What are the pigments used in Chinese painting?

Chinese painting pigments

The first and second types are purely natural, except for the foreign infrared (which was originally introduced from Mexico), which is the real meaning of the traditional Chinese painting pigments. The third category is modern chemical synthetic pigments, which are still usable.

We now use the most when the Shanghai Mali Industrial Painting Materials Co., Ltd. production of "Mali brand" Chinese painting pigments, easy to use, but easy to fade.

Generally speaking, a class of powder, with gelatin, two or three directly in the water can be soaked for a while, it is more convenient to use.

The color of the thin and thick problem:

Traditionally, the color should be thin on the color, but to show a heavy feeling, often over and over again with a thin color repeatedly on the color, and ultimately the formation of a multi-layer superimposed on the heavy effect. Thin color method can be best grasped when painting on silk, hand on top of the silk surface stroking the picture does not feel the color of the roughness, but also clearly feel the warp and weft of the silk. We see today many ancient paintings, have a delicate and heavy color, color texture is very fine. In fact, here is another point of clarification, heavy color in heavy, is the meaning of thick, rather than thick colors. So it's not that the more colors you paint, the more it meets the needs of heavy color. Today, with the rise of rock color painting, some painters pursue the thick color painting method, to the same as the oil painting to do texture, which is another technique, but this is limited to rock color painting use more. In most of today's paintings, it is better to combine thick and thin colors. In my paintings, I am trying my best to combine thick and thin paintings.

About the use of white:

In Chinese painting, especially in brush painting, the probability of using white is still relatively high. But it is not meant to add heaviness. White can be used to paint collars, cuffs; patterns on clothing; earth skirt (that is, the skirt worn by the bottom of the ladies); and and other colors mixed with other skin tones and so on ......

Heavy sense of the previous has been mentioned, it is a multi-layer superimposed effect, rather than simply through the addition of white to achieve the white, the white of the Chinese painting should be careful to use! The white in Chinese paintings should be used with care, and the gelatinous nature in zinc titanium white (in tin tubes) is very large, and it is not easy to remove it once it is painted, so it should be used with great care. Especially clam powder (powder), this color is very unstable in use. When the glue is added, the clam powder becomes very transparent as soon as it is wet, but when the color dries out completely, it looks very white, so it is not easy to dye it with experience. Because white is a covering color, so in the use of more hook filling method, leaving the ink line against the edge of the line to complete the color, to achieve the color does not press the line, the color does not leave the line. When painting some white flowers, sometimes you need to use the thin paint method to lightly cover the white a few times, and then in the use of dawn red or bean green coloring, it forms a white flower white, bright effect. With chemical synthesis of color will have a lot of slag, we can first use a small amount of water to the color tone open, after a few minutes to pour the color above, so that the slag in the pigment is gone. When painting brushwork, it is best to mix less color, several shades together, the color will be gray, try to use the original color. It is better to add a little ink when you use the blue color, which can remove the fire. When painting white, you can add a small amount of pearl powder [preferably expired, or the cost is too high], so that the white is very white and shiny.

Traditional Chinese painting color introduction:

Stone color (opaque color): stone color that is the mineral color, stone color in addition to use in painting, but also applied to murals, architectural painting and other places. In China's ancient times, painters have a very systematic and complete set of methods of using stone color, but with the Ming and Qing painters gradually thinning the understanding of brush painting, so the traditional method of creating stone color is nearly lost. Today there are many scholars to Japan to learn when the Japanese learned from China's color-making methods, there are now a richer variety for painters to use.

Stone color mainly includes: cinnabar, cinnabar, stone green, stone green, androgynous yellow, orpiment, stone yellow, black stone resin, mica powder, clam powder, ochre, earth yellow, coral powder and other gemstone pigment powder as well as newly developed high-temperature crystallization of pigments, etc..

It should be noted that: stone green and stone green general classification is more detailed: divided into the first green, two green, three green, four green, etc. The head of the green color is the heaviest, the four green color is the lightest, stone green, the same reason.

Water color (transparent color): water color is mainly composed of some natural plants as the main material, with a small amount of dynamic material, mineral fine powder pigments. Stone color and water color are generally used in combination with each other in Chinese paintings, which has achieved the rich effect of mixing density and lightness with reality.

Water colors mainly include: vermilion, cochineal, western red, vine yellow, ochre, flower green, water color and acrylic color.

It should be noted that:

1. Cinnabar is the finest form of cinnabar, so some painters use a thin coating method to form a transparent color effect of water color.

2, Western red: more names in the national painting color, also called dawn red, peony red, etc..

Metallic pigment: painters have been using metallic pigment for a long time, the earliest is in Tang Dynasty. Metallic pigments are mainly gold foil and gold powder; silver foil and silver powder. Gold foil is used on the background on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is mainly used in localized gilding.

There are four varieties of gold foil:

Purple red gold (slightly reddish): mainly sticking Buddha statues in temples.

Ku Jin (foot gold gold foil): commonly used in paintings, often synthesized from 98% pure gold and 2% pure silver.

Da Chikin (slightly yellowish gold): also known as cold gold, 70% pure gold, equivalent to 18K gold.

Tian Chikin (yellowish gold): equivalent to 14K gold.

Silver color is not too commonly used in comparison, so we will not go into detail.

1, there are several ways to draw black color, one is to use light ink over and over again on, until the effect of black. Drawing attention, if you want to achieve black warm, then use oil smoke ink; want to send cold black, then use pine smoke ink. The other is the thick coating method, using the black color (Shanghai Mali brand pigments) in the Chinese painting color, painted a few times to achieve a very black effect. This is especially noticeable on silk. (This is a secret Oh)

2, now many painters complain that the ochre color is not good, and ink or azure will form a precipitate after mixing, almost every kind of ochre will have more or less of such a phenomenon. In fact, it is not the problem of color, but the performance of pigment is not understood, ochre basically has more minerals in it, which can not be reconciled with the vegetable color of anthocyanic, and the two are not allowed; similarly, ochre and ink can not be reconciled, which is not a problem of pigment. The correct way to use is: use the colors separately will naturally blend, that is, the first ochre, and then wait for the drying of the other colors on top of the superimposed, so that there will be no "crumbs" of the phenomenon.

3, from my experience, watercolor colors can be used, but be careful to use the more stable performance of watercolor colors, such as Japanese, British, if you are afraid of framing "run" can be slightly in the water color with some glue can be. In addition, you can also use acrylic colors, performance is also very good, but pay attention to the acrylic color in the glue is large, if the color painting is wrong, the color dry can not be washed off.

Natural mineral color, new rock, water dry use

Mineral color, new rock, water dry use is actually very simple, as long as the glue liquid can be blended to paint.

(A) the melting of the gum: the melting of the gum is the first step in the "rock color" painting, but also the main step. It is thick and light directly affects the picture coloring effect. Thick easy to crack, light easy to peel, only just right. Your painting is also half successful.

(1) the dissolution of gelatin method: the required amount of gelatin poured into a small bowl, first add 4 times the cool water soak for 5 minutes and then add five times the 70OC hot water, use chopsticks to fully stir open glue powder. If there are lumps, it means that the gelatin powder is not completely dissolved, you need to continue to stir until all the lumps are dissolved. Shelf life of the dissolved glue: After use, put it in the refrigerator for about 3~5 days in summer and one to two weeks in winter. Another kind of granular "bone glue" has a stronger adhesive force than gelatin and does not solidify easily, but it needs to be boiled. Japanese deer glue for painting is divided into 3,000 kinds of glue, dry deer glue, soft deer glue, and special deer glue. They are solid and liquid. They are specially developed for the painting of the glue, remove the protein and fat, not easy to solidify and putrefaction; especially liquid bottled deer glue with easy to use, never putrefaction; solid deer glue need to be boiled.

(2) solid deer glue melting method: will be three thousand this glue a break into several small sections into a cup into 300ml of water, and then add a square of dry deer glue or soft tough deer glue, placed for half an hour. After that, steam it with warm water. The purpose of adding square deer glue granules is to increase the adhesive force and antiseptic odor.

(2) modulation of color: the required amount of color powder into a small dish, add a small amount of glue with a small spoon, mix well with the middle finger. Gum liquid can be added when not enough, until the paste, and then slightly diluted with water can be painted.

Make the color with the middle finger or small stick, do not use the brush to mix the color and glue directly, the brush will absorb all the glue, so that the color powder is not coated with glue and cause the picture flaking.

Simply put, the above two steps is the basic use of "rock color". Of course, there are various specific techniques within it, and there are also special techniques such as sticking foils, just like the techniques of ink painting, which can not be exhaustive for a while, so you can refer to the various technique books and materials produced by the Tianya Institute of Chinese Heavy Color Painting.

The use of Tianya's mica color and glitter

Mica color as a painting material has been used in China thousands of years ago. Such as Dunhuang murals, the western suburbs of Beijing Fahai Temple and other murals are used. From the world of painting there is no lack of mica as a painting material works, especially in the Japanese painting is widely used, such as the prints of the background of the Kitagawa Goma a large number of silver-white and silver-gray mica powder; Kayama also made the paintings of the snow-covered mountains, moonlight, and so on. It is an indispensable material for modern paintings. It is a material with endless expressive power, which can make your picture more mysterious and dynamic if you use it well and skillfully. Here are a few simple, commonly used for reference.

One, cover the color method: mica powder in a dish or small bowl, add a small amount of glue (glue divided into high-grade Japanese deer glue, ordinary gelatin, etc.) with a finger or a wooden stick and mica powder and glue (do not use the brush to directly reconcile the mica and glue), mixing slightly diluted with water, brush dipped in color in order to paint evenly in the picture has been coated with a primer on the cover a layer. Because the mica is translucent after drying, so the bottom of the various colors and rendering effects will come through, the effect is hazy and slightly light. Note that the transparency of the strong and weak can be controlled by the amount of water added at the end.

Two, mixed into the pigment method: mica color can also be directly into the mineral color, Chinese painting color, watercolor, oil color, watercolor, acrylic and other pigments, and after blending directly into the painting, the dry picture with the next flash effect. Generally, mica and pigment of the same or similar hue are blended with each other, or they can be blended according to the color principle to produce their own special color effects.

Third, wu sieve method: in the picture need to have mica part of the first layer of glue, or while the picture is not dry, with a head with an iron mesh or gauze bamboo tube, mica powder will fall evenly, resulting in a more natural effect.

Four, hand-scattering method: the part of the picture will need to be coated with glue, or while the picture is not dry, handful of mica powder, gently sprinkled to the picture, do not seek its uniformity, there are dense and sparse can be formed at will to the desired effect. After drying, if you think it is too bright part, you can cover transparent any pigment on the top surface.

Fifth, blow down method: put the mica powder on a piece of white paper, hands on the white paper placed on top of the picture, while the picture is not dry, gently blowing the mica powder on the paper, the mica powder will be like snow as naturally floating down to the picture, resulting in the effect of the stars, very natural and subtle. When the star point is not obvious enough, you can blow again, rather than from light to deep, not blowing more than one time is not easy to grasp the effect.

The use of glitter and mica color is exactly the same method. They can be used in the picture as a whole, can also be used locally. In short, to use cleverly and wonderfully to play a role in the picture. Can not be abused, easy to cause vulgarity. The above is a few simple and commonly used mica use, any method is not set in stone, each painter can create their own unique new method according to the needs of the real art is to create.

The use of gelatin:

Gelatin is an essential ingredient in the mixing of colors, and improper use can lead to decisive failure. (Is that an exaggeration? (In fact, not exaggerated) Imagine, after painting a beloved works when from the hands of the framer to open the scroll, but accidentally found that the colors in the painting or the phenomenon of running colors, or some of the multiple rendering of the color is washed out, the mood can be imagined.

The correct method is: first use a small white bowl to put the right amount of glue particles, and then into the cool water requirements did not exceed the glue particles, placed for a period of time, such as the glue particles become transparent and after the expansion, pour out the cool water, add the right amount of warm water, with a small stick to fully stir the open can be.

There is one more thing to say here, the ratio of glue to water should be adjusted according to your own experience, glue less color can't stick, glue big color will be stiff. Here the proportion of my language can not say love, but also hope that you feel it.

Methods of using mineral colors, order:

First of all, choose the mineral color you want to paint, before painting to prepare the gelatin liquid, (previously described how to modulate gelatin liquid)

Next, find a clean white plate, pour the color powder into it, add the appropriate amount of gelatin liquid, with a finger to the fixed direction of the uniform grinding, so that the glue and the color powder fully blend, after which you can dip your pen into the color and draw it onto the picture.

Before painting mineral color, should play a layer of color base on the screen, in general: cinnabar, red with light eosin base; stone green with light blue base; stone green with flower green with vine yellow to grass green base, or ochre base. In the priming should also be used in a thin coating method, the color should be on the even.

When applying color, pay attention: all mineral colors have a certain covering power, when painting must leave the ink line, so as not to be covered by the ink line after painting.

These days by copying the "Sung Man Miniatures", the experience of the ancient traditional techniques has deepened a lot more, and there are many tangible experience. Layers of rendering is like a stream caressing a river stone, delicate and moist, soft silk is surrounded by layers of moist ink, revealing the gravity of the effect, the color of the Chinese capital. The previous bamboo why the number of times more thick, my experience is to use the ink stone to the analogy, a good ink stone are selected after thousands of years on the ancient riverbed, because it is subject to years of river soaking, moisturizing, only to form it hard, delicate, Huazhi effect, so this stone is the most suitable for a good ink stone.

The color of the thick effect is also this little by little color nourishment formed, so it seems that the color of the color is very vivid, and sometimes several colors superimposed out of the color effect and make the audience can not be seen at a glance to see the color of the specific components, in the picture formed a very rich superimposed out of the effect, which brings out a little bit of the mystery of the meaning of it. Like skin color, with four or five colors modulation, and finally painted on the screen, you can not even say that is made of what color modulation, this is the success of the skin color. And those who can tell at a glance that the skin color is ochre or vermilion fat are unsuccessful. Sometimes in Chinese paintings, the contrast between the "high gray" effect and the bright colors mentioned in Western paintings is where the subtlety of Chinese painting lies, so why add a little ink to the blue and white? This is precisely to make a mixture of "high gray" to make the color heavy, not flashy.

Chinese painting pigment use in normal circumstances in fact the existing Shanghai Mali large tube of the kind of Chinese painting pigment can be used. Only, many beginners in the use of pigments have a fixed mindset, generally do not like to carefully blend colors when painting Chinese painting, always feel that color mixing is a Western painting East and West, therefore, many times always like to find some new materials to use.

It is no secret that the quality of the current ordinary boxed Chinese painting pigments, such as blue, vine, cinnabar, and ochre, is particularly poor. There are still ways to deal with this when you think about it carefully.

1. Cinnabar. Cinnabar flower head is traditionally used as the base color of cinnabar, and then with magenta dyeing, take its thick also. Currently, the cinnabar pigment is more and more rough particles. My method is: first with cinnabar base color, flat coated with about 3 layers, cover alum water, after the use of eosin dyeing, and then local rouge dyeing, the key is the completion of the above, and then use eosin overall cover dyeing once (petal edges can be left in the water line), and finally, the whole piece of flat coated with a layer of light eosin can be. This color to stone color for the bottom, water color for the surface, the completed effect of heavy and not lose the sense of transparency is still there.

2, flower green. Domestic boxed pigment cyan color dregs are very much, when adjusting the leaf green turbidity phenomenon is serious (vine yellow is also very poor due to). I usually use phthalocyanine blue + ink to mix, out of the color is delicate, not to mention, and the amount of blue can also be at will, although the color has a "floating" feeling, can be slightly added to the cinnabar can fade its fire.

3, garcinia cambogia. Because it is the original color so can not be deployed, the general flat coated can be used, encountered in thin layers of multi-dyeing places where the color immediately appeared to be insufficient, and then coated with powder gas, the solution is to slightly adjust the color a little bit of eosin, so that it becomes a medium yellow rendering feel much better. Points such as stamens need to be thick coated with a little cinnabar to solve.

4, ochre. Ochre is the most rough texture in the domestic pigment, can't paint with tube pigment. Available vermilion plus ink to modulation, such as also appears to be the fire can be slightly added to fade its fire.