Tutorial Illustration: Japanese brushstrokes with Sumi-e technique

Learn with Flor Kaneshiro the basic aspects to take into account in this Japanese illustration technique: pressure, speed, direction and rhythm

The Sumi-e drawing technique, although originally always practiced with Chinese ink, has a series of strokes that can also be applied with other materials such as watercolor. Its delicate and soft strokes, which must be very controlled if we are starting in this technique, make it ideal for those who want to expand their range of skills with watercolor.

In the following video, illustrator Flor Kaneshiro (@florkaneshiro) explains the most important considerations: pressure, speed, direction and rhythm of the brushstroke, so that you can get started in the best possible way with the Sumi-e technique.

What materials do I need?

- A brush, ideally thick, to be able to make large brushstrokes.
- Watercolors. In this case, we will use a dark tone.
- Water to moisten the brush and work the watercolors.
- A white sheet of paper.

Pressure

The first thing we are going to practice is the pressure with our brush. We moisten it, take some watercolor and press lightly on the sheet. Then, we can repeat but this time pressing a little more. Different pressures will generate different stains or strokes; we can continue pressing, until we get to support the entire tip of the brush.

Then, after supporting, we can start to slide our brush. If we repeat this sliding action, but with less pressure, we will see that a finer line emerges. By modulating the pressure and the speed of movement of the brush, we can achieve many different types of lines.

Direction

Now we are going to work longer horizontal lines, and later we can start practicing also with vertical lines. We will see that we have to adapt the position of our hand, and play again with the pressure and speed of our brush. We can practice making vertical strokes downwards and upwards.

Rhythm

Once we have had some practice with our brush, trying horizontal and vertical strokes and playing with pressure and speed, we can move on to work on the drawing rhythm, to achieve wavy strokes or strokes that develop in different directions, pressures or speeds.

If you liked this tutorial, remember that you can learn with Flor Kaneshiro to bring an ancestral identity to your drawings with the Sumi-e painting technique. Discover her online course 'watercolor illustration with Japanese influence'.

You may be interested in:

- Illustration of a naturalistic journal, a course by Paulina Maciel.
- Urban landscapes in watercolor, a course by Daniel "Pito" Campos.
- Creating color palettes with watercolor, a course by Ana Victoria Calderón.
- Experimental watercolor techniques for beginners, a course by Ana Santos.