Where to buy sumi brush

As a true beginner and self taught, I rely so much on books and instructional video about sumi-e. It's quite easy to download the sumi-e videos from the internet and to buy ink stick. But purchasing sumi brush, suzuri (ink stone/ink well) is a different story.

Sumi brush is very rare here and no Indonesian art store sells the utensils. I have contacted reputable art store in my town and some other stores in Jakarta but it all ended up with disappointment. Even Kinokuniya stores, a Japanese chain book and art store in Jakarta, don't have them for sale.

There were no options left for me but purchasing brushes and suzuri online. My friend Russian friend Origa who lives in Michigan recommended some US-based online stores while some Japanese friends named few stores in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Kyoto. Unfortunately, most japanese stores that receive online order do not have english pages. Even Kyukyodo, an art store in Fukuoka since 1663 is not an exception!

So, if you are interested in sumi-e and can't purchase your supplies from local store, you may try to contact info@awesomeartsupply.com. It's an art store in the US that sells most of supplies produced by Paragon Art.

Return to my drawing table

Your arm is the extension of your heart and mind to control your brush. And pouring out your heart and mind out into your brush stroke is best by letting your arm swing free and your fingers familiar with the whole character of your brush; the handle, the size, the bristle, the resilience, the load.

It's been awhile I've been put my painting tools aside for office work. Probably I was just too lazy to exercise regularly, but most of the times I felt too tired and consumed with my job. But I finally managed to get back to my drawing table, unroll my brush scroll and rice paper, prepare the suzuri and inkstick.

Practice regularly, along with meditation, is key in developing your painting skill. You may disagree, but that was the case when it come to my personal experience. Halting your training for too long undermines your skills and and it surely spread the distance between your heart and mind and your brush. Your hands tremble as your heart lose the beat of your brush. And your brush strokes, won't express your genuine feeling at the time you were doing the painting.

The painting above was completed last night, after two hours warm up. I am still unhappy with the result, but I believe I poured my heart out.

Chrysanthemum leaves practice

Chrysanthemum is one of the Four Gentlemen. This flower, along with bamboo, plum and orchid are usually become basic training subject in sumi-e or ink brush painting. It was hard for me to take on this lesson for several reasons. The first is probably because I am not familiar with this beautiful flower and plant. I have no direct observation necessary in catching the spirit of the flower. So, all I did was downloading photos from different internet resources, spending quite some times on staring at the pictures, and doing the exercise. This is one of my exercise with chrysanthemum;

Bamboo obsession.

I am probably obsessed to this image; full moon and bamboo twigs against it. 

Admiring strength, persistence and loyalty.

Along with pine and plum, bamboo is one of Three Friends of Winter. In chinese tradition, bamboo gains great admiration for its characters. It remains green even in coldest winter, has apparent strength and flexibility at the same time. While most trees lose their leaves and many turn dormant, bamboo keeps growing. Bamboo symbolizes strength, loyalty and persistence.

I painted this as an exercise while my heart was admiring all of good characters bamboo represents throughout the seasons and years.

Bamboo

Bamboo, doodled while Euro 2012 is on tv. Brush pen on plain paper.

Bamboo shading

The first sumi-e book I bought was Kay Morrissey Thompson's "The Art and Technique of Sumi-e". Written on the base of Ukai Uchiyama teaching, Thompson focuses more on monochrome painting. However, it was Jean Long's book "Chinese Ink Painting, Techniques in Shades of Black" that tells me much more about the subject. I painted the image as an exercise in shading.

Calligraphy learning

After four months of training, I feel like making no significant progress in sumi-e techniques. I might be wrong but I believe this is because I don't have  the essential skills in calligraphy. And I undertake to learn calligraphy. Some friends are doubtful and said, "Aren't you too late to learn calligraphy? It takes years to master the techniques." Yes, they probably right. It takes years to master the techniques. But, I don't really care about it. I just have and love to do it. 

Wild orchid

Wild orchid, painted at the lunchbreak during a workshop on disaster response in Jogjakarta, May 2012. Brush pen, HVS paper.

Books

As a self taught, my learning very much relies on books and videos. These are some of my sumi-e book collection.

Bamboo on HVS

Bamboo, again. Painted much earlier than the others, with cheap brush I bought from local art store, on HVS paper. I know, there are mistakes and flaws on the painitng. I promise myself to paint this motif again, someday.

My brushes

Lovely brushes I bought from Kyukyodo.co.jp. Thanks to my beloved friend Ika Dewi Ana who brought them for me from Kyoto, Japan.

Landsccape

Landscape picture from Bing.com, doodled at the coffee break during a meeting in Jakarta, May 25, 2012. Brush pen, cheap A5 sketchbook. Feeling like using dry brush technique.

The mess

The mess I usually make during my training. 

Satintail

Satintail grass/blady grass, doodled at the lunchbreak during a meeting in Jakarta, May 25, 2012. Brush pen, on a cheap A5 sketchbook. The painting was given to Millatisyifa with my handwriting haiku on it. 

Adiantum

I dare myself to paint adiantum using combination and leaf vein brush on A5 cheap sketchbook. Chandra Prijosusilo wanted to have this painting, and I promised to frame and send it to her.

Bamboo

For quite some times I did strokes practice to paint bamboo. This is one I documented with my Nokia E71 phonecam. The painting was mailed  to Millatisyifa.

Kedoya branch

Kedoya branch, based on a photograph taken by my colleague Hendri Bundrawan. Combination and fine liner brush from Kyukyodo art store, on rice paper. I also used a self-made ink spray to splash the green ink (the color mixed by myself too).

Literati school, orchid

Again, I tried to paint an orchid. Rat tail brush on rice paper, 

First attempt; orchid

After hours of basic strokes exercise, I decided to paint an orchid. Rat tail brush on newsprint, photographed with Nokia E71 phonecam