A Beginner's Guide to Sumi-e: Learn Japanese Ink Painting from a Modern Master was written by Shozo Koike and contains 11 techniques and 19 projects explained over 275 color photos and 335 drawings and includes free online video tutorials.

In this book, Japanese master artist Shozo Koike reveals the simple secrets of Sumi-e, offering step-by-step instructions with clear photographs and online video tutorials showing you how to paint 18 traditional subjects.

Sumi-e is the meditative Japanese form of ink painting taught by Zen Buddhist monks to encourage mindfulness and an awareness of our surroundings. It uses only ink, water, a brush and paper to capture natural objects and landscapes in a vivid, spontaneous fashion.

Koike begins with the basics—what to buy and how to prepare the ink in a traditional inkstone. Next, he shows you how to practice the 11 basic brushstrokes used for all Sumi-e paintings.

The 19 traditional subjects taught in this book include:

• Flowers like orchids, chrysanthemums, camellias, roses and peonies 
• Plants and fruits including bamboo, eggplants, grapes and chestnuts 
• Animal figures including small birds, butterflies, chicks, crabs and goldfish 

Koike also explains the philosophy of Sumi-e, which emerges from the use of negative white space to enhance the painted forms. Readers will enter into a world not just of black and white, but of infinite shades of gray which are capable of evoking all the sensations of color using these techniques.