Sumi-e Painting: Master the meditative art of Japanese brush painting (Volume 1) (Mindful Artist, 1)
$11.99
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Centuries ago, Buddhist monks used black ink and brushes to practice mindfulness and create gorgeously harmonious works of art called “sumi-e paintings.” The popularity of sumi-e, or ink wash painting, continues to this day. Mindfulness remains an essential element of sumi-e painting, allowing artists to focus on their surroundings, live in the moment, and feel present—thereby reducing their stress.
Walter Foster’s new Mindful Artist series encourages you to enjoy working in your favorite media to create art from a reflective point of view—an inspiring, relaxing experience that emphasizes the creative process, rather than the end result. These books are designed to help you move past creative obstacles, like a perfectionist attitude toward making art or self-defeating concerns about your personal talent and abilities. These guides will not only help you stay mindful throughout the process, but also to find personal meaning in the artwork you create. Mindful Artist: Birds & Botanicals publishes in November 2021.
Mindful Artist: Sumi-e Painting opens with an introduction explaining the links between mindfulness and sumi-e and how they enhance one another. Sections on “The Four Treasures,” as the tools needed for sumi-e painting are called; brushstrokes and painting techniques; and “The Four Gentlemen,” or the most common subjects in sumi-e painting, ensure that you have a solid background before getting started on the simple, approachable step-by-step painting projects. Throughout the book you can find stunning full-page artwork, tips for remaining mindful while you work, creative prompts and exercises, inspirational ideas, and suggestions on how to add color to black ink pieces.
Learn to practice mindfulness while you master the popular art of ink wash painting with this inspiring and supportive guide.
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276 reviews for Sumi-e Painting: Master the meditative art of Japanese brush painting (Volume 1) (Mindful Artist, 1)
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Morris Nelms –
Virginia is a top shelf teacher in every way. I would take workshops with her if I lived closer. This book and her YouTube videos are an effective substitute.
dagmar –
For whatever reason, this book took over 3 months to arrive. Other than that, excellent time spent on easy to follow, progressive lessons. Practice, grasshopper, and the results appear as if by magic. You’ll see.
JettaBetta –
The mindfully way this book is written is so perfect and the artists talent is stupendous. It is so thoughtful and well done.
PearlGirl –
This is a very nicely done book with lovely photos of how to create a sumi-e painting.
Amazon Customer –
This book is a great guide for someone beginning to learn Chinese brush painting. Virginia covers the basics from equipment to techniques for painting flowers, bamboo, insects, birds and more.
anne marie –
J aime les livrets aquarelle car les explications sont précises
Carol G. –
Liked the book very much and her teaching is excellent. What brush, how to hold it, how to mix what colors, how to get gradation. Everything you need to know. Nice pictures to learn with.
Jen I. –
Llego un poco maltratado
Timothy Lafontaine –
This is a well done book that makes sumi-e fun to learn. Maybe think of getting the bottled ink if you wish to improve more. It makes it easier to just get right into practice.
PUNEET SINGH AHLUWALIA –
A good book indeed ! If you are into Oriental Painting this book is recommended. Though it lacks techniques but still a good book! The best part about this book is it has some good illustrations and is very economical !
Gluecksfee –
Dieses Buch ist ein wertvolles Werk, um sich weiter in der Kunst der Sumi-E zu verbessern. Der englische Text muss nicht unbedingt verstanden werden. Die Bilder geleiten einen zum Malen. Sehr schöne Motive und Techniken.
Debbie –
“Sumi-e Painting” is an art instruction book on sumi-e, or ink wash painting. The author briefly talked about the philosophy behind the style and the needed tools and materials. I liked that only two brushes are needed, but I would’ve liked more information about the different papers. She provided step-by-step instructions on how to make different flowers and animals. For each flower, she first talked about how to make each part: a petal, a stem, and so on. Then she did a demonstration project that combined all of these parts into a finished painting. She demonstrated bamboo, orchid, plum, chrysanthemum, iris, peony, wisteria, grapes, lotus, insects, birds, rocks and water.
I felt like the instructions were more for someone who was familiar with the style. Her instructions tended to be ‘use this color and this brush and hold it in this way’ along with the picture showing the result. I felt like this required the reader to figure out what she meant by how to hold the brush and make the mark. There were only one or two photos showing how to hold the brush, though she did reference a YouTube video you can watch which shows a full bamboo demonstration painting. I enjoyed learning more about sumi-e and would recommend this book to people who already have some experience with watercolor or ink painting.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Candice C. –
It’s a beautiful book to showcase the artists work. There are some hints and tips and a more experienced artist could reasonably benefit from the book. However if you are a beginner looking for step by step instructions, this isn’t the book for you.