What are the eighteen strokes of traditional figure painting?

This refers to the method of tracing lines used by Chinese painters to sketch objects with lines. It is often used to depict clothing patterns, clouds and water. In ancient times, painters of different eras and schools developed different methods of expression, and thus the strength of their lines and the shape of their strokes were also characterized by different features. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, some people summarize the different methods of outlining, summarized as eighteen, known as "eighteen strokes". Such as the Ming Dynasty Zou Dezhong in its "painting things pointed out in the" as follows: (1) the high ancient silk stroke; (2) string stroke; (3) iron line stroke; (4) the clouds and flowing water stroke; (5) locusts stroke; (6) nails head and rat's tail stroke; (7) mixed stroke; (8) pegs ding stroke; (9) CaoYi stroke; (1 O) folded reeds stroke; (11) olive stroke; (12) jujube kernel stroke; (1 3) willow leaf stroke; (14) bamboo leaf stroke; (15) war strokes; (1 6) reduced strokes; (17) firewood strokes; (18) earthworm strokes. Since then, all the paintings contained in the various schools are similar to each other. With the development of Chinese painting, modern painters have also created many unique strokes.

The traditional technique of figure painting is based on line drawing, and the so-called "eighteen strokes" are programmed line drawings of different types of lines, most of which are medium strokes. Chinese painting is extremely flat, only line, no dark and light volume, it is easy to lead to the disadvantages of thin. The reason why traditional brushes are used is that the center line is tough and thick, which helps to make up for the thinness of the flatness of the modeling, which is a set of reasonable art forms and successful techniques determined by the special properties of the tools and materials used in Chinese painting. The vast majority of the "eighteen strokes" are used in brush painting, and the broad lines of the figure paintings are mostly used in the reduced brush strokes and so on, and the strokes are sometimes used in the offset side strokes, and expanded into a block, which is easy to show the flatness and thinness if the strokes are not emphasized. Modern ink figure painting, sometimes also have this flaw. Huang Binhong's landscapes are thick and colorful, first of all due to the use of the center-front brush. Drawing on its length, used in figure painting, is the original Zhejiang School of point line surface combination of painting method out, strengthen the center line, graceful and robust, varied, pay attention to the power of the brush, brush power, brush interest and brushwork. The strengthening of the line creates conditions for the improvement of the freedom of "writing". Because writing is a line-based movement, the extreme of Wu Changshuo's and Huang Binhong's realistic painting lies in the high quality and charm of the lines. To write freely in figure painting, it is also necessary to strengthen the status and quality of the line, and gradually "write" to the extreme.