Thispracticalguideisperfectforthoselookingtotrythisancientartformforthefirsttime!Inthisbook,JapanesemasterartistShozoKoikerevealsthesimplesecretsofSumi-e,offeringstep-by-stepinstructionswithclearphotographsandonlinevideotutorialsshowingyouhowtopaint19traditionalsubjects.Sumi-eisthemeditativeJapaneseformofinkpaintingtaughtbyZenBuddhistmonkstoencouragemindfulnessandanawarenessofoursurroundings.Itusesonlyink,water,abrushandpapertocapturenaturalobjectsandlandscapesinavivid,spontaneousfashion.Koikebeginswiththebasics--whattobuyandhowtopreparetheinkinatraditionalinkstone.Next,heshowsyouhowtopracticethe11basicbrushstrokesusedforallSumi-epaintings.The19traditionalsubjectstaughtinthisbookinclude:Flowerslikeorchids,chrysanthemums,camellias,rosesandpeoniesPlantsandfruitsincludingbamboo,eggplants,grapesandchestnutsAnimalfiguresincludingsmallbirds,butterflies,chicks,crabsandgoldfishKoikealsoexplainsthephilosophyofSumi-e,whichemergesfromtheuseofnegativewhitespacetoenhancethepaintedforms.Readerswillenterintoaworldnotjustofblackandwhite,butofinfiniteshadesofgraywhicharecapableofevokingallthesensationsofcolorusingthesetechniques.
