Chinese Brush Painted Flowers by Joan Lok

Chinese Brush Painted Flowers by Joan Lok

35 beautiful flowers and how to paint them, for all levels of artist, from beginners up. Many Chinese brush-painting instruction books only focus on painting a few species of flowers, such as lotus, peony, and plum blossom, because these flowers symbolize various ideals in the Chinese culture. This book introduces the painters to a variety of brushwork and floral painting techniques, and shows how to apply them to a diverse collection of flowers. Using this guide broadens the skill base of the artist, who ultimately will be able to paint any flower in a garden. All techniques are clearly explained, from holding and loading the brush to achieving the perfect consistency of paint and creating subtle gradations of colour in your paintings.

December 2014

An expert in Asian arts, Joan Lok's Chinese Brush Painted Flowers teaches you stroke by stroke how to paint flowers using Chinese brush techniquesDeceptively simple brushwork will become a flower before your very eyes. Chinese brush painting requires "technical skills, through knowledge and spiritual appreciation of the subject," says Joan - not necessarily something that a beginner will feel confident about. But Joan starts from the very beginning with how to hold the brush in the right or left hand (if you are left-handed). She then moves onto more detailed instruction for specific techniques, building up each procedure step by step so that you gain confidence as your skill develops. There are 36 floral subjects included, each one with step-by-step instructions, a suggested palette of colours and a mini demonstration. The book is well illustrated throughout making the lessons easy to follow and replicate.

* Leisure Painter, The *

February 2015

This straightforward guide includes demonstrations covering 36 different varieties, each in a two-page spread. Some of them will probably be more familiar than others and I suspect that there’s been some internationalisation – my knowledge of plants being zero, I can’t confirm that, but the Baltimore Oriole (a bird) that crops up, does tend to confirm it.

The jacket proudly announces on the front that the demonstrations are “for all levels of artist from beginner up” and there’s certainly a sound introduction covering brushstrokes, foliage and composition that will help you get started. This being perhaps a less familiar technique, this will be useful to more people than many materials-and-techniques openers.

The demonstrations, covering two pages, are necessarily short, but do include a fair amount of detail: not much is required as the Chinese technique is very loose and certainly doesn’t fall into the category of botanical illustration. I suspect that you’re going to find the whole thing much easier if you have some basic experience, though. I probably wouldn’t choose this as an introduction to flower painting.

All in all, this is a thorough and varied guide, nicely presented (and I do like the fact that the editors have resisted the temptation to put the flowers in alphabetical order!). It’s unlikely to disappoint.

* Artbookreview.net *

January 2015

This excellently clear introduction to Chinese flower painting is written for those who are new to the technique, but want to progress beyond mere basics. Beginning with the five main styles: contour, detail, ideal painting, monochrome ink and combination, Joan Lok progresses through materials and brushwork to basic shapes and classic compositions. This is not an in-depth account, but the clear explanations and generous illustrations will allow you to pick up a lot very quickly.

The bulk of this book is devoted to the directory of flowers, a series of demonstrations of recognisable and readily accessible species, all painted in Chinese styles that were described earlier in the book. The beauty of Chinese painting is its prescribed stylisation and simplicity.

* Artist, The *

Joan Lok creates luminous floral paintings that link Asian tradition to an adventurous, modern viewpoint. She has won numerous awards including "Best of Show" from the Sumi-e Society of America and Sumi-e Artists of Canada Joint Exhibition, the Kyoto Education Council Award in Japan, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival in the United States. Her paintings are published in The Best of Flower Paintings, Strokes of Genius 2, Always Bright II, and her art album Ancient Spirit Modern Flair—The Art of Joan Lok. Joan is the National President of the Sumi-e Society of America (2002–2012), and signature member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society and the Potomac Valley Watercolorists. She taught Asian American Arts at the University of Maryland and conducts workshops across America. She is listed in Who’s Who of American Art, and Who’s Who in American Women. Her fabulous art can be seen on her website at www.joanlok.com, and via Facebook at www.Facebook.com/JoanLokArt

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781782211013
ISBN 10	1782211012
Title	Chinese Brush Painted Flowers
Author	Joan Lok
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Search Press Ltd
Year published	2014-09-03
Number of pages	128
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.