Chinese Ink Painting - Techniques in Shades of Black

8/12/2019 Chinese Ink Painting - Techniques in Shades of Black

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Tec611ique s i11S ade.sof1'1ack


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' C6i ese PC\i ti 9fquipme tThe Four Trea.sures of tlle StudioThe brush, the i nk stic.k, che ink scone and the paper - thei111ple111e11ts necclcd fi>r h i n c s t ~ tracJitic)raaJ f>:.:tir lti1lg a1l.d vvrili11g- have bee11 knackir1g fOr tlae ("' l1i11ese paper. Weightsare also needed to hold the paper in position. There arcalso three

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special itemsin cluded here: a wooden ' mountain ' bruhres t ,anant iquewater dropper i n thesha pe of a bin on at ree trunk, anda lo tus leafbrush-washer. (Those show n arr from the collect ionof P. Cherrcu).Chinese P aintingBrushesAll de rive from the writing brush, but early\\Tiling was donewithawhittlccl, sharpened willow stickon str ips ofbamboo.General Meng Tiauwholived in Lhe QinDynasty 221-2 06 BC)is c redite dwith the invent ion of he brush ofhair. In thestoryrela t ing to th is, iri ssaid that.ashe w a s s upe rv is ing theco nstruc tio n o r the Creat W all he sawa tuft of goat s h;iirs ru ck LOon eofrht: stones.notic:c


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f \Some arc hanging from a special rack (only to be used when thebrushes are completely dry); a multiple brush, made up oft.ensm all brushes glued together and used for washes , is lying on awooden polished brush rest; a bamboo fountain brush with itscap at itssick is available for calligraphy; a set ofsix matchingbrushes demonstrates llle range ofbn1sh si?A:s available andhelps show the comparison between the popular sized brushesancl the huge b sh lying next to them.The Chinc:sc brush always returns to a fine point wh :n it is\o\ et i btlt its uniqtteness lies in irs versatility Iftl1e paincer ' 1ishcs1Lhe brush can produce strokes of varying degrees of broadness,or c\cn split itself nto two or more points to proclucc multiplev.ith a single strc.>kc. It is 11sua in ir1k pai11ti11gonly to use:one brush throughout, as the brush will be capable of painringeverything from the finest line to broad areas ofwash. Il is also


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hestages in ma/6ng a brush

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extremely helpful in maintaining the unity ofb,.ushwork s t) k inthe painting to use only one brnsh.The Chinese brush is made up of hairs ofvarying lengths,bound togethet in averyspecial way and set in a bamboo holder.It is built rou1l.d a ce11t1al c o r e ~ incl easing in circt1n1ferenc c aslayersc1fhair arc t d r l c d ro the core. \ Vhcn tl1c )rrcct size l1asbeen reached. the bundle of hair is tied, glued and inserted intotheopenend ofa bamboo handle . (Care has to be taken not toloosen the glue in these brushes, as this is its weakest point. Hotwater should not be used for brush washing. the hairsdo comeoul of the handle, they usually remain tied together in the bundleand can be l e-insertedand glued with a modem glue.) A hrushfrm the Western \VC>rld has a large amc>unt c f hair i11side l ehandle, while the opposite is true for an oriental brush. ThisSJ>Cc:ial cc. r1struct.ir1 n a l l c s ~ h e brush to l.>chave i1 au11iqlte \Vaywhen loaded with ink.

I J/; I)V . J

I hair is tied he e

Preparing the Brush for PaintingBefore actual paintingcan begin the Chinese brush has to beb.roken in i it is a nc\\ c.>nc, not 1>rcvic usly usecJ.fu St , the cap should be t emoved. This is sometunes bamboo,

and nowadays mavevcn he made of1>lastic. I t should lhcn be


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lh rown aw ay andnot put back o n th e b rush as ils use was to prolecl lhc brush during ils lravels .Next the co:u ingofstarch,used to shapeand prounthehairs

should bertmovedb) dipping1he brushin wa1er andgen t lymanipu la t ingthe p o in t aga ins t 1heside of he pai m dish orev en estthcciar111Jbru )hC:i ""'hilcln 1eprocess t>f1>ai nting. Fc>r Chinese1>ainting itis irnpr w t to l>cextra careful w ith excess water or dampness as theabsorbency ofthe paperputs it more at ri k than in ordinary W esternwatercolourpainting. However brushesshould not be left to dryon the nk restor the moisture seep sdown tu collect at the bll>t:ofth ehairs and may loosen the brush from thehandle .

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nkstones

The Ink StoneTo rnakc the blackink, the ink stickisrubbedin wa1 cr 11an inkstone. l11c grindingaction nibs nk fromt h ~ slik. enabling it tomix w ithlhe water. The linerthegra in of he ink >tun, thesmoother the ink l> 11 dThe o ~ tfamous ink s l a b ~ aresaid tobefrom theAnhuini,trkt ofChina.where o ~ t arcm ad from black stone, but th ere.irea lovarif ties w ith red >r green m ;t rkin gs fornll g< ll ,j {l lS ln thtSlOJJC:.

The Ink StickOldChinCM: mk ismndc of so ot mix


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slc>ne and brusl1; but a sh


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Rub Lhe ii1k stick strc)ngly on the ::;tc ne i11 c}c)ckwisccirclt:suntil the ink is chick and oily. When the rubbing motion seems toadh.ete, 1noister1 the end f the stick again ~ t h w a t e r ~ r add anextra miniscule from a wacer diopper or tiny spoon. fhe ink isready for use when it reaches an almosc oilyconsistency, leavingtrails behind on the stone's su rface. By that time the ratherabrasive noise of he grinding has become muffied and softer. Asthe water gradually evaporates, the mixwre becomes slowlyrnore cf>nccntrated.Caring for the Ink Stick and Ink StoneThe ink stick should not be leli o stand on the ink scone, or it willstick to it and damage che stone, cherefore aUow it to dry freely inthe air. Old ink should noc be left to dry and coagulate on thestone, as the gri tty , " f ' < t i n ~ can spoil newly rubh


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I III

che Chinese paper, an absorbent l


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In the obliquepmition tht: b n ~ h tip and the upper r i ~ t l c s move:parallel 1 each other and their paths are separate so that quite adifforcnt dfc


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6 W hen the shade orshacks n.


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Shade

Shadesreprestnt don risloruspainting2


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Lo be Loo we1, (whichcan cause over-absor lx:n


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f heheel of1hc hn 1sh nearestIhe handle)is lif tedoffthrp a p c>nly twoLoneswi llre1na ill.ton \tic

Tijis als o helps to show th atthe angle of1he.handleContrpl5botht hew icllh o f fhe Stlqke anl lhc loncs. Tfcheb r ush ishe ld u p right. for ins(an c:c.1h cn onlyo ne tone willresult. Thenkputon thetip can,of o u r s e ~ varied,butthe tip of hebru sh .whidu;anonly d rw line, can only give one>hade. H ow ever, w ilh allthe brinks on thepaper amuchwider rangeofonal changes canbe ach ieved .

~ e n usingtm lyone tone, yuHc: cliffe r cn t areob ta im:dl>ya) using a weebrush, or

b) 11sing adryb rush

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tisnot lores tilct11racricerostrokesalt>nc. nfactitismore helpful toartcm p t sm all, bu tcom p lc1e paimings so th atlheindi,ridu;'&I canlr rencocou1binc vithorhers intJ eO\'erall cum1>ositio11oft brush'''ork-.Thefo llow ing chapte rswi ll d e m o n a ew-o f d1e waythatChineseh la c k inkco get ln -r w ith a Chinesebrush, c:ana 111yriadcolo ti rs in tl1c chngingpageant ofnaturesbeauty.23


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~ m o o ;:: :...

Thebamboogro ws as h igh as a tr eeandbelo ngstothe samefam i ly as g rass . I ts s te m hard , s t ra igh tandho llow - an' a lw Hyspointing upwards. Its leaves aregree11atal lseasonsandbealll iful widerall cond itions - s trug g lin g hcneath1hewinte1snow orsw ay in gwith the storm, wider 1h.- moon orin the sun.A lthoug h bamboois dist ribu tedthroughout 1hcsubtrop icaland n1ildtempcratC" 1 .o nes the heav iest Cl nccntrationandlarges tnumber of species isto befoun din :io urh-EastA sia.Thereareabout I ,OOO speciesof bamboo , some growingtoheig hts of betw een100 n nd 120feet andhaving ste rnsup 1012inch es in diam etet

B am bo o has a lw ays p lay ed akey mlin Chinesecultureandananc lhashelped gene r ally toshapethecountry'' lifestyleP o ets andpainter.oois a lliccl inmanyw ays tothes trokes rt.'O\V


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Principles ofBamboo Painting - CompositionBamboo ismack up o jour pans: the stem, the knot or joint, thebranches and the leaves.Jlie Sterns

1 Space shoulcl he: left between the sections of the stem forthe knots.2 The sections between knots near the ends of the stemsshould be short., those forming the micklle should be Jong,hiJe at the base of the stern they arc again short.3 Avoid painting bamboo st. :rns that appear ' ~ t h e r e d ,swollen, or too dark in tone.4 The stems should not aJJ be of the same height.5 The: c:clges of the stem should be distinct.6 The knots should fixmlyjoin the sections aboveand belowthem, their forms being like: half a circle.7 At about the fifth knot above the soil , the branches andk1liagc: begin to grow.8 l only one or two stems ofbamboo are being painted. t eink tones can all be: the: same:.9 T there are t11ree or JC\Ore stems, thc:n those in theforeground should be painted in dark tonc:s ancl those inthe back in light tones

I0 Avoid: a swollen or distorted stems; b uneven ink tones;c a dryness that looks like decay; d coarseness of texture;e a density of ink that may look like: rot and f equalspacing hc tvvcen knots


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KnotsThe upper pan ofchc knotshouldcoverrhc low er, thelo werpan should supponthe upper.

2 Knothouldnot be too la rgeor too sm all.3 Knots shou ldnot b


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5 All fou rsidesofh e bamboosh ould be considered w henplnnnU gll e wr posi tion.ETTffllo otou

I Avoid mak ing stems like drum sticks 2 Avoid m ak ing jo ims ofequa l length I Avoid lin ing up the bamboosl ike a fence

Avoidpla< ing t he leaves a ll coo n e side5 Avo id tnak ing the leaveslike th efi n gers of anout "tr


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ThclcbambOstroke

1fSSl)fCS_.t.i1\ll9''531f:H.li?f


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6 Doublebrushloadingcanbeusedtoputashadowdin.:ctlyon 1 1hes tem asit is noc possible to overpain t .

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iu kM Jorointswhic h div ide thes1rm , should eaddrr l in inkwhic his one h d ~ darkerthan the sterni tse lf. hey sh ou ld beadded befo re the st ern s dry . herearctwo 1nethodsofaddingjoi tstrok s ,

Asin gle strokr< anheadded ei therbetween thetwo stcn1 sections or 11 tl ecop one n y r

2 Som erim cstwo dividers can he in serted , one o n rh c wsectio n of he b ranch as befo re , andas im ila r shape, b u tupsid edownon the b ortorn branchsectio n.


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1 11t randw1hc rean:diffe ren tthickricS


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ht eavesThe le aves arc lway the la st partof the b mboo p lan t t bepainted andare the most difliab le to pract i c le fcom binatio ns on their ow n bcfol C at tempt ing to addthem to thr icms andbranch es of the final b mhoo com pos id o n .

TwobOJshsrrokes llke a fi:sh 1at

1 l ractise the ditTcrc;nt lea f positions firs t , hcg inn ing withsm all n u of leaves .

l prighlbrushpo rt + l feSSlJ C

32 ot tne s10 H .-11thout ret l 'u .I tC t Ch rig ;he p ipttl

--Pressure o urtrSSUfC


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. _t'f.:2 L( aves cn be paintedupwards , orh ngingdow n ,de pen d in g onthegeneral diposition ofhe minba m bo o com position.U sually small g roups tendto have all theleaves painted in the sam e direction.3 Ift.hcleaves overlap , then c are m ustbe taken11ot too verloa d the bmshas two la yersof nk arcfilling the sam ep perspace; t isoftencaicr toallow one gro up of leaves

t.o drybefore pai11tingothers on topofchem ,

2

Examplts of /Jftlad-out1eaves ingroup ofWO ndhree.


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The b eau ty of ba m b oolies in lhejoyof1he brnsh rhy1hms n dI hti rnng, erartl fi l o P . 1 P a \ f h ~ '-'flt }'flr:ct h;unhOJ>ainringdtrivcrl from n rtist ,,,hos w the nc thr-c>ugh in th t aLhtt its

a l t a n l ~ n l

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4

Leafgroups o our five ands


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C a l l i 9 r ~ p 6 y The1enn calli graphy derivesfrom th eG reek w ork 'k alligraphia'whichmeans beautifu l writ ing. for th eChine.o;c, 1hcamc highstandardsofbrushw ork applyto this ana apply to pain ting, forcallig raphy is an a rt form in itself.

Gone CarvingShan9Dvnastv117661122BC1

0~ D( \ \

0836

Large SealChou ynosty1122 ; _155 8-CI

Small S ea lCh in I >yn 1 s1v1221 207 8C)

Tli ree hitsor ro ckS

Ttte brtHl


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8-0l" Q ervinghang Hs ry(1755 ? SCI

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.,..,,'. i ,,;

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Within the period AD 588 to the present day, there havedeveloped three types ofwriting which are used appropriately totl1e ir < : 011text:

At,JOFUllY Sianc:tard Grass Symbols for moon

lin hr;.ia slvlcs.

To be able to write some Chinese cha racters on a painting-thc date ora good luck symbol, or perhaps a s 'llall poem - is theeasiest way to begin to attempt Chincsct:- a rts share aco1nmon origin and each cv )lved as a means of m;tking aaesthetic statement, expressing the underlying principles ofr1aLure.The Chinesecharaccers, the written symbols of he Chineselanguage, arc usually made up of several parts. Each part of hecharacter is called a component . (Some 'componen ts ' arccharacters in their own right.) Each component is composed ohnumber of basicstrokes and the following are the seven mostelementary ones. The arrows show thedirection of the brush1noveme11t:

t J1iL001al i on )stroke Hftwa1ddot ttcardrop)

small hock

sweep;n l hwe r


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t\

2

Pull

2nd f \V j t fo .vj

1l hemain strokes involved nCalligraphyHook s1ro tatc

one StrokeThis stroke is the Hook and Teardrop combined, but lengthenedi11 between.

Flir;kThe basic suuctureofeachchara.cter is balanced and logical

and each stroke foUows the other in a precise and rhythmicorder. The general rule is lo work from the top down, and fromleft to right within each character. The successive charactersplaced in vercical rows, starting at the top of the paperand at tl eright hand side. Each new row begins at t he top and is placed tothe left of the previous one.Although everyday Chinesewriting is now done horizontaJJy,it is still eminently ac;;ccptable for poems coupletsordecorativei.vricing n f>aintings to reLai11 the old tOr1nal of vertical lines.The individual strokes already described should e r ~ t i s c dfirst> witll tile paintersitcing in avelJr e r t ; ~ t 1>ositic>n or star1di1lgif he work is to be particularly large. The brush should be keptupright and. to allow for totally free movement of he arm, thewrist should notbe allowed rest on the surface of the paper.The ink used should bea rich, strong black. The brush loadedthoroughly but without being super-saturated. Remember t >

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increase the pressure to broade.n the stroke and rek


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1vfost of these mlcs and the basic stroke ele111ents are comaii1edwithin the muchused character for ' long life'. This character,Jhou (pronounc:ed show} is to be found as a single decorative pieceofcalligraphy m: a scroll, as r m h r o i d e r y motif, on pottery andcontained wiLhin many wriuen expressionsofgeneraJ goodwillon C hinese NewYear cards. It c:an most usefully be tried as thefirst calligraphic:painting motif, after the individual strokes havebeen practised.

7

- - 10 ; J . . . . 4 1Follow the arrowdirections and paint the strokes in the order

;L, shown. l t often helps to vary the si e of the character to findwhich particular fo rmat suiLs you best for practice purposes.Another popular d1aractt:r is 'luck' which is Fu (pronouncedoo Again, the arrows give bothdirection and order of stroke, sothat the character will develop rhythmically as it is paimed.

luck

onestroke does not quite join on to the next, it is muchbeuer to leave the slight gap, than to attempt to add an extrapiece to the chamcter, and ofc:ourse, as always with traditionalChinese 1 ainting, strt>kes 1i1 L be Sttccessfttlly 1idicd up if f1ebrush technique has caused an incorrect stroke to be formed . Noamount ofdescription can substitute for the marvellous feelir.gofaccomplishment when, after many faulty praaicc pieces, onecharacter, or even one stroke, appears faulllessly on theahsrbent (>ainting surf e.

appiness,,, ;,7. '>'2 : ~ :j \. 7

3

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The additionof hec h arac ter for happ iness 101t .c twoalreadydes cribed,w ll enab le the pain ter to writeAll G oodW ishes - luck, happinessand long life.

An othe r sm all butusefulse ries ofcharacters are theset ofChinese num bers , plu s thecharaccers for m onth andyearnecessary t o enable the date to e w ritten. A paincing seems to bem ore finished if it is datedand the sm all numberofcharacters necessary to achieve this are as follows.

L ine andartOWd; grams ndicate orde ro paintinganddirtio no brush

42

Allgood wishes

sun. d ay TE J J;noon montn

year

).C....4 --..


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nn Ltn

4


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,y

f;

one :. .i riousoQd

i n ~ -ft-und10tf Elx1en 1 ~ 1 h l ~ -t

tol1r t 1t C a f J}

~TO:Pegjn with this abesuffiC >t but ifmbreaCc.,uracyandpfecis,i on lsrequired hen the month qd ~ day can beaddedt. l l OO -ive ;J Lrnq nth f]comma ,

kdJ:; tl

Written h a r ~ c t e r s in rheirl>ktoriaiform were,che,fore :,ru nncrs of today's i l J l i g r a p h ; a ~ d alsp of craditionru paint /They ;tppcarcd on bronze vessels and probably at aho11t the sanwl.lmc as cm11roidcq; motifs, ; tn parciculara .ttention beingpaidco diaracte tof iJie silk cocooh . Chinese embroide ry piecesha: tc < a m p \ c ~ < >fCh.inese script w.oxked oil themJl om singlecharacters fo fl ll lengtji. po.emsAproduci11gdesigns richm >symbolism L wdl as plcastng aesthencatJy a11d 1nteUecruallx .Sl11ce tnost ancie11t e11\l)toi


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One good wish phrase also popularonembroidery , seem s tosum up the far-ra nging influen ce ofcalligraphy asan art fonn ,em bodying, as it docs , a w ealth ufa.aciem philosophy in am i n im um ofwriting. The seal character inscriprion show n reads \Vu u chin ju. l\llay you have lhc l ive blessings and embody

the nine similarities (in yourper.on) . The live.Blessing an:long life,weal t h , heal th , m any sons and a na tura l death . Ontherigh t is the mode rn form.

The nine sim ilarities a rc em bod ied in the following wish :L ike hig h hills , like m oun t a in masses, liketop-m ost ridges , likehugebulks of rock, like strtams , like the morn, likethe su n , l kethe ageof the southern hill sandli ke the luxuriance of ir and cypress, so may be thy increase and descendants to come.


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TheC hinese tr adi1 io nally paimfish sw im m in g inw ate r. f anartist caugh t thetwis ls andtu rnsoffishsw im m ingamongthew ate rweGds, thendi pa in tin gwould Lm osrprized yconnoisseursThe crp isthemO>l frc quenllydep iclcdfishin Chines


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C hin a show in g golclfih beingkep tanddiplnyrdin wide-toppedtcr.i.micbowls. Becauseof theway they were kept, they haveeyeswhichloo k upward ,and decora tions knownashoods andcurv ed fins w hic h arc o n ly seen ac their hcsl frnm above .

The C hin ese li st9 types of is h : carp , pompadourfish,mandarin lish gold fis h , frcshwatet goby , y ing fish , srn all fish shrimpsorcrayfi sh, crabs .

I~ ~ . :..,

Some of themor common fish7


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ome exampleso isho differentshapes

.

General Order for Painting FishUsually fish should be painred beginning with the head, then rhebody, au


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painted in light, diluted ink stage 1), and then thick dark inkused on the o rehead and eyes, stage 2 . he body be paintedwith a double-loaded brush tipped with ulatk ink in bold brushstrokes whir:h suggest the lighcand shade ofche body, stagt :J .Finally, in stage 4 , scales are added while the body stroke is still\ \ e{, n fu s a d tail rnccliurn ink 1n1t the finish ing t


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Pa ting FragI Eyes andm outh in blacl< ink.2 A wet s trokefollow for 1 hcbacl


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6 The lh e body >c lrncnLarc: paintc:ciwith adoubleh>ady \ tavy line ' - lt i 'I 'e llunlunk s 1>aacu lrl rhtrl'

r any doubtin the mindabout whether to a< lJ more, thenc. lcdsion shou ld a lwaysh


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Painting okifishI odywilh lW Ocolour w et stroke.2 E ye s em ic i rdcs and under body line indark {rcy.3 Mouth ancf eyes in deep black.4 our sid e uuand ta il in mediumgrey5 Thinblacklin es onfins and tail .

2

3

1


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ainting Grob antU g;sometin1 scral>s ancllish som e1im es la rge fishswimming arounclLheir smallercoun terpar1 s . O ccasiona lly fish may beshow nwi1h alocusIJ owcr orfrogs si tting on alotus lea f oron a riverbank

..;j


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IlcJwcvcr in all sitins in .. hich fish rc tJ ci r alconsti tuents 1hercisa lways an elememofmovememimpliri1 inthepaintin g. A m anyChinese intings arc rather uconcep1 su ch co m posit ions m ake a w elcom ec h11n1


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flowrsTheC hinese a r c devo ted to flowersand the ir cu lt ivation .ThefltSt cs tablishc-d botanica l gardenwasatCh ' an g-an inRC. t the natural srenc w hich appeals m ost so, i fpo .s ib lc ,sh;ldypools oflotusandgoldfis h , miniature bridg


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The chart shows the symbolism and groupings of the differcu tflo\';ers nnd blosson1s th rc)ughrt le F a m ( ; od ofvc:aJth,c10icia ls()Jcandcr 13cauty, gr:u::c Rirds , insects

~ (Jr. t( C, dclica r.y \"y'iId11 (Jardoenia Pc;o1r Porlty,jos tic:e C)tlic:ials in rot..-:i-.12 J> Jvv> ' inte r :\lu1ond \ \:ot11aal}' beaut>' CourL la


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T}1crlarcissus n< c grc v wil aJong rh 1 a r o r r T h east coast ofChina llccoming a cultivated f low er in the Ol licentury. Thrl"


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62

Thecomposhion. whic h clearly shows white flowrr. in Ll1cirelegant sirnplic ily , ca11 b e left as con plctcat_his slagc orhn.,rrshadesofgrey(or colour)added.The shades shouldnot beaddedtoo carefu l ly , as theintcnl ion is not merely tn fillin tl1eoutline' but t dd 111oredepth tohc auspiciouss igns see11 on the ''le of Buddha'sfoot.

lL is not nnlya syrnl>ol imponam to Buddhists thm thelo turcct>gniscd, IJut alsoas an cmblcn of o11e ofthf F.ighL lrrtlllOrtofTaoism - th


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The lotus s also 1egardecl as l'epresentingsummer andfruitfulness; it appeats in stylised form in paintings, inembroidery on carpets a sitic>n S ) tl1al spaces are left for crossingle.aves a11


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Seedpod on beirownshou ldhavenspacelefr a llhebaseso thatthestalk scanbejoinctl correctly .

4 he seedpodsare still su rrounded byth e peta ls of heflower then thepetals growfrom th


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6 The lea.ves can be shown in var ious stages and positions asey un fo lcl

7 n che large leaves the veins ra ctiatc fr


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l QlS ildded to ~

IOraS1

l

8 h ~ le fst lks re .d rker th n thee flower stalks.

Stem

eins added


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9 Each llower, bud and leaf has its own incl iviclual stalk.

NI\\

t sb damostopen

'

u l l ~ open floVvcr

T he PeonyThe tree-peony is rcgarclecl as the king of flowers, the flower ofriches and honour and is hclcl in high esteem b) the Chinese

since theT ang Dynasty.It is a e1nble111 of o e and affection, a sy hc>I f fcr i i ebeauty, and also represents the season of spring. fhe peony issometimescalled the flower of wealth and rank . From the Sungperiod onwards it has ofrcn been a favourite pollery motif both

f>rt its 0' '11 a11d ir1cotllposiLion 'icl rocks .7


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68

f heplantliccomes loned wi h owerheads andhe vilyleafed in g reel1 th is i s regardedasanomenofgood fo rtune; bul itheleaves ryupandtheflowerssuddenlyfade, th is pr.-sagespoverty for1hl f lower s owner or evensomeappall ingdisasterto thewhole fam ily .

F loweringplan ts an :divid ed in to lwokinds; those w ith woodys tem s, usually pe renn ia ls , and plantswhichareu sually annuals .

t lt eonyFoll ow ingthe pain ting of henarc issus asanall -outlineOowerandthelotus whichwaspaintedinthecombined techniquesnut ine flowerrmd solid-stroke leaves, th e thirdtcdiniqueisto


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ybut if

ith woody

Howeriquc is to

paint the flowers nnd leaves all in the solidstroke method. hepeony is a good exampkofthismethod as it lends itself o theimpre.ssionislic. oosencssof tht: m ~ h Mrokcs in con rrast to the:


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70

The orclcrofp a in t ing for the peony is: flower first fo llowedbyleaves and finally th e stems arc aclded. t susual to ocgin ;u thc cencre of he f lowrr whetherthe flower sfully open orhalfopen.Petals can be paintedin a li ght shadeofgrey fir.u withs rOkesbeing superimposed i ndnrkrr shades whil the first bru


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ddmor e peta ls to th eto por bottom of he lowerhead e ~ n i n g inwhich d irectionyou wi sh t he head opoint

Fa ces3t1 \1 r CC > CJHI

7


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orpeonyeaves useaTn#diumwtbrushandpeintngroupsofhree.


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3

Gfoup 1

peony e fgroup

Cro up )

A p ony u

L:trgcr leat groupsStem

S ' l eat uds

fl owe b I

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lnsectsBees, wasps,butterfli es andother insectscanbeaclclccJtoflowerandblos. mpaintingstoadcl life and aiouchof ealism to thecom position . lnseetsgatherroundthe flower s, co llectingtheirfrag rance; LhcyclimbalonSs tem sandalightonleaves. Theycanbeu sed tohin t sub tly al theadvenc ofsp r ing , summero raufumn,bythei r very preS


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lmporro tremintkrsI I c c 1 usually havefour wings ancl ix lcS .2 Jumping insects ha e s t rongha


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Dragonflies7

As these insects appear in large numbers beforea storm theyare xr>mctimcs knt>\Vn as tltc t)'ll hoo11 Uy , \\1l1ile. e __ B ncscslang term for them is old glassy because of their largetransparent wings.They flit over streams and along river banks.ea ting harmfu l insects and arc therefore, much appreciated bythe people who live near water.

\


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>\'

1rayingmantisandcricket.

ricketsThecric ket isthetr iplr xyrnboloflifc .111d death andete rnalrenewal . Likeflovrcrs insectshave tfl roln la11gungc: acicadaon aw eepin g willowsuggests the songo fth e insect m ingled withth e ru s t l in gleaves, caresSule rs :n< lams. lit tlr scu lp turedjades,represent cri ckets bees,huuerflies- use le sstr inke ts butm eaningful tothe lovers who exchanged them . The prrscnce ofacricket in t h ehomew asa s ign ofgoodluck; ' ' hearing it p oe ts experienctsongof hecricketis the sig nal forworkto thrw eaver. Womrn in harem skept them n little golclencages tha t th eyp lacednearth eir pillowsa tnigh t sothat they co uld listen happ ily tot hc:m w h ich wouldcasethei rlone liness .


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Sf aJ noteso bu taflieI \Vhcn flying, on ly half he body is visible.2 At rest .the whole l>Or the anis1 1s CJ\\tl eyes.011eo chcar.r.rll<


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1ird.sBird are rarely pain ted bythemselves. Theysit on the branch ofa ircc , pausenearaflower or rest at thes ide ofa watery pool .Theyhelp give lifeand m ove m ent, a lbdt gen tle , t the calmunruffi ed serenity ofhe t raditional Chinese flo wer and bloswmpaintings. They alsorefer sy mbolicallyw


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oldman'sbirthday, a crane under a pine treeis consideredluck y. Mandarinducks andswallows o ftenoccurin pairs-duckson a water lilypool o r swallows among w illow trees mean happy m tr mony. Tenm a ,'Pics an: a verylucky nmrn ancl usually appear in largeoff ic ial cc lc br.ttory paintings. The chart o npage88 gi,es some ideaof the sym bolism anached t 1hr birdsw hichfeaturemrnn oftrn in Chinl;l;c painting.Painting Birds1l1eChir1escsay T< t1>aint al>ird do n >t g > a\vay frtJTTl lhc tbrr11ofangg . Abird begins life in the egg and Lhat isals o hc basicbody shnpc. Twoegg-shaped ovals p rov ide the fram ew ork fo th e bird .

c 'Birdsa/8 harche d romeggs and ha ir shape closely foHows1/Jarofanegg wi1hhead 1ail wingsandfeetadded. TheaHgrowsat ha endof rheoval.

f he bird sdividedIn to rhreesec tions the third section iswhe11>1he legs go.

a bird is divid8dinto five sections the wingsare i ntheupper three sections.


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8

The small circle which represents the head can bemoveo nside routside rhe body eggshape

The preceding piccures give che general body shape and formac.TWC\


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\The two diagrams explain the order for both the 'brush line'and 'solid-stroke' methods ofpainting birds. The bi 'd can thenbe placed on a branch or in a tree as ;)ppropriace. Both methods

use fine brush for the beak, eyes and claws.

beak eve: : 2

== >

Add

I (lli;f li l (I I brush St1()kCS lO btJildup the ta il~ ~ - ' _-

Outlineor brushlinemethod

~ ~ . . : : .,. ~ '. .

~~ < . .

' .

Laysand l a ~ v s lost

/

,. .- ', i.. .~ I

'l

hood

7

' dJs1;a tinebrushl

Claw f< u g1pping on a tuaochrikea fis t

83


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2 --- /,.

84

7 - - ---.

- .. --- ..

So/id-strokemethod Fine ush toreyes beakand cl8ws. Medium brushfor hed bodyand eathers.


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/

. . ~ ~ ' ~ ._.. ... \..._._ 'tllll:v

Birds give life o a paintingo f a rather staticbranch ortree,andcan, th erefore, be pn in tcd in aratherquiet ind is ti nct way.A lternative ly , rhchi re nn

TheChinese arco enamoured ofheir birds that , lik e a p e t ,th e) take them out fo rwalk. eithers till in t he ir cages , or perhapssi tt ing on ~ o u l

8


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This birdhssSpacti belowandmayfl yownintothtp;cru1

C,J111jJos1t1011ArrangeyourDowerandb irdpaimingssotha t th eyho ihlook natural. Ins>mcplacesth ingsmayappearcrowded inotherareas ofhepiture th eremayIx much p ~ ccordingtuthean c;ienL Chi11ese \Alhereexpansi\CJlCNS isl Cl[ ll ired Jct th.ereberoornforat ro tt ing ho rse where compactnessisn:quired, letnota n ~ pass through .

Thisb ird has SfMC tofly upwards 86

Bypu tingth ebir dnnnP r..om1ofhecoY1()asition he asthespcetoflyntothewholearea


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8


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ofbird3 h ~ a s a

4 Phoenix5 . ~ u a i

-

~ c n d Significance

11n petiaJ tl ig11i1 ' B(:ruJt y. Prosperity. Second of hefour supcrnaru r;:i li t a r ) a rdour 1nd cooragc

\Vo1ncn s Uiulgt:r. Peking is kno 111 a.s lhc .city ofsv.allo s.

Beaul)' aJltl goodforcuncBea.u L aud goodfi >rnJnrPovc:nyBraverySpeedDaring

/ \ssuc:ia t ic>nf"h)\vt:rs andHurnrning Birds)un, and \\ (IvesMilJct andGrassesC louds .B irds andf h) \ /t:n>

89


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NounHn9Tecniquesv nlcssthe in tention is to make a foldingfan, then thencx1 stagetow ards compleiing a fin ished picture isthemountingstage .

\-Vhcn the painting i, l in ishcdandhashad rime todrytho roughy, thefragile eas ily-rrcasedpaper has to be providedwill\ the support itneedst make it manageable. This isdonebymounting the ahsorh (:n l paper on to a card backing.MountingThe Equipmmt required

A Oat, weU polishc.'d metal orp last ic s u rface , suchasafree?.ertop ora1able witha synthetic p last ic sur face .

2 Starchwallpal"'r pas te (not a yn thcticbased one) mixedto a olightlythinner consiscenry than recommended fo rpaper hanging.Alarge wallpaper l>ru>hwi th coarK rb ristle s.

1 Appropriate mountingboard whichshould no tbe thela m inatedty pe as tl1is is likely tc \v}1e11\Vet.card st1cl1 as antiqtit: Qucctl \nne l)oard is r11t)Slsu i tab le.5 A sharp knifr., metal st raight edge, set squares (or squareformingdevice) and acu lling board.

} ftthod1 Prepare thr working surface by ensuring that thellai tabk

Of> is clean andwax polished.Checkthat 1hcpasteis correctly mixed.

3 Cut the mountingboard""that it w ill com plete ly cover thewhole of hepain1ing .

4 Liethe picture, painting sidedown, ont he table top andflattenit withthe hand.5 Load the wallpaper brush fully. removing the excess;and

then ina scr i t nfhig ,bolds trok esfrom the centre ofthepai11Lir1gto tlt Ol1tsiclr, C c>mJ>lctcl y co er the paint ingwiLltpaste .Any ercacor fo lds canIi< 'c ased' away bypat ien t ly brushingthesurface with a se1niloadedhrush.Care1nustbe rnkr no t0 press too heavily andthe fingersand hands must be kept awayfrom 1h :wet su rface .

91


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6 Check that all bmsh hairs, lumps of paste or spots ofdireare ren1ove


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Ernpt SJ atc rer11ains an i1111 < rlanL l 3ft ofLhe pai1Li11g, eveat the mountingscage. so the picntre should not be cm down coodr;L tically.PresentationV\lhcn Lhc J ainting is in its rnountc:c-J, rnanagcal lc slale iL ca c1 epresemed in a variety of formats. SrnaJJ paincings can be madeimo greetings cards.To \ aka Creclin tts Card

1 Divide a rectangular card into chree sections. Anappropriate si7 e might be Sin high by 6in wide for thelinished card.)


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9

2 Cut o ut a c t t n ~ r u l hol in th


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argerpaintings can be glued on to coloured backingboard tomake either vertical or horizontal pictures remcmhcring thatChinese painti gs always l ave more space above the picturethan below it and also that che sides of the mountingbo rdshulc:I t>c very narrov

orc spacelefl abcve 1h;in

_ _ N tl ffOW Si e

Narrov side

9


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our uestions i n s w e r e ~Over a period of. years, while leaching and leccuri11g on thetechniques ofChinese paincing, the re hiivc been some g.:neralquerieson aspects re lated to, buc not.directly involved in, chepaincing, which have hr.cn asked again and again. This chapterprovides the answers to some of chese queries.Question 1Are there any general roles that thepainter sliouldfollow Although traditional paincing has accepted methods ofrepresencing nacure, there arc no hard and fast rules wh ichdemand that t hy ntcrr1pr 1>ainta named \ariety ofllower or slavishlyfollow the roportionaLe size of a butrerfly, ibut too rimthof a departure from realism is r1t cc)nsicJered al l able.

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4 J M colour should hea/1propriate totheJtibjf.:t. The m os timportant asping, by usingthe com positions ofre cognised pa in te r s s agood m ethod oflearning as itimmL-diately rem oves from considera :ion the most difficult clcmcnlof he pic ture and cn.iblesc oncentration m efocussed onbrush u andnkcontrol. Thetradition al expression yupi yumo - ( to have brush . 10have ink)in


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11

f l all Paintings Large flat surfaces painted in st rongcoloursa11r l>U l>lic vic\ving, \\ere the first of the C : hinc.sctraditional paintings. Very few of hese have survived, butsome good examples ofBuddhist paintings were found in thecaveso uJ1 l tLa.1 gScreens Many differen kindsofscreens were used i :i1 Chinesehouses, somewith paintings put cl.lrecdyon to the createdwood and others having silk pictu re panels. Some scrct:nsconsisted ofa single panel mun tcd on legs, thcrs had severalverLical pat1els. rr1ac.ie inLo a 10lcling scree1\. screer1s haclmanyuses. Jn the HanDynasty (202 BC-AD 220) screens'''(rC p t ~ f j l.u.:hi n(i hnt1rcd b 1.1csts, u sc.:d as rorn rliviclcrs,as single 1>ancls n the sideso CfHichcs an l palanutsiclc as \vinrl-l>rcaks.

andrcrolls were small personal paintings, 9- 14 inches high,they could be Iess th;m 3 feet long, oras much as 30 free. Atou n other nI ionswere added to the paintings.


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A sth eCh in ese readf rom r igh t t le ft so t hescr oll is v iew ed

byunrollingab itata time.T heunroll ingcanbefas t , mediumor slo waccording o thepacen:quire


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Although obtainable with difficulty in some coumries, it is notyet available in the U niied Kingdom.A11cie11t paintings ha\re a subtle brO\\tl Lirlt, so111etimcs theresult of th : original paper being made from a coloured natural

f i b r < ~ st1ch as Dlttlberry or bar111 W < ~ v e r there was also aspecial liquid washer over paintings as anti-moth and insecttreatment. This liquid caused the paper to turn brown with agearid acc11nts for the ai cie t parcl:i.r11e11l tn, 1>aint< d on white paper, wich astrong tea solution. This is very successful provirled , a} the ink isdry before the wash is added, b the wash brush is soft and docsnotscrape the paper, and c) the tea is put on carefully inhorizontal strokes which leave neither gaps nor overlaps. Ofcourse, watercolour paint could be used as the wash, but thenatural pigmem of tea blends rnort: realistically imo the paper.Another method ofachieving a coloured background is co mountthe white paper painting on to a coloured board instead ofawhite one.Question 9What art Yin arul Yang ?Ancient Chinese: mythology describes the world as being a hen' segg, which separated into chc yolk and the white; onerep1esenting the heavy elements which formed the earth, and theother part of he egg, the light, pure elements which former thesky. These were Yin anrl Yang, representing the female (passive)and male (active) elements rcspcccivcly.

The symbol shows that Yin and Yangarc so closelyinterwoven that each does not exist without the other.TogetherYin and Yang consticute the Tao{the eternalprinciple); individually Yin is negative, dark, eanh, moon, evenntlmbers, \alleys and strearns; )Tang is positive, light, hca,rcn,sun, odd numbers and mountains. ln painting, brush and

Chinese Ink Painting - Techniques in Shades of Black

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Transcript of Chinese Ink Painting - Techniques in Shades of Black