Chinese Watercolor Painting

Capture the essence of animals like never before! Using Chinese and watercolor techniques and materials, you can create animals with elegance and grace. Let award-winning artist Lian Quan Zhan show you how with his clear and basic step-by-step instructions. Artists at all levels will benefit from Lian's deep understanding of both art forms. He guides you through the process by beginning with the basic properties of Chinese materials such as rice paper and ink, and leading to more advanced techniques such as loading a brush with multiple colors. He also teaches watercolor pouring techniques so you can create vibrant animals and beautiful backgrounds. So much of Chinese painting stems from observation and interpretation of nature. Apply these principles by painting cats, birds, tigers, and many other animals in seventeen step-by-step demonstrations. Find your inspiration within the animals of this book, and breathe the spirit of the East and West into your own art.

A second addition, also known as Ning Yeh's "Gold Edition" updates his original guide of step-by-step instructions for Chinese Brush Painting.

Try your hands at these historically and culturally important methods, and create some beautiful paintings of your own. Chinese painting is an ancient art that has evolved and become refined over many centuries. Artists brush ink and color pigments onto silk or paper using a variety of techniques, with two main approaches: gongbi a traditional and realistic style based on line drawing, and xieyi style, a freehand method that uses fewer strokes to suggest objects in a less literal way. Painting themes generally fall into three categories: figure, landscaping, and bird-and-flower. Chinese brush painting is mainly presented in lines, shades and white space to express the feelings about nature, social phenomena, and the very essence of the universe. The framework for this expression is often traditional: certain subjects carry cultural connotations that are well-known and imbue the painting with a layer of meaning beyond face value of objects shown. The traditional subjects such as mandarin ducks, butterflies, and the 'Four Gentlemen' (plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemum) are examples that contain this rich cultural meaning. Readers will learn first about the tools and materials, then painting techniques. Early pages explore the very basic painting methods and subjects—perfect for beginning painters—but continue to build skills for painting plants and animals of increasing complexity. Chinese Brush Painting illustrates several Chinese brush painting techniques with the use of different tools, brushwork and color mixing. With the step-by-step projects, you can first follow the introductory lessons to learn the necessary skills of brushwork, usage of paper, and characteristics of water, ink and colors; then follow the advanced lessons to learn the compositions and more complicated color applications.

Minimum stroke - maximum effect Learn how to make each brushstroke count when painting classically beautiful landscapes using a combination of traditional and modern watercolor techniques. Master artist and teacher Lian Quan Zhen shows how to blend Eastern and Western art theories, materials and techniques to create landscapes with graceful simplicity. Chinese Landscape Painting Techniques for Watercolor includes 27 start-to-finish demonstrations, which show how to capture the spirit and mood of the landscape in all types of weather and in all four seasons. It also features a wide variety of landscape subjects from America and around the world.

Artists are always in search of new subjects to paint, and this guide provides what they need to kick-start their creativity. Part art instruction, part inspiration, Painting Landscapes from Your Imagination features step-by-step techniques coupled with imaginative exercises for brainstorming, executing and completing dynamic compositions. Using found objects such as twigs, rocks, photos, doodles, etc. artists will learn to compose engaging landscapes as they practice basic watercolor methods, including dry brushing, charging, mingling and working wet-in-wet. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of painting watercolor landscapes, enabling more advanced artists to skip to the sections they need. This guide also includes a unique fold out and follow me guide which allows artists to juxtapose a large print of three separate compositions with accompanying step-by-step demonstrations. Selling points: A liberating cure for blank paper syndrome; Packed with dozens of techniques, ideas and demonstrations; Features a unique fold out follow me approach.

Shows painters how to achieve the fluid, spontaneous style of Sumi-E, or Chinese brush painting, through 12 beautiful and inspiring projects.

Capture the beauty and vitality of Chinese painting in your watercolors! Using a few brushes, some rice paper and a small number of inks and paints, you can explore new realms of artistic expression in your watercolors. Author and artist Lian Quan Zhen shows you how, providing you with the clear, practical instruction you need to master every element of this intriguing style - from holding a bamboo brush to applying Chinese composition techniques. Zhen makes learning easy with step-by-step instructions that enable you to apply brushstrokes with strength and confidence - a skill that will carry over into your everyday watercolor work. And you'll find inspiration in Zhen's own works of art - ranging from egrets in flight to gracefully swimming koi - as you discover the best techniques of the East and West. He'll show you that the beauty of fine art crosses every border and that your artistic journey has no limits.

Chinese brush painting is an ancient art, steeped in history, symbolism and ritual, and closely linked to Chinese calligraphy. This beautifully illustrated book takes you on a journey through the history, techniques and materials that will enable you to produce stunning paintings of flowers, birds, animals and landscapes.

Take a journey with the master, Lian Quan Zhen! From landscapes and architecture to people and animals, Lian Quan Zhen has painted it all. Inside Chinese Watercolor Journeys with Lian Quan Zhen, you will see beautiful paintings in both the Chinese and Western styles. Filled with tips and stories, you'll learn about Lian's techniques and artistic journey. The large, colorful images will inspire you to take a journey of your own.