How to Learn the Brushwork and Ink Techniques of Landscape Painting

Author: Lü Yun Suo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Skillful or clumsy with the brush, heavy or light with the ink. Let the brush be guided by skill, not forced; let the ink be applied with intention, not casually. When depicting branches, reeds, towers, boats, and the like, use the brush with skill; for rocks, cliffs, dense forests, and old trees, use the brush with clumsiness. Though skillful, it must not deviate from form; though clumsy, it must retain substance. Far distances should be light, while near distances should be heavy. Thick ink should not be reused; light ink must be recharged with pressure. Sometimes use light ink, sometimes thick ink, sometimes burnt ink, sometimes stored ink, sometimes faded ink, sometimes kitchen dust ink, and sometimes mix indigo with ink. When using ink, thick should not be dull, light should not be blurred, wet should not be murky, and dry should not be sluggish. It must capture both spirit and subtlety. Accumulated ink should be plump yet not swollen, lean yet not withered. Avoid stiffness and sluggishness in ink application. When painting the shaded areas of rocks, use burnt ink to highlight, differentiate light and dark, and keep water within the ink. Coloring is the same. When applying color, the brush should contain ink, with the ink subtly hinting at water. When putting brush to paper, the start must have sharpness, the turn must have flow, the release must hold, and the end must lift. Every stroke must follow this principle, whether a thousand or ten thousand strokes. The intent of the brush must evoke emotion and create interest through interaction. However, avoid stiffness, for it makes the work stagnant and lifeless. Even where the brushwork is dense, as if no needle can pass, it must leave white space to reveal the brush's intent.