Ink, Stone, Brush, and Paper are the four treasures of Asian brush-painting.
Ink is made from soot, either from pine, which gives a soft effect and infinite shades of gray and is generally used for landscape painting, or tung oil, which gives dark shiny strokes. The soot is pressed into sticks.
The inkstone is used for grinding the ink with water. Inkstones have been made from various types of stone, as well as clay, porcelain, bronze and iron.
Rice paper can be made from various materials, such as rice straw, hemp, mulberry bark, cotton, bamboo, and other plant material. It can be sized, semi-sized or unsized. Unsized and semi-sized papers are quite absorbent, which makes learning how to control the flow of water and ink on them a lot of fun.
Brushes are made from natural materials. The bristles are made of various animal furs and hairs, and the handles, while usually bamboo, include wood, horn, and metal.
Seals are used in addition to a signature on paintings and documents. This is my name seal, in Greater Seal Script, a precursor of contemporary Chinese characters. My name, Lynne Ann, translates directly into Chinese. Lin 林 is forest and An 安 is peaceful. So my Italian parents unknowingly gave me a most excellent Chinese landscape painter’s name.
Along with name seals, people use mood seals on paintings, with various sayings.
A friend had this one carved for me in China; it translates as “zen mind.”
One of the things that happens when you do brush painting is that you end up with a lot of paper on the floor. I like to use it as wrapping paper.
Lynne,
You have taken me on a beautiful and unexpected artistic journey today! ALL of this is so very wonderful. Thank you!
Janet
Thanks, Janet. I have been having fun with it!
This is just wonderful! Almost like having you sitting beside me to share your work! Please send me regular reminders to visit your website!