Wang Wei is generally credited as the painter who applied color to existing ink wash paintings.[1] The art was further developed
into a more polished style during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). It was introduced to Korea shortly after China's discovery of the ink. This form of painting is known as shui-mo hua in China and Sumi-e in Japan.
Grade Level Assignments:
K & 1st: Paper Koi Fish Sculptures
2nd Grade: Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree Sumi-e Paintings
3rd & 4th: Chinese Bamboo
Ink wash painting is usually done on xuan paper which is highly absorbent and unsized. Each brush stroke is visible,
so any "wash" in the sense of Western style painting requires partially sized paper. In ink wash paintings, as in calligraphy, artists usually grind
inkstick over aninkstone to obtain black ink. Once a stroke is painted, it cannot be changed or erased. This makes ink and wash
painting a technically demanding art-form requiring great skill, concentration, and years of training.
K & 1st Grade: Paper Koi Fish Sculptures
2nd Grade: Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree Sumi-e Paintings
3rd & 4th Grade: Panda & Bamboo shui-mo hua
5th Grade: Japanese Koi fish lanterns