Chinese Brush Painting (4 page)

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.

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.

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.

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 you wash your brushes, swish them against the side of the jar so the hairs can separate and the water can clean them. Do not thump the brush up and down in the bottom of the jar! This will make the hairs break off from the handle.

Paint, brushes, and paper can be purchased at your local art store or from artist supply companies on the Internet.

Use a teaspoon to spoon water into a paint-mixing dish.

Bamboo brushes are best, but regular watercolor brushes made with natural hair also work well. Natural hair has an uneven surface that holds the paint. Synthetic brushes are smoother and do not hold as much paint. You will need a large brush (#12 size watercolor brush) and a smaller one (#6 size). The bamboo brushes should be about those same sizes. For fine lines, it is useful to have a brush with only a few hairs, or you can use a round wooden toothpick instead.

You will do a lot of practice paintings. For these, use a package of newsprint either 9 x 12 or 10 x 15 inches. For your finished exercises, get a practice roll of rice paper 14 inches wide.

Use a paper towel folded two times as a pad for testing paint colors and for getting rid of excess water after washing the brush. Towels are also handy for cleaning paint spills.