Learn Chinese brush painting

Children love painting. Chinese brush painting is fun to do and a great way for children to learn a new painting technique.

What you need:

• Chinese painting to reference
• Rice paper
• Bamboo brush
• Water
• Black ink

Number of players:

Activity:

Find an image of a Chinese brush painting to use as a reference, for example, a painting of bamboo stalks, plum trees or birds.

Lay the rice paper onto a flat surface.

Dip the bamboo brush hairs in clean water, saturating the hairs from tip to base.

Lightly dip the tip of the brush in black ink, so that the bottom half of the brush is blackened with ink but the top is clean.

Look at your Chinese brush painting image reference to determine the separate brush strokes used within that painting.

Hold the brush in your hand so that the handle is more horizontal than vertical.

Pick a brush stroke used in your reference image to copy.

Drag the brush slowly, moving your arm instead of your wrist, to create one long stroke, never lifting the brush from the paper until the stroke is complete.
 
Change the positioning of the brush as you move across the paper without lifting the brush. 

Dip the brush in water and repeat the process.
 
Use single brush strokes until you have completed the painting.