Black ink stalks over a wash of weak tea brownTea brown, black. Brush the wash over the whole sheet, let it dry, and paint the stalks on top.
Green-gold stalks in acrylic with the same ink strokesOlive, gold, dark green. Thin the acrylic with water and push each segment the way an ink painter would.
Knot rings drawn as dark smiles between pale segmentsPale gray, black. Add a short upturned curve of dark ink across each gap with a fine brush.
Leaning stalk crossing an upright one near the topBlack, gray, cream paper. Paint the upright stalk, let it dry, and lean the second across it on a slant.
Old thick stalk beside a young slim one in the same inkBlack, pale gray. Use a wide brush for one and a narrow brush for the other, with the same strokes.
One stalk in five gray segments, paper showing at each knotBlack ink or thinned black, white paper. Push the brush up for one segment, lift, leave a hair of paper, repeat.
One stalk leaving by the top edge, another entering belowBlack, gray. Start one stalk below the sheet and end the other above it so neither is whole.
Row of seven stalks like fence posts with uneven gapsThree greens, cream. Paint seven upright bars of different widths and notch each one with short knots.
Segment made in one push of a flat brush, lifted at the knotBlack, gray. Load one corner of the brush darker than the other so each segment has a light side.
Slim side branches sprouting from every other knotBlack, gray. Pull each branch outward and upward from a knot in one fine stroke.
Split-brush stalk: dark down both edges, pale in the middleBlack, water. Wet the brush, touch only its two corners in ink, and pull it flat up the paper.
Stalk bowing in wind, each segment tilted a little moreGray, black. Turn every new segment a few degrees further than the one below it.
Three stalks: dark in front, mid gray, palest at the backBlack in three strengths. Paint the palest stalk first and let each dry before the darker one crosses it.
Two-stalk study signed with a red square of your initialsBlack, gray, red. Finish the stalks, then paint a small red square in a lower corner with your initials.
White stalks on black paper, the ink idea reversedWhite on black paper. Push each segment in thinned white and leave a line of black at every knot.
Leaves and shoots 15
Cluster of five leaves, each a single press-and-lift strokeBlack, gray. Press the brush down at the stem end and lift it away to a point.
Dark leaves over pale leaves, two strengths of inkBlack, pale gray. Paint the pale cluster first so it sits behind, then the dark one across it.
Leaf shadows on a paper screen, gray on creamCream, warm gray. Paint every leaf in the same soft gray with no dark accents anywhere.
Leaves crossing a stalk, added after the stalk is dryGreen, dark green. Paint one stalk, wait, then lay a cluster of leaves over it.
Leaves heavy with rain, tips pointing straight downGray, black, pale blue. Hang each leaf vertically and add a small pale drop below a few of them.
Leaves in a downward fan like the toes of a bird's footBlack. Start all four strokes at one point on the twig and spread their tips apart.
Leaves printed with the side of a round brush, three greensLime, green, dark green. Lay the brush on its side, press and lift, changing the green every few leaves.
New shoot breaking the soil, wrapped in brown sheathsBrown, tan, pale green. Paint the shoot as a pointed cone of overlapping sheath shapes.
Seven slim falling leaves scattered down a blank sheetBlack or dark green. Space seven single strokes down the page, each at a different angle.
Single leaf enlarged to fill the canvas, a pale midribLeaf green, lime, dark green. Paint the leaf as one long pointed shape and wipe the midrib out while wet.
Snow resting on leaf clusters, the white left unpaintedBlack, gray, white paper. Paint only the undersides of the leaves and leave their tops as bare paper.
Three shoots at three heights beside a full-grown stalkGreen, brown, tan. Make every shoot as wide as the stalk and change only the heights.
Twig tip with leaves, dark against a bright windowBlack, pale yellow, white. Paint the window as a pale rectangle and the leaves as flat dark strokes.
Wind-tossed leaves all streaming to the leftBlack, pale gray. Pull every leaf in the same direction and curl a few of the tips upward.
Yellowing leaf among green ones, the only warm noteGreen, dark green, yellow. Paint the cluster in two greens and swap one leaf for yellow.
Groves and paths 15
Bamboo fence tied with cord in front of a gardenTan, brown, green. Paint the uprights evenly and cross them with two rails tied in dark X shapes.
Flat stone steps climbing through bambooGray, green, moss green. Paint each step as a pale oval, smaller as they climb.
Grove at night, stalks dark blue, one lit window beyondNavy, dark blue, yellow. Keep every stalk dark and place one small yellow square between two of them.
Grove bowed under snow, tops bent to the groundWhite, gray green, pale blue. Arch the stalks over and load their upper sides with thick white.
Grove in fog, rows of stalks fading to nothingGray green, white. Paint the far rows with more white in the mix until the last row is barely there.
Grove silhouette in black on a blended gold and pink skyGold, pink, black. Blend the sky wet, let it dry, and paint stalks and leaves in flat black.
Looking straight up: stalks converging on a patch of skyGreen, pale blue, white. Aim every stalk at one point near the middle and leave a ragged hole of sky.
Path curving into a grove, stalks closing overheadGreen, tan, dark green. Narrow the path to nothing at the bend and lean the stalks inward above it.
Rain in a grove, slanted gray lines over green uprightsGreen, gray. Finish the grove, let it dry, and rule the rain across it with a liner brush.
Small figure with an umbrella on a path between giant stalksGreen, red, tan. Paint the stalks as wide as tree trunks and the umbrella as one red dot.
Stone lantern at a bend in a bamboo pathGray, green, tan. Paint the lantern in three grays and keep the stalks behind it soft.
Stream running between two walls of bambooGreen, blue, white. Mirror a few stalks in the water as broken wobbly lines.
Sun stripes across a grove floor, shadows of many stalksPale yellow, olive, green. Stripe the ground with alternating bars of light and shade on a slant.
Upright stripes of five greens, knots added as short dashesFive greens, dark green. Fill the canvas edge to edge with stripes and mark knots across each.
Wooden gate standing open at the edge of a groveBrown, green, tan. Angle the open gate leaf toward you and show the path running through it.
With a moon, birds, pandas or insects 15
Bamboo and a red sun disc, two colors onlyBlack, red. Paint a red circle, let it dry, and cross it with one black stalk and five leaves.
Butterfly passing a stalk, its wings the only bright colorBlack, gray, orange. Paint the bamboo in ink grays and the butterfly in one clear orange.
Crescent moon caught in the leaves at the top of a stalkNavy, pale yellow, black. Paint the crescent, then cross it with two dark leaf strokes.
Dragonfly resting on a leaf tipBlack, gray, pale blue. Paint the wings as four watery strokes and the body as one dark line.
Giant panda sitting among stalks, one stem in its pawsBlack, white, green. Paint the white shapes first and add the black ears, eye patches and limbs.
Ink stalks across a gold circle on a deep blue squareDeep blue, gold, black. Paint the circle on the blue ground and let the stalks run past its rim.
Long-legged white bird wading past bamboo rootsWhite, gray, green, black. Leave the bird as bare paper and paint the dark water around it.
Moonrise between two stalks, each stem edged in pale lightNavy, pale yellow, dark green. Paint the stalks dark and run a narrow pale line down the side facing the moon.
Pale moon disc crossed by three ink stalksPale yellow, gray, black. Wash a soft circle first, let it dry, and paint the stalks over it.
Panda cub asleep against a stalk, paws on its bellyBlack, white, green. Slump the cub against the stalk with its head tipped to one side.
Panda's face peering between two stalksBlack, white, green. Stand a stalk either side and fit a round face in the gap.
Red panda curled on a branch above a bamboo thicketRust, cream, dark brown, green. Curl the body along the branch and hang the long tail down below it.
Sparrow perched on a leaning stalk, tail downBrown, tan, black, gray. Paint the bird as two ovals and tilt it to match the lean.
Swallow skimming past the tops of three stalksBlack, gray, pale blue. Paint the bird as two curved strokes for wings and a forked tail.
Two small birds beak to beak, one above a knot, one belowGray, black, tan. Perch one bird above a knot and one below it, beaks turned inward.
How it works
Bamboo is a grass. Its stalks are jointed, usually hollow between the joints, and come out of the ground at full width. Ink painters in East Asia made it a genre of its own, and these studies borrow their strokes.
Read the full guide
Stem, knot, branches, leaves
Bamboo painting takes the parts in that order. Push a flat brush up the paper for one segment of stem, lift at the knot and leave a sliver of paper before the next. Segment made in one push of a flat brush, lifted at the knot is the drill. Leaves come last, one stroke each.
Bamboo acrylic painting ideas
The same strokes work in acrylic thinned with water. Thinned acrylic goes on as a wash, much as watercolor does, but it cannot be rewetted once dry, so each stroke stays where it lands. Green-gold stalks in acrylic with the same ink strokes keeps the method and adds color.
Questions and answers
What is an easy bamboo painting for a beginner?
Easy first bamboo, under More filters, holds 21. One stalk in five gray segments, paper showing at each knot is five strokes, and Bamboo and a red sun disc, two colors only is one circle, one stalk and five leaves.
Do you need ink to paint bamboo?
No. Bamboo painting is usually done in ink, but thinned black acrylic or black watercolor gives a dark, a middle gray and a pale gray. White stalks on black paper, the ink idea reversed uses no black paint at all.
Is bamboo a tree?
No, a grass, and the largest kind. A stalk comes up at its final width and reaches full height within one season, three to four months long. Three shoots at three heights beside a full-grown stalk paints that: equal widths, different heights.
Which bamboo ideas have a panda in them?
Four: Giant panda sitting among stalks, one stem in its paws, a face between two stalks, a sleeping cub and a red panda on a branch. Both animals live mostly on bamboo: its shoots, stems and leaves.