Sketch of Flowers and Plants, Selected Teaching Examples of Chinese Flower-and-Bird Painting

Author: Bi Zhang (Illustrated by)
Publisher: Xiling Press
Publication Date: 2004-05-01
Features:
Line drawing (or "freehand line drawing") is a fundamental expressive technique in traditional Chinese painting. It does not depict light and shadow or apply color, relying instead on the rhythm and variation of thick, thin, dry, and wet ink lines to convey the form, structure, texture, and spatial sense of the subject. This creates a dynamic and fresh composition with a sense of rhythm and layers, achieving a certain completeness. It has evolved beyond being merely an artist's sketch to becoming an independent form of painting. It is often described as "brushes lightly swept, ink lightly applied, removing the heavy makeup and yet dazzling without the use of vibrant colors"—a praise that is well-deserved.
Building upon the foundation of line drawing, the technique of ink wash (or "monochrome color") involves using varying shades of ink to repeatedly (or "") the different textures of an object's various parts, such as their front/back, light/dark, thick/thin, soft/hard, and smooth/rough surfaces. The resulting imagery is more vivid and realistic, the tones more harmonious, and the style more elegant and refined, surpassing ordinary line drawing in all these aspects. It greatly enriches and enhances the expressive power of lines.
At the same time, as a method for learning brush-and-ink painting with colors, practicing monochrome ink wash first serves as an excellent transitional approach.