Chinese Brush Painting Basic Strokes Part 1 | YTA

Hello, my beautiful artists. I'm Ashley from YoungTravelArt. In this tutorial, I will teach you the most basic and important strokes of Chinese painting. Be sure to stay at the end of this video because I will show you some effective exercises that I have used to master the Chinese painting. The most effective way to learn Chinese painting is to follow a proven method. That's what I'm here to show you. Let's begin with the mentor of Chinese painting, the brush. It is similar to a brush used for watercolor, but the hairs are made of different materials. To use the brush correctly, you should know the basic strokes. I believe that after this class, you'll have made great progress of understanding of Chinese painting. Now, before we get into the basic strokes, I want to make sure you have a basic understanding of the three variables of brush movement. Those are speed, pressure, and rotation. Keep in mind that those three variables are important in any stroke you make. I'll explain how these variables relate to each basic stroke. This part of the brush called the hair is used to paint the following strokes. Upright vertical stroke, oblique stroke, reverse stroke, drag stroke, and so on. Note that some of these stroke names I translate by myself because I wasn't able to find an official list of the translation. If you know one, please let me know in the comment below. Although the English terms I use may be not official, I will keep them consistent so you don't get confused. Try to follow along in my explanation and demonstration of each. Let's start with the upright vertical stroke. The upright vertical stroke holds the brush upright and perpendicular to the paper. You need to vary your speed and pressure through the stroke depending on whether you want thin, delicate lines or wide, powerful ones. This stroke often used for outlines. The second basic stroke is called the oblique stroke. Load the lip of the brush with ink and hold the brush in a slightly position. Turn to the right and upwards. One side should be smooth and the other side serrated. You can use this stroke to paint thick lines. The third stroke is the reverse stroke. Use the tip of the brush on the paper first, then have the end follow the tip. This stroke goes from down to up and from right to left. See why I called it a reverse stroke? If your brush is dry and you paint quickly, then it becomes a fade-by stroke. A fade-by stroke is when there is some white space between the blank ink. This kind of stroke is used for fine trees and branches. When you paint this stroke, you should hide the tip by making a turn at the beginning of the stroke. It's a powerful stroke used in calligraphy and in Chinese painting to paint bamboo leaves. And it's the most common stroke in Gongbi style. Exposed stroke. As opposite to the hiding stroke, the exposed stroke shows the brush tip on the paper, lifting the brush little by little as you paint. This stroke can make flexible and elegant lines. Scattered stroke. This stroke is actually easier with an old brush. Use less water than usual, then twist the brush on the paper to separate and scatter the hairs. Then you can paint in any direction. We can use this stroke to show the texture of a rock, for example. Dragged stroke. Hold the handle higher for this stroke. Incline the brush and place the tip on the paper. Keep the tip facing the opposite direction that you paint in. Relax your hand and you can try to rotate the brush while you drag it. This stroke is pretty flexible, so feel free to experiment with it. Wrapped stroke. With the brush dry and angled towards the paper, press lightly to make your strokes. This stroke is often used for landscape painting. You can use it to paint natural things like rocks and trees. Darts. A basically short upright stroke. A good use of this stroke is to paint a flower petal. Dip the whole brush into white and then just the tip dip into red. Watch how it comes out when I use this technique. Now that you know the basic strokes, I'll give you some exercises to practice them. It's helpful to practice the strokes individually to improve your overall technique. Lines are the skeleton or framework of your painting. They give your painting spirit and energy. Bring diversity to your lines by using the variations and strokes we've discussed in the video. Variations and strokes. Watch as you now understand how to use the variations and strokes we discussed. Exercise 1. Fade by practice. Keep the brush dry then press. Lift a little bit as you sweep the brush. Exercise 2. Changing direction. In this exercise, you practice changing directions by making loops with the brush. Notice how my thumb moves up and down the handle. Exercise 3. Wavy lines. To paint this line, first you should hold the handle high up. Then relax your hand and arm. Lift the wrist up and down to practice varying your pressure. If you paint a long line, you should move your arm as the line is drawn out. Exercise 4. Rotating lines. The tip to this exercise is to keep using the tip of the brush. Move the thumb upward when you paint the left side and move it downward when you paint the right side. Now then, you know the basic strokes of Chinese brush painting. It's time for you to put them to practice. In addition to the exercises I showed you at the end, I suggest you check out my class on how to paint bamboo and the Narcissus flower. I have longer and more in-depth classes on Skillshare as well. So make sure to check those out too. Check the links in the description for more details. Of course, feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments below. And remember to like and subscribe. See you over in the next class.