Chinese Brush Painting

November 15, 2007
The ancient art of Chinese brush painting has recently become very popular, and there are several fine books on the art available. The medium's simple elements make it appropriate for beginner artists, though mastery is as difficult as in any fine art. Caroline Self (art, emerita, San Diego City Schs. & San Diego Museum of Art) and daughter Susan, who studied art in college, here offer simplified instruction for ages nine and up on painting orchids, bamboo, pines, insects, birds, and landscapes. This instruction is followed by a chapter on mounting paintings for display. Recommended for public and school libraries. For adults, consider Kwan Jung's "Chinese Painting Step by Step"

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2007
Created by a mother-daughter team, this well-presented, informative guide introduces readers to the art of Chinese calligraphy and brush painting. The text is fluid and graceful, an unusual combination in an instructional title, and the authors wrap succinct accounts of Chinese history and lore around their clear, step-by-step, illustrated instructions. Readers will learn how to create Chinese characters and numbers, as well as the basic strokes for common motifs, such as orchids and bamboo stems. Older readers may connect best with passagesalluding to the arts spiritual traditions (for example, the instruction to paint a subjects inner spirit), but allreaders willenjoy the practical hints (e.g., hold a raw egg while painting to help achieve the ideal hand position). More examples of finished compositions would have been welcome, but this title, printed in black-and-white withnumbersaccentedin red, offers a useful, comprehensive introduction to the soft martial art. Suggestions for mounting finished paintings and for further reading conclude.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)