Chinese Brush Painting. Caroline Self

into sets. One set is called the Three Friends of Winter. The “friends” are bamboo, plum blossom, and pine—all plants that bloom or stay green in winter. Another group, orchid, bamboo, plum blossom, and chrysanthemum, is called the Four Gentlemen, because these plants were considered especially elegant. The classic subjects are admired for their appearance and symbolism. Each one is painted in a particular style that was refined and perfected over many years. In this book, you will learn how to paint some of these subjects, like orchid, bamboo, and pine.

      Principles of Painting

      Over the years, artists developed some general rules for brush painting.

      Painting the Inner Spirit

      One rule is that the artist should paint the inner spirit of the subject, not just its physical appearance. A painting is not meant to be a realistic photograph but an artistic vision of the subject.

      Boned and Boneless

      A traditional painting is done in one of two styles, boned or boneless.

      

In the boned style, you paint outlines of the subject and then sometimes add gray shades. The boned style can look formal, stiff, and decorative.

      

In the boneless style, you paint the subject with black or gray shades, with no outlines. The boneless style often uses bolder strokes, so it can appear more free and energetic.

      This book teaches the boneless style because it requires more mastery of the brushstrokes.

      A symmetry——Odd Numbers Rule!

      Symmetry in brush painting means that there are even numbers of things in the painting: 2 flowers, 4 stalks of bamboo, or 6 pine trees, for example. In a symmetrical painting, these objects are balanced on both sides of the painting, just as your right and left arms and legs are balanced on either side of your spine.

      Asymmetry means that there are odd numbers of things in the painting: 3 orchid flowers, 5 pine wheels, and so on. More things are on one side of the painting than the other, but the objects balance each other because of their positions or different sizes.

      In Chinese brush painting, asymmetry always rules! The painter may use 3, 5, or 7 objects. When painting an orchid, for example, the artist will paint one bud and two flowers, or three flowers, and five or seven leaves. A larger object can balance two or three smaller objects. To see how this works, count the flowers or leaves in the orchid paintings on the opposite page. Is there an odd or even number? Notice that some flowers or leaves are larger than the others. Although the orchid plant grows from a center, its flowers and leaves are not shown growing symmetrically on either side of the center.

      Leaving Open Space

      Now look at the empty spaces in these paintings. Part of the art of painting is deciding when to fill open space and when to leave it empty. Notice the triangles of open space around the orchid plants on the opposite page. Some painters like to leave a large amount of open space. It keeps the picture simple and creates a peaceful mood. Others prefer a picture with many objects and less open space. In the traditional painting style, the painter always leaves at least one large chunk of open space. Using asymmetry creates different sizes of open spaces in different parts of the painting.

      Getting

       started

      Collecting Your Materials

      The picture below shows the basic materials you need for Chinese brush painting.

      1. Table cover

      2. Paint

      3. Paint-mixing dishes

      4. Paint-testing plate

      5. Brush-washing containers

      6. Water spoon

      7. Brushes

      8. Paper

      9. Paper towel

      10. Book holder

      11. Book

      12. Paper weights

      13. Egg to train hand

      14. Flat stone to train arm

      1. Table Cover

      Use a piece of white felt to cover the table and absorb paint that could come through the paper and stain the table. Or use an old cotton sheet folded into several layers. The cover must be white because dark colors will show through the paper and make it hard for you to see the different gray shades of paint.

      2. Paint

      To start with, use a small bottle of black poster paint (tempera paint). Traditional Chinese painters use ink because it flows better than paint and dries shiny. But ink will leave permanent stains on hands, tables, and floors. After you have learned to control the brush and water, you can try the traditional Chinese way of grinding an inkstick on an inkstone to make

       a rich, black ink.

      3. Paint-Mixing Dishes

      Use four paint-mixing dishes and arrange them left to right in this order:

      

A small dish to hold a few drops of concentrated black poster paint

      

A large dish to hold a pale-to-medium mix

      

A large dish to hold a medium-to-dark mix

      

A large dish to hold a very dark mix

      4. Paint-Testing Plate

      A small white testing plate is useful to try out the color on the brush before making strokes or to mix other shades of gray. You could also use a folded paper towel to test the color, but a towel will soak up some of the water, which affects the stroke you are about to paint.

      Tips for the Workspace

      

Allow at least 1 square yard (or meter) of table space so you can spread out the materials and have room to swing your arm and body when making brushstrokes.

      

Sit in a high chair, so that your hands and elbows are above the table.

      

When you are sitting, make sure you can look down at the work on the table and still have your feet flat on the floor and your body straight.

      5. Brush-Washing Containers

      You need the following containers for washing the brushes:

      

A container for washing dirty brushes

      

A container for rinsing dirty brushes

      

A container for clean water

      When