Sumi-e - Akemi Lucas

Sumi-e by Akemi Lucas is an illustrated guide to the Japanese art of sumi painting, centred on expressive brushwork and ink washes. This paperback edition is subtitled The Mindful Art of Japanese Ink Painting.

Key details

• Author: Akemi Lucas
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 160
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Publication date: 31 August 2024
• ISBN: 9781789941630

Synopsis

Sumi-e is a Japanese art form created using brushes and ink washes, balancing calligraphic line with the quiet power of blank space. Traditionally associated with flowers and plants, it is presented here as a mindful practice with roots in Zen Buddhism, prioritising the essence and vitality of a subject over realistic depiction.

Akemi Lucas sets out the equipment, brush positioning, ink methods and mindset needed to build smooth, sweeping strokes in black and coloured inks. Step-by-step projects begin with orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum and plum blossom, the ‘four gentlemen’, before progressing through fruits and flowers to water, insects and birds. With 320 colour illustrations, it suits both beginners and more experienced sumi-e artists.

Rackhams Reference : BVIRNZQ7RQ