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Day 236: Chinese Magnolias, Complete

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Magnolias (Chinese Spontaneous Style)
Magnolias (Chinese Spontaneous Style)

It was our last Chinese Painting Class today, for this term. Just enough time to put the finishing touches on our Magnolia painting with a soft yellow wash across the whole background.

This involves wetting the whole page, using a spray bottle, and then gently brushing in a very weak wash before letting it dry and repeating. The first wash tends to be quite patchy but additional ones even it out, and the trick is to get a smooth wash without overdoing the background.

You also have to be careful that the wash doesn’t run into the flowers… you can help to avoid this by brushing a little extra clear water over the petals before starting to brush the yellow into the background. It seems a bit odd wetting the petals even more when you’ve just sprayed the whole page, but apparently the extra dampness helps to push the colour away from the areas you want to save.

This was a lovely piece to end the term on, and as I’m going to be starting back in October in the advanced group, it might be the prettiest Chinese painting I produce for a while!