Workshop 2: Sketching with Dry Twig & Chinese Ink

Instructor: Ch’ng Kiah Kiean

See the city in monotone black & white and sketch it using handmade dry twigs with Chinese ink as the main medium. Leaving white or blank space doesn’t mean that it’s nothing, in traditional concept of Chinese ink painting, blank space is also part of the drawing. I will teach the participants how to leave empty space in their sketch creatively.

Learning Goals

Sketching with Dry Twigs & Chinese Ink encourages the participants to hand-make their own simple sketching tools with dry twigs collected from the surrounding. Participants will experience the inconsistent line works created with the twigs. They will also learn the three important elements: dots, lines and shades in black and white sketch with Chinese ink as medium.

Workshop Schedule

15 minsintroduction (slide presentation of tools and sketching techniques overview)

15 minspreparing the sketching tools (dry twig pen and ink container)

60 minspart I: lines only sketch (quick demo follow by hands-on exercise)

60 minspart II: lines and dry wash sketch (quick demo follow by hands-on exercise)

60 minspart III: lines and wet wash sketch (quick demo follow by hands-on exercise)

Supply List

• Your normal sketching tools 
• Loose sheet watercolor paper (Saunders Waterford Hot Presseed (HP) and Cold Pressed (NOT) 300 gsm or any other paper brand eg. Arches) 
• Twigs or wood branches (soft and hard wood, cut to pencil size)
• Pen knife 
• Small bottles (as ink container)
• Gauze (cotton type)
• Oil painting brushes (flat and round head, different sizes)
• Dish washing sponge (with container)

I will bring:

• The twig I use (each for every participants)
• Chinese ink (the brand I use for everyone to test)