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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



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https://galleryjuana.etsy.com
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