Chinese Brush Painting Workshop

Learn Chinese brush painting with our painting courses in Sydney.

Join this hands-on workshop to learn the brush strokes and techniques used in traditional Chinese brush painting, combining ink with watercolours.

Exploring the style, composition and motifs of traditional Chinese painting, you’ll create your own scroll artwork to take home. As well as brush painting skills, you’ll learn about compositions, symbolism and calligraphic elements as you discover the relaxing and reflective nature of this traditional art form.

Each workshop will reflect the season, with subjects relating to either birds, flowers or landscapes.

Course outcomes

By the end of this workshop, beginners will:

• have learned some general history of Chinese brush painting
• have learned why landscape and motifs are so important in Chinese painting
• understand the characteristics of Chinese paintbrushes and when to use them
• have learned new painting & drawing skills and techniques
• understand the structure of a composition and how to evaluate structure in your own work

More experienced students will also:

• be able to demonstrate yin/yang balance in your own paintings
• have further developed your drawing and painting skills using different materials
• be able to evaluate your work and the work of masters.

Ideal for

This workshop is suitable for beginners as well as students with more experience who want to extend, practise and gain new skills. New students will learn the basics to set a solid foundation. Experienced students will develop their techniques by combining traditional and more contemporary elements into their compositions.

Course content

• The meaning behind the “four treasures” of Chinese brush painting
• Structure and composition of a Chinese painting
• Different Chinese paintbrushes and when to use them
• Traditional Chinese calligraphic strokes
• Applying a variety of lines on Sumi paper
• Mixing tonal graduations

Please bring to class

• A sketchbook and pen
• Closed-in shoes
• Clothes you don’t mind getting paint on (or an apron)
• Long hair must be tied back

Brushes will be provided, but if you wish to use your own, bring 1 × 12-15" line brush (brown hair), 1 x colour brush (white hair) and 1 x smaller line brush (brown) and a square Hake brush (white hair).

Ink, paints and rice paper provided.