Expressive Ink Painting

1. Introduction: Welcome to expressive ink painting. Ink painting isn't just about making marks. It's about movement, emotion, and creativity. In this course, we'll start with the basics, introducing essential tools and materials. You'll learn how to control ink flow, build textures, and layer tones to create depth and atmosphere in your paintings. Step by step, we'll explore expressive lines, structured and organic shapes and exciting printing techniques. By the end of this course, you'll have the confidence to create stunning ink pieces perfect for decorating your home or gifting to loved ones. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist looking for fresh inspiration, this course will open up new possibilities for your creativity. 2. Toolskit: Lesson one, expressive ink painting. We'll dive into the tools and materials you'll need for this course and get you started with some foundational techniques. Ink and color options, Chinese ink painting. This has a distinct vibrant hue, perfect for creating a recognizable effect. Acrylic. Acrylics can add a striking flare to your painting. Poster color that's great for experimenting with color in your pieces. Ink. We'll be working with either Chinese or Japanese painting ink. Both are excellent choices for this style. Brushes. You'll use brushes made with goat hair, mixed hair, wolf hair. To prep a new brush, soak it in water for two to 3 minutes. This softens the bristles. Getting them ready for painting. When it comes to holding the brush, there are two traditional techniques to try. Start by finding a comfortable grip. Measure the position with your fingers and hold it steady with two fingers adjusting for balance. You can experiment with two methods to see what feels right for you. Option one. Option two. Paper. For this course, we're using raw Chinese painting paper. It's special because it quickly soaks up ink, color, and water, letting you create surprising effects, especially when you're experimenting. Found objects will also play with non waxy papers like newspaper or printer paper, as well as plastics and textured surfaces. These will help you craft unique, unexpected effects during the experimental painting process using your tools and materials. Before we jump in, set up your workspace. Lay down a piece of wool or felt fabric under your paper. It helps with ink absorption. Grab two plates, one for water, and one for ink. Make sure you have plenty of water ready. Start by adding a few drops of ink to your plate. Dip your brush in water to clean and moisten it. Then gently touch the tip to the ink. Let the ink soak evenly into the bristles until you've got a deep rich color loaded up. Test it out. Draw a few lines to see how the ink flows. If the brush starts to dry out, dip it back into the ink and repeat the process. The goal is to get comfortable with the rhythm of loading and using the ink. Let's practice your hand movements and brush strokes. It's time to practice the movement of your hand and brush strokes. Position the brush at a 90 degree angle for fine control and try holding it at 45 degrees for a different effect. Draw lines and experiment with various shapes to become more familiar with the angles. For thin controlled lines, keep the brush at a 90 degree angle. While 45 degrees is ideal for creating more fluid lines, lay the brush down for thicker lines and shapes. Create unique lines and shapes. Letting your creativity guide you. For smaller details, rest your hand on the table. But for longer lines and larger objects, lift your hand to gain freedom of movement. Try drawing continuous long lines with your hand slightly lifted off the table. Well done. You're now ready to move on to the next class. Let's continue building your brush technique and mastery. O. 3. The Power of Lines: Lesson two. The power of lines. Load your brush with ink by first pouring a few drops onto your palette. Dip your brush into the ink, making sure it absorbs just the right amount of water. Straight lines. We'll start with drawing long straight lines, both horizontal and vertical. Hold your brush firmly and press the brush hair evenly against the paper. This will help you create clean, steady strokes. Try repeating the lines to form rid like pattern. Load more ink onto your brush. Let's practice with shorter strokes and create a series of short straight lines. Notice how the ink gradually fades as you continue without reloading. This exercise helps you understand how ink behaves, starting bold and dark, then becoming lighter and drier over time. Curved lines. Reload your brush with ink, ensuring it has a good balance of water. Let's move on to curved lines. Start by drawing gentle wavy lines, moving your brush slightly up and down as you go. Leave some space between your strokes, then go back and fill in thinner lines in between. This layering technique helps create depth and movement. For the next exercise, try pressing the brush while painting curvy lines. Varying the pressure allows you to create lines with different thicknesses. You can also overlap some of the curves, adding a sense of depth and dimension. Flowing strokes. Load a fresh portion of ink onto your brush and let your hand move freely across the paper. There's no need to overthink it. Just let the brush glide naturally. Fill in the space with uninterrupted, spontaneous lines and see what emerges. You might be surprised by the beautiful patterns that appear. Et's loosen up with continuous flowing strokes. If you have a bamboo stick or any dry stick, you can also try drawing with it. Dip the tip into the ink. It may take a moment for the dry surface to absorb the ink. Once ready, start making marks on the paper. This technique creates raw textured lines that add a unique character to your artwork. Since the stick dries out faster than a brush, you'll need to reload ink more frequently. Ink wash lines. Reload your brush with a bit more water to create a softer effect. Gently lay the brush on the paper and move slowly, allowing the ink to soak in and spread naturally. To enhance the effect, try using a flat or larger brush loaded with just water. Paint a series of soft water strokes, then take another brush with ink and draw thin lines over the wet strokes. Watch how the ink gently blends into the water, forming soft edges and natural gradients. You can also add another layer of water strokes over the ink lines to create an even more dynamic flow. Varied lines. Now, let's combine everything we've learned. Try mixing different types of lines to create interesting visual effects. Start with a lighter ink wash and use broad brush strokes to paint thick lines. Fill the paper with these strokes, then reload your brush with darker ink and add thinner, longer lines while the first layer is still wet. Watch as the two ink tones blend and spread, creating a natural organic effect. For another variation, draw thick long strokes using a lightly loaded brush. Keep adding more strokes. And if the brush starts to dry, simply reload it with more ink. While the ink is still wet, go back and add short delicate lines on top with a darker ink tone. Layering these elements will bring depth and contrast to your piece. Thise exercises are just the beginning of your journey with expressive inclines. By experimenting with thin and thick strokes, dry and wet textures, you'll develop your own unique artistic style. Now it's your turn. Upload your practice paintings to our course page so we can celebrate your progress together. 4. Playing with Shapes: Lesson three. In this session, we will explore how to use structured and expressive shapes. One, structured motif, creating geometric patterns. Let's begin with something simple and structured. Choose a geometric shape, perhaps a circle, square or triangle, and start by drawing its outline. Then continue repeating the shape, layering it across the page. As you build your composition, you'll notice a natural rhythm forming. With just a few strokes, you're creating a pattern, an intricate yet effortless design that feels both meditative and expressive. Two, ink washed shapes. Load your brush with a generous amount of ink and plenty of water. With a soft and relaxed hand, paint round flowing shapes. Let the ink and water spread naturally, allowing it to take its own course. This unpredictability is part of the beauty of ink painting. I want to add contrast, try painting round shapes with darker ink and less water. Notice how the ink settles differently, creating a mix of bold and soft edges. The balance between dark and light control and freedom makes the composition come alive. The expressive shapes. Dip your brush into fresh ink and start painting dots across the page. Now, let's add a little rhythm. Vary their spacing, some close together, others further apart. Keep a natural flow and enjoy how the dots interact, forming a playful and spontaneous composition. Round shapes. Take ink with minimal water and use just two to three strokes to form round shapes. Try playing with different sizes and distances between them while keeping a consistent flow. The slight variations in each shape will add interest and movement to your piece. Round shapes to this time we'll add more water to the ink. Again, paint round shapes using two to three strokes, but notice how the extra water softens the edges, creating a more fluid and organic effect. Compare the difference between the two approaches and see which one you like best. Squares. Finally, let's return to structure. Take dark ink with minimal water and begin painting squares in different sizes. Try overlapping them, adjusting their placement to create an engaging, well balanced composition. If your brush feels too dry, simply reload it with more ink to keep your stroke smooth and consistent. By the end of this lesson, you'll have explored how structured and organic shapes can work together to create depth, movement, and rhythm in your ink paintings. Most importantly, have fun with it. 5. Textured Expressions: Lesson four, textured expressions, capturing surfaces in ink. In this lesson, we will explore seven printing techniques that transfer textures from surfaces onto paper. Printing with ink. Take a flat brush and load it with plenty of ink. Apply broad brush strokes onto a smooth surface like a table. Next, add some water to the first layer of ink to encourage natural spreading. Dip your brush directly into dark ink and apply it onto the surface. Watch how the ink moves and blends. Once you're happy with the effect, press a sheet of paper onto the ink surface and observe how the ink has transferred. Notice the beautiful gradients of light and dark tones. Let's try a variation of this method. This time, start with a lighter ink wash on the table. Gently press the paper onto the surface, allowing it to absorb the ink. Now, load your Chinese painting brush with dark ink and lightly splash it onto the paper. Watch as the ink spreads naturally, creating a dynamic and organic effect. The randomness of the splatters makes each print unique, one adding color for depth and contrast. Choose a Chinese painting color from your palette and mix it with water. Load your brush with a diluted color and splash it onto the surface. To add contrast, apply some ink next to the color. Once you're satisfied with the composition, place the paper on top and gently press it down. You'll see how the colour and ink interact. You can even add another layer of ink or color for more depth and variation. Experimenting with acrylic paint. Start by loading some acrylic onto a plate. Use a Chinese painting brush to pick up the paint and spread it onto the surface to create contrast, add ink nearby. Press the paper onto the surface, just like before. To enhance the effect, sprinkle some water over the paper and let the ink and acrylic spread naturally. You can also layer more ink, Chinese painting colors, or additional acrylic to highlight certain areas. Work freely and intuitively, but be mindful of the paper's texture. Too much water may weaken it. Let's try another print. This time incorporating color for a richer effect. Load your brush with acrylic paint and apply it onto the surface, spreading it evenly. Splash some ink or another color over this first layer. Take a medium dark ink and paint a few free hand lines on top of the colors. Once you're satisfied with the composition, gently press paper onto the painted surface. To enhance the final piece, apply a touch of acrylic directly onto the paper. Highlighting key areas. Finally, add expressive dark inclines for contrast. This final touch brings depth and energy to your work. Printing with found objects. Let's explore another exciting technique, printing with everyday objects. Plastic film or even a regular plastic bag works well for this. First, brush water onto the plastic, then load your brush with dark ink and apply it over the surface. Try experimenting with different amounts of ink and color. Press a sheet of paper onto the plastic. You'll see the unique textures that emerge from the transfer. You'll be surprised by the variety of effects you can achieve. Printing with objects. For example, let's try using a bottle lid. Apply ink to the lid, press it onto the paper, and observe how the shape repeats in a rhythmic composition. You can layer multiple prints or combine different objects to create a more complex design. Items like bottle lids, lego pieces, leaves, toothbrushes, or any textured material can be excellent tools for this technique. Try these exercises and upload your prints to our class page. Love to see your creative experiments and celebrate your progress. Happy painting. 6. Beyond the brush: Lesson five beyond the brush. In this lesson, we will demonstrate three expressive texture techniques. One, creating textured prints with non wax paper. To begin, prepare a type of paper that does not contain wax, such as parchment paper for baking, newspaper, wrapping paper or standard printing paper. First, crumple the non wax paper into a small ball, then unfold it. Tear it into three or four pieces and crumple each piece again. This creates a rich texture for the ink to settle into. Now, take a brush and gently apply medium dark ink onto the paper. Be sure to leave some areas unpainted to create variation. Focus on defining the edges of the torn pieces with ink. Once painted, place the ink side of the non wax paper onto Chinese painting paper. Lay another sheet of non wax paper on top. Then use the palm of your hand to press firmly but gently, allowing the ink to transfer. Avoid pressing too hard, as that may smudge the texture. Carefully lift one corner of the paper to check if the ink has transferred. If needed, press again to enhance the effect. Repeat the process with additional pieces of non wax paper, planning your composition as you go. With these simple steps, you'll create a beautiful print that resembles a landscape of mountains and valleys. Two, creating a landscape print with gradient ink. Now, let's take this technique further by adding a gradient ink effect to enhance the depth of the landscape. Start by preparing and tearing the non wax paper as before. This time, paint dark ink onto the crumpled paper and press it onto the Chinese paper. Use your hand to apply even pressure, ensuring the texture transfers clearly. If some areas appear too light, simply repeat the process. Once the dark ink has transferred, take a fresh piece of non wax paper and apply a lighter ink wash with more water. Transfer this onto the Chinese paper in the same way, layering it over the darker print. This contrast between dark and light ink adds a sense of space and depth, mimicking the way distant mountains fade into the mist. Continue layering different tones to refine the composition. With just a few simple steps, you've created a landscape that looks like a traditional Chinese painting. Three, printing with color on non wax paper. Crumple and unfold the paper as before. For our final technique, let's experiment with adding color to our non wax paper print. Apply acrylic paint in shapes or lines directly onto the non wax paper. Layer another color on top to create contrast. Before the paint dries, press the painted side onto the Chinese paper and apply even pressure with your hand. If needed, you can add another layer by applying ink onto the non wax paper and transferring it over the color print. You can also paint additional shapes and lines directly onto the paper to enhance the composition. These techniques open endless possibilities for creative experimentation. Now it's your turn to explore these methods and make your own unique prints. Try different variations, play with ink and color, and let your creativity flow. Don't forget to upload your prints to our platform. We'd love to see your work and be inspired by your experiments.