Super Simple Sumi-e: Easy Asian Brush Painting for All Ages

by Yvonne Palka

Overview

"The details make this Asian brush painting technique so appealing that both children and adults will be tempted to work at it together, transforming this activity into a true family experience."
—Seattle Book Review

With a few strokes of brush and ink, you can paint charming animals from pandas to swallows and rabbits to dragons with this introductory book to the traditional art of Asian painting called sumi-e.

Creative children and curious adults will have fun learning the magic of sumi-e with the simple techniques illustrated in Super Simple Sumi-e. Learn how to make various sumi-e brush strokes and how to create animals, flowers, and bamboo with this friendly, easy-to-follow guide. Sumi-e means "ink picture" in Japanese. "Sumi" means ink and "e" means painting or picture. Since similar styles of painting with brush and ink are used throughout Asia this style of painting is often referred to as Asian brush painting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632172051
Publisher:	Sasquatch Books
Publication date:	09/25/2018
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

YVONNE PALKA is an award-winning sumi-e artist. A retired college professor, grandmother, artist, and naturalist, she loves introducing children and adults to the wonders of the natural world and the beauty of their own creativity.

She loves sumi-e (Asian brush painting) for the simple elegance with which it captures the spirit of nature. Inspired by this simplicity, she teaches children and adults the essence of sumi-e painting in schools and other community settings. The same magic of the heart that gives rise to to her sumi-e paintings gives rise to her dragon stories.

Yvonne lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she paints, writes, gardens, and teaches.

Editorial Reviews

"Like Ed Emberley, the artist offers clear, step-by-step instructions . . . Charming, practical, and a good guide to using a brush to create simple illustrations."
—Kirkus Reviews


"The details make this Asian brush painting technique so appealing that both children and adults will be tempted to work at it together, transforming this activity into a true family experience."
—Seattle Book Review


"I hope some will think of this Sumi-e picture book as a gift to set someone on a path of discovery about Asian art and the history of Asian cultures."
—International Examiner

From the Publisher

2018-06-25
Palka offers an accessible introduction to sumi-e, or Japanese ink painting, through simple illustrated techniques and appealing animals. Friendly pandas and swallows greet readers prior to the table of contents. A succinct welcome and brush-stroke overview sets the stage before readers explore the sections, each differentiated by animal type and/or technique. A swirl or "gray blob" transforms into snails, mice, and rabbits; while curved strokes become birds. Like Ed Emberley, the artist offers clear, step-by-step instructions. With just four blobs, patches, and strokes, playful pandas appear; and in five "S" or press strokes, a swirling, atmospheric dragon materializes. Resources and background information bookend this appealing introduction, with how-to information on holding, loading, and caring for the brush. Adults and children alike may find the brief history, folklore, and poetry of sumi-e equally fascinating as they learn about the art form's "Four Treasures": the ink, inkstone, brush, and paper. An excellent guide regarding the practical aspect of sumi-e, it also begins to skim the surface on the spiritual, acknowledging the desire to "create paintings that are full of energy and life, and capture the essence of the subject," as traditionally, Asian brush painters are taught that the energy they impart through the brush stroke is what breathes life or gives meaning to their subjects.Charming, practical, and a good guide to using a brush to create simple illustrations. (Informational picture book. 7-12)

Kirkus Reviews