee can be chang ed by Don't rest r our elbow on the table
''af)ing the pressure applied rc the or the now of this tnO\'emtm "ill
brush (c). As the brlsdes bend. the be hindered,
tip remainson the center of tht - Try to paint with a "lq breath,"
line. Sucha lin. will look posid'.. , Instead of llWl) ' ,mall blOk.n
TanJcougrip SlIQOg. and p""..n ul. lb. brush is linee. Try to outline obj<c" In
Let dK 114ndItrnr /JpUrlSt)'Ollr middIt r'QCI'.'ed from one side to the other. broad strokes. changingthe 1DO't"t.
fingtr. whllt noldirl&Ie.btrwttrl your In- Use this rechnique when painting meat of the brush as little as pos-
GJId Uuul'lb. n isgives)'"(tll
da ji lfgtr sttms or t\f,igs to cree e clear, sible. Heslradngand p.intlng in
vtrUmDbfliJ)'.1M mlddlt jtJ1gcrcarl bt liv.. 1y lin. (d). while keeping an stop-and-go strokes disconnects
ustd tU supporfJnrmbthind. evenwidth . )'OU from the inner depth. inllu-
PAINTING TECHNIQ UES 11
eJ
PAINTING TECHNIQUES
Practicing Lines Wheo painting nod.... and
branches . practice cfrI\\.ing eesa-
and circularUoes. using the tip of
thebrush When pushing a brusb
pact. suang. "igorouslines v.ith the aa05S the paper. U)1ng to create
Th. first Un. Will Iltcomt tip 01the brush strOng,rf8ld Unes.speed and pres-
A fWt sure:are the importan t CactOTS.
This is an exercise In holding a n. fo urdl ExerclK: Pracdceuntil the:ink creartng the
brush vcmeally.The goal is to ex- Plum-TreeBrAnch branches and ""igs does nor bleed
perience the special feel of working Here )'00 wtll practicestrongCUI'''td toO heavil)' lnto the paper.
with ink brushes, paper, and ink.
Bk ndlng water and ink on paper
creatCSmany diffemu shades. In
spite of the fact that ink is black. it
is not I sober. cold. inorganic black.
15 is the:case with the blacks of wa-
tercc lcr and oil paint . Ink has a
panicular \dnd 01warmth: it
breathes.
11teSecondExercise: Orcllfds
This Is an esectse In ~iJlg a Une
with a certain kind 01rhythm.
Whtn palnting the leave s. the goal
is to draw a curvedline that looks
as if it were brought [0 life by a
long breath. It is carried OUt in a
S\\i h rr:lO'
-e. alternating the pressure
that Is applied to the bNSb. Prac-
tice lmm Idt to right and righ' '0
k it until )'OU feel that the brusb Is
alCIY lng acr055the paper without
any hesitation. Alsopractice alter-
nating the speed with which )'00
""".. thebrusb.
11teThird Exercise: B4mboo
This Is an exerctse In holding the
handle 01the brush uprtglu and at
an angle'. The goal is to practice
d_in g sU2igh, shapes and lines.
Om\ ing bamboo stem lends Itself
wen to painting in different shades.
<a\dng up additionalliquid, appl)iJlg
\'U)'in& pressure. and choosingthe
proper speed. fJshdon't bww IInydtilll
When ~ing leaves, experiment t <!Itwind blowing.-
. ...
using different brush pressures. troewater
22
P AINT ING TfCHN IQUES Z)
.EyesIUIdMo,w,
r Con",,1the wetness 01 til< bristles
SO that the tip is drier and becomes
P AINTI NG T EC" NI QUU 15
.tlf!tr. This assures thar the tip 01 leased the fragrance of the orch! brush slov.ly ever the paper, alter.
the brush widens " .. nly. Draw the and that the-ink Stone Itself Vi ruting the pressure. First reduce the
eyesand mouth "ith a suang line. 1IU an orchid field. pressure. then Increase it. and then
reduce it again. Draw Viith this
leaves rh}'lhm. ron lOO 1og "'ith a soft
The Second Experiment: Fill. or load. l"'" brush and bold
CUl'\~ ~t the'end of the leaf. me
26 JAPANES E I NK P A1NTING
1n order to pull the base of the flower St.... cpeeed their heere , like the 10'0
't
leaves together. paint the fifth and Continue '\1o"Orking
with the brush in mirrored in the eyes of a woman.
sixth leaves on the outside. Paint an upright position and paint the
from abcce down 10 the base. You EvalWltlon
stem In a gentle shade. Start at the
may add more leaves. but try to tip and go down to the base. as if - Did you remt resting your elbow
d creating chaos. Althoughthe
lI\'Oi the stem were embraced renderly on the table and. instead. let your
leavesare different in length, width, by nowerpetals. arm and brush tnO'o"e as one. 50
dlre ction, and shadings, together that roowere able to draw strong.
they should create a harmonious n""ing line.1
whole. Often "less" expresses -\\~ re you able to create suflktent
"more." Expres.sing many emotions shadings that achieve d the neces-
with only a fewstrokes was the Stamen 5.1')' three-dimensionaleffectto
teaching of the old masters. allow the Ilcwersto breathe freely
Fill the up of the brush wi th dark in the white space?
ink. The stamen is paint ed by
Flowen -Does the alternating pressure )'OU
touching the paper with the tip of U5<dwhen moving the brush
Add a little more dark ink to the the brush and pullingback again,
tip of the bristles. Holding the han- acrossthe paper make it look as
similar to the Chinese characterfor ere mcMngits wings?
if a bird .....
dle of the brush upright, paint the " he art, "
petal! from the outside to the cen- - Does the stamen. made with ltnle
ter. When )'ou aher the pressure After roo have placed lttde. gentle d015, appear as if the flowerwere
you apply to the brush. lines will dcts inside. the flowers will look shlMing her heart, as eyes ex-
change to a three-dimensional form. radiant and alive. as if they hln~ pressing emotions?
-
GrassMpptr
I
\\ '
I ~
I II
j
f I
I ~
~
P AINTI NG T ECHNIQUU 27
TIt. BambooDru m
Ihe brush is loaded ..itb the three
~!o.;ldes or tnk and set on the paper
wah the brlsdes flauened OUt. The
..."ldth of the Stem depends on hO'N
~<:h of the brisdu are in COD UIet
wnh the paper. Push the brush in
tile dirtction of the &m.r.'lhof the
".rn. finishingthe aegmen' by ap-
, l)ing bgh' pressure to the brush.
Continue this techntque fnr the
...-hole Stem. The:brush will lose
:mtt:h of ItSmoiswreu it ls pushed
:J wards, The bristles become
frayed," cre.ring It dry, only
~:.ghtly colored segment, as if light
'OR " ,hinlng ,hrough. This Image
"::10 be eentrelled by Increasing or
.mUting the amountof moisture in
Ct. brush and by changingthe pres-
sureand the speed with Which the
rush is guided ",..r the paper.
Nodules
hape a sUgbdymoist bNSh into a
uaightap on theplait or a rag _
and dip the Up In,o dark ink. Hold l\li(
the handle of the brush . prtglu and
!c:t only the tip come:In CClI1t&ct
28 J APAN !.SE I NK P AINT ING
with the p3p<r. The tip ,,;11look The amount 01pressureyou apply Srrpsf or pof.dng """' boo
like a hook. Pull sideways and en - determines the width of the ltl\"n .
dude by increul nx the pressure.
letting the brush Tna\~ off the paper EvallUltimt
in an up or dO'llo"swinging motion.
- Are Stems, branches. and lCI\"t5
ng the ink to fade into the
a1looo\i sufficientl) shaded so ther express
white space. This win create It stem
life in its dh'trs lt)'?
wtth dea rly defined nodules. - Old )'OU gt\"t each stem a distinct
beginning. expressing its abun-
Brandt es dant strength?
Branchesgr'O'o\ing OUt from the nod- - Did you Ieel rbe Ught. the depth.
ules art painted wi m a very dry and the quietness of the whitt
brash, purring I... pressure on the space?
paper, - Wert )"ou able to grve each nodule
the appearance of st3bilif)', and
z..aves did }'OU gi\'( each one clearl)' cit-
Add moistl1R to the bristles of the fined accents?
brush af" r It Ius hem I""dtd ,,; th - Art the branches strong t~ to
three different shades. 1told the eatT) ' a hta\y load of 51\0\\
'1
handle upright and quickly pull the
brush In one sweepingmotion ecer
the paper. UK pressureonly as the
brush lnidall)' toucbes the paper.
n. Moon
To paint bamboo I.., 'es , apply the
same technique you usedin paint-
ing the bamboostemsand
branches, a proc<ssthat may be dif-
ficultfor >'00. Try to sense the
moon in the sk)'. Exprc:sm't'ness
"ill no t be di mjn;she d if )'00 hee .
in one stroke, palmed a perfect circle.
19
30 JA PANES E I NK P AINTI NG
Large STanch..
lAullhto: bristles of the brush ....'trh
ink. Pu.;J} the brush. held at a more
or less steep angle, 5\\ifrl )' as roo
paint one segment after the other.
erfa cing bran hes tha t bend in dif-
ferenr dlrecrtons. Jeel the:tmsion in
the:bristles uf )'OW' brush 1U )' OU
"t t the: ~ pt r. This tension to;
tr'lO'o"COlo
tn..nsferred. milking the branches
mang and alive. It is helpful if the
np of the brush is bent at an t.ngk
as the brtstl arc pushed forward
or sidew:l)'5. You C" oln also rotate the
handle:between rour fingers as the
tip IDO\~ along the edge:cr e
brunch. lill~i ng the branch lO be-
come 1\;ltTO\\'cr ss It "grows ."
Twigs
Therip of rbe bl\lSh.comalning 1<55
liquid and held uprigh, ts post-
rloned ill the branch and pulled
swiftl) and " i th even pressure 1I"1l)'
Ircm It. Do not let the l'nd of a [\lig
blend into the paper, U lI\"esome
space fur blossoms you mighr wane
to paint late r,
BIossonu
When painting white buds IU1 d pet
als. load the bristles with the three
different shades of Ink and hold the
brush handle uprighc The diflerenr
shlding wit hin a blossom is created
b)' increasing or lcSRning the pru.
$UTe on the brush as )"OU paint th<
indh"1cluallintS. The shape of indi-
'i dual petals should nur be empha-
bel lOOStrong!)-.
When painting pink-cclcred bios.
5OtnS . the brush is filled \\1m three
shades of \"t ry light lnk. Paint the
mdMdual pt tlllJ wi th one:"dab of
the brush for each one. This creates
diffell'nd)' shaped blossoms.all
pointing in difi'trent directions.
,
)2 J APAN !!loE I N K PA INT IN G
Stamm
Gh"t the tip of the brush IS 6ne a
poin t as roo can, and load thebris-
tles with 1.$ little moi5tureas pesst-
ble. Although lht tip is fine. each
line must be palnted with II ruol Ult'
stroke. U,lng dark ink. add ltnle
dots aba.-e or below meline.
EvAluation
- Did the energyof liCe 00\\' into
the t\\1gsand branches. so the')'
radiate strength lind \1tality?
Plinting (JI.~r a pl'e\wusly patnred
surface robs lr of this flow.
-Estab lishina cea rrast between
gentle tlo"..cr petal and a rough
branch or N ig createsa beautiful
blO55Om. CJ.n)'0\1 detect in the
branch the man)' years of us
growth.a sign of lIS Iif<?
-Did the white 5p;lC~ gain in depth
becauseof the li\'tl)' crisscrossing
of twigs lind branches?
Additional Practice
W'tlIow
At first sight ... 'hat seems to be :a
rather diffil"'Ulr task-painting. the
o tkins-hu been done successfully
eeen b)' beginners. With. brush
that is loadtd with somewhat ecre
water and \\ith lin ink that is not
too dark.painr lit. catkins by lhb-
bing lit. brush on rho pap<r. Us<
drier brush and darker ink for the
sepal and paint the twi gs as we dis-
CUSKdbefore.
PAI NTIN G T eC lI NIQ U r:s 33
PirteTru
Branches of ptne U'S bevea cern -
plerely dif'~rcnt cb:anc(tr dun
these of plum Itt es. !hq ' p"" 1d<
goodpractice Co r paintingbranches.
These:branches art painted \lith
the bru5hhdd at I n Ingle, Twigs
arc painted tht same:\l"a}' as plusn-
eee t....igs . fromthe:largu. recgher
branches (0 the smaller eaes. Pine:
needles ere painted w1th II brush
''''''Is almost dry, held l imos, up'
righ'. Conclude by painting 'he
bark " 1th an l imos' dry brush Ind
darklnk. To create 11.solid Itne,
pushthe brush forward,
-
J A PAN ESE I N K P AINT ING
..
Bird on a Branch dry. Conclude by painting the feet Stepsfo ' pai'U'l'l bin!
When paintinga bird. we usually and clews, using a dry brush filled
Sta rt with thebeak. first with the with dati<Ink.
upper half and then the lower. The 1, is helpful to paint the wholebody
position of the beakdeterminesthe oCthe bird In a lightershade and
position of the btrd'shel d and then ",.. rIaythe "ing> and the ta
n
body. Paint the btak and the 'l '" wi th darkerink.Thisprevemsun-
with a still, dr)' bNShcontaining evennessthatcan etherwisedisturb
dark Ink. Thewaythe 'l'<S an the finishedpainting. Only after the
pain ted determines the expression. whole bird is ~d do )'oupaint
Use the darkesr shade Cor the pup- the branchon which II I.ssitting.
ils. Continueby painting the heed,
then the body, Collow! by the tail
Ceathm . For the <bestand belly,
UK a lighcershade . l1Ra darker
shade for ,he " ings and the tail.
Pain, these bereee the pm i"",l)'
painted. lighter pans ha-.. btgun to
P AINTING TECJ1NIQUU
'"
36
P AINTI NG T r:CK N IQ UES 37
.
Exercises for Poppy
Creating Space als
1 , -as Cascinattd the delicate pet -
IS
of the poppy came a1h" through
pressureon the pape.r. decrt"ui ng
the pr<S51U< as the brush is pulled
d't brillwu color of metnk. it d O'\ll and off the paper. The "" -
With the Brush Held at seemedas if butterllic:swert rum- men is pafnted with \y ry dark ink..
bling about. At the same lim<. I
an Angle, A lmost Flat thoughtof the Acropolis. an Infi- Stmt
on the Paper nitely deep. uure blue .k)'. and the Finc eslAblish the wldth of the
imet15t.lyb rilUant colon of pcppjes Stem by using 1M appropriate pres-
in bloom! sure. When the right width is
achieved. pull the brush oo..nwanh .
FIowrr Pmls
loa d }'OUt brush wtth the three dif- Hair
ferent shades of ink. pushing il O"U We use a special technique for
t:ht paper in the order given in me painting hair. Begin by pushlng J""l
drawings below. the tip of the upright brush 011 the
ink plate, then rDO\oing it l.ck lind
ne Centn of rltc FIowrr fonh In the Ink. The bristles \\, 11
With the dp of the brush, make lit- become Cray td and take up \'ft:ry lir-
tle dots In the shape of a triangle. de Ink. Hold the Craj 'ed bristles be-
For the poUen. usc the da:.rkestink twe en )"OUf thumband index linger
possible. so as to Corm a rin)' "brush" with
shen "bristles." Use these bristles
Suzmm to add hair to the Stem. pu11ingthe
The .wn<nis palnled by dabbln& bristles Po"l}' from the stem to the
the tip of the brush \\,th .light outSide.
(j)
,. (!)
.+
(j)~
. ~
t
i/ @
-"
j@
e 4,
+ _lI
~
f'1lrr Bud
r Stan ....ith the petal in the center.
Guide the brush on In Ingle ....ath
the tip in an upv.-..rdmotion, Rotate
the brush to the left md outSlde.
Pullthe brush downwards as )....
decrease the pressure. Youjus t
painted the left half of pelll1!Con-
timlt with the right hill in the same
fashion. The handle of the brush
D'lO\"t5 to the right. Add both the Supsf or pail'ltiPlgQ. CJ'OCIU
C!J
CD
!J~
@) I
C!J
Croau in tM Snow SUM Leavts
40
PAINTIN G T EC"NI QUU tl
,
Magnolia
A magnoliatree, with blO55Olll! that
look 1ik<candles. Is simply oee of
w most b<audful sWus in aIlof
nature. Lookingat this tree ~
bloom aIv.'a)'S "' minds ""t of w
expruslon on ",!"bl w r', Iace
w'hen she talktdto us aboutthe
moment whtn our magnoliatree
began to burstinrobloom.
11KFIawa
Il<gtnwith w outormoso.ldt petal.
Pull w brush from the oIIlick- .
wJ w inside while rowin g in o
left. Thepetalin the cente r is
painled in 0\'0 stages. The brushrc-
talt5 and Is pulled from the ou_
to W inside . Add the right petal.
FollO\lingthe samesequence. add
-:
,
--
-
__ 0. .. ' #
J APANS E I N': P AI NT I NG
Buds
Poli
nt the buds the same " "lilYas v..e
have discussedfor the b rg< nowers.
using two or dun strokes.
SqcIls
Add sepals at tht base of the flower
or llt the bud. Makesure thllr the
slw:leof the .RpW stands in con-
trast to that of the petals of the
O~~r.
TwiSS
In order to give ure to the StCITt5
and twigs. take the moisture out of
the brush and fill the tip of the
brush with darlcink cnly. Draw the
st em from the baseof the Ilower
r",,'IUdsthe n\;g .
Leaves
When pain ting the large tec es.
stan at the point where thc')'
emerge from the twi gs and tDO''t up
to'o\'1rds the tips of the ICl \'tS . Paint
th e sman leaves wit h the tip of the
b~h.
P AI NTI NG TECIiNIQ Ul5
.Y<
e
~
I
@)
@ @)
t ~
Iris
We dminguish between iTiKs Wt
@
'f
are shan uved, which have dis-
tinctly shaped lelnu . and the other
irises. with thdr mort gently Supsfor pcrhrrhtg an Iris
shaptd leaves. \ 'U )' rear on the
fifth of May. the !'<as, of ,h. Bo)'.
the:latter t)-pc of iris. together with
a picture:of the armor of a samurai,
is U5td for decorating. Its upright
shape and slrong gf'O\\ 'th best s}'m-
bolue the Ideal of the samuraI.
Sepals
Flawu Sepals.too, are painted In tWO reload the brush wilh a lltrle bit of
Stan . i th the pee l Wt extends mge . Each time, pull the b"" h dark ink and. as you hold your
down from thecenter. In order to nd",'1)~ while rcuung th' handle. breath. pull down rewards yuu. Your
make the seam, created by ~"O 1you hav.. used light Ink. the lin. breath should stay in your belly,
tJ\"trlapping Unt5. les, obvious, load between the 1\\'0 sepal! will be'visl-
When painted in this way. the rips
the brush with the three different ble. In this case. that is the effect
you warn to achieve because it of the leaves become dark. giving
shades of the ink and follow this the Impl"t5ston that the leavesare
.h",,~ the proper. curlingshape of
seam. UK the tip of the brush. al- reaching. growing. towards the sky.
lowingthe darkerinlt to ron to the the sepals.
The proc~ss began in sullness, but
inside. If a dtrlc area O't'!:rlaps
an- the .Ughdy curv.. d ups speak of
other dark are. the seam will Sum bursting encrg).
hardly be nodteable. This is the Hold 'he brush uprigh' and. begin.
method to USC'when cO\"ering ning It the base of the Dower, pull
large. uniform area. The petals ex- down to the edge of the paper.
tending to the ! idu art painted b)'
alt.ring the prmure and by tot2 dog Leaves
the handle of the brush, The three Holdlng the b"" h uprlght and. with
mall pew.and thosethat grow be- ccndmscusly increasingpressure
n de each of the lat<rol pew.are Stan at the dp of the leavcs and
abo painted by tolldog the handle tnO\ "t the brush dO\\'fl\\"Ird.s
. BefOrt
of the b""h. painting the le~"t:S that nand erect,
P AINTING T ECHN IQUES .,
Anth urium
wheneeer 1 look at an anthutium.I
think of a kit< soaring gracefullyIn
th<sky. and L too . want 10 ny.
!'IDw<r
To paint th< llov.-er, load }'OW' brash
only J1lghtly"'th Ink (In three
shad<> . of course). Hold your bNSh
al an angle and push the brlstks
downund! one-third of th< Itngth
of the brlsdesis in contactwith the
papar. W1thoul h. sitadon. pull the
brush. whlleroladng the !landle,
,,,,fdy upwardsto the Ji8ht. With a
secondstroke.and In iI lighter
shade. paint the underside.
Ltava
Load)-our brush\lith ink that is
",latn~ly datk. but maintain thn:.
shadts. Paint each leaf in twO
RagU . With each SU'O
ke. the dp of
the bnah rDO\'eS alongthe center at
an angle from the top [0 the base.
Wlltn the Ink is a1mo> l dry. pain t
In th< ,'tins with clark Ink.
S_
Patnt the SIemsin a lighter shade
and 1'nO'o'C brushfromthe base
}"OUr Srqsfor pcUn
tin8 GnGnthurium
of the nowerdown to the edge of
th< papar.
is
PAINTING O aJ CTS i9
Widrt TlIrn
ip
JAPANUI INIt P AIN TIN G
Abovl CoIIIposltlons:
p..,,.
Those pans that are dense, hu\ -y.
HGnnDfty ad Coll_ dark.large.and close representthe Sran wirh ,he pcar in <he middle.
Load}"O ur brush with threeshades
In ink pUndnp . composition de", r fullness; thosethataresparse, of ink. Hold the handleat an angle,
mines the harmonious rtladonship bright. light. small.and far away paintingthe left hall 01 <hepear
and dlsdncdm that exists between representemptiness. While empti. fuse Male<surethat the dp 01 <he
emptiness and fullnessand be- ness and ullnwcreate COfttl'U t.
brush g\\-es shape to the ower con-
tween a sur andtbt support:iD&thc}.ltIIl5t complement each 000 toUr of the lrule RDtating<hehandIc
ICtOr. and exist in hannony.
01 <hebNSh..111gtve <heIov. .. r half
The area in which }'OU work is di YoultIIl5t makeclear wldch object lIs width. The wldrh 01 <hepear is
\idtd into the emptiness . ..rbeee 15prlmary and ..illch 15seccedary, deremdned b}' <he Iensth 01the
the'" is nothing. and the spoce that Paintthe pnmaryobject firstand btistles . Coadnue by painring <he
is filled, ,,'he'~ }'OU paint. In order <hen,he s<coadary . If . composi right half 01the fruit.again. ,tarting
to create C0mra.5ts . the-painttd tion consisu 01rht<e objects . pUnt at the top and tl>JV!llg the bNSh
SJ>I"CIIlll5t be spmc and dense, them in tht order of "guest. host. dov.'m\
'lMs. Thesecondpear. which
hnvy and lish~ dark and briah' . and servant," Therelationshipbe- is p1a}ingthe suppcmng role, is
and ccetaln big and small things tween ob].... gi\-.s paintingliIe lighter. bu, the ink abo contains all
and distant anddose objectS. and balance. three ,hades, I, is okaylor <heI,ch
side 10 O'o'trlapthe firstbecausethe
P AI NTI N G a _J Ee rs
a."..... tlIcm.....
A1on&
w1th the bamboo.orcbld. and pressureand pull the brushto the
plum tree. the cluysan the= Is cemer of the OCft'~r, In this way.
one or the "rouraristocrats." de- each petal tip Is somewhatpmml-
scribed In the MllS14rdStc4 GGrdtn, nent and thru-dimlnslonal. Forthe
Chinesetextbook from the seven- lU\u. use darkerink. Pulleach tn-
ttendt century.Chrysanthemums dividualbrush stroke from the OUt
ere symbolsorautumn.Theyare side to the center, creating each
elseS)'Inbols of lo)"ahy and dese- whole leaf In one Stroke. Wockfrom
tion. the tip to the base.
Begin br painting the central petals The,.... Is painted In swift brush
lim, worlcing)'OUC way from the re Strokes",mthe handle held up-
to the outSide. Loadthe brush ..,th tigbt, using three IIgbt sIwI... The
three. hades of IIgbt Ink. Dnw the CODO'Ut between the white sun.ce
owline in rA'O separate brush and the Ink makesthe ,.... appear
.-.. . holding the hand1<upriabt to be made of gJus.
and pullingthe brush from the OUt -
side to the Inside. HOO',",u, male< Finalir
. with datk Ink.add ,'tins to
sure that the petals are not anthe the 1eI\ U and to the eemer of the
same width. As )"'" did when paint- blDasom.
Ing the bamboo nodu! es, set the tip
on the paper with a lInle bit of
J "''' NlU INK P " INT1NG
Teapol
The knob OIl the tid is drawnwnh
or
the of the brush.Rotaterhe han-
dle 0 the brush.staningat the top.
Ma."eto the left and downand Im-
mediately go back again to the
startingpoint. mcM ng the brush to
the right and downwards. To paint
me lid. hold the brush horizontally.
pu!llog !l to the right while rotating
the handle of the brushto the OUt -
side. The base of the lid is painted
with the brush In an upright pest-
tion. Do likewisewhen painting the
Itandle. Hold the handle of the
brush uprighL For the belly of the
pet. hold the brush ot on angle. For
the bottom. hold the brush upright
again.To paint the mouth of the
pot, Stan at the bellyand tnIJ'"t the
brushto the left and OUt. for the
bowl, load the brush wim three
shades of inkand hold it at an an-
gle. Start with the rip of the brush
at the left side and, with a rotating
motion, swildy paint. broadarea,
ending with the brush In an upright
position. drawingthe bottom of the
bowl.
P Anni NG O I JECTS
"
M...hl'OOlll
To paint (he underside o( (he mush-
room. ha\'crourbrush loaded v.'i(h
three shadu o( ink. Ikgin by ~uin&
the rtp of your brush on lhe paper.
Pull the brush sloIoiyto the right
wohile applyingpressureand rotating
lile handle. Conclude this stroke
wi th the lip of the brush. The upper
pordono( (he mushroo m is painted
in the sameway,The l.amtllae on
me undersideo( the mushroom are
painted by loading the brush ..1lil
v.. ry light Ink and . starrtng at the
base of the Stem, pu11iIlg the rip of
the blUSh qulcldyto the outSide.
SrqsJorpaintinga mwhroom
JAP AN ESE I N K P AINTI NG
A Study of Trees
Tntnll
1f)"OUwant to eruct I mmk'Aith a
Oallook. sun where the thlcUs'
branch beginsaml pull the brush
d""", to tit< base. wbe e outUn1nga
DUnk.you may mcJ\"f:yourbrushIn
any dlr<ctlonyou Iik<. Try to draw 1ft<lmi _ .r
lines without hesitation. in one C - -t- oJ D"ttS
brushstroke. Do not use sman
suokes.u you would in a pcnllnd-
ink drawing.Try lO g;.. tit< aunk
an Irregularwidth as the brush
tnO'o"CS
CI\"Cr
the paper.
Twlp and BnIlIChts
Pain, the branches 6m, then tit<
lW1&S . Genually speaking.lW1&S and
brancheson the left side of. tree
... painted Ircm the top to the bee-
tom and bom left to rtgIu. The
...;gsand brancll<son tit< rf8Iu
side of the tree are painted from the
bottom up and from ri&h t to 1.&.
Ulna
la\"CScan be paintedrIo'O dift' uent
"'.ys. Theonhodox methodin\'Oh -es
pain ting only tit<cutlln e. In the
cdier way. whicll developed later.
~
th. Ink is dabbedon the paper whh
the tip of the brushwithoutclear
outline. l.e.a\-eswith serrated edges
aredabbed on the paperwtth an
old brush tha, has shon brtsdes, ~
CI'OWIl
'n of the
Before you paim the CI'09o
eee, paint the trunk.tit< lW1&S
. and
thebranches . In order to createan
ap ansn.. view, sun dabbin& !rom
de to the center of the
the OUtSi
crown. 50 thatthe lea\ti m more
deese en to p and the outside than
thosethatarccloser to tht trUnk
and theinside. Darkness '-ersus
Ii&h ' and "... surfaces \"eJSUS dry
spaces,when propertydistributed,
will gl\.. dynamicen<TBY to tit<
tree , When painting a &JllUP of
(fCU. alWl)'S 5Wt withthe one
Wt is closestto )'0\1.
JAPA~ESE INK P AINTl NG
Trus In du<I'ldd
Thisis an exercisein paintingtrees.
If)'0\1 wantto painta groupof
trees. make.surethat)"OU\'11)' the
Unes of tho blUlI:OOand twIp .
There art: thost thal arc dr). and
old; ethers art 11m and )'OU!li-
Some art thick and dark; othm art
thIo and Ughte r, Mak<sur. that the
skeletonsof the trees. the trunk,
twtgs.andbranches. ha\'t an ex-
pansh-echaracter. Three-dimea-
siorWeffectSart achievedanda
painting COme:5 ali\-ew.flenstrong
lines andbroaderbrush strokes are
alternated.
f idei in Sumrr..tr
PAINTING O . Jl CT5 '9
Rulity GIld
It ......
"""&I"'""'"
magical ."""lIen ee. Sud-
denly, 1_ sum>UIld.dby du: soft
Ugh,of spring, 5<1UInB rho cool alt
on mycheeks. II WU IS if I wert
walldngalong m..r, Mcmow
fromthe put seemedto come alive.
r was addinglinle dabsof ink IO a
branch, indicating the sproudng of
n.... leaf buds 011 the barebtaOcb<s.
1 felt SWltIUtIcI<dby bunri&!! Ugh,.1
.....wa1l<iIli alongtha' m.r I3'inI
Ink on whitepaper,in a Wet or dry
srat<. can ... ke imagesof UgIuand
01 dlflum, shades of cclee, auting
W<>nd<rfuJ mnospb<tt. Til<ex
ptasicns creased ill ink paintings
are b:nmediate and true . B1acked
white photoscan never hopeto
!lin< du: ..... cl<ets .
Riverhi Summer
60 JAPA NESE IS K P AINT IN G
'. _s
dle of the brushI t an angle. it
A taU end tts short.
Ululqll iIandtnWpmnt,
rt}I<clioft
of fall.
(B1lSOlI)
I
I
, I
l
I
I
1
, I j
f
!I f\
- I
/ \
PAI NTING O BJECTS 61
Till """&<
oj SlI:"U''IU gnw
is 011that is Iefl
oj tkt warrfDr'sdream.
(Basho)
P AI NT I N G OaJf:CTS 63
Basic ""TIft
Of0 1lDc/r tating the handl e between ycur fin-
gers sideways and tncreastng the
care depth or shadows. A mon:
compaCt Une looks darker. indicat-
While a rock.ls a pan orthe moun-
tain. it is alsothe mountain 's basic
pressurewhile _in g the brush ing shadow, U necessary, emphasize
componcnL Try to givesparialchar- upwards.When you reach the up- pan 01 the ItU by paintingwith
acter to the basteshape. per portion 01the rock.pull the the brush held at mort of 10 angle.
bNSh down, " i th the rip 19ain It
It would be """derful il you could an angle. allcwtng the line first to Small dots added '0 foldingUnes
gl\'< I thrt e-dimetulooa1 qualityto I become wider, by rotatingthe represent mossgrowingon the rock.
stene with one S'ltt'ift
stroke of the brush. and then narrower, As the Dots painted close togt'thcr will
brush. because ...-ben a line is dnrwn brush is pushed sld", 'Ij"S.the brts- make the ink 01)';\'togt'ther. gMng
....ith one brush .stroke. you ha\<e des ",111spread OUt and ",hite the surface of the rock a damp
gr.'tn it Strength. and vitality. spaces will be created. When pain t- look. as if the whole surfacewere
Stolt by - ioa the brush . ..i rh the ing a group of roc.ks, al ""ll)'S paint eeeered 'Withmoss. In general. the
tip It an angle and with sIlght p res- the one in the Icregrcundfint and dots that indicate moss growing on
sure, tc the left. I'<>Uow through,rt>- men those in back. 1a rock 15un- the rock are used15 accents or srm-
..-.n!}' shaped and bas panku1arly pi)' as drcomion. U the dots appear
,trong contours. stilt by painting I hard and grainy. the stone wi ll look
roughoutline. Condnue to pal nt rough.Make sure your painting con-
..;th sbcn, alternating. ",-erlapplng \"e)"S vitality. as well as ton e and
Eblndl'lgIN basicJhapt oJ G roc" Unes (callt d loldlng lints ) tha t lndi rb}'thm.
U: Willi two
bnuh , ,,",,,,
The Compositionof a
Painting
eom ..ntlotla1paintings Itt created
by dMding the area of the pietute
into fonground . middle ground.and
baclrgtounclIt Is on easy woyfor
you to ac:hiC'\'t:
depth and to au.te:
a narunl spatla1ItnptWlon. But
this Is DO'the only rule of the
game. YoumightI...... Out the mid
dle ground. tr)"OW' main intereSt is
in the background. you can high.
Ugh,It by "'i ng darlt Ink.
Once 19ain. 1want to emphasize
that an ink painting is not necessar-
tly meant to produce a naturalistic.
realistic pictUrt: rather. it is an at-
ttmpt It find1na the essenceof an
object or landK:apt. as ,,-ellas your
0"'Il personalperception.
1'CnI
Grr walkfng-
.... 10"1 th<""'" is
IIItll .... iTem rhegrass
oj th<field.
(Buson)
/
P A INTI NG OI JECTS 65
For du t reason.alwaysStart 'li th space. whlch gives depth [0 me between primary objects and ob-
da t which represents your primary paindng. Cor nrasttng objects should jeers that are secondary, etc.
focal poin t. OCcourse. a p. inting alsohave a harmoniousre:lationship In ll' fanlllS)' landscape on the
will look more natural if ebjecrs in to tach othe r. literally and mentally; page [0 the left, 1 painted [he cabin
the foreground an: larger and for instance. contrast between de- first. 1 "sal" myselfin the plcture at
painted in darker shades. and ob- tails and whole re:presenradons. be- a cable. men I "planted" the trees
jects in the background an: smaller tween moo. 'emenu seemingly origi- and rocks and sprinlded sand ever
and punted in lighter shades. Ide- nating from and leavtng the them. I concluded the paindo g by
ally. COntrasting objects in a com- painting or coming from the outside adding the seashore and the moun-
position should occupy the 'l-hite and meMnginto the painting, and tains in the distance.
DlffnmalS In Ol_ that g&\'C me a sense of total happi- painted does DO [ exist. Did }"OU eeer
ness. All of us feh the buut} in the observe something like it in na-
and J"l"'- Ink PalntlJ18S presence of tha[ flower. ture?" This "observing with the in-
tellect" is an objcctive attiNCk, as
I am oCten asked Ibout the differ-
In comrast. the style used to pain t wh en a painter expresses in words
ence between j apanese and Chinese
that orchid wasnot what my many of the theories and principles
ink paintings. The roots of j apanese
Chinese master undemood an ink tha t are to be adhered to when crt -
ink painting80 back to the four- ating Q. painting, These the ories and
teenth century. The)' came from painting should be. For him the or-
chid must be created in a clear, dis- principles ha\.. been handed down
China where, as already meadcned.
tinCtform IlS required b)' Chinese to us. They exlst:in Chinese paint-
two different styles al.Radyexisted.
tradi tion . For that reason. he made inS' . in contraSt to Japanne onn.
These were the objective,distinct,
pencll sketch to shov.' me what where observations are much morc
and sry1izedlines of nonh em China influenced by subjecm't (eclings,
and the subjective, lyrical, and ex- the orchid looks llke in nature.
preestcestyle of southern China. E\'<ntho lllYt.ryliu d Chinese inIt In addition to a more objective. log-
~tings are, to be sure. ncr realis-
The latter style came to Japan [ 0- ical depiction, Chinese ink palmus
gether with Zen Buddhism. The tic representadcas of nature, like a also admire the claril)' expressed in
japanese aesthetic sensibilities an: photograph, they are very naturalis- dj'namic lines. 11SOIll<thin8 Is
clearly expressed in these choices. tic studies of nature. This is a style meant to be hidden. Chinese anisa
as well as in the way sumfof subse- that bas as its underJ}'i. ng concept a depict it in sym bols, whlle japanese
quent!) d" -eloped in Japan. desire Cor idealization and does not ink patmers often UK symbolismor
necessarily depict nature in a prob- suggestive nuances of mood. Japa
My Japantse teacher. as way of lematic sense. nese ink paintings require:a "being
int roduc tion , \\'lIS painting an orchid
inside ," When M)' japannc master
in absolute sueace and extreme an- A German student proudly showed painted a Dower.this ROWttWI5
dctpanon, using only a few brush our Chinese master his painting rcacbins out towards light, towards
strokes that were almost iDYtsib le. which depicted a bare, d)'ing pine the open space. and the lmA
Another student, watching in tree on '. mountain. The muter im- flaw tnl O
and reaching out liI."OUld
amazement, exclaimtd that It was mediatel}' reached Cor his brush and the while space. My Chinese IJII5ter
difficult Cor her to describe the painted needles on the branches , to was ponraying what he was point.
beaury she sensed in the painting. shO\!o'
hew strong and enduring the lng. When he painted trees . chey
WhIle only a hint of inIt touched pine tree is. The student was would stand arrogandy apinst the
the paper the "breath" of the or- speechless and then outraged that white space, which they perceleed
chid seemed to touchour faces, his depiction of the destruCtionof to be a bltsSing from bej'ond.
quieti)'. delicately. The O""",r was nature was discounted and changed.
only I shimmer oCUCeemthe paper. However;Cor the Chinese master. When 1inoked at the painting rrrcs
but the space $W'l'O'UDding it was bound by his tradition, it was un- in Doyligh, by the ltalim painte ,
11k<a large protective .. u. The pee- thinltable that the pine tree . the Morandi. I was immediatelyre-
als of the orchid became the center symbol of long life. wouldshed its minded of trees as my Cbinrsc
oCthe cosmos. It was an experience needles, He said. "No. what you master painted them.
66 JA'AN!5 ~ bue PA1N TIN G
Reflections in the Monee In his piClUra. just u In Ink When painting picture thatcon-
palntinll'. he wu oIwoystrying to Wns reflectionsin water. stan wiq.
Water becomeone with Dawn:. Thereflec- the tr ees. Thosethot are close by
non of the sky In his palndD&> re- sbou1d be larger and pointed in
Ink palndD&> lend lhtmseh", well \'Ca15
depth and eternity. wblch. darktrshades thanthosethatare
to painting ttflec:donsin the:\\'1ur, eeen thoughIt Is painted In dy. farth.r ...-.y. wblch should be
sincewater is pan of me Dowof namicbrushstrokes . appearsto me smallerand In %bter ,hodes. Then
Ink. The _ ponlon Ilong lht paint the rtfieetion of the trees in
to be similarto W ",bitt spacein
edge of the water. createdby ever- ink palndD&> . the W&W'. Whllt the inkis 5tiDwet ,
lapping tw O brush "",kos. gi\'" lht paint the shore and then the shore-
palnrlng I senseof tulity . Whatis In contraSt10 Monct's 'A-ondcrful
line reflectedin the ... ter,
a.scinatingto me is that the space symphonyof color, Ink palndD&> re-
Ippom to beeeee rulIy large rainfromthe use of worldly colors.
throughthe repedtlon of the reflec- Wuhow:color. the &tmOIphcre of
tions, whichStemsto evokefeelings sdllnessand radiantpeacefulness is
of etemity. Thisthemealwlys te- Intcmified. HarmonyIn the painting
mindsme of the paintingsof .... ter Is .... ted by the U)'DUllCtricII bol
lili .. by the f,. nch Impressionist ance of rcolityand Illusion.
P AINTING O BJECTS 67
68 J APAN ESE. I N" P AINT IN G
,
I
-
I
PAINTING O BJECTS 69
Fint SMW
'trtd cabin
Snow-Co\
70 J APAN ESE INK P AINTING
Anclloml _I
whe n paintin& the boac start by
pullingthe tip of the brush from the
frontto the bock edge. then push.
Ing to the end of the bock edge. In
this ..-.y. )'0\1 gi\.. the boat vluUty .
From there, proceed to the ow r
ob]ecl5. Cloudsare pai nted by hold-
Ing the hantfie of the brushat an
and _ing it holizonuUy
-r.r the paper.
oo.
72 JAPA NESE bn e P AINTING
1- /
PAIN TI~ G a lJEen 73
Daruklions
D1nd.UOll5b looming 011 I carpet
of grass, eh.ttfuI and Ih"ly. like lh-
de children- this impression of sim
ple and jo)fu11ire is wher I want to
expressin ink. Before I evenbegan
to sketch the:I lcwers, I knewex-
l ed)' what they looked like and why
the le:l\"'tShad suchan unusual
shape. How exuaonlinary are those
serratededgesof dandtllonleaeesl
After 1had painted the blcssces . I
added the 1-.... uc h one with I
swiftstroke of certafnry. To add lift
to theplant,the smallerOOW'
u \\'1.S
pcstdoned more to the left. 1 kept
SlIt".
oJ . d4>l4t1
1o. e space on the rightside.
mort ",'bit
f
P A INTI NG a . JEe TS
.... -
Gladioli
t\"try existing color as well as light If you paint pink-colored plum-tree
PAINTING and dark.color lw always been
used in paintings. ucc pt in zee
blossoms. thc).should. when con-
rrasted to the (wigs and branches.
77
78
Cltryscmtllmlum
ror the chr}-..nth<1D.lIDI useda
mixture thaI contain ed Justa hint of
ink and the rollowingwatercolors:
carmine reel cadmium red. and co-
balt blue. By adding ink to tM water -
color and using Gum -.shi paper Cor
this palntlng each ",-.da pping
stroke crn.tU a white edge. givin&
the Dowera thrtt -dim<nslona1ap-
pearance.
Otrys.:a
1ltfttrl
Ulm
(hili and WdW'tD
lor)
80 J APANE SE I N K P A 1 ~ TI N G
- StiU.....
For thts picmre I underscored tht
",ilig!u mood It duskby lI5Ing
highlydiluttdwatercolors to create
the space bej'Ol1dtht Ink painting.
82 J APAN ESE I N K P AIN TIN G
Cows
PRACTICE t SP ' these rwe CO\\'5 on meadow
duringa moment of absolute quiet.
CGt
Somebodypointed OUt to me dw
cats area frequentmotifIn J.p'.
nese pain tings. Might the re...,., be
that th< fur or .. many Is black and
white?Or 15it becausetheyare
Io.-.dl A cat in such a post appeals
eeea to me.
In her dream, the eat 1m .... back
to the ' 'e ry beginnlngor exls<e"".
The seal SI}" . " Drutn$ are my
home."
f
I CyclalllDl
F1...-ersdancing on the "globe of
leeves ." Thisis mym'O ri~ OO\\'U
iIlg plan,. Birth and death meet on
the mrrry-go-roun d called nature.
The cyclamennever 1os<sits
beauty.
Bo4t
The most beautlfulpan of ' his
_-. ....
paintingis the whitespace. It ap-
pun to be Infinite . The lightat the
bdg}\( or the summer seasenis 50
brigh~ I' ol!en a g1lmp5< InlD
eternity. In ,he mldday quie~ the
present becomesone "ith infinite
lime.
84
P RACTIC E M OTi n 87
- -
88 JAPANESE iNK P A1N TIN G
farewdl (on Shlk!sh! papa ) Nude 8""" ~h Thebrush "knew" ho9,. it wanted to
This is a combinationor c1lS5ical In a corl\'tnticmalsketch. the .rtist. be mcced. The picture was finished
and modem mot1fs . Many paindngs when sketchinga body on (lilper. in no rime.
done duringthe slxttenth and !CV - usuaIJjr uses many separate brush
entr:enmcenturies usedpapa cov- suobs. HO\\' different is this ink
ered with gold le. l <,'e n if the in- sketch!Heft, almostin a single
tent was punly to add a deccradve saoIct.the brush """oedlrom head
toucll.the dfea or the rdl<cdon to toe, turningalternately to the Id t
and the space see min&Jybursting and the rlgbt. and resting only tem-
..ith bril1lant Ii&bt
is truly enchant- porarily on a few pIa es to create
in&-The imge or tlUDil) comes lO thr shape. Thearm"''as paintl
mind. with tM second stroke. Starting It
the .houl der.
1 am sure you havebeen dtsap- tht .mazing lmproeement, you will
MOUNTING pointed when a finishedPlctu.rt
looked differentafterthe ink drted.
undertakethisjob mort often. Spe-
cialistsknow a lot of dif[crent meth-
90
M OUNT ING A F INISHED P AINT ING 91
_e.
aft
Instructions remo<.. d by carefuli)'lapping
the brisdes of the bnah on !he
the pocket.
8. The paintingmaybe'dJ)'within
1. Pb.. the paintinglactdov.."on an hour;however, il is wise to
mood>and eleanllIble. 6. Uft the painting olr !he llIble let it dl'}' a.-emigbt.
2. Spray !he bad< oCthe pointing using the uPP" edges. It you 9. WhenrtJlllOri ng the painting
IigIulywUh...... t rom!be ha-.. problem>. slide 5CWing from the g1w . lin ir carefully
. pray bottlt. B<.,.,.ful l It ch< needle along the edge. Hold b).""
0 corn ers. U it don not:
paper amtOO wet. it will tm- the edge be", -een )..... fingers seem ro Iifr olr culI) '. 5Iid. the
mediatdy become_" . mak- as the papercomes loose. Be- edge or tip o( a knifeunder the
ing It difficult for you ro .."Om fore )"OU p Ut the painting bad< poper loop (the on. ext.nding
wUhIt- pasr the edge), Ioo5<ning the
3. Car<fulIylin the paintingolr paper around the edges from
the llIbl. and ..;po olr any ex- the g1IS5ourface. Glue and pa.
cess ......rer. Placrthepainting per Teh011the gIw are easily
bad<on the dry llIblc. rett'Oo-ed withwater.
~ . With !he bnah ppIj' the glue 10. RetnO'o"t:the excess paperfrom
or pute to the backof tbe: around !he painting with. pa-
JWnting.se.ning from the:em - pet cutter. if} "OUwan t to Cta.me
ter and.... "orkln' OUt to the the picture. Ieeveenoughof the
cd&cs- Apply . Iinle pru5U1C '0 suppcrttng pap around the
5IDOOl:h OU t any W1t'\ l!:n, wa\y painting. ThIswtll make I.....
opotS. ier to position the paperaccu-
5. Glue the oupportlng pope' ro rately when framing. It is not
!he back of the paJntina.Take necessaryto use passe-panout
the supportingpoper in 1'OUr when framing a painting. Man).
ler. band and let il hang doo.'II. tim6 it is tOO heavy fot a eeu-
Hold .he brush in I..... right cate ink painting.
hand. Inorderto center the on the table. makesure tha t
.upporting poptr proptrly. 1 the .w .. Is cl.. n. Applyglue
the fint 1'1, inches (~ em) of ro thaI pm of the 5Upporting
the pop _ 011the llIb!e and paP" that .",ends beyond the
lowe' It olowlydown"' .. r the edge of the painting. Attach.
ba.k oCthe palndng. Make5UrC POP" loop under the edg. of
thatthe smoothside of the the 5Upportingpaper This Is ,
U5Cdro ur . the whole palndng GI ,,
olr !he mIrtoror gIw .Ct., It
has dried. The POP" .hould be
11/ . to 1111inches (3 to .. em)
long.
7. The palndng Is nowglued .0
gIw or mirror for drying.Hold
!he painting by two eeeeers.
presoingtheglued edgesto the
_ e. Make5UrC there Is ...e.
Iide", ail be", -een the gIw
ourface and !he painting50 thaI
.. tbe glue dries, the paper
doesnot tear. If there is too lit-
enhance the ",e rall composidcn of
THE SEAL-THE lit. painting.
92
M O UNTING A f l N 1SU f D P AINT I NG 93
..-eu. Here, tOO, d}""mics are and where the seal seems to now 10. "The dream is al) ' home"
appreciated. A balance between into space. It !Ill)' alsobe placed 11. " A colorful room"
the carve d and Iree space of the where an object in the painting 12. "Sounds in the ink"
se11Is Imponane needs a counterbalance in the space 13. "Lonely Bear" (Loner)
on the paper, 14. " Evt n in me distance there 15
Wh<n the S<a1Is finished. the 5eal
mak<, dd1bera" I)' ..damages" lines fragrantgrass"
15. "Fnagranr grliSSin the dis-
and edge. to mak<tIl<in1moguLu .
ThIsmak<stil< se11appear '0 be
old and ''mc nble. Don't worry
My Seals ranee"
16. "Calmness makes ching<
possible"
when )_ lines t romble bie 1. " LluIe Elegance" 17. "Wake up"
2. " f ragrant Grass" 18. "f ragrant Grass"
3. " N.. m1" (true. .. tural, beau- 19, " A finish<drccm"
Where to Place tiIul)
i , "f '"8"" t grass in the dIs-
20. "In til< &D til< " .. te r gets
cold"
the Seal eace '
5. "Uttle Elegmt'"
6. '"TNt/\'
1DSmeraL Ka1t1'IJSt I1n'U inter- 7. " CWiry"
Jere with whot IllS been poin" d. A 8. "Somtthlng Dille","t"
S<a1Is usua1lyused in place where 9. "The tra,~Ie, Is gettlngold
)"OU M"e tried to create nxr.~t quitkJy..
IN CONCLUSION efrom hI\-enot broughtgood re-
sule. j apanese culturehas a _ to
lotgh'O. 1}'OU meant well and trled
I wish th is boo k could ~'O been me 10 j apanese ink palntlng . This )'OUt best, at the \"Cry least good
called My) .. "'9 In'" tit, Art oj mustbe true for you. too. Re.ading
"ill and the effortSexpended re-
J_ 1M !\llndng. By " My Jour- and workingwith this book roade maIn.
ne)',.. 1 mcIJ1 mine and the one )"ou us pmners, together explOringthe
undenook when youbegan. 1often an Corm of japlinese ink painting. In conclusion,I ,,'Ouldlike to thank
think it would be wonderfulto bave My bope is that this book has an those who tOl<ra lCdroy blind
Ii\"CtIin <heolden days.when tradt - helped you to findan anchcr; Pre- enthusiasmbecause<heY WClC
don was stilla constant put oCour sentingthe ancient, traditionalst)1e. ... 'Itt 01 roy goodwill.Speda!
culture.when the GrandMuter. a 01ink palndngs in prlnlCdform thanksto Mr. Braun &omAuaustus
w1se manas well u a grandfather . could be seen as an affrontagainst V, rIag,without whoseengagement
knew <heroad. and one could stUdy this'"ttIerab le an form.Should Ul) '. and.eM.ct, so patiendy given. this
[or a wholelifetime, How wong one interpret it in thisway. or if my book \\'OU1d eeeer ha\-ecome about.
and PlOlCetedone would feel when
surroundctlby "" dition!ThisIs be-
comingclearer to me every day. I
feel Cll\}' and jl ousybecause I 11-
IO'A-cd rD)x lf to Ic&\'t my master
tmlChtoO early. finding111)... 1''''Y
alone on thisroclcy toi d between
EastandWC$l .
On the other hand.frommy
Chincx maste r I knowthe pressure
can become hn\') ' when an artistis
bound by tradttions . Fh'Ohundred
)'carsago. Japan.unencumbered
and free. had no uadltion in suml-t.
Artlsts were 1'to employand ere-
ate somethingthat becametotally
their 0'0\'11. Now. ' 00 yearslater, it
is yourturn. Be unencumbered and
free. Since Western cultureis 50 far
rt IDO\'t d from Jlpane$(culture , it
will be bit more difficultfor }"OU
to adaptto the Chineseculturethan
it was forus. But this dlstancc
might also haveits . ch,nfl&"_You
are [rete (0 experiment because )'OU
don't haveto be aCraldof or be in-
dmldated by the ink and the brush,
and intimidatedwe were. from
chl1dhoodon.
TM goalis not to learn paintingin
the old style 01j apanese ink paInt -
ing.or the old or ncv.' Chinesestyle
01ink paInting. Whal I "..nt to
achl.,'O Is to be able to be ptoU<!of
roy artwork. ThaIIs what blO\\ght
IN CON CLUSI ON 9'
96