These really are a lot of work to make, but they are getting easier. Again, a lot of the hard work is the setting up and the processing. I really do minimal work on them, but would like to make ones that are rather polished. The fact is, making videos is a lot like taking photographs – most of what is done is not at all good, most is trash, only a few are good. Making videos for an afternoon proved that point all too well. Also, the fact is, that being on film really makes me self-conscious, not something I like. Painting a line wrong creates instant trauma!
Initially, when I set up to make videos, the whole idea was to do chrysanthemums, in keeping with their autumnal theme in ink painting. Well, I really don’t like any chrysanthemum I’ve ever painted, so why should I be so foolish as to think I might be able to do one for a video?
I ended up painting corn – a really easy subject, yet one that is uses a lot of different techniques. Dots and medium grey ink, very wet. Twisting the brush in different directions as painting. Dry brush strokes. Contrasting shades and textures.
There are a lot of “try before you buy” video editors out there. Some allow you to publish a video without blurbs on the final product which tell the whole world who they are. Others do it, which is annoying, but they can be removed with some editing. Some programs are fairly intuitive – which is important if you don’t know a dang thing about video editing – and others come with decent tutorials and help sections. Some are slow to load, hard to see, confusing, but full of cool devices. Others are not, but have online resources which you can use to create your own what-is-needed, like a title or template. To get what I want I have been swapping between a number of programs, but expect I will eventually settle on one. I really appreciate 30-day windows to try out stuff! I’ve been rather confused and frustrated, but am beginning to understand a bit about them. One thing I do know is that over-processing the videos is occurring, and a lot of quality is lost. As long as you don’t watch them in full-screen mode, the quality is okay.
Sunflower Sunday
As always, my weekends are far too busy, but I do make time to have fun. This weekend I was determined to try out a different set-up for the Zi8. When I work inside in my studio (office, spare room, whatever!), the camera cannot be easily placed where I usually work. My painting area is part of an L-shaped computer table, and the camera really is best placed to my left. Unfortunately, the computer area is also to the left. I have tried all sorts of gyrations, but nothing was especially great. Practice will eventually create the perfect set-up.
So, I decided to try it out on the patio, and it worked out pretty well. I could get the camera over to the left of the chair and angle it so I could film as if the viewer were looking over my left shoulder. The key was to place the feet of the tripod perpendicular to the table – this way I could scoot the chair back to stay out of the picture, but not knock over everything if I moved. All this worry creates a very stressful painting situation, but this time I actually felt fairly comfortable, and ended up painting and filming – turning the camera on and off with the remote – for quite some time.
The result was a 15-minute video on painting sunflowers. YouTube has both a size and time limit, but I decided to try it anyhow. No dice. I tried to compress the video into a 10-minute segment, and all I ended up seeing was a black screen. Thus, I had to divide the video into segments, which was not easy until I got into another software package. I was able to edit out sections with pauses, and divide the sections into different videos with different titles. The final result is two videos!
Painting Sunflowers in Sumi-e: Part One and Part Two
Here they are! YouTube also allows you to do “audioswap” and add a free (to the video-maker) music track to the video, with the caveat some advertising may appear. I did it for the Painting Wild Orchids in Sumi-evideo, and for the two sunflower ones, which you can see below. Hopefully the music will add to the proverbial “viewing pleasure” and the advertisements won’t distract.
Fields of wheat are found throughout the world, and it is a grain of significant nutritional importance to many populations. Technically a grass, wheat originated in the middle east, and was the agricultural foundation for a number of early civilizations.
As a subject to paint in sumi-e, it provides a number of interesting lines and planes. Using a diagram of the plant, pictures of wheat found on the web, and dried grasses for arrangements, there are many resources for the artist. I’ve used a combination of all three as references.
Painting Wheat
The first area to be painted is the seed head. It weights down the plant, and gives a graceful direction to the subject. By painting these first, the focal points of the picture may be chosen. As wheat rests on a top of a tall stem, consideration should be given to the composition – is the wheat going to be upright and tall, or bending over in a graceful curve?
The seeds are painted dark to light, with the ink on the brush being used until gone. Next, the stem and the beard may be painted. The beard is lightly done, with quick graceful strokes. The stem may be created with a pause and pressure at the beginning of the stroke, before continuing on and completing the stem in one movement.
The leaves are done at the end, using the side-brush stroke in combination with vertical strokes which change direction and pressure for character. Finally, the veins of the leaves are done in medium-to-dark ink.
My own wheat is rather amateurish in execution, but that is how one learns. Many sumi artists and calligraphers will practice a subject over and over until the right combination is reached, and the seemingly effortless execution of a painting is done.
The loquat is an evergreen, and can be considered a large shrub or small tree, growing about 12-15 feet tall. The leaves are long and pointy, dark green and thick, with a serrated edges. The sweet-smelling flowers appear in the autumn or early winter, and the fruits are ripe in late winter or early spring. In California, fruits appear April to May. This plant originated in China, was thence exported to Japan over 1000 years ago, and came to the west coast in the 1800s. It is frequently grown for both fruit, and as an ornamental plant.
Loquat fruits, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 2-3 inches long, and can be pale yellow in color to a gold tinged with red. Depending on the type of loquat, the fruit can be rather sour in taste, or very sweet. The seeds of the loquat are lovely, being large and of a shiny brown.
The contrast of the roundish fruit with the wide, pointy leaves makes for an interesting painting subject. Here is my video on painting this lovely plant.
Down the street from us is a yard filled with wisteria that wanders along the fences.
Painting wisteria is delightful. The sweet smell of wisteria, the graceful fall of the leaves, the thick cascades of lavender flowers, the curl of the tendrils, the twists of the trunk.
Begin with the Flowers
The process of painting wisteria, in ink or in color, is the same. The wisteria is painted in medium tones in general, with dollops of lighter and darker flowers for contrast. I start at the top of the cluster, and use short side-brush strokes that are done quickly. First, press down with the brush, then quickly curve it and pull up. Do this twice, aiming at the center. The outer edge of the flower is thicker than the center. Continue doing this down to the end, decreasing the flowers in size. Place only a few flowers at the bottom – just a touch to suggest the petals. Let the flowers dry so that they are semi-damp.
Painting the Leaves
While the petals are drying, decide where you want to place the leaves. Wisteria leaves are long and slim, and are best painted with a graceful swooping motion. Begin with the narrow tip of the brush barely touching the paper, and then as you continue with the leaf, push down as you keep the brush perpendicular to the paper, and then raise the brush up. It is important to note that the leaves of the wisteria are paired opposite each other, evenly along the stem, and are not staggered. The last leaf is single, continuing off the stem.
Dotting the Flowers and Drawing the Leaf Veins
As the leaves dry, it is time to begin to dot the center of the wisteria flowers. This should be done in dark ink. Just little dots will do. The flowers themselves should be damp-to-dry. If they are too wet, the black ink will bleed into the flower. After you have finished the flowers, return to the leaves, gently creating the center vein with ink slightly darker than the leaf itself.
Tendrils & Trunk
The trunk of the wisteria can be ancient, twisting and woody. This provides a dynamic contrast with the graceful quality of the flowers and leaves. Paint the trunk with a dry brush using dark ink. Lay the brush on its side, and use a hard brush for even more dynamic results. Follow this up with swirls of dark ink to create the tendrils.
Wisteria Painting in Sumi-e – The Video
Above is a colored painting of wisteria I did some time ago. This video captures much of the process I described above. I hope you enjoy it!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 