Basic techniques of flower-and-bird painting in Chinese painting

Basic techniques of flower-and-bird painting in Chinese painting

To learn to draw flowers, we should not only watch and copy the famous paintings of ancient and modern times, but also watch and sketch the actual flowers in depth, so as to understand the growth and decline and modality of flowers in first frost, rain and dew. This paper briefly describes the structure and ecology of flowers from two aspects: leaves and branches. The following is the basic drawing method of Chinese painting of flowers and birds. Welcome to reading.

Observation of flowers

(1) flowers: flowers are often the theme of the picture. Flowers generally include petals, stamens, pedicels and other parts.

Petals can be divided into single petals and double petals (compound petals), and flower shapes can be divided into two petals.

Peony, wild rose, etc. There are double petals, pear blossoms, kapok and so on. They are all single petals, as well as morning glory, lily and so on. It's single-petalled. Most flowers have different varieties of single petals and double petals, such as peach blossom, hibiscus, hibiscus and plum blossom.

The length of stamens is different.

Monoecious flowers, big pistil and small pistil are all together. Monoecious flowers have only small pistil, or only big pistil. Some stamens are obvious and some are hidden, which needs careful observation.

Calyx also varies with the types of flowers, such as plum blossom and peach blossom, plum blossom and begonia all grow on a long handle, rose and rose, camellia calyx is like fish scales.

(2) Leaves: When monocotyledons grow leaves from branches or stems, the leaf sequence is opposite and alternate, and so on.

Some compound leaf plants are pinnate, palmately bird-footed, and some are double leaves, which are more complicated. It is necessary to understand their growth law first, so as not to make mistakes in the complexity.

Leaves have petioles and veins, and their shapes have different sizes and proportions, such as the length of a pointed circle.

(3) Stems and branches: they can be divided into woody herbs, vines and vines. The branches of wood are quite hard, some are quite thick, and the stems of herbs are mostly tender, some become right-handed or left-handed, and some have whisker-like climbing stems.

Flower sketch

All kinds of flowers are fresh and full of vitality in the morning or morning, which is a good time to sketch. Sketching is to collect materials for creation. If it is for the needs of meticulous painting, it must be described in detail.

Sometimes we need a lot of flowers to gather together in the picture. When collecting materials from sketches, we should have four sides: positive, negative, lateral and oblique. There are complete flowers and some flowers covered by branches and leaves, both small buds and large buds that can bloom.

The same is true for leaves. Besides mature leaves, there should also be tender leaves and buds, and attention should be paid to the back of yin and yang, and the size should be interspersed. Branches should also be divided into branches and branches, as well as the posture and density in the picture.

These are the first problems that we should pay attention to when collecting materials for the purpose of sketching.

Although flower-and-bird painting is not as stable as landscape painting, we can use the method of moving perspective to sketch from the most beautiful angle, paying attention to the proportion of flowers, branches and leaves.

Painting flowers can start from the petals of stamens. Usually draw the most complete and front petals first, and then extend around. If the petals are too complicated, you can summarize them and pay attention to their beautiful shape.

The same is true of painting leaves. Besides paying attention to leaf order and structure, we should also pay attention to the changes of leaf back, leaf longitudinal direction, leaf back and leaf density, as well as the changes of front and rear leaves. Finally, the branches should be painted, and the skin lines should be painted when they are dry. For example, when the plum blossom is old, the skin lines should be inclined, the small stems should be tall and strong, the peach stems should be horizontal, and the loose skin should have scales and purples.

The sketch of flowers should start with folding flowers, take an easy-to-draw mosaic and insert it in a vase for detailed observation. The covered stamens can also be studied separately for detailed structure.

After you are familiar with simple branches, you can choose a corner of the whole flower to try, or sketch the whole flower. Because the branches and leaves are more complicated, we must choose a suitable angle and make substantial cutting or adjustment.

In short, flower sketch is not an illustration or illustration of plants, but a subjective choice and beautification, focusing on the expression of interest.

Watch birds

Birds, also known as "feathers" in Chinese painting, can be divided into waterfowl and mountain bird. According to living habits, it can be divided into wading birds, swimming birds, raptors, climbing birds, songbirds and pheasants. Their characteristics and habits are as follows:

(1) wading birds: live in shallow water and prey on fish and shrimp. Their mouths, necks and feet are very long. Such as cranes, storks and egrets.

(2) Birds: They like to swim in the water, with a flat mouth, short feet and webbed toes, and prey on fish, shrimp and insects. Such as seagulls, wild ducks, mandarin ducks, geese, albatrosses, etc.

(3) Raptor: It has powerful wings, hooked mouth, tiptoe and fierce temperament, and specializes in preying on small animals. Such as eagle, vulture, osprey, falcon, etc.

(4) Climbing birds: Most of them have a hook-shaped upper mouth and a short lower mouth, and their toes are in front and behind, so they can be caught on the trunk when climbing. Such as parrots, woodpeckers, etc.

(5) Songbirds: Like singing, most birds belong to this category. For example, Wei, Ying, Huamei, Shrike, oriole, starling and so on.

(6) Pheasant: It belongs to terrestrial birds, with large body, beautiful fur, long tail and similar mouth shape to chicken, and mostly grows in the bushes in the mountains. For example, pheasant, golden pheasant, long-tailed pheasant, peacock and so on.

Birds are oviparous, so the body (excluding the head, neck, feet, tail and other parts) is egg-shaped. Due to the different living environment and habits, its mouth, feet, wings and tail also have different proportions. Generally speaking, most waterfowl (wading birds and swimming birds) have long mouths and short tails, while most mountain birds (songbirds, climbing birds and pheasants) have short mouths and extremely long tails. Those with hooked mouths eat meat, those with slender mouths eat insects, those with long mouths eat bear shrimp, and those with thick mouths eat shells. Most birds that can fly far away have long wings and are relatively developed, and there are many long necks in waterfowl for quick attack and pecking at fish.

In addition, the color and position of the head type and eye essence are different, so we should also grasp their uniqueness.

Birds have feathers all over their bodies, and fine cotton feathers have the function of heat preservation. In addition, there are semi-cotton feathers, and many senses with unclear shapes and many layers are stacked into a large area. The other is the clear shape of feathers, such as the feathers of wings and tails, which have detailed names. We should carefully observe the shape of feathers in different parts and their overlapping relationship, so as to be familiar with the organization and order of bird feathers.

In addition, we need to know the sex of birds. Most birds and animals are male, very beautiful, and a few have the same feathers, but the female is always slightly smaller than the male, and the wings and tails of birds are opposite. The female's right wing and tail are on it, and the male's left wing and left tail feather are on it. Birds' joy, anger, sadness and surprise are also different in their wings, tails and postures.

Bird sketch

Birds are not only complex in structure, but also lively and active. It is a great challenge for beginners to sketch directly with real birds.

First, you may want to draw a bird specimen. The advantage of drawing a specimen is that you can observe the details in detail from all angles, and even the number of important feathers can be counted clearly, especially the meticulous feathers, which is very helpful for the observation of the specimen. But the disadvantage of painting specimens is that it is easy to draw dynamic, rigid and even distorted works.

Although the specimen is peeled off from a real bird, it is easy to be deformed by artificial cotton stuffing in the body, and the bird's eyes will not change according to different types. Uniform artificial substitutes are usually installed. Open wings and feet are supported by wires to keep weight and shape. In the past, due to the producer's lack of observation and skills, the joints were distorted, stiff and straight, or the center of gravity was unstable and the feathers were messy.

After beginners understand these most likely symptoms, they may wish to compare bird reference books and pictures, or go to bird shops, zoos or even the wild to observe them. They can use the camera function to freeze the instantaneous movements as an auxiliary reference for sketching.

After observing bird specimens, you can try to sketch caged birds. It's best to go to a bird shop to buy a kind of bird that is familiar and tame at ordinary times. It is best that the price is not too high, which is easy to be used by the breeder as a sketch object. First of all, we should observe its various movements, such as stepping on branches, pecking, finding feathers, wanting to rise, wanting to fall, singing, necking, flying and so on. And remember its characteristics.

Before sketching, you may wish to observe carefully and find the most frequently repeated action or the longest lasting pattern as the choice of sketching. You may wish to sketch with a pencil or brush. When the bird's posture changes, it might as well be repaired according to memory, or wait for it to show the same dynamic, and then master it quickly. If you need to take time to make a detailed description, you need to draw patiently and finish it several times, and it is best to observe it often when creating, so that it is easy to capture the bird's posture.

The behavior of caged birds is slightly different from that of Qin birds in nature, just as the expressions and actions of people in prisons are different from those of free people outside. In order to show the natural interest of "good birds are friends" and understand the living environment and habitat of each bird, it is best to observe it in the field in the mountains and cooperate with telescopes to watch birds.

Every bird has different habits and postures. For example, swallows and pigeons don't stand on branches, cranes and cranes sleep on one foot, and the dynamics of crows and magpies are absolutely different. If you don't observe carefully, the old part conforms to the material state, physics and material feeling.

In addition, when birds stay or fly, their heads will face the wind, and if they face the wind, their feathers will tilt up, which should also be noted.

When sketching, you can draw the main shape of the bird (egg shape) first, and then add the head (also roughly egg shape) according to the dynamics of the head (such as extending the head, necking, twisting, etc.). ), then add wings, tail and feet. Paws need to step firmly on the flat ground and hold on to the branches tightly. If the neck is not completely contracted, the foot will be stretched, and if the foot is contracted, the neck will be stretched. Both cannot be stretched at the same time. The most important thing is that the body should have a center of gravity and the shape should be lively in order to show vitality.

sketch

Sketch painting refers to the painting method of drawing objects with ink lines without coloring.

There are also sketches of figures, animals and beasts, such as two earliest silk paintings unearthed from Chu tombs in the Warring States Period, which were described as "white paintings" in ancient China. The picture below shows Shou Ping's Narcissus, which is a simple and meticulous ink painting.

Mainly line drawing, light ink can also be rendered. When drawing lines, it is necessary to make the combination of pen and ink have formal characteristics. The turning point of brushwork is abrupt, and the thickness and lightness of lines are based on the texture or characteristics of the objects represented. For example, thin and light line-drawn petals are easy to show their softness; Drawing leaves and branches with thicker and thicker lines makes it easier to show their hard and thick texture; It is easier to show the fluffy and soft feeling of bird feathers when writing and collecting pens with slightly dry and empty thin lines.

Chinese painting is the eloquence of lines, especially line drawing. The quality of lines is the main key to the success or failure of a painting.

It is advisable to take the center as the main pen, the pressure and speed of the pen should be uniform, and the lines drawn should have the effect of "soft outside and rigid inside", and the strength should be included and not exposed; Lack of pen and ink is not durable. Too many sharp edges and exposed strength often show a domineering atmosphere, while fashion will reduce the beauty of some flowers and birds, so the lines drawn in white should be "just set in a beautiful place."

In addition, the speed of the pen should not be too fast or too slow. To mean "never look back", the wrist force must be sent to the head. When you start writing, you can't be careless. As for the line drawing, according to the demonstration provided by Professor Wu Xuerang, there are three main lines:

One is to start writing and stop writing (a calligraphy and painting), which is suitable for painting petioles, bamboo poles and so on.

Secondly, it is suitable for painting Ye Jin, leaves and so on.

The third is continuous arc painting, which is suitable for painting petals.

The order of drawing birds is to draw a long stroke in the mouth first, then draw a stroke on the upper and lower jaws, and then draw eyes, eyes, forehead, back, wings, chest, abdomen, legs, claws and tail in turn. Draw fine lines, the pen setting and pen collection are relatively light, and the middle is slightly thick. If the pen is set too heavy, it is not easy to show the texture of feathers.

Double-hook coloring painting is a painting method in which objects are depicted with line hooks and then colored. It is also called hook-le coloring method or double-hook coloring method, which is formed by coloring on the basis of line drawing.

Its origin is very early. This painting method has already appeared in the silk paintings unearthed from the Western Han Tomb in Mawangdui. Huang Quan, a painter of the Five Dynasties, is a representative painter of the double hook coloring method. His slender lines and rich colors are the mainstream of flower-and-bird painting in the Northern Song Dynasty. Xu Xi in the south of the Yangtze River also uses the double hook coloring method, but his style is wild, and he pays more attention to the fun of lines. Mo Yun, a later flower and bird painter, took Xu Xi as his pen and the grave as his method. The picture of bamboo bird with Wu handle in the Southern Song Dynasty is an example of double hook coloring.

In the method of painting with double hooks, we should choose cooked paper (paper) or silk. After drawing with ink lines and double hooks, prepare two wool pens for rendering, one dipped in color and the other in water. You should practice holding two pens in one hand and be able to exchange them flexibly.

The color should be light when mixing colors, and it should be dyed several times. The color of the inside (or center) of flowers and leaves should be pushed to the edge with a clear water pen, and the water content of the clear water pen should be appropriate. If there is too much water, there will be traces. If it is too dry, it will not be rendered.

After rendering, if the original ink line is blurred, it can be repeatedly checked with heavy colors, which is called "le". At the same time, you can also dye from the back of drawing paper to make the mosaic color of the picture more dense and uniform. There are three ways to shade flowers:

(1) continuous dyeing: dye the flowers with the lightest color (that is, flat coating as the base) first, and then dye them with other colors. Usually white, pink and light yellow flowers can be dyed with white foundation first, and then dyed with light green, magenta, gamboge and other colors. Leaves can be dyed with grass green background first, and then dyed with blue flowers.

(2) Dye first: purplish red or crimson flowers can be dyed red from the inside out with cyanine (or light ink) first, and leaves can also be dyed with cyanine (or light ink) first and then grass green.

(3) Dyeing method: For example, the petals of pink lotus with red tip and slightly light green root can be dyed magenta from the tip to the inside, and then dyed light green from the inside to the outside immediately, and then bonded before the water is dry. Broken leaves damaged by local insects can also be dyed by grafting.

It is slightly different from the harvesting method of birds. Color with light ink first, and then color for the second time. Dry it and brush it for the third time and then for the fourth time. The fifth painting comb (silk wool) is often used for feathering (or animals).

In order to emphasize the soft and delicate feeling of feathers, the principle of feather carding method is that light feathers use dark combs and dark feathers use light combs.

Boneless painting

Boneless painting is a method of drawing objects directly with colors without ink lines.

"Boneless Picture" is said to have been written by Xu Chongsi in the Northern Song Dynasty, and there are few painters since then. Cloud in the early Qing Dynasty was a master of reviving this painting, which had a great influence on modern times.

Boneless painting is also more suitable with cooked paper. Because there is no ink line, the relationship between the front and rear leaves or petals is bent with a blank "waterline", which has the taste of white as black. Boneless painting can also be subdivided into several forms:

The first method is more detailed, such as double hook coloring method, which only omits the ink lines of double hooks and adds dyes layer by layer.

The second painting method is a little looser than the freehand brushwork, and it is directly colored and completed at one time. The third painting method is trimming and coloring first, then dyeing the parts with other similar colors, and then drying. Similar broken ink, because of the use of cooked paper, has a semi-fusion effect or a slightly mottled color change.

Generally speaking, line drawing, double hook color painting and boneless painting machine all belong to the category of meticulous painting, so attention should be paid to their completeness in form and clarity in structure.

Beginners can hook a sketch of the same size before painting and put it under the drawing paper, so that the composition and modeling have a basis, and they can focus on color and interest in using pens. No matter which hairstyle is used to draw flowers and leaves, the colors should be changed in depth, and the pen should be dipped in water. You can also use the method of "dyeing one and dyeing two" to pursue more colorful changes, but the color should not be too strong and too bright, and always focus on elegance.

After dyeing, wait until it dries, then hook Ye Jin, silk flower or draw stamens to add details.

enjoyable

Freehand brushwork refers to expressing the mental state of the object with simple and summarized pen and ink, which is a painting method that does not seek the shape of god.

According to the records in the history of painting, Wu Daozi's painting of Jialing River landscape or Wang Qia splash ink in the Tang Dynasty may have taken a freehand form. Among the paintings handed down from generation to generation, the ink bamboo of Su Shi and Wen Tong and the ink plum of stone can already be classified as freehand brushwork. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Wei had drawn a freehand brushwork on rice paper with bold pen and ink, as shown below, Xu Wei's Peony and Banana Stone Map. Badashanren, Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics and Stone Painting School have all expanded many fields for freehand flower-and-bird painting.

The freehand brushwork in flower-and-bird painting mostly adopts the technique of "point pile" or "point cluster", which can be subdivided into several methods, such as hook flower and leaf point method, small freehand brushwork method and large freehand brushwork method.

Suitable for freehand brushwork with base paper, you can paint with ink alone or in several colors. The pen contains light color first, and then the reef is deeper than the tip. You can also use dark color first, and then dip it in water. Each pen should have a change of depth, which is easy to blend with the original paper to produce different effects of dry, wet, thick and light.

In short, although the freehand brushwork method has the so-called "meaning does not reach the pen", it doesn't matter whether the form is simple or the image is inaccurate. However, if you want to draw freehand brushwork well, you still need to make more efforts in meticulous brushwork and observe sketches, so as to give full play to the characteristics of concise brushwork and sufficient meaning.

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