The Sumi-E Book (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Sumi-e, a Japanese term meaning "ink picture," was brought to Japan around the seventh century A.D. by Japanese scholars returning from a visit to China..." (more)
Key Phrases: brush vertically, bamboo twigs, press stroke, Four Gentlemen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Sumi-e, translated from Japanese as "ink picture," is an ideal vehicle for teaching art to any beginner. This introduction to Sumi-e is organized simply and clearly around its four basic brush strokes. 120 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (August 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082305022X
• ISBN-13: 978-0823050222
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #5 in	Books > Arts & Photography > History & Criticism > Regional > Asian
  #19 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Instructional & How-To > Watercolor Painting
  #29 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Instructional

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "as clear as a mountain brook ", August 13, 2000

By	DJ Rix (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

In all honesty, Sumi-E is best learned from a teacher in a live workshop. The combination of exacting brushstrokes, meditative attitude & free, almost unconscious, expression is difficult to take out of a book alone. Sumi-E has an intimate connection to Zen practices. But that said, in the absence of a teacher, Yolanda Mayhall's book is the best I've seen. Her purpose here is to get you started on the right path - & in Sumi-E, the right path means everything.

The "Four Gentleman" brushstrokes & their basic variations are the substance of The Sumi-E Book. Bamboo, Wild Orchid, Chrysanthemum & Plum Branch represent "all the forms in the universe." One could endlessly write haiku on those four natural forms, so why not paintings, too?

This book is as clear as a mountain brook & as gentle as a breeze. Successfully achieving a bamboo branch & leaf (& you will succeed) is enough to draw you onward down that right path. Even children can grasp the basics of these strokes using inexpensive brushes & watercolors, & they will wonder at the simplicity of it.

Just as poets return again & again to haiku in order to sharpen their observation skills & sense of economy, all artists will reap large benefits from the spare, mono-chromatic beauty of Sumi-E that will enrich your other mediums & quiet your mind as well.

Highly recommended.

Bob Rixon

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical book for beginning sumi-e painters, January 3, 2003

By	Elizabeth Yu (Northport, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This is a very practical book for the beginning student of Chinese or Japanese brush painting. Clear, simple and precise illustrations show how to execute the traditional"four gentlemen"- bamboo, orchid, chrysanthemum, and plum. Students will learn such important concepts as how to achieve depth by double dipping the brush into a darker tone of ink, how to achieve movement by varying the pressure on the brush and how to achieve texture by varying the amount of moisture in the brush. The bonuses of this book are the examples of other forms one can make using related strokes. For example, after mastering the bamboo leaves one can easily paint a bird, lizard, or butterfly. After mastering the orchid leaves one can use the same strokes to paint fish, underwater grasses, and water lilies. Once students gain confidence they can naturally go on to master tiger lilies, rocks, mountains, and pine trees, all beautifully illustrated in this book.

...

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sumi-e Sense for Beginners, November 28, 1999

By	Carol Sanfilippo (Florida) - See all my reviews

I highly recommend Yolanda Mayhall's book for those who want to ease into bamboo ink painting for pleasure. I had heard that learning how to paint the "four gentlemen" (bamboo, chrysanthemum, plum blossom, and orchid) would give me the strokes I need to do any painting. As a beginner, I didn't fully realize the meaning of this until I discovered Mayhall's book. She has specific, simple instructions on doing the basic strokes. Then she has "Related Strokes" sections in her book. There she shows how these simple strokes can be used to paint a variety of subjects from dragons to squirrels to people. My brush is freer and my range of subjects wider sense discovering her book.