About
Dive deep into the dance of the Black Pen – Siyah Qalam – and follow the lyric, ritualistic rhythms of the brush in its highest expression as we capture the wild, intense forms of the moving figure. We will capture the sinuous movements of the mysterious figures painted by the elusive Siyah Qalam – the Master of the Black Pen – who created a set of miniature folios in the 15th century that combine Persian, Turkish, Indian, Mongolian and Chinese aesthetics. These enigmatic masterpieces mingle the ecstatic and mundane, the demonic and the saintly. Their world was one of dust and stories, vagabond mystics, music and meditation and above all movement and dance. This is the heady frontier where Islam and Buddhism meet shamans and pagans. We push our brushes to their highest capabilities by focusing on the bare essentials: black ink on paper. The absence of colour allows you to focus totally on brush handling techniques as we draw inspiration from these unique and powerful images. Miniature painting is the art of the line. We explore the deep relationship to Chinese art and its insistence on the quality and originality of line.
Key Information
Who is this workshop for?
Students of all levels and experience are welcome.
You must be aged 18 or over to participate in our online programmes.
How many people can attend?
15 places are available.
What days/times do I attend?
This course will take place on Wednesdays, 7, 14, 21, 28 July, 4, 11 August 2027, 17:30 – 20:00
Please note that times are given in British Summer Time (GMT+1).
How do I attend the online class?
This class will take place on Zoom, an online meeting platform. A link for joining the Zoom meeting will be emailed to you before the course.
What materials do I need?
- 1 x 000 size sable watercolour brush (00000 size in the US). The tutor recommends the Rocks brush from The Perfect Brush.
- 1 x fine sable watercolour brush for outlines. The tutor recommends the Clouds brush.
- 1 x larger sable watercolour brush for colour filling; The tutor recommends the Water brush.
Students on our courses are eligible for a 10% discount at the Perfect Brush, enter the code ‘CLASS10’ on checkout. NHS workers are eligible for 15% discounts, enter the code ‘NHS15’ on checkout. - 2 x A4 sheets of 300gsm hot-pressed smooth watercolour paper
- 2 x A4 sheets of tracing paper OR Saral wax-free tracedown paper
- Ink – either Chinese or Japanese black ink, in liquid or stick form. If using a stick, you will also need an inkstone. Avoid any ink that contains shellac.
- A palette with wells
- A water pot
- Sharp HB pencils, eraser, sharpener, ruler, ruling pen, masking tape
- A burnisher: a mineral egg or a cowrie shell. If you cannot find a burnisher, you can improvise one with a metal spoon or ceramic mug, provided the surface is perfectly smooth and will not scratch your paper.
- Optional:
- An Ether brush for transfer, size medium or large is fine.
- This technique uses colour sparingly. You may want to have a few artist-quality watercolours to hand (preferably in pan form rather than tube form, but tube is ok)
For the first session only, you will need:
- Sponges (washing-up sponges, brand new)
- MDF board that you don’t mind ruining on which to stick paper, bigger than A4 size
- A clean flat surface that you don’t mind getting wet, eg the above MDF board or equivalent, as we’ll use masking tape to tape the paper to so as not to destroy your tables
- Black teabags
- A kettle or means for heating water
- A bowl, either plastic or metal
- Starch (wheat, corn, potato, tapioca, rice – any) and access to cooker/hob
- A whisk or wooden spoon to stir the starch in water
Online Learning
What if I have questions during the workshop?
This will be a small workshop; Students will be able to ask questions via chat or unmute themselves.
Students will also have access to our online learning platform, Thinkific, where we share supplementary content.
I live in a different time zone, can I still attend?
We encourage you to attend the course in real time to really benefit from instruction; however, if you are unable to attend live due to the difference in time you can catch up via recordings on our online learning platform, Thinkific. These recordings are available for a limited time after the course.
Recordings cannot be purchased separately if the course is fully booked or if the course has already started.
Tips:
You must download the Zoom app and create a free account before the class begins, so that you can use the full range of features:
- You can create your free account here
- You can download the Zoom app onto your computer or device here
- You can create your free account here
FAQs
Do you offer concessions?
Yes, we offer concessions for Seniors/60+, full-time students and people who are unemployed/in receipt of benefits.
Concessions cannot be applied in retrospect. To receive a concession, please apply via our online form. We will then send you a discount code to use when booking your space.
What if I need to change or cancel my booking?
No refunds, unless cancelled by the School. If you cancel up to 1 week before the workshop starts, we can offer a transfer to another workshop of equivalent value, subject to availability.
Tutor Biography
Vaishali Prazmari is a multidisciplinary artist whose work incorporates elements from various cultures including the Indo-Persian miniatures and Chinese painting of her heritages. Vaishali holds degrees from both the Slade School of Fine Art and the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts and holds an MA in Medieval and Renaissance Studies (UCL) specializing in floating islands. She studied Persian and Indian manuscript painting under various masters and during her MA at PSTA and Chinese painting under a master in Hong Kong. Vaishali has been painting ever since she could get her chubby hands on a brush. Her work has been acquired in collections globally and she has exhibited nationally and internationally for nearly 20 years. She has been bringing traditional miniature painting to life for a wider audience as an educator for 10 years. Having been immersed in these ancient painting traditions as well as contemporary art she is now working towards a syncretic PhD at the Slade, an epic project that is a contemporary visual interpretation of the 1001 Arabian Nights. Born in London, she grew up on an island in Hong Kong and currently lives and works in London.
