El Sendero de los Pinceles
Sumi-e practices to start painting or to come back to it. For people who have never painted, for those returning after years and for anyone stuck in front of a blank paper. 208 pages, ten practices.
Mexico City · Chinese painting and sumi-e
Casa del Trazo
Do not try to make the perfect brushstroke. Make the honest one.
Chinese painting and sumi-e. Courses, workshops, books and collaborations led by Mariano Soto, painter and teacher with more than twenty years of teaching in Spain, Mexico and Latin America. All teaching is in Spanish.
See the coursesHow to bookCourses
Upcoming activities
Online course · Four live sessions
The Four Gentlemen
Bamboo, orchid, chrysanthemum and plum blossom are the four motifs through which Chinese painting is learned. To celebrate the publication of my book El sendero de los pinceles I have prepared a cycle of four live classes, one per motif. We work with brush, ink and paper in the spirit of xie yi, the free brushwork of Chinese painting, and see what each motif can express.
The open introductory session on 18 November has no additional cost. You can meet my way of teaching and try the first exercises. No experience needed.
- Introductory session
- Wednesday 18 November, 11:00 in Mexico and 18:00 in Spain
- Cycle
- 4 classes of 90 minutes, live on Zoom: Wednesday 25 November and 2, 9 and 16 December, at the same time
- Recordings
- Every class is recorded, so you lose nothing if you cannot attend. Watch whenever you like in a private Facebook group
- Language
- Spanish
- Materials
- We confirm the list when you book
980 MXNPrice in MexicoFrom Spain: 48 €.For the online course, the deposit is 200 MXN in Mexico or 20 € in Spain, credited towards the price.
Reserve the introductory sessionReserve a place in the cycle
In-person workshop · Mexico City
The Four Gentlemen · 21 November
A single session devoted to bamboo, orchid, chrysanthemum and plum blossom. Brush, ink and paper. No previous experience needed.
- Date
- Saturday 21 November 2026
- Time
- 10:30 to 14:00
- Location
- Hospital General area, Mexico City
- Materials
- Included
550 MXN
In-person course · Mexico City
The Four Gentlemen, in person
The same journey through bamboo, orchid, chrysanthemum and plum blossom, as an in-person class with brush, ink and paper on the table.
- Format
- Four-session in-person course
- Dates and time
- Schedule to be confirmed
- Format
- In person, Mexico City
- Language
- Spanish
- Materials
- We confirm the list when you book
1,200 MXNThe deposit for this four-session in-person course is 200 MXN, credited towards the price.
In person · Mexico City
The Painted Fan
You paint a whole fan, from start to finish, with the bamboo brush and sumi-e inks. You take the finished piece home.
- Dates
- Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December 2026
- Time
- Time to be confirmed
- Level
- No experience
- Format
- In person, Hospital General area, Mexico City
- Language
- Spanish
- Materials
- Included
- Booking
- Limited places. Your place is confirmed once the payment is verified.
420 MXN
In person · Mexico City
Introduction to Sumi-e
The workshop to understand brush, ink and the basic strokes: materials, loading the brush and ink gradients. Every participant receives an original painting by the teacher.
- Date
- Saturday 28 November 2026
- Time
- 10:00 to 14:00
- Level
- No experience
- Format
- In person, Hospital General area, Mexico City
- Language
- Spanish
- Materials
- Message us to confirm what to bring
- Booking
- Limited places. Your place is confirmed once the payment is verified.
Price to be confirmed
Booking conditions
- The Four Gentlemen. For the online course, the deposit is 200 MXN in Mexico or 20 € in Spain, credited towards the price. For the four-session in-person course, the deposit is 200 MXN. The online course costs 980 MXN in Mexico and 48 € in Spain. The four-session in-person course costs 1,200 MXN.
- Payment. By bank transfer (SPEI), at OXXO or by Practicaja (BBVA México). We send the details by message and you send the receipt on WhatsApp. Your place is confirmed once the payment is verified.
- Language. All courses and workshops are taught in Spanish.
- Formats. Online, on Zoom, from anywhere. In person, in Mexico City.
Punctuality is requested. Do not arrive before the start time. The space will open five minutes before the start time. The activity will begin promptly at the time stated.
Where do I start?
Three questions
Try it
Pick up a brush
Draw with your finger or your mouse. Go slowly and the stroke loads with ink; go fast and it lightens. As the brush dries, the ink runs out and leaves the trace of the bristles.
Draw here
BrushInk
How I teach
The honest brushstroke
There are days when you sit down and the line comes out continuous, and your hand does not hesitate. On other days the same gesture will not flow, and the more you try to correct it, the worse it gets. The difference is rarely technique. It is the state you arrive in: tension in the shoulders, the rush of the street you have not yet let go of. The brush notices before you do.
One afternoon I painted some geraniums with no model to follow. The stroke flowed with an ease I still struggle to explain. What came out was not perfect, but it was completely honest.
Do not try to make the perfect brushstroke, make the honest one.
From El sendero de los pinceles (Spanish).
The teacher
Mariano Soto
Spanish visual artist and teacher of Chinese painting and sumi-e, with more than twenty years of teaching in Spain, Mexico and Latin America. He trained in Chinese painting with master Li Chi Pang and has published six books, two of them on painting. He has lived in Mexico City since 2015 and teaches in person and online, in Spanish.
- Fine Arts, Universitat de Barcelona; studies in Ravenna and Florence
- Exhibitions at CENART, Mexico City, in 2023, 2024 and 2026
- Art Cultural Award, international Chinese calligraphy and painting exhibition, Beijing, 2019
Books
To paint at home
Lindo y Querido
A Chinese painting course, Mexican style. Ten step-by-step lessons with photographs and the urauchi technique to finish the piece. No previous experience needed.
Both books are in Spanish and published under my own imprint, Ediciones Albariza. Bookshops, libraries and cultural centers can request a book presentation or a meeting with the author through the proposal form below.
Work
Exhibitions and catalogue
At CENART, Mexico City: De tinta y papel (2023, with Miriam Puente), the group show Quienes siguen al dragón son las nubes (2024, 19 artists from China and Mexico) and my solo exhibition Alma de bambú, corazón de nopal (2026). More at marianosoto.com.
Inkmotional Landscapes catalogue
Thirty-seven works in Chinese ink and watercolor on rice paper, 137 × 69 cm.
Commissions
Commission an artwork
I paint on commission: a painting, a kakemono, a fan, a name or phrase in calligraphy, or a gift with the motif you choose. Tell me what you imagine and by when, and I will reply with a proposal and a price.
Workshops and collaborations
Request a proposal
I work with individuals, groups of friends, small painting schools, academies, associations, schools and universities, libraries, museums, hotels, companies and institutions. Tell me who you are, what you have in mind and where you write from, and I will reply with a proposal and conditions. Activities are in Spanish.
Live elsewhere?
We set up the workshop where you are
With a group of friends, colleagues or neighbors who are interested, we organize a workshop in your city. Leave your details and I will keep you posted on courses, books and news. No spam.
A gift
Give a workshop
Write the name of the person and open the voucher to print it or save it as a PDF.
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need experience?
No. Introductory courses start from zero.
What time should I arrive?
Punctuality is requested. Do not arrive before the start time. The space will open five minutes before the start time. The activity will begin promptly at the time stated.
How do I book and how much does it cost?
For the online course, the deposit is 200 MXN in Mexico or 20 € in Spain. For the four-session in-person course, it is 200 MXN. Both are credited towards the price. Online: 980 MXN in Mexico; 48 € in Spain. In person: 1,200 MXN for the four-session in-person course; the 21 November single-session workshop costs 550 MXN. The Painted Fan costs 420 MXN on 4–5 December and the price of Introduction to Sumi-e is to be confirmed.
How do I pay?
By bank transfer (SPEI), at OXXO or by Practicaja (BBVA México). We send the details by message and you send the receipt on WhatsApp.
What language are the courses in?
All courses and workshops are taught in Spanish.
Contact
Write to us
WhatsApp Mexico: +52 55 7671 7177
WhatsApp Spain: +34 614 14 00 95
Email: [email protected]
Web: marianosoto.com
Instagram: @marianosoto_arte
In person: Mexico City, Hospital General area. Online: on Zoom, from anywhere. Prices are shown in the relevant currency.