CMP Review 2026-05-27

May 27, 2026

Emeline Steinthal first introduced the watercolor technique of “brush drawing” to Charlotte Mason. Simple enough for the youngest learner yet powerful enough to nurture an artist’s hand and eye, this style of nature journaling was shaped by a Japanese form of ink painting called sumi-e.

The two share both common ground and meaningful differences. In brush drawing we use watercolor in a range of hues, while sumi-e traditionally works only in gradations of black, ground from an ink stick on an inkstone with water. We also paint from living specimens, each one unique, rather than from a more stylized interpretation of a plant or flower.

The similarities run deeper than you might expect. Brush drawing borrows a sumi-e technique called Mokkotsu, meaning “boneless”—so named because strokes are made without outlines. It also adopts the practice of holding the brush upright and perpendicular to the paper in order to move through each stroke with fluid, deliberate motions.

Perhaps sumi-e’s greatest gift to brush drawing is this: that a few simple strokes, combined in endless variation, can capture the essence of a plant or flower.

Follow along for more brush drawing inspiration and nature journaling tips.

@rbaburina