sumi

American  

[soo-mee] / ˈsu mi /

noun

Japanese.

1. black ink made from a mixture of plant soot and glue solidified into sticks or cakes the ends of which are scraped or ground into water on an ink slab, much used by calligraphers and painters.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sumi

Whimsical, slightly spooky creatures in clay and sumi ink by artist Saya Moriyasu emerge in “Ozeki 尾石 — Tail End of a Stone.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

After gently placing the rockfish onto the table, Dwight Hwang paints the top layer of fish with a light layer of onyx Japanese sumi ink.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2023

The first work in the series is a self-portrait of Kane, drawn in wobbly lines of sumi ink.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2022

She instead overlaid wire-frame drawings of New York, Cairo and Addis Ababa with forests of short, sharp, freely drawn lines, made with a watery black sumi ink used in East Asian calligraphy.

From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2021

She was regarded as a master in the use of sumi, a traditional Asian ink that is preserved in solid cakes and then mixed with water.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2021