Traditional Chinese Peach Blossom Painting Tutorial - Master the Chinese Drawing Technique
Step 1:
Outline the flower heads with light ink, using fine lines. Outline the branches with thick ink, using strong, bold lines. Outline the peach leaves with medium ink, using smooth lines.
Step 2:
First, apply a wash of light grayish-green (three greens + a little ink + a little gamboge) to the entire background. Then, apply a medium-thick layer of white powder evenly to the flower heads. After that, apply a slightly thicker grayish-green evenly to the background (leaving out the objects). If it's not even the first time, you can apply it a few more times. When you reach the edges of the objects, make sure the "color does not obstruct the ink," keeping the lines clean. For the front leaves, apply an even coat of a slightly greener grass green (azurite + gamboge + a little vermilion). For the back leaves, apply an even coat of grayish-green (three greens + a little ink). For the calyxes, apply an even coat of sap green (grass green + gamboge + a little vermilion). For the branches, apply an even coat of light ink.
Step 3:
Wash the front leaves with azurite and then shade the main veins. Focus on shading the darker areas where the veins overlap, no need to deliberately leave water lines. For the back leaves, wash them with light grass green, then shade the base with light greenish-black (grass green + a little ink). For the pink flower heads, repeatedly shade and wash with purplish-red (rouge + vermilion + a little ink). For the white flower heads, wash with a slightly greener grayish-green (three greens + a tiny bit of ink + gamboge), then shade petal by petal. For the flower center, apply an even coat of light grass green. Pay special attention to the overall round shape of the flower buds. The darker colors of the flower heads should mainly be concentrated around the flower center, and there's no need to color each petal too evenly. For the calyxes, shade from the base to the tip with light rouge. For the tree branches, use medium ink to create textured strokes, and use medium ink to slightly shade the light and dark areas. The knotted parts should be left a bit brighter.
Step 4:
Around the flower heads, use light purplish-red (rouge + vermilion + a little ink) to create a subtle wash. For the bright areas of the flower heads, apply a slightly thicker white powder from the tip towards the base. In this step, you need to pay attention to the overall balance of light and shadow; the main larger flowers can have a slightly thicker application of white powder, while the flowers that are further away or in the darker areas can have a slightly lighter application. For the calyx, draw a red line in the middle with rouge, then re-outline the entire line with light rouge. For the flower heads, adjust the overall harmony with light purplish-red or grayish-green. Then, use thick white powder to dot the pistils; for the stigma, dot a round point with thick white powder, and for the stamens, use yellowish-white with the "raised powder technique." Usually, for small flowers, the dots for the stamens must be round. For the front leaves, apply a wash of grass green, then outline the veins with light ink, and finally re-outline the main veins locally with medium ink. For the back leaves, outline the veins with light ink, then use a medium concentration of three greens to outline them again, slightly offset from the first lines. Re-outline the main veins of the back leaves with three greens, then locally highlight the base with light rouge. Re-outline the tips of the tender shoots with rouge. After a general wash of light ink on the old branches, locally re-outline the old branch lines with thick ink.
