Traditional Chinese Flower Basket Painting - Learn Chinese Drawing Technique

Brief Introduction:

Li Song's "Flower Basket" from the Song Dynasty, while perhaps not the most classic in terms of composition, form, and artistic conception among Song paintings, is undoubtedly a masterpiece in its exquisite coloring and detailed handling of specific elements among Song dynasty small-scale works. The meticulous depiction of the flower basket's details, the varied forms of the different flowers, and the nuanced shades of green in the leaves are truly astonishing. The harmony achieved despite such intricate coloring and diverse forms is a testament to the remarkable artistic skill of the Song people.

Step One:

Using different shades of ink based on the final color depth of each object, outline the various flowers and the flower basket. This painting depicts white Michelia, Hollyhock, Lily, Pomegranate flower, and Gardenia.

Step Two:

Apply a flat wash of light ochre yellow (ochre + gamboge + a little ink) to the background, being careful to leave the objects untouched. All flower heads are given a flat white wash. The leaves of the Lily, Gardenia, and Pomegranate flower are given a flat wash of dark green (grass green + a little ink). The leaves of the Michelia and Hollyhock are given a flat wash of grass green. All reverse sides of leaves are given a flat wash of juice green (grass green + gamboge + a little vermilion). The calyx of the Pomegranate flower and the young buds are given a flat wash of vermilion (vermilion + carmine) and then covered with a layer of alum water. The color of the Hollyhock's carpel is the same as the reverse side of the leaves. For the flower basket, the dark parts are given a flat wash of light purplish-red (rouge + vermilion + a little ink), and the light parts are given a flat wash of light earthy yellow (gamboge + vermilion + a little ochre).

Step Three:

The red lily flower heads are washed with earthy red (rouge + vermilion + a little ink). The yellow lily is washed with orange-yellow (gamboge + vermilion). The hollyhock is washed with carmine. The gardenia is shaded with a yellowish juice green. The pomegranate flower is washed with carmine. The michelia is shaded with light ink. All front leaves are given a base wash with medium ink, then veins are shaded. The reverse leaves are shaded with light ink-blue (ink + indigo). The dark parts of the flower basket are given a flat wash of purplish-red (rouge + vermilion + a little ink), then fine lines are outlined with medium ink. The lighter parts are outlined with light ochre yellow, following the basket's structure. When outlining, only the major structures need to be highlighted, not every single line.

Step Four:

Continue shading the front leaves with medium ink. Then, the darker leaves are generally washed with light ink, and the greener leaves are generally washed with grass green. The tips of some leaves can be lightly tinted with carmine. The reverse leaves are washed with gray-green (azurite + a little ink) from tip to base. Continue shading the red lily with purplish-red (rouge + vermilion + a little ink), and the yellow lily with a slightly darker orange-yellow (gamboge + vermilion + a little ink). The michelia is washed with gray-green. The pomegranate flower is shaded with purplish-red, applying several layers. Continue shading the gardenia with juice green, and the darkest areas can be tinted with juice green mixed with a little gray-green. The hollyhock is tinted on the dark side with carmine. The hollyhock carpel is given a flat wash of juice green and then shaded with light ink. The pomegranate calyx continues to be shaded with ink-red (carmine + a little ink). The lighter parts of the flower basket are outlined with light ochre-ink. The darker parts are outlined with purplish-red.

Step Five:

All flower heads are highlighted with different concentrations of white powder according to their color depth. For gardenias, the pistils are dotted with powdery yellow. For lilies, after dotting the pistils, a vermilion line needs to be drawn in the middle of the pistil, and the filaments are outlined with white powder. For hollyhocks, fine powdery yellow dots are applied to the carpel using the impasto technique. For pomegranate flowers and hollyhock flower heads, the reverse side has veins outlined with thick white powder, and the front side of hollyhocks has filaments outlined with carmine. The pomegranate calyx is given a flat wash of light carmine, then a few insect spots are painted with dark green. The front leaves of gardenias have fine veins outlined with medium ink, then re-outlined with light ink. The veins of all flower reverse leaves, hollyhock buds, etc., are re-outlined with light gray-green. Finally, the reverse leaves also need to be re-outlined with gray-green (malachite green + ink). The flower basket is adorned with concentrated ink dots for the patterns on the bamboo strips. The lines of the lighter areas of the object are re-outlined with light ochre-yellow. The lines of the darker areas of the flower basket are partially re-outlined with medium ink.