How to use Chinese painting pigments

Pigments in traditional Chinese painting are mainly divided into two kinds of color matching methods, one is plate color matching method, and the other is paper color matching method. In-tray coloring method is to color the pen with pigment on the palette before coloring, and then mix the pigments evenly before coloring to make the coloring effect more uniform.

The color matching method in paper, that is, masking method, is to cover another layer of color on the original color. Generally, when using pigment, first squeeze the pigment to the edge of the porcelain plate, then add clean water and dip it with a brush bit by bit.

Skills of Chinese painting:

Chinese painting likes to use contrasting primary colors. China people are used to using red, yellow, blue, white and black as the "five primary colors", among which black and white are the main colors, and the contrast between black and white is strong. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the great turquoise landscapes were painted with large areas of turquoise and azurite, with clay gold as the outline, sky and water as the painting, and white powder as the painting. When painting autumn scenery, clusters of red maple, green hills, white clouds and mangroves are highlighted with vermilion, which forms a strong contrast.

Water and the sky are generally not colored, but expressed by the blank of paper. The ancients said that "the plain is a cloud and the ground is snow", which is said to be the expression. Although clouds and water are not drawn, they can be shown.

The pigment color matching of traditional Chinese painting often has the painter's subjective color, and even abandons the color of the object itself. For example, bamboo is originally green, while traditional black bamboo is black. Su Dongpo even painted bamboo with vermilion, calling it Zhu Zhu. People appreciate his bamboo, but only find his bamboo paintings unique and charming. Who cares if its color is black or red? This kind of color matching is completely the pouring of the painter's feelings and has a strong appeal.