Watch our slide show to see Ann's watercolour demo!

 

On 6th September we welcomed Ann Fairchild who demonstrated the art of Chinese Brush Painting. She started by giving us a little knowledge of her own background – she originally studied at Canterbury College of Art which is where she learnt traditional European painting techniques – and, as she told us, it was some 15 – 20 years later that she was given a gift box of Chinese art materials and from that point was hooked and has been doing it ever since!

 

Firstly, Ann explained about these materials and also about the importance of calligraphy in the making of Chinese art.        So to the styles!  There are three main types:

 

1) “Xie Yi” style – this is spontaneous, also known as freestyle, the word means ‘Write Idea’.     Calligraphy is an important part of this style – indeed a large part of the painting is devoted to calligraphy

2) “Gong bi” style– we would call this ‘detailed style’ – the words mean ‘Work Brush’.  You may have seen this on scrolls with a great deal of detail including perhaps tiny people. These would have originally been done for Court of the Palace and they are traditionally done on silk

3) “Ling Nan style - this is a more modern recently evolved style and is a mix of Chinese and Western Art.  It uses background washes and white paint.

                                             

A look at the materials now:

 

The Ink Stone – this looks like slate and comes in many shapes and sizes

The Ink Stick – this is a mixture of glue and soot which is compressed into a stick which may be ground on the Ink Stone. The older ones are now considered antiques and collectors’ items. You add a little water and rub the ink stick on the grinding surface and hey presto – you have a very fine grade of ink!

Most people these days cheat with adding bottled ink.  But this is a specific Chinese ink

– don’t use any old ink! You can control the consistency by adding this ink to T the mix.

 

Ann went on to demonstrate the ink work technique.  She suggested that this first one would be similar to black and white photographs – it’s a whole genre in Chinese art where you use just the ink to make the picture.

 

 

Ann told us that there are two brushes used in Chinese painting, they are:

 

• The Wolf Brush. This is for the black line work drawing and is comprised of harder hair, and

• The Sheep Brush.  This is softer and is generally used for colour work.

 

The Chinese especially like mountain horse hair, squirrel, badger – even sparrows to make their bushes! Often their titles will demonstrate what they do. For example: Landscape brush, plum blossom brush, clothing brush etc. In other words brushes that are perfect for the subject.  But you need only one brush of mixed hair to start you off!

 

The Paper - Chinese painting started with silk as their ‘paper’. Now paper is more versatile and cheaper. It is very thin – near to tissue paper and handles like blotting paper. For ‘Shia i’ we use this paper (unsized). Ann told us that tonight she would be using rice paper – but this was not the edible kind!

 

‘The seals were also used to show possession. The more prestigious the painting the more seals may be employed as each owner wanted to show that it had been in his possession.  The more prestigious the painting the more seals may be employed as each owner wanted to show that it had been in his possession’.

 

‘This paste was traditionally used with mercuric oxide! So don’t lick your fingers – Health and Safety may not have been adhered to!’

 

Colour - Unlike watercolour where you stretch paper at the start, with Chinese art you sort it out at the end. Once it’s on the page it’s pretty much fixed. You can wet the whole thing and stick extra layers of paper to the back.  It can then be stretched nice and flat.

 

To apply the silk strips – these are stretched out and then applied to the paper with a water based glue (this would probably have contained wheat starch).

 

Paint - Ann was using ‘Marie’s Chinese Painting Colours’ which come in tubs. This paint won’t be removed by the wash and stretching process and it is not expensive! The nearest thing to it would be gouache rather than watercolour or acrylic.

 

You should transfer the tubes into pots and keep adding a little water – you can then control the mix better. They come in mineral colours – so they are a slightly different palette from what you are used to.  Colours may be modified with other colours or inks.

 

The SAA can start you off with coloured ink sticks – Ann Fairchild doesn’t recommend them however as you have to grind every colour. The paper should be un-sized paper – the SAA do it – and it is essential, if using rice paper, that it is Chinese rice paper!

 

Instead of mixing the paint till it’s completely mixed you leave mixing before it has made one colour - so all the chosen colours appear. Load the brush unevenly so as you apply you get different colours coming through.

 

Demonstration 2

So firstly, Ann laid down a red/orange/yellow mix. In answer to a question about technique she said, ‘yes, you can do wet into wet but be aware you are increasing the likelihood of it running across the page because you are adding more moisture all the time – and too  much makes it run.’

 

‘With one stroke you get a range of colour – this is the clever thing. A quick dry dot for the eyes – that’s the skill – or you do get something that’s run everywhere! I’m drawing with an upright brush – not an easy thing to get used to for students. I have a wet sloppy brush here with lots of water – I’ll put some colour on the tip. If I wiggle it a bit it makes a nice graded tone!’

 

Ann continued – ‘I’ll show you the leaves now. You use the flat part (tummy) - use the centre of the brush by tipping the brush flat, parallel with the paper. This is the wetter bit and you can make bigger shapes. So yellow – sloppy now and the indigo blue this time loading toward the end of the brush - I’ve loaded this crudely so you can see the effect. I’ve then used it on its side you can see both colours come through for the leaves. The Chinese don’t like yellow leaves – they consider them to be unhealthy!  They prefer blue leaves!’

 

‘The maximum number of colours on a brush is probably about four colours. All the way for one, second up to the ‘tummy’, the third just before the tip and the fourth will be on the tip!’ ‘Use the centre of the brush upright for stalks. For this lotus plant here it wants a hairy stem – represented as dots. If you can include dots in your painting YEA! The Chinese will be impressed. They consider these important and have written books about the variations of the dot. They have a whole collection of different dots! I’ve emphasized it for you to see but it’s probably not such a good painting because of this.’

 

‘’With fish – we don’t need to paint the water – this is a minimalist, impressionist style and painting the    water

is a waste of time. The paper is part of the composition with white spaces giving lots of lovely space to wander around in.  It is a calming and meditative thing!’

 

Demonstration 3

Chrysanthemum – Ann told us - ‘You can’t do a flat wash. That technique doesn’t work.  This paper will show every brush stroke. Use perhaps the back of the paper or a perfume bottle and spray it on.’

 

‘Just doing a couple of cheeky sparrows to go with these chrysanthemums - With the same brush I’ve done a thin line and a bigger splodge! You don’t need an array of brushes! You don’t draw the outline of the chrysanthemum – just press and lift towards the middle.   It is a major technique     with

this style!  Use this technique to give you the shapes you want.’

 

‘Alternatively you can use an upright brush and use a hook shape but don’t forget the dots! Use the colour you already have on your palette.  Nice harmonizing effects!’

 

‘If all else fails – turn it into a rock! They like their rocks – there are 40 odd identifiable techniques for the drawing of rocks – in fact a whole

culture of rocks!     So just a seal now - Painting brings peace!’

 

‘There are two types of chrysanthemums you can make from using different brush strokes. The Chinese ethos is that you should draw from your mind. You study nature and learn about how things look – and then you can draw. Painting is your memories – what you get is the important stuff – half subject and half yourself. It is a representation of the artist’s character!’

 

 

 

Ann finished by saying - ‘What’s really important is that art is the expression of the artist!’

 

What an amazing lesson we all had! Thank you Ann and we look forward to trying out these techniques next month at the workshop!