Sixth-Seventh Grade
Sumi-e Landscapes
Exploring a new type of painting, students created landscapes inspired by the Sumi-e style. Originating in Japan, the Sumi-e style of painting is inspired from ancient Chinese calligraphy. Within this art form, every stroke from the brush is important and deliberate. Using watered down tempera to replace ink and watercolor brushes to replace bamboo brushes, students practice with brush strokes and opacity of the paint.
Presentation
Lesson Plan
Worksheet
Finished Landscapes
After completing the worksheets, students created 3 thumbnail sketches of what they want their landscapes to look like. While most of the traditional landscapes we discussed, I let them know that the Sumi-E landscapes are imaginary typically. Therefore, students made up their own landscapes, and chose their favorite to turn into a completed artwork. They really enjoyed using one tone to create landscapes, and the ideas behind Sumi-e were something new to them!