Chinese Brush Painting: Flowers: 36 Beautiful Flowers and How to Paint Them

Besides being a painting technique manual, this is a beautiful book to thumb through just to look at the 36 flowers including Chinese motif peonies and orchids along with more familiar roses and sunflowers. Chinese brush painting appears simple to do, but it actually requires special skills and a feel for the subject. Beginning with descriptions of the five distinct painting styles, the book continues to distinguish the differences between western style painting and the unique Chinese brush painting. The materials required include brushes, special papers, ink and inkstone, and of course colors, both Chinese colors and watercolors. Composition and placement of the subject is seriously examined. Most of the book covers the painting of flowers, each variety has an illustration with a description of the species. Helpfully a palette of colors is supplied, brushes and paper type suggested, and a sequential series of steps to follow in the painting is clearly indicated. Among the selections are cherry blossoms, hibiscus, narcissus, magnolia, Hong Kong Orchid Tree, Bird of Paradise, and many other inviting floral illustrations. Other features are included to challenge more advanced artists. This book invites the viewer to brighten the palette with flowers using Chinese brush painting.