Skip to main content

sumi ink portraits and figure drawings

sumi ink portrait
Portrait V, October 2024

I’ve been on this kick of drawing with a Sumi ink stick rather than pencil or other medium. Using a bit of water and this stone dish, I moisten the Sumi ink stick and then use the ink stick to draw on the paper.



Figure I, November 2024

The lines and ink swatches vary in thickness and blackness verging on gray at times. There is a distinct visceral feeling using this method to draw on paper. The feedback from the friction of the stick to the paper comes forward in both sound and touch as I drag its rough edges across the paper translating my thoughts into lines.

Portrait IV, October 2024



In the video below (Figure IV, October 2024),  you can see me mixing the Sumi ink. I scrape the ink stick against a stone block with a bit of water to soften the sumi stick. This creates a black paste. The thinness, thickness as well as the lightness or darkness of the ink is influenced by how much water I add. 




“We do not lose freedom by submitting to the limits of perception; we gain it by realizing those limits are the very conditions for perceiving at all.”


Quote courtesy of CognoVortex



Purchase my art works on Etsy:
https://galleryjuana.etsy.com
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to my online art journal. This is where I share my journal pages, works in progress, notes on my art process, perspectives and musings. I’ll also post shop updates of finished paintings along with some expansion on each art work. It's a chance to meet the Gallery Juana Artist and owner. If you are interested in purchasing my art work, please visit my https://galleryjuana.etsy.com shop.
Read more

hiking and bird watching

hiking April started out with lots of rainy and cloudy days.  Luckily, there was always a couple of hours each day where the rain stopped and I could go hiking in the local trails. golden crowned sparrow The Sparrows (house, fox, golden-crowned, white-crowned) discovered the seed I was putting out for them within a few days of my moving into this new place.   Soon after,  the Chickadees, Juncos, Towhees, Finches and Flickrs discovered the feeders too. male house finch I started reading Gloria Steinem's "My Life on the Road" and love this quote from her book.  The beginning of this year was full of uncertainty for me.  And I can see how that gave me the chance to establish a new beginning, to begin the next chapter in my life. Gloria Steinem, quote
Read more

The Crossing

  Gallery Juana figure painting I don't usually give single titles to paintings I complete but the words " the crossing" kept coming to mind as I was painting this figure. The look on the person's face evokes the moment of taking a deep breath as a new milestone is reached yet staying vigilant for what remains ahead of you. About this painting: The block figure has close set eyes, a long nose, salmon colored cheeks and a beard like olive shadow and is dressed in red, set against a yellow and green background. It's a mixed media painting on 9 x 12 paper with under layers of watercolor, pencil, sumi ink and top layers of acrylic inks and paints. It has two layers of satin varnish and is glossy. I have my art works available here: https://galleryjuana.etsy.com
Read more