Learning
Chinese Painting Step By Step
Lesson 3 The
Way Of Using Ink
The Shades Of Ink
Ink when diluted with water, can be graded into
many different shades. The ancients say " There are five shades of
ink."
The five shades refer to charred, very
dark, dark, light and very light. Of course
there may be still many tonal variations in each shade.
Sear, Soggy,and Wet Ink
Ink, when duly applied to absorbent paper, may
look sear, soggy or wet by dexterously controlling the water content in
the brush. Soak the brush with water, lick the brush tip upon the
brim of the water tumbler to let surplus again blot off excess moisture
in the brush tip. Make the brush very dry if you want
to do a sear stroke, more water is added to
do a soggy stroke and ample water for a wet
stroke.
Ink Washed
Use a clean saucer with some water. Stir your
inky brush in it. Stir until the wash is entirely smooth. Add
a little ink or water as necessary to make the right ink color. Apply
it to a fixed area in the painting. Each application may differ in shade
if it is required. Use quick strokes so that the wash will not spread
too much on the absordent paper. Try a few times and you will become
more adept as you go along.
Basic Techniques In Using Ink
In using the ink, below are some of the basic
techniques :
1. Light Ink Technique
Variation of tones is usually acheived by
the application of light ink, not the dark ink.
The beauty of ink painting lies in the mystery
of this
gentle lightness when used appropriately.
2. Dark Ink Technique
Dark ink has been the easiest in expressing
the essence of ink painting,
and for a sense of boldness and vigor that
it can evoke.
3. Dry Ink Technique
The quality of the dry ink is the down right
crisp, clear feeling that it can evoke.
The dry ink used, be it dark of light, must
have very little water,
hence the brush is easy to open up, causing
the lines dry and ' hairy'.
Such effect creates a sence of tenacity and
prolonged energy.
4. Splash Ink Technique
Having the brush dipped for different tone
of ink in great quantity,
and then paint freely as though in a splashing
manner.
5. Broken-Ink Technique
Before the first application of ink dries,
add on different tone of ink to ' break-into
' the first layer of ink.
It is like wet-into-wet technique that the
ink
on the paper can create endless variation.
Below are some of the techniques :
(a)
Light into dark
Apply dark ink first, and light ink to break into it later.
(b)
Dark into light
Apply light ink first, and dark ink later
(c)
Water into ink
Apply any ink first, and water later
(d)
Ink into water
Wet paper first, add ink later
(e)
Color into ink
Apply ink first, and color later
(f)
Ink into color
Apply color first, and ink later
6. Dip-in ink technique
When the brush is full of light ink, dip
for a little bit of very dark ink from the ink-well and paint immediately.
The stroke will show either:
a strong line with light tone following its
two sides, or
a line with one side of it darker.
This creates three dimensionlity and moisturised
effect, a technique best for expressing subject matters such as
flowers, orchids or bamboo,and etc.
It is very effective when depicting branches,
leaves, and petals.
7. Accumulation of ink techque
Various applications of different tones,
either from light to dark, or from dark to light.
But the previous tone must be dry before
any new application.
Such accumulation-of-ink in many layers is
mostly used for landscape painting for clouds, mountains, sea etc..
It creates a good body on the painting that
evokes weight and substantiality.
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