Eye 4 Art Books

Books by Caroline Self
and Susan Self

(Mother and Daughter)

Chinese Brush Painting: a Hands-on Introduction
to the Traditional Art

This is a book for beginners from 9 to 90, written in clear, simple language for children and adults and for those with English as a second language. It teaches basic methods and subject matter using easily accessible materials: tempera paint, watercolor brushes, newsprint, and rice paper. Tips and tricks and step-by-step instructions guide you through practice exercises and painting lessons, eliminating the guesswork often encountered in other books.

The introductory chapter covers the relationship of calligraphy to painting, the philosophical aspects of painting as "the soft martial art," and the basic styles and principles of painting. Next you learn about materials needed, see how to set up the workspace, and perform some exercises to learn control of the brush and paint. The third chapter teaches the basic strokes of calligraphy and how to paint some characters that you can put on your paintings. The kind of line control used in calligraphy is needed to be able paint the subjects in paintings.

The next three chapters teach you how to paint three classic subjects of Chinese painting: orchid, bamboo, and pine. The seventh chapter shows how to add a butterfly, a snail, or a bird to a painting. The eighth chapter introduces landscape painting and the principles that characterize a Chinese landscape painting. The final chapter shows some simple techniques for mounting your finished paintings.

An important feature of this book is that it is written and painted in the tradition of black-and-white ink painting. This approach has been fading as the use of color and Western watercolor has become more popular. These more modern concepts overpower the basic essence of the early tradition. This book is dedicated to keeping alive and spreading understanding of the traditional techniques.

You don't have to want to be a brush painter to benefit from this book. After you read it, you will never look at an Asian brush painting the same again. You will know what to look for in a painting and will develop a taste for what makes a painting work in the traditional manner. You will start to recognize what follows the tradition and what is a modern development. You will appreciate the different brush strokes and calligraphy, the energy, the shades of gray, the composition, the use of white space, and the combinations of subject matter. You will see so much more in a painting and learn to completely enjoy those works that are truly inspired.

Click here to see excerpts from this book. [PDF file ~ 3 MB]. To see more about the book and order it from Tuttle Publishing, click here.

Caroline Self studied brush painting with master teachers in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Korea, and California for over thirty years and has gathered the information, lore, and skills she learned into this book. She has a Master's Degree in Art Education and Sculpture. She taught art in the San Diego City Schools for twenty-five years and also taught Asian brush painting to children for six years.

Susan Self studied art in college and on trips to Europe and Asia. She has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UC San Diego and has worked as a technical writer in the software and telecommunications industries.

Contact us at: info@eye4artbooks.com

The Art of Chinese Brush Painting:
Ink * Paper * Inspiration

This book introduces you to the art of painting with ink on rice paper using traditional Chinese techniques developed over a thousand years ago. Unlike many other books on Chinese painting available, this book does not teach the use of colored inks, watercolor techniques, or styles of composition influenced by Western traditions. The "colors" here are painted with shades of gray made by diluting the ink, just as black-and-white photography composes with light and darkness.

You will learn to paint the classic subjects that inspired the ancient painters: towering landscapes; the elegant Four Gentlemen: bamboo, orchid, plum blossom, and chrysanthemum; the rugged, steadfast pine; and five fun animals from the Chinese Zodiac: rat, rabbit, rooster, horse, and dragon. Numerous exercises help you to master the brush before you start painting a subject. Since many painters were master calligraphers, you will also learn to paint the basic strokes used in calligraphy to acquire the expressiveness of line that makes a painting energized and eyecatching.

The survey of how calligraphy developed over time will teach you to recognize and appreciate the different styles, many of which are still practiced today.

Our first book, Chinese Brush Painting: A Hands-on Introduction to the Traditional Art, was geared for beginners from 9 to 90, as a low-cost, entry-level approach suitable for children in schools and adults just trying out the art. This book addresses the more committed adult beginner willing to invest money in high-quality supplies and time in practicing a larger variety of techniques and subject matter. Instead of the method of using tempera paint and watercolor brushes, this book introduces you to grinding your own ink with an ink stick and an ink stone, and the meditative practice that action introduces into the painting process. You will learn to distinguish the qualities of different types of brushes, ink stones, ink sticks, and paper so you know what to buy. In addition to the free-form or boneless style taught in the previous book, this book teaches the outlined or boned style of painting each subject.

You will develop a larger range of techniques and strategies in learning the boned style and will come to appreciate the accomplishments of the artists that practiced it. You will get a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of each style and how to mix them for artistic effect.

An extensive chapter on landscape painting shows you how to paint a variety of plants, rocks, and trees, waterfalls, and human elements in a landscape. A step-by-step exercise teaches you how to put these elements together to paint a complete, sophisticated landscape. Then you can paint your own landscape compositions using the guidelines and principles and inspiration from samples of landscapes provided.

One of the larger intentions of this book is to provide an understanding of the historical context from which the art arose and the symbolism in the paintings for the artist. Chapter 1 surveys the history of the Chinese dynasties and the influence of the philosophies of Yin and Yang, Confucianism, Daoism, and Chan Buddhism on the painting traditions. The chapter notes historical situations that provide an understanding of elements introduced in later chapters of the book. You will be able to "get inside" the art of painting and appreciate it more from the point of view of the ancient artist. As "the soft martial art," brush painting is a meditative discipline with canons, principles, and time-honored practices geared toward achieving the most satisfying aesthetic results. The accomplished artist has trained the body, arm, and brush to move as a unit to create strokes with power and spontaneity. The ways of looking at the subject matter and becoming one with it enable the artist to paint the living essence of the subject and not just its physical appearance. Painting thus becomes the artist's transcendent experience captured in ink to evoke in the viewer a similar experience.

Click here to see an early draft of excerpts from this book. [PDF file ~ 1.2 MB]. To see more about the book and order it from Tuttle Publishing, click here.

Wabi Sabi: A New Look at Japanese Design

by Lennox Tierney

Towards the end of World War II, Lennox Tierney was unexpectedly drafted, taught Japanese, and sent to Japan as Representative Commissioner of Art and Monuments for General Headquarters serving under General Douglas MacArthur during the Allied Occupation of Japan. His role was to organize and oversee the repair and preservation of cultural sites, art, and monuments bombed and destroyed in Japan during the Pacific War. Serving with him in Tokyo were Sherman Lee and Laurence Sickman. A gifted storyteller of Irish descent, Tierney leads you in Wabi Sabi through his awakening to the principles of Japanese aesthetics and philosophy during his early exposure to the culture. Like a Zen master, he doesn't lecture but helps you to experience the principles yourself through his narrative and stunning photographs. A glossary at the end of the book defines the key terms that the Japanese use to describe the subtle principles that are realized through their art, their houses, temples, gardens and ways of living.
Lennox Tierney is a Japanologist academic in the field of art history. He earned an undergraduate degree in Japanese Art at the University of California, Los Angeles and was awarded a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. He became Professor in the Art Department at Pasadena City College and later taught at the University of Utah, where is now an emeritus professor. In addition to his former role as Commissioner of Art and Monuments in Japan, he was a former Director of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, a former Curator of Japanese Art at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and a former Curator of Asian Art at the San Diego Museum of Art. He was a member of the San Diego Japanese Garden Reconstruction Committee and is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego. He has contributed to developing an understanding of Japanese art among students and American citizens over many decades. In November, 2007, the Japanese government acknowledged Tierney's life's work by conferring the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, which represents the third highest of eight classes associated with this award. More details about his life can be seen on the Wikipedia page about him at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Lennox_Tierney.

Click here to see excerpts from this book.[PDF ~ 2 MB]. The book is available for purchase on Amazon through the following link: Wabi_Sabi.