Sparrows by Han Jia-Xi in Chinese brush painting technique

[@bbornets]

Wonderful close up camera work. Thank you. I love these sparrows and how lively they are.

[@LIDIAMARINAHUROVICH]

Absolutely delicate and cute, they seem to grow from your brush! Thanks !

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

Teacher Han is using a small, dry, hard-bristle brush for the head and wing strokes, then he switches to a soft brush for the belly stroke. He also often drags the brush tip rather than leading with it. I recommend practicing birds in sections - concentrate on just the head and do a sheetful, then practice the wing strokes, etc.

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

That's always the tricky question! Too much water on the brush or not enough; paper too absorbent or too sized! Han Jia-Xi is using a raw, absorbent rice paper, but it was very well-balanced. Most paper is handmade so each batch is different. I suggest trying double-shuen raw rice paper. The ink spreads less on it so you don't have to paint so fast. You might enjoy cotton paper too. Gear the amount of water on your brush to how it spreads on the paper.

[@irenegold3969]

Beautiful!

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

Thanks, Irene!

[@irenegold3969]

@@VirginiaLloydDavies I enjoyed it :) Thank you

[@bbornets]

Wonderful close up camera work. Thank you.

[@maria-giulianalatini1724]

Please, i would love to learn to paint as many animals and birds and bugs as possible in the Chinese brush style! Please please more!

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

Teacher Han has a very "cartoony" spontaneous style of bird painting called xieyi. If you check the artists I am subscribed to, you might enjoy Jim Wang. His birds are meticulously accurate. Both styles are useful to learn, and of course the most important thing is to practice the strokes! Good luck!

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

If you are on Facebook, you can find Jim Wang here: 王金村墨彩繪事 Many demos of birds and bugs.

[@rosine2]

C'est très impressionnant votre technique et la maîtrise que vous en avez. Et que c'est beau ! Vraiment j'adore vos oeuvres.

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

Merci bien, Rose Marie!

[@LIDIAMARINAHUROVICH]

Lovely! Can you do this with normal watercolor brush and paper?

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

The Chinese brush is crucial to get the correct results. You can use different papers, but the best is some kind of rice paper. It can be thick or thin shuen (that means rice paper) and it can be raw or sized; each will give you a different effect. Most important is the STROKE. If you are not painting with Chinese strokes you will just have western watercolor birds done on funny paper. They may look great, but they won't be Chinese.

[@leisititine1]

GREAT!

[@Evelynngce88]

I love you sparrows!

[@Evelynngce88]

May I ask about the paper that is seen in this video? Is it the 'cooked' or 'uncooked' rice paper? When I try the ink spreads so much and I am unable to control the stroke. If I use the less absorbent rice paper, it is so un-absorbent. Is my ink too 'wet'?

[@chanders0]

What’s the book you’re talking about in the beginning of the video?

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

Sorry, I'm not sure what book you're talking about.

[@chanders0]

@@VirginiaLloydDavies in the audio of this video at 0:14-0:21

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

@@chanders0 Sorry I can't help you! I just checked that part of the video, but I don't hear anyone mentioning the title of the book. It seems to me I have seen these birds in a demo book, but I've looked through my library and I don't see them. You could take stills from the video if you want to see the steps to create the birds. Good luck!

[@chanders0]

@@VirginiaLloydDavies will do! thank you, and I love your book! you inspired me to start

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

@@chanders0 So glad you were inspired to paint! It's a lifelong journey. If you have questions about the book, you can always email me at [e-mail]. I'm happy to respond.

[@Evelynngce88]

Thank you...that is always the problem isn't it?Need some lessons on paper and brushes...

[@bobdooly3706]

They not sparrows , they are penguins.

[@VirginiaLloydDavies]

Hah hah hah! Flying penguins? I think not!

[@bobdooly3706]

@@VirginiaLloydDavies , they fly under water.