Relax and learn the zen basics of Chinese brush painting including brushes, equipment, and technique.
If you are tired of the hustle and bustle of life, why not try the ease of Chinese brush painting?
Chinese brush painting is known for its simplicity. Its brush strokes are called Yet Fei Er Jeou or "everything done successfully, in place, with one stroke." [Chinese Brush Painting Step-by-step, Kwan Jung. NA, 2003] Thus, it relies on being immediate, spontaneous, and uncluttered by definition. There is no overlapping of subjects, with only one or two subjects to one painting for the purpose of simplicity.
Balance
Your signature is also considered part of the art itself. Balance, or dispersion, is highly revered in the brush painting. A signature can be used to balance a painting if it is visually heavy on one side. This is called balancing leverage.
Brushes
The brushes traditionally used in Chinese brush painting are made out of animal hair with bamboo handles. You can use a regular soft, round brush made of sable with good effect if you do not have access to bamboo brushes. (For websites to buy supplies, see my blog.)
Paint
Traditional brush painting also uses ink as a painting medium, but many artists find that thinned watercolors, acrylics, or strong tea work as wonderful alternatives.
Paper
As a rule, rice paper is the paper of choice here. It is absorbent, but not too much, and lets your brush glide over the paper. You can also use a nice 200 lbs. watercolor paper. (To learn more about types of paper go to this article on paper types.)
Brushwork
As an art form, Chinese brush painting was derived from calligraphy or "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, humourous and skillful manner" [Mediavilla 1996: 18]. Just like its sister art, brush painting takes something simple, and makes it beautiful in one, fluid stroke. The subjects have no outlines to guide the painter because there is no beforehand drawing.
There are two main ways of holding a brush to get fluid effects, see the example. As you can see, the three-finger hold is for painting bigger objects, while the lock-in hold is for smaller, more detailed objects. Let your fingers move the brush and try not to grip the brush too closely to the bristles.
Shapes
Take the shape you want to paint and divide it into simple shapes. Try to take out as much detail as possible. Just paint the shapes.
Take a look at these examples of finished art to get a feel for the painting process:
