The Art of Gouache Painting: A Teaching Series by Gong Liuchao - Fruits and Vegetables

Author: Gong Liuzhao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features:
1. The vibrant and crisp colors of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are common in our daily lives, and the word "fresh" embodies their real-life value. Therefore, when we incorporate them into our paintings and transform them into artistic life, we must use vivid and pure colors to perfectly capture their freshness, making the viewers feel as if they can smell their aroma just by looking at their colors, and taste their freshness just by smelling their scent. At this point, our paintings also possess artistic beauty and expressive charm. When painting a cut or halved watermelon, its red flesh is often the most vibrant color in the painting. When applying the first layer of color, we generally choose colors based on their brightness and differences, using bright red or deep pure colors, mixed into slightly moist monochromatic tones, and gently applied as color blocks. Using this bright red as a base color prevents the painting from becoming dirty or dull, providing a fundamental basis for further detailed rendering. This way, the watermelon will have a strong visual impact, and its bright colors, being realistic, will evoke an olfactory sensation—when viewing the painting, it seems as if a rich aroma of sweet watermelon fills the air, gradually diffusing, allowing the viewer to fully immerse themselves in the charm of art.
Apples, pears, nectarines, oranges, pomegranates, grapes, bananas, and other fruits have bright and translucent colors. When used as subjects for still-life painting, they are often painted with pure monochromatic tones based on their natural colors. During detailed rendering, the artist must maintain their brightness while also distinguishing their light and shadow contrasts. By enhancing their inherent freshness and emphasizing light and shadow to depict volume, the fruits rendered in this way can extend beyond color, providing a multi-sensory aesthetic experience of color, aroma, and taste.
When painting vegetables like cabbage and radishes, the initial coloring should also be light and bright. For example, the green of cabbage is often dominated by light yellow-green. If the color is too green or too heavy, the painting may lack realism and fail to achieve the desired effect. Regardless of the type of fruit or vegetable being painted or their light and shadow levels, their fundamental characteristic is freshness and vitality. Therefore, the highlights should be vibrant, while the shadows should have clear warm and cool tones. If the colors are too gray or dirty, the painting will appear dry and lifeless, and the objects within will lack moisture and vitality, failing to evoke or even appearing dull and uninteresting.
Additionally, watercolor paint changes with dryness and wetness, which also requires the artist to apply bright and light colors at the beginning of the painting. This ensures that the final effect has a balanced dryness and wetness, with bright and harmonious colors.
Everyone's perception of color differs when painting, and their understanding and pursuit vary, leading to diverse painting styles. However, no matter the technique used, the painting must be vivid and lifelike to touch and inspire the viewers. The fruit and vegetable coloring techniques I have discussed here are just one method I often use in my own painting and are shared for your reference. Painting is a visual art, where the artist's creativity and expressiveness are fully reflected. Therefore, how to understand and control the painting, and what scale to maintain, all depend on the individual artist. The key lies in the artist themselves.