Start Chinese Brush Painting
Chinese brush painting is an ancient art that continues to fascinate contemporary artists. The basic strokes can be learned in moments and require years to master. Simple beauty, harmony, serenity and tranquility may be discovered in a symbol, a bird, or a landscape.
Steps
- Choose a style. Traditional Chinese painting has three styles:
- Gongbi is a detailed style based upon a limited palette.
- Xieyi is more whimsical and colourful, interpretive.
- Decide to combine these two styles, uniting detail and freedom of expression for effect.
- Choose a subject. Chinese painting has five categories:
- Shan Shui or landscape painting, water, mountain, sky.
- Ren Wu or figure painting, primarily people.
- Quin Shou or animals, birds and insects.
- Hua Hui or flowers and blossoms.
- Hua Niao or a combination of flowers and birds.
- Choose a subject. Chinese painting has five categories:
- Gather the essential materials.
- Brush
- Ink cake
- Water
- Inkstone
- Paper or silk. For your first time, it will be better to practice on paper until you get the hang of brush painting.
- To make the ink, grind some of the ink cake in to the ink stone with a little bit of water. The amount of water varies depending on the consistency of the ink that you want. Thick ink will appear glossy and deep on your paper. Thin ink (made with more water) will be more lively.
- Keep in mind that brush painting is symbolic rather than just recording an image.
- Start painting! Remember to make bold strokes - if you go too slow, the ink will bleed, but going too fast may result in mistakes. Find a speed with which to paint that is somewhere in the middle.
- Change up the width of the stroke by slanting the brush to the side, or holding it completely horizontally to the paper.
- Finished.
