Ramapo Riverview Gallery

Your Private Art Lesson with...

L. S. Shaw 

  Steps in Chinese Painting

 Your lesson is "Techniques is Painting Trees"

Step#1-How to Hold a Brush

A-To draw an outline or wrinkle requires a stiff brush. So that the nature of such outlines is expressed to the fullest extent.

B-The brush is held vertically so that the middle tip of the brush can be used.

C-This vertically held brush technique provides for decisive strokes that are required for this type of Chinese painting.

 

 

 Step#2-How to Paint a Tree

A-Start with the trunk or branches.

B-The treatment of branches may be in the form of a bird's claw (#1).

C-Or as in #2 the deer's horn.

D-and finally, the fish bones (#3)

E-Each of these basic forms can be combined in various attitudes and by crossing in front or back of each other.

Step#3-

A-to paint a deer's horn, begin from the bottom of the branch (#1).
B-Then add smaller branch (#2).
C-Complete the deer's horn with the addition of stroke (#3).

 

 Step#4-

A-To paint a fish bone one uses a similar technique as the deer horn.

B-Here the addition of step #3, adding of the right top branch.

Step#5-

A-Likewise the bird's claw is also started from the bottom.
B-This is the simplest form and has the characteristics of a birds foot print.

 

 Step#6-

A-To paint the look of a pine tree needle segment, short narrow strokes following the numerical pattern steps 1 THRU 9 is used.

B-Then repeated many times to reproduce the "pine leaf dots" pattern.

Step#7-

A-To paint the roots or lower trunks of trees, one should use your brushstrokes vigorously and naively, yet primitively.

 

 Step#8-

A- Finished example of Summer Pine Tree painting workmanship.

B-The foliage should appear thick and the tone rendering dark in order to create a feeling of coolness under its shadow.

Step#9--

A-An additional example of tree trunk and branch formation is illustrated in this fine work of spring.
B-The branches appear strong with little leaves.
C-The ink dots should appear wet in order to create a feeling of growth to come.

 Good Start! One cannot succeed without practice, practice and serious study!

 For more information about guest teacher/artist L. S. Shaw, please contact barry@liebermanart.com or call (201) 337-0006.

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