Ink: Pen, Brush, and Wash
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| ink | 墨水 | mò shuǐ |
| nib | 笔尖 | bǐ jiān |
| brush and ink | 毛笔墨线 | máo bǐ mò xiàn |
| ink wash | 淡彩 | dàn cǎi |
| ink painting | 水墨画 | shuǐ mò huà |
No erasing
- Ink 墨水 commits — there is no erasing — which builds decisiveness.
- Dip pens and fineliners build value by hatching and stippling.
- Nib 笔尖 pressure varies the line's weight, thin to thick.
The main discipline that ink teaches, because it cannot be erased, is ____.
No eraser means every mark is a decision.
Brush and wash
- Brush and ink 毛笔墨线 swings from hairline to broad stroke in one gesture.
- Ink wash 淡彩 (diluted ink in layers) works like watercolour: light first, darks last.
- East Asian ink painting 水墨画 treats the single loaded brushstroke as a whole discipline.
Which ink technique?
Sort each description by the ink method it names.
Ink wash should start with the darkest layer first.
Light washes first, darks last — like watercolour.
Select all true statements about ink.
Ink cannot be erased — that is the point.
Mistakes become decisions
- A waterproof line under wet washes keeps its edge; a water-soluble line bleeds.
- Since you cannot erase, incorporate mistakes or design around them.
- That honesty is exactly why ink is strong process-journal material.
The pressure on a pen's ____ changes the line from thin to thick.
Nib pressure controls line weight.
Match the tool to its mark.
Three ways ink makes value.
Ink wash goes dark fast and never comes back lighter. Test the dilution on scrap, and build up in thin layers — one over-dark wash can flatten a whole passage with no way to recover.
A rainy street in brush and ink: waterproof fineliner for the building edges, then three ink washes — pale sky, mid pavement, dark doorways — over the top. The line holds the drawing; the wash carries the wet grey light.
Ink cannot be erased, so it teaches decisiveness: build value with pen marks, sweep from thin to thick with the brush, layer ink wash light-to-dark, and turn mistakes into decisions.