A practical how-to guide, this book selects 16 traditional Chinese idioms and guides readers through the artistic process of transforming them into a variety of graceful images. The volume opens a new world of color and ink, starting with rudimentary skills, such as how to hold a brush, selecting the proper paper, and color mixing, then moves on through subsequently more difficult steps. The resulting works impart a sublime visual effect even for those who cannot read their meaning, as written characters work in harmony with the painted images to convey a sense of tradition and beauty to all who encounter them.

Try your hands at these historically and culturally important methods, and create some beautiful paintings of your own. Chinese painting is an ancient art that has evolved and become refined over many centuries. Artists brush ink and color pigments onto silk or paper using a variety of techniques, with two main approaches: gongbi a traditional and realistic style based on line drawing, and xieyi style, a freehand method that uses fewer strokes to suggest objects in a less literal way. Painting themes generally fall into three categories: figure, landscaping, and bird-and-flower. Chinese brush painting is mainly presented in lines, shades and white space to express the feelings about nature, social phenomena, and the very essence of the universe. The framework for this expression is often traditional: certain subjects carry cultural connotations that are well-known and imbue the painting with a layer of meaning beyond face value of objects shown. The traditional subjects such as mandarin ducks, butterflies, and the 'Four Gentlemen' (plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemum) are examples that contain this rich cultural meaning. Readers will learn first about the tools and materials, then painting techniques. Early pages explore the very basic painting methods and subjects—perfect for beginning painters—but continue to build skills for painting plants and animals of increasing complexity. Chinese Brush Painting illustrates several Chinese brush painting techniques with the use of different tools, brushwork and color mixing. With the step-by-step projects, you can first follow the introductory lessons to learn the necessary skills of brushwork, usage of paper, and characteristics of water, ink and colors; then follow the advanced lessons to learn the compositions and more complicated color applications.

Over thousands of years, the art of Chinese paintings has been refined into an exquisitely developed system of visual representation. But until the publication of this volume, there was no single source that bridged the gap between the philosophical and imitative methods of instruction. Alison Stilwell Cameron, daughter of famed World War II General Joseph Stilwell, spent her early childhood and teenage years in China where she studied under two renowned Chinese artists — Yu Fei-am and Prince P'u Ju of the imperial family. Having achieved wide recognition for her mastery of Chinese painting, she distilled her knowledge in this book, providing step-by-step instruction for those with no art training at all. Starting with an explanation of the physical tools of the art, she describes the basic strokes and the creation of Chinese characters before moving on to demonstrate the use of these strokes to represent trees, flowers, rocks, boats, insects, birds, and other subjects. These elements are then combined to produce finished Chinese paintings, "the kind of pleasing and satisfying pictures that thousands of amateurs have been producing in China for centuries." Enhanced with hundreds of illustrations, including 36 in full color, this handsome volume also contains a chapter on the mounting process, a valuable bibliography, and an index. It is an invaluable guide to an art, which — once mastered — will not only delight viewing audiences but will bring satisfaction throughout the artist's lifetime.

A Beginner's Guide to Chinese Brush Painting teaches this ancient art form in an easy-to-understand way--no prior experience necessary! As one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world, Chinese brush painting has been used for thousands of years to create images that harness the imagination, and capture the inner spirit of a subject--be it an animal, landscape or tree. All you need for this simple, but beautiful, art form is black watercolor paint, white paper, a brush and some creativity! An introduction tells you about the history of brush painting, and also gives tips for holding your brush, achieving different shades and collecting your materials. After that, the book takes you step-by-step through more than 35 hands-on activities--including basic strokes, putting them together to create an object or scene, the importance of leaving open space and even writing some Chinese calligraphy. With the help of this book, artists of all ages can learn to paint: Bamboo stalks, branches and leaf clusters A knotted pine tree and its delicate needles A snail with a spiral shell and little body peeking out from underneath A waterfall gliding down the side of a mountain And much more! You'll find that this activity will help you learn to center your mind and thoughts, and your masterpieces will be inspiring decorations or great gifts for friends and family. Get started learning this "soft martial art!"

A second addition, also known as Ning Yeh's "Gold Edition" updates his original guide of step-by-step instructions for Chinese Brush Painting.

Over thousands of years, the art of Chinese painting has evolved, while also staying loyal to its traditional roots. Despite various schools of thought, styles and techniques, three primary categories have emerged across the discipline: landscape, figure and bird-and-flower. Using fine ink and water brush strokes on paper or silk, Chinese artists have developed a unique style—one that's famous throughout the world.This book highlights 50 Chinese paintings, pulled from museum collections in China and around the world, including British Museum (London), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas), Osaka City Museum of Art (Osaka), Palace Museum (Beijing), Palace Museum (Taibei) and Shanghai Museum. The paintings shown are representative of the categories, historical periods and styles of this artistic tradition.Detailed professional interpretations and notes allow readers to learn more about the pieces themselves, the artists and the context in which they were created. Plus, photo enlargements of key details get readers up close to these masterpieces.As one of the world's oldest continuous art forms, Chinese painting has a truly special history. This comprehensive guide allows modern readers to travel through time, experiencing important moments in Chinese history and society through beautiful pieces of artwork.

Chiang Yee’s Chinese Calligraphy: An Introduction to Its Aesthetic and Technique remains the classic introduction to Chinese calligraphy. In eleven richly illustrated chapters, Chiang explores the aesthetics and the technique of this art in which rhythm, line, and structure are perfectly embodied. He measures the slow change from pictograph to stroke to the style and shape of written characters by the great calligraphers. In addition to aesthetic considerations, the text deals with more practical subjects such as the origin and construction of the Chinese characters, styles, technique, strokes, composition, training, and the relations between calligraphy and other forms of Chinese art. Chinese Calligraphy is a superb appreciation of beauty in the movement of strokes and in the patterns of structure—and an inspiration to amateurs as well as professionals interested in the decorative arts.

Paint the classic subjects that inspired ancient Chinese masters. This book introduces the venerable art of painting with ink on rice paper using traditional techniques developed over a thousand years ago. It is ideal for a beginner hoping to practice a large variety of techniques and subjects. With this practical guide, you will learn to paint: Towering landscapes The elegant Four Gentlemen Plants like bamboo, orchids, plum blossoms, and chrysanthemums Five animals from the Chinese Zodiac The basic strokes used in calligraphy And more! Known as a "soft martial art," brush painting is as meditative as it is artistic. As you move through the lessons and exercises, you'll gain insight into and appreciation for the symbolism, historical context, techniques, and mindfulness associated with this ancient art form.

Edited by two of mainland China's most distinguished artists, this volume shows readers, step by step, how to duplicate the distinct brush styles of China, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. 300 color illustrations.

"How-to" manual provides all levels of students with detailed methods for painting such simple subjects as bamboo and plum blossoms as well as more ambitious motifs. 150 illustrations, including 82 in full color.