<Picturesque scene in Kunming(湖光山色)>

About the scenery-

 We spent two weeks to complete this painting.

This scenery of landscape (mountain, river and lake) is found in the Yunnan area in China.  It depicts one of China’s scenic beauty. 

 The Chinese characters Hu Guang Shan Se, literary meaning “ Brightness of the Lake contrast with the colour of the mountain range 

in the background is a very apt title to this piece.

 Learn how  to paint trees, pagoda, mountain and boat-

This piece has everything in,  so many types of trees, the palm, evergreens, and the willow (liu shu).  The pagoda takes up the attention,

nearly half of the page, with mountains in the background and the hilly terrain at the river bank and the boat in the foreground.

 How to paint Pagoda?

The structure of pagoda must be sketched in the right proportion, only then can this lend strength to the building. 

 Most of us lack the skill of sketching the tiled roof of the pagoda correctly.  Pillars must be emphasized too. 

Pagodas are complicated building. 

Therefore strokes must be few and yet powerful.  There should not be too much details otherwise we will spoil the overall view. Shadows will give the building a 3-dimensional effect.

How to paint Willow Trees?

The willow tree is a very delicate tree.  We must draw the strands of the willow with rhythmical lines with branches flowing from the main stem.

When the wind blows it gives the tree a lovely sway. 

The evergreen tree have cluster of leaves on it branches.  So need to fill up in groups on each branch. Leaves are dotted in.

 How to paint Palm Trees?

Now comes the palm on the far side of the piece.  Note that how the branches are drawn.  Very interesting.  This is our first time drawing this palm.

The two trees are set one behind the other.  But we drew two individual trees!

How to paint a Boat?

Then comes the boat in the foreground.  This needs practice.  Still lacking in seeing it float! Emphasis is placed in the shadows of the waters below the boat.

Way Of Colouring- 

Now comes the part of filling in the colours. 

Brown and yellow for the edge of the roof, hilly mounds at the river bank, tree trunks and branches, pillars too.  Also the boat too. 

Roof is indigo and black. Green (combination of yellow and indigo) for the different trees. The man’s shirt is in red. 

Gives an outstanding attraction to viewers’ eyes. Shadows of waters on edge of hilly terrain. 

They are indigo in colour. Add more water to the indigo for the mountains in the background. 

There is no doubt that we use only three basic colours but it lends serenity to the piece.  A quiet atmosphere.

HOW TO PAINT A  KOI ?

About koi-

The Koi(carp) is suppose to be an auspicious fish in Chinese culture. 

 Fish in Chinese has the same sound as ‘surplus’ . 

So during Chinese New Year each and every one will wish each other a year of surplus(年年有余).

Title of the painting- 

The title of this piece is ‘Koi jumps over the Dragon Gate’. 

 If you want to succeed in life you need to jump over or as high as the Dragon Gate, to lend oneself a title of power  in the Courts of the emperor.

Method of sketching. 

The fish consists of the head, body and tail. It is divided into five parts.  The head is one-fifth of the body

Note the size of the fins. and the position it occupies in the front. 

They must be drawn with fan-like wideness to show its powerful jump.

The head has a side view with mouth agape (opened slightly) to gasp for air. 

Nose is just a dot.  Note where the gills are.  Without gills, the fish will not be able to swim.

Note the whiskers on the side of the mouth.

The scales on the body are drawn with slightly criss-crossed curved lines starting from the spine towards the belly. This shows a 3-D look, a roundness.  Dots are made on the scales.

The body has two portions, torso and tail. 

Note the sweeping tail.  It curls to make a jump. 

Tail has a scissor split with lines drawn from top moving in.

From an artist’s view point, art is more beautiful than real life. We can see the works of

Li Ke Ran(李可染）for his ‘black ink’ art, Wu Guan Zhong （吴冠中）for scenery and

Huang Zhou （黄胄）for his donkeys in the Xin Jiang. 

All have learnt to draw from ‘being there’, tasting the roughness of life during their life-time. 

 They could paint with what they see and felt. 

 As a result we see their paintings in our life time.

 

Hello, Dear Friends,

Wishing  You  and Your Family

A prosperous   &

 Happy  Lunar New Year

Dr Tan Ching Yam