Lesson 10

I want to thank you for allowing me to share my joy in brush painting with your students.  We ended our year with joy and elation.  The students are so anxious to paint that they can hardly wait until I finish instructing and demonstrating.  This is an active, delight directed learning.  

Your students have learn a lot through our 10 lessons. You may review all that we did in http://joyousbrushclubatshallowfordfalls.blogspot.com/    They have gained an entry to painting, where drawing does not have to be the prerequisite as long as mental clarity can be developed through the process.  The images are formed by following instruction, which becomes the teaching tool for our mental clarity.  This process of learning through imagery manipulation enhance our traditional education of learning from words and sentences.

Being the creator of their work, your students learn to express all that they intended, understood and preferred in a visible way. Some are pleased with their work, some are disappointed, either way it gives them a honest reflection to grow from.  Many will develop a keen appetite to look critically at the objects they are interested to paint.  This will bless them with a lifestyle of observation, which is an active learning process at all times.  

Next week will be our make up class.  All the students are welcome to come to paint.  No new instructions will be given, except those that are missed.  

In January I will offer beginner's class at 2:30 and level 2 class at 3:30 on 16 Fridays.  Attached please find the registration form and the class demonstration.  I will love to see your students continue with this art form in the Spring.  

Have wonderful holidays.  

Lesson 9

We worked on painting leaves stroke by stroke.  The students are now more deliberate in their strokes.  We also worked with the reverse loading of the brush.  dark color first then lighten it up with our base color yellow for the flower. I enjoy watching your students in their intense moment, totally focused and giving their best.  You will be able to see it on their paintings.  

Next week is our last lesson.  I made provision for 1 make up lesson after that.  Then we have to think about continuing with this art form in the Spring.  I am now exploring the option of offering Chinese Brush Painting 1 and 2 or just combined class covering new topics.  I will keep you informed as the school and I finalize our plan for Spring.

Those students who ordered supplies can take them home if they don't have to come the week after for make up class.  Otherwise, they will take their supplies home after the make up class.  The framed paintings will also come home next week.  

I have attached today's demo for your reference.  Your students are also give 1 of my painting card to take home. today.   

Lesson 8

We did Chrysanthemum on Friday. Building on daisy and added outline as visual guide.  We also started stroke leaves with outline visual guide.  On lesson 9 we will stroke the flowers and leaves without the outline guide.  

We won't have class this Friday 10/28 due to Conference week.  There are 2 more classes on Nov. 6th and Nov. 11th.  Nov. 18th is a make up class.  If you have missed one or more classes, you may come on the 18th.  I will do a make up class with you.

Those of you wanted to frame your children's painting, please bring the paintings in with post it notes or paper clips on the paintings as clear indicator on Nov 6th.  You may include the check for the frame as well.  $19.99/frame.   I will mount them, frame them and bring them back on Nov. 11th.  If your child's painting is torn, mounting will fix it.  

I have attached class demonstration for your reference.  Be thinking about next year.  We will go on with more flowers and may be some animals.  

Have a blessed day.

lesson 7 pumpkins

We did pumpkins on Friday.  I wanted the students to see volume and how to use brush strokes to show volume. I also introduced them the basic strokes in painting a tree, corn stalk, hey stack and tree trunk for added interest.  This coming Friday we will paint chrysanthemum. 

I have attached the class demo for your reference.    I will be putting out proposals for Spring Semester in the next week or 2.  

lesson 6 cherry blossom and cherries

We did cherry blossom in Joyousbrush Club today.  Some students are so excited about painting with loaded brush strokes, it is easy to be carried away.  But the joy of painting and the delight in creativity is clearly demonstrated in their works, which are displayed on the Hall in school.  You can almost see the personality from their paintings.  

I did a promotional video with Young Audience in Woodruff Art Center.  You may view the clips from the link below.  

http://www.yawac.org/Special-Initiatives/The-Dream-Art-Contest.aspx  

I have attached the class demonstration for your reference.  We will do pumpkin next week.

Lesson 5

We did cherry blossom from bud to fruit today.  We did it in black and white, because I want the students to practice their stroke work and the perspectives of the blooms.  This is like pencil outline before painting, except we rehearse it in our mind almost like the performing artist do.  Next week we will compose all the elements we covered and deliver a colored painting.  

The premeditation before painting is an important step in Chinese Brush Art.  The artist traditionally grind their ink with the ink stick on the ink stone while consolidate the ideas, themes, layout and design in their head.  The paintings are done (in one breath) as a performer would their show.  This way the spirit is captured through the expressive brush strokes on the rice paper which is totally honest in capturing them.  The students are not yet there, but clarifying the subject visually is very important. 

lesson 4

We put all the elements of the roses we learned last week together.  They include Cherokee roses' front view, 3/4 view, side view, rose buds , leaves, stems and thorns.  We talked about composition.  The students art works are now on the hall way.  

Next week we will do cherry blossoms.  Thank you for allowing the the seeds of joy to germinate in Joyousbrush Club as we explore beauty together. 

lesson 3

We did Cherokee roses last Friday.  I introduced the brush strokes for the leaves, flower buds, stem, thorns as well as how to put multiple leaves together to form leave clusters. We reviewed the loading of the brush.   We will do Cherokee roses again this Friday focus on placement and design.  The students will have a sense of familiarity when we compose with the elements they already learned.

I want to start putting some of their works on the walls at school.  If you don't see them bringing a painting home, please check on the walls in school.  

Thank you for sharing your creative children with me.  We are delightfully exploring the magic of brush painting together.  I have attached the demonstration for your reference.

lesson 2

Dear Creative friends

We started with color painting today.  We learn to load our brushes with varied shades of colors.  As we stroke with the loaded brush, the color happens. This exercise also teaches your students how to mix colors and the color theory.     We had little extra time, we were exploring creatures such as butterfly, caterpillar, snails. 

I am so pleased with the attentiveness in the class as we paint.  The students are very busy learning, but it's all delight directed.  Each painting turn out different because they are not copying.  

Enjoy your creative child

lesson 1

We had a great start introducing the students to paint on rice paper with bamboo brushes. Attached is the painting I demonstrated in class.  We covered the following: 

1. How to hold the brush

2. How to load the brush

3. How to do dots, stroke, lines and signature with mid point strokes, 

4. How to do flower petals,  leaves, flower buds.

5. Flower orientations

6. Perspective and distance