Chinese Brush Painting: A Hands-On Introduction to the Traditional Art

131 Pages·2007·4.26 MB·English

by  Caroline Self

Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with
editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759
U.S.A.
Copyright © 2007 Caroline Self and Susan Self
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior
written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication Data
Self, Caroline, 1919-
Chinese brush painting / Caroline Self and Susan Self—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0709-0 (ebook)
1. Ink painting, Chinese—Technique. I. Self, Susan, 1949-
II. Title.
ND2068.S45 2007
451.4'251—dc22 2006037838
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First edition
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division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd

This book is dedicated to
all the children in the world
who would like to develop new skills
using the brush.
Acknowledgments
We thank Sherry Kendrick for her advice and especially her help in doing
calligraphy.
Thanks to the Barbara Bauer Literary Agency for all their help.
Contents
How to Use This Book 5
The Roots of Chinese Painting 6
Getting Started 12
Learning Calligraphy 22
Painting Orchid 30
Painting Bamboo 36
Painting Pine 44
Designs with Insects and Birds 51
Painting Landscape 55
Mounting Your Paintings 61
Do You Remember? 63
Books on Painting 64

How to Use This Book
This book is for kids at least seven years old, teens, and adults—-
anyone who wants to learn about the traditional Chinese way to write
words and make paintings. You can read about and make the paintings
on your own, or you can read the book with a parent or teacher, a
brother, sister, or friend, and talk about what to do and why. Someone
who knows about painting can be a big help.
This book shows you how to hold the brush Chinese-style and make
the basic brushstrokes. You will learn to write some words and numbers
in Chinese. Then you will learn how to use the same basic brushstrokes
to create pictures of classic Chinese subjects, including orchids, bamboo,
pine trees, and landscapes. This book explains how Chinese artists think
about these subjects and what principles and traditions they follow in
painting them. After you copy some examples and understand the
principles, you can make your own designs. When you have completed
some paintings, you can choose from several suggested ways to mount
them for display.
You may wonder why the paintings in this book are not in color. The
reason is that traditional Chinese paintings used only black ink. Different
mixes of gray were treated like colors. Later, the Chinese added a few
colors. After European styles became known in China, brush painting
became more and more colorful and started copying Western water-color
styles. The older and simpler way of painting started to be ignored. This
book tries to keep the older tradition alive. Its beauty comes from lines
and shapes, shades of gray, and contrast between black, gray, and
white. Chinese brush paintings are interesting just as black-and-white
photography is interesting in its own way, without using color.
To do brush painting, you must learn to control the brush with your