Something like two years ago, I got a Chinese brush painting set. It was something else I could learn and maybe enjoy. Also, Chinese brush painting is beautiful, so I definitely wanted to try it.
Two years later, I’m finally trying it.
First things first, I gotta look into it. Luckily it came with a book, by painter Danny Han-Lin Chen.
Once reading is complete, gather your supplies:
- Brushes (white cloud and orchid bloom)
- Ink stick
- Ink stone
- Brush rest
- Watercolor palette
- Sketchpad that can handle watercoloring
In the book, there are paintings to try. Of course, I choose the easiest on to try first.
First attempt at a stroke was a fail, so let’s try again.
Better (not perfect, but I definitely didn’t expect it to be).
After I got more familiar with the brushes and how the ink worked, I diverged a little from the instructions. Not because I thought I was good enough to, but because some parts still confused me, so I did what I could/knew how to do.
And done.
I added some Chinese in the corner. I double, triple, quadruple checked that I got the word right, but I’m still nervous that I did wrong and accidentally wrote something real offensive. I tried to write the word ‘learn’.
Because that’s what we do here.
It’s not the most beautiful painting, but I think it’s pretty, and I’m proud. I’ll probably try it again.
Any tips are greatly appreciated.
Hugs
Alexandra
Alexandra TG 