Ink painting looks easy. You just need a brush, black ink and white paper. That’s not true. It takes a lot of practice. Ask someone who just started their real course. They will look surprised and a little upset. The brush doesn’t listen to you at first. It takes time to get used to it. Visit this link!

A good ink painting course doesn’t teach you tricks. It helps you see things differently. When you look at a bamboo stalk you don’t just see it as part of the scenery. You study how it stands, how it bends in the wind and where the shadow falls. Painters who have trained for a time see things in a different way. They are more patient.

When you start you hold the brush too tight. Your hand gets stiff. The stroke is ruined. Ink painting doesn’t like stiffness. It shows you away that you need to relax. The key is to know when to let go. Your teacher will tell you to breathe before you paint. They will even watch to make sure you do it.

Ink painting courses follow an order. You start with strokes: up and down side to side and pointed strokes. The bone line shows how tense your hand is. Then you learn to paint subjects like plum blossoms orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums. Each of these has a meaning. Bamboo. Doesn’t break. That’s strength. Plum blossoms in the snow are brave. Painting them isn’t decoration. It’s a statement.

Ink painting can be meditative. That’s not what course descriptions say. When you’re calm your lines are smooth. When you’re not calm your lines are messy. Many painters calm down before they start. Some students don’t like this part. The ones who try it stay with it.

The water ratio is important. The same brush with amounts of water makes different shades. Dry bristles make scratches. Wet ink spreads on the paper. Learning to work with that spread is where the real skill is.

There are rules for composition: numbers, empty space and diagonal lines. Painters, from traditions know these rules but have trouble using them. That’s okay. That’s the lesson.

One thing: Xuan paper gets wet easily. Experienced painters check the weather forecast before they start. They don’t just think about it. They really check it on a Tuesday morning.