Sumi E Book Store For The Best Japanese And Chinese Painting Books

At the sumi-e book store artist Nadja Van Ghelue offers you a hand picked selection of sumi-e books. The short review on the sumi-e books and the artist’s insight will guide you to buy the best books online.

To practice sumi-e you need a good technique and a philosophical background of the esthetics of Chinese and Japanese painting. I have covered the manuals in my sumi-e book selection below and the books about the aesthetical and philosophical background at Japanese sumi-e books.

Painting Manuals

The manuals chosen introduce you to the materials and tools of sumi-e painting: brush, ink, pigment and ink stone, and teach you how to use them in different styles and techniques.

A classic Chinese manual, used for ages in traditional Chinese painting, is the Mustard Seed Garden. Some people regard this book as old-fashioned. In my opinion, it is a reference work that you should have. It shows the traditional techniques and brush work of dozens of old masters as they have been copied and transformed by generations of sumi e painters. You can buy a digital version of the Mustard Seed Garden here.

The Mustard Seed Garden
Manual of Painting by Mai-mai Sze

Saito Ryuku’s Japanese Ink Painting is a classic on Japanese brush painting. It was first published in 1959 and has now been reprinted. It gives a very comprehensive and complete view of the various techniques and how to practice Japanese sumi painting.

Japanese Ink Painting: Lessons in Suiboku Technique
Classic on Japanese Brush Painting

You can start learning sumi-e painting with any of the books listed in the sumi-e book store below. The best teacher of course is your own eye, to see by yourself how a sumi painter handles brush and ink.

Try to find a good teacher. If that is not possible, you can rely on DVDs, in which case I recommend Henry Li’s Brush Painting Lessons. The painting DVDs and downloadable classes cover a large variety of subjects, are very instructional and well done.