Watercolor Zen

Wet drawing style Cherry blossoms 3/3

2010-01-11T01:27:00.000-08:00

It is interesting to see this Japanese style water color video.
Cherry blossom is one of the most favorite subject in Japanese paintings.

Sumi performance

2009-08-03T03:32:00.000-07:00

I found this interesting performance by suiboku-ga(sumi-e) artist on youtube. It's a live collaboration of artist and musician. Her brush stroke is so dynamic and powerful on this large paper she uses. I am so inspired by this video, thinking about trying that out in my kitchen studio. Well, my wall is not large enough though.

Washi Dyed with Sumi Ink

2009-07-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

While I was in Japan, I had a chance to visit a museum which was hosting show for Matazou Kayama. He is a post-war era Japanese artist, who used traditional techniques and method to express modern subjects. In one of his paintings, I was fascinated by the technique he used. He dyed washi with sumi ink before he use it. It preset the gloomy effect throughout the image. So, I decided to experiment this technique on the wahi I bought in Ogawamachi.

Here's what I got. First one was best. Washi got ripped off on the edge, but got this nice gloomy patterns.

I realized that each paper took the sumi ink differently. The next one sucked up sumi ink too much, and tared easily. This paper was thicker than the one above.

I tried to use watercolor on this paper, but realize that the sumi effect over power the watercolor. I tried pastels on this, and worked ok. Gouache may work better. I'll keep experimenting.

Washi - Japanese paper

2009-07-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to go to the town famous for washi; hand made Japanese paper, while I was in Japan last April. Ogawamachi has been making washi made of kouzo tree for past 1300 years. I bought bunch of natural colored papers priced from .50 cents to $6, and my little sister got nice note books with decorated covers. Washi papers are also sold in printed versions, which have nice kimono like patterns. These are used in craft making, and other decoration purposes.

They do have demonstration of washi making, using traditional methods thruough out the day, but we went down there just before closing time. So we drove off to near by "Onsen" hot spring, and had relaxing 3 hr bathe. The "Onsen" will rent everything you need to bathe, including "yukata" kimono like clothe, but made of cotton. You ware this yukata after bathe, so you won't sweat your clothe. You can lay down in the resting room, or go to restaurant or bar located within the complex.

I had really nice vacation down there, and got some inspiration for my next projects.

watercolor class project: Million Man March

2008-01-16T20:23:00.001-08:00

Back in school, I had a chance to take a watercolor class with Mr Raynolds. (I added a link to his site on the left.) He was a good teacher, and I really enjoyed his class. This was one of the project from that class. I believe it was a image from million man march which was on Newsweek magazine. I was so fascinated by this man's powerful expression, and decided to use it for the class project. (Please don't sue me for copyright issue. It was for the class!) I was so into this zen mode painting, which I forgot the time and kept painting until dawn. I had 4 other design classes, which were killing me with their due days. But guess what? I spent most of the time painting this watercolor.

On the finals week, I was nearly up for 3 days, and got too tired to mat this picture for the final review. I lost my caution and guess what? I sliced the left lower part in half with my mat board.
I cried a bit, and decided not to turn in for the school show. So this is my first time showing to public.....

watercolor painting on canvas: spring fire

2007-12-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's acrylic paint on three canvases. While I was working on this painting, I got involved in accident. My neck got injured, and it was too painful to complete this one. Anyways, it's done, and I hang them in my kitchen-studio. I don't like hanging my picture on the wall, unless it's abstract painting like this one. I usually spend too much time on my paintings, so I get sick of them by the time I finish. It is hard to be completely finish the paintings, unless I put them away. If I hang them, I will scrutinize my paintings every day.

I like acrylic paints better than oils. Pigments flow freely in the water, unlike oils. It's also cheaper than oils, I believe.

water color painting: autumn red

2007-11-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a new project recently. I needed to release my stress being creative. Since I got in accident, I've been getting this annoying back ache, which prevented me from working on canvas. Because of the style of my painting, which I do not use easel, my back muscle get strained. I get lost in working on colors, sitting on the cold kitchen floor for 4-5 hors straight. When I come to realize it's time to go to bed since I still have to go to work next morning, my back in on fire.

I wish I can just paint all day just like when I didn't have a job; though I won't go back to that desperate phase anymore. No more top ramens in my life!

water color painting: breeze

2007-11-12T17:59:00.001-08:00

It's nice to have three days weekend. I've been digging in my closet, cleaning out my old junkie clothes. After sorting them out, I got space to stuff some more. So I went shopping. hehehe. I'm not learning.

Once in a while, I feel some urge to toss all the junk I have in my apartment. The most space occupying mess I got is my art stuff. I like buying those materials which make me feel so fresh to start up new project, but sometimes, I loose my creative energy on the path. So those materials sits on the corner of dusty dining area, which we don't use to dine in anyways.

I may work on that corner, cleaning out some of my canvas, start some new project on this thanks giving weekend. I need a chunk of time to start painting again.

water color painting: aqua flower

2007-10-24T20:46:00.001-07:00

I was planning to have more black on this watercolor, but I like the way it turned out. Sometimes, what comes out looks much better than what I had in my head. I like blue, yet it sometimes hard to use blue with only few other colors. It's get either too cheesy, or tasteless. I wanted to use only black and blue, but decided to use different blue plus touch of violet. I like the nuance of the different blue in this.

watercolor portrait: freedom

2007-10-07T20:59:00.001-07:00

I did some watercolor portraits of people with different skin tones. I think watercolor really work well when it comes to mixing and layering multiple colors. Instead of working with some earth color, I like working with unlikely colors. For example, I used purple and violet on this painting to create juicy skin tone. I still need to work on the skin part since it has too much white out part, but I guess I'm on the right track.

water color painting: Les fleurs du mal

2007-09-28T18:28:00.001-07:00

This is one of the most favorite in this flower series I created. Evil looks of the flower is not what I planed at first, but it turned out nicely. Water color works like a magic sometimes. Pigments moves freely against your will, and you get the amazing results. I tend to paint too tight, and put too much details sometimes. I was experimenting this "let yourself be free" type of paintings.

water color: morning flower

2007-09-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

I was writing profile section, realizing that I haven't read books recently. I used to read about 30 books a month. Most of those are literature, and I used to like reading books from different countries. I was really crazy reading that many books, yet I wasn't the one of those kid who enjoyed school works. I used to slept through classes, never turned in home works. How did I manage college classes? I don't know.

water color: autumn blue

2007-09-23T18:48:00.001-07:00

It's getting colder now a days. I decided to use this autumn leaf painting for my first blog post.
Painting has been my passion, yet I haven't done much lately. My life has been so hectic, and full of stress. I've lost creative side of me...I was looking through those paintings I've done in the past, and decided to share on this blog. It may encourage me to get back on my passion.