ink wash
Watered black medium
Ink wash is a painting technique using diluted ink applied in varying concentrations to create gradations of tone, from pale gray to deep black.
The method originated in East Asian art, particularly Chinese and Japanese brush painting, where artists control water-to-ink ratios to achieve atmospheric effects and subtle tonal shifts.
The landscape was rendered entirely in ink wash, with misty mountains fading into the background.
The term also describes the finished artwork itself.
- brushworkPainter's stroke method
- inkstoneSlab for grinding pigment
- wet-on-wetPainting into undried layers
- sumi-eJapanese monochrome brush painting
- gradationIncremental transition between stages
rice paper · silk scroll · Zen art · calligraphy · landscape painting · mountain mist · monochrome · scroll painting · dry brush · minimalism · fluidity · negative space · contrast · watercolor · abstraction · bleed · shading · texture
- East Asian Culturechopsticks, yin and yang, tea ceremony, origami, qi
- art techniquespainting, drawing, sketching, shading, blending
- Asian artskabuki, noh theater, Peking opera, Beijing opera, Chinese opera
- coloringcoloring book, dye, colorize, coloring books, coloring page
- Asian artChinese art, Japanese art, brush painting, scroll painting, sumi-e
- Asian Motifsdragons, cranes, lotus flower, phoenix, cherry blossoms
ink washimpasto
Heavily applied pigment technique
gouache · oil paint · acrylic paint · tempera · encaustic
ink washcolored pencil
Pigmented core in wood
oil pastel · crayon · chalk · woodcut · mosaic