this could be me

yet another elegant lady by Takehisa Yumeji, 1913, courtesy of http://www.kinouya.com/intro.htm

inspiration 10

Another Yumeji, again, full of humanity and grace

image from Takehisayumeji Ikaho Memorial Museum


he was a handsome man himself:



from Japanese book "Pictorial History of Modern Japan Vol.8" published by Sanseido.

日本語: 三省堂「画報日本近代の歴史8」より。

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

inspiration 9

I really like Takehisa Yumeji's portrait style--



the way he captures personality in so few lines.


image from 1912 postcard from http://www.kinouya.com/intro.htm

inspiration 8

I love the humanity of this image



what a dashing fellow!
Although this image was clearly created for Western tourist, it has a certain undeniable charm....

Image: Takehisa Yumeji Postcard 1910 from http://www.kinouya.com

willow, weep for me.....

I think the willow is a very important tree to get the hang of in this style of painting.

so far, so ok......

It is starting to look a little muddy to me, so what do I do?

I destroy it completely, alas. I think this looks muddy and sort of "Gothic" in a very juvenile way.....

I'll keep working on willows ;-)

more insects

I like painting these grasshoppers.cicadas. Again, the key is waiting for the paint to dry before adding detail:

I'm not as happy with the bugs in the upper left corner.....

dragonflies

Dragonflies are fun to paint; I just had to get the hang of painting the wings from the outside in--I kept wanting to start the brush at the center of the body and then sweep outward....

I need to work on my grass techniques. These look a little too clunky and un-uniform in a bad way to me. Will work on that in the future

For my next project, Bok Choy:

I really enjoyed painting this one. I like fiddling around with wet/dry/moist ink to create different textures.

my first project: mice eating a corn cob

OK, so I'm loosely following The Lively art of Ink painting for my first attempts.

I am painting a corncob with some mice eating it:

This is the first part--I have to let it dry to add detail

The finished product. I can tell I am going to have to learn patience, at least a little, since I had trouble waiting for the paint to dry before adding detail, and this made the image a little muddy....

a good link

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/asian/Chinese-Landscape-Painting.html

the book haul

Got in a serious load of instruction books today

I must say, carrying home the bags was not very Zen.

but seeing them all piled up on my table was a sight for sore eyes

I look forward to using each and every one of these books over the coming year! 

Starting with:

my Grandpa's paintbox

My grandfather, a professional artist, left me some of his supplies. I intend to use his paintbox for my first efforts. I love it:

Those are his initials.

This is going to be fun!

pine tree exercise

Another important tree: the pine.

for starters, just the branches (I think I should have used a dryer brush to get more texture)

adding pine needles with heavily-laden, rather dry brush

using wet, diluted paint to add depth...
I'll keep honing my pine-tree skills.

inspiration 7

Chinese painting Tao Yuanming by Chen Hongshou
 Uploaded by Immanuel Giel Cortesy of Wikimedia Commons

tutorial link

a tutorial for creating an ink painting from a photo here. I think it actually helps me think about the process of painting, even though it's a different medium

inspiration 6

A page from Jieziyuan Huazhuan (芥子園畫傳 "Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden"), a 17th-century Chinese painting manual. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

information on Chinese painting history and techniques

A nice, rather in-depth essay on Chinese painting here

inspiration 5

Ma LIn Painting courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

philosophy link

A look at "the tao of Chinese ink painting" here

inspiration 4

\\\\\\

Tayū with Phoenix Robe, anonymous 19th century Japanese painting, Honolulu Academy of Arts courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

inspiration 3

painting of Military engagement between the Japanese and Chinese in the first Sino-Japanese War. courtesy of WIkimedia Commons

Asian Art website link

Here, a website with instruction on asian art techniques

inspiration 2

Painting of 2600th Anniversary Celebration of the Japanese Empire courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

photoshopping a chinese painting

link to article on making a chinese style 'painitng' on photoshop here

painting a peony: instruction

see blueheronarts' video on painting watercolor peony here,

watercolor technique website

here, a link to a watercolor technique website

inspiration 1

image from Wikimedia Commons

Information on ink and wash painting

A link to a Wikipedia article on Ink and wash painting here



Image can be found in the article on Wikipedia

inspiration 0

A Japanese hanging scroll painting of a Buddhist arhat; ink, color and gold on silk; by the painter Ryozen (mid 13th century).

From the Freer and Sackler Galleries of Washington D.C.

courtesy of wikimedia commons

watercolor books to buy

Books I am going to buy to get started learning to paint in the Chinese style:




Chinese Brush Painting Step by Step: Step by Step by Kwan Jung 
Chinese Painting Techniques for Exquisite Watercolors by Lian Quan Zhen
Traditional and Contemporary Chinese Brush Painting: Using Ink and Water-Soluble Media by Cheng Yan
Oriental Watercolor Techniques by Frederick Wong 
Oriental Watercolor Techniques: for Contemporary Painting by Frederick Wong
Sumi-E Just for You: Traditional One Brush Ink Painting by Hakuho Hirayama
Chinese Brush Painting: A Complete Course in Traditional and Modern Techniques (Dover Books on Art Instruction) by Jane Evans
How to Paint the Chinese Way by Jean Long
The Sumi-e Dream Book: An Impressionist Approach to the Art of Japanese Brush Painting by Yolanda Mayhall

how to paint an orchid

See a demo on how to paint a Chinese orchid here