Peony from “GLS061: Simply Peony by Ling Chi Yeh,” orchid from “M002: Book of the Orchid” and birds from “BK08: 100 Birds by O-shi Yang”
In this Issue:
The Symbolism of Peony
Spring Mood Seals and Peony Lessons
Chinese Flower Painting: a Worthwhile Investment
Paint Bigger for More Freedom
Orchid - the Quiet Eruption of Spring
OAS Painting Challenges
The Perfect Gentleman
NEW Kuretake Gansai Tambi Color Sets
The Symbolism of Peony
by Evan Yeh
Painting from “Peony Painting Techniques” by Ho Yu-li
Now is a great time to think about Peony. Peony blooms in the late Spring and stays relevant into the summer. Starting to work on Peony now will give you plenty of time to practice and finish some paintings to have ready to share by the time Peony fever hits the public at large.
The Chinese city of Luoyang was the capital of thirteen historical dynasties and dates back to the mid-11th century BC. An annual Peony Festival is held in Luoyang in mid-April and attracts visitors from all around the world.
China recently changed its national flower from the Plum Blossom to the Peony. Plum Blossom has long been the symbol of persevering in the midst of the most unyielding circumstances, whereas Peony has been revered as a majestic symbol of abundance and prosperity. Plum Blossom represents the deep winter, while Peony is the “King of Spring.”
Peony Painting Techniques by Ho Yu-li
Includes original poetry (written by the artists), live photography, foundation drawings and sequential instructions. Excellent reference for peony painters.
Text in Chinese, titles in Chinese/English.
Q040: Peony Painting Techniques $30
Peony Paintings by Wang Yu-ping
A selection of 145 masterpieces of the peony by great painters of the flower and bird genre. Each work communicates the spirit of wealth and glory as characterized by the “King of Flowers”.
Text in Chinese.
100 Flowers by O-shi Yang
Yang provides anatomical diagrams, foundation drawings and detailed sequential/step-by-step instructions, as well as a multitude of completed compositions for the growing artist to emulate.
Text in Chinese, titles in Chinese/English.
BK07: 100 Flowers by O-shi Yang $35
Spring Mood Seals
These Spring Mood Seals have been carefully preserved for the past twenty years in our warehouse and are no longer obtainable. The detailed dragon carvings on top of the soapstones is a characteristic that is rarely produced on seals today.
Different script styles have been used to engrave these stones, resulting in unique and one-of-a-kind imprint. Please note that each seal will differ slightly in how the characters are carved (see images).
Capture the spirit of a painting, adorn a card or letter, or enjoy the unique pieces of art that they are.
“Spring” Mood Seal
Imprint Dimensions: 5/8” x 5/8” approximately
SL1H1: “Spring” Square Mood Seal $35
“Idea of Spring” Mood Seal
Imprint Dimensions: 1” x 3/8” approximately
SL2G1: “Idea of Spring” - Positive $65
SL2G2: “Idea of Spring” - Negative $65
Simple Peony Lesson by Ling Chi
Difficulty Level: Easy
This majestic subject can be a daunting to try to paint, with its many petals and color variation. However, Ling Chi’s instructions make it easy for the beginner to paint a beautiful peony!
GLS061: Simple Peony $6.95 (free with orders over $50)
Peony on Semi-Sized Paper Lesson
Difficulty Level: Medium
This lesson shows you how to paint Peony - what materials to use, how to prepare your colors, and exactly where to place your strokes. For best results, use this lesson with semi-sized/mulberry paper.
GLS060: Peony on Semi-Sized Paper $6.95 (free with orders over $50)
Chinese Flower Painting: a Worthwhile Investment
by Evan YehOur Virtual Office Hour Session on Essential Strokes of Chinese Painting and my mother’s follow up YouTube video tutorial on Camellia reminded us of how worthwhile it is to invest in Chinese Flower Painting!
If you learn a handful of simple strokes and basic techniques on color blending, you will open the door to thousands of compositions. There are so many flowers and each of them appear in so many colors that the possibilities are endless!
There is a reason that the books on Chinese Flower Painting emphasize the volume of possible subjects. Whether it be Ning Yeh’s four book series 108 Flowers or O-shi Yang’s 100 Flowers, the masters understand that building confidence with the basics of Chinese Flower Painting yields tremendous dividends.
108 Flowers Book 1-4 by Ning Yeh
BKNY01: 108 Flowers Book 1 $24 (reg. $29.95)
BKNY02: 108 Flowers Book 2 $24 (reg. $29.95)
BKNY03: 108 Flowers Book 3 $24 (reg. $29.95)
BKNY04: 108 Flowers Book 4 $24 (reg. $29.95)
BKNY01-04: 108 Flowers Set of 4 $96 (reg. $119.80)
Paper for Chinese Flower Painting
Double Xuan (Shuen) is the preferred paper for Chinese Flower Painting. You can decide between our Premium "Jade Plate" Double Xuan which has superior moisture control while still showing beautiful color or our Vintage Double Xuan which is a bit more free with moisture and shows vibrant, intense color.
Premium “Jade Plate” Double Xuan Paper
Spend less time cutting, more time painting. We’re pleased to introduce our convenient third cut sheets of Jade Plate Double Xuan!
P27A-9: 9 Cut Sheets (18” x 27”) $21
P27: 10 Full Sheets (27” x 54”) $45
Vintage Double Xuan
This is an old batch of our regular Double Xuan (SP) that we had cut to the popular size of 13¼” x 18” so you can get right to painting!
P25BL: 24 Cut Sheets (13¼” x 18”) $24
“Lesson 5: Poppy” from Ning Yeh’s book A.B.C. of Chinese Painting
A.B.C. of Chinese Painting by Ning Yeh
This book compliments the Instructional Guide by offering additional step-by-step and easy-to-follow instructions. Ning Yeh expands on traditional Chinese Brush Painting by exploring a variety of different rice papers, offering alternative painting methods and integrating western watercolors (thereby increasing the color palette). His friendly conversational style makes learning the ancient art of spontaneous brush painting "a piece of cake".
Subjects include: Iris, Tulip, Poppy, Lotus, Hydrangea, Landscape, Figure, Animal and special lessons on the tools of the trade (a catalog of the best brushes).
BK02: A.B.C. of Chinese Brush Painting by Ning Yeh $29
Chinese Flower Painting 1: An Introduction (Online or DVD)
In this hour-long video, Ning goes over brushes, paper, accessories, color, and ink and discusses color loading, blending, and common strokes. This instruction is often taken for granted but is an absolute must for those wanted to feel completely confident in the beautiful world of Chinese Flower Painting.
To get online access, simply click here. For $9.99/month you will get access to over 170 titles to stream on-demand! Online Access
DV101-102: Physical DVD $24.99 (reg. $36)
Paint Bigger for More Freedom
When people are newer to painting and are struggling with indecisive strokes, we often suggest that they paint bigger. One third of a full sheet (18” x 27” approx.) is a very popular size to work for final compositions. When you work this big, it helps to have a bigger combination brush.
Whether it be our tried and true Super Flow Brush or Ling Chi’s new favorite Full Lotus Brush, a bigger combination brush can help you paint the large full strokes that can be the key to experiencing more freedom when you paint. Grab a big brush and let it fly!
Choose the Super Flow for a slightly longer brush or choose the Full Lotus for a fuller body and slightly more control.
Unicorn Brush
Longer and fuller than the Phoenix Brush with a less ornate handle that is both lighter and more ergonomic for some hands. Like the Phoenix, you can use the Unicorn Brush for larger shape strokes like the ones used for Lotus and Iris leaves.
Great for bigger calligraphy pieces or abstract Zen style painting. And don’t forget larger animal paintings like horse or panda or when you are doing live demonstrations and want a bigger stroke for improved audience visibility or impact.
Tip Dimensions: 3-1/2” x 11/8”
Phoenix Brush
This brush was formerly OAS’s biggest brush - a treasure with no equal. Like its namesake, it offers dynamic, bold strokes for large shapes. Hold on to your Phoenix brush and pass it on to future generations. It’s been improved by our brushmaker per our request to offer more volume, size and flexibility with every stroke.
Tip Dimensions: 3-3/16" x 3/16”
Orchid - the Quiet Eruption of Spring
Book of the Orchid by Su-sing Chow
If you are interested in Chinese Brush Painting but don’t know where to start, orchid is perfect for you!
The Orchid is one of the Four Gentlemen, which is used to teach beginners the fundamentals of brush painting.
Designed to build a firm understanding of the fundamental methods for rendering the Orchid. Artist Chow Su-sing teaches in a sequential, illustrative manner, detailing traditional painting techniques.
Twig Brushes
If you’ve painted for a little while, you can related to the feeling of uncertainty when it comes to painting a line stroke such as a tree branch or a flower stem. These strokes are nerve-racking because they are often done as the final stroke on a painting where all the previous strokes have gone well. Now you have to finish the painting with a simple line stroke and your palms start to sweat. Here comes the Twig Brush to the rescue!
The brushes’ relatively short, full bodies allows you to set a consistent amount of pressure in a line stroke and to paint it with the kind of uniform thickness that good line strokes require. The Twig Brushes also have clever tips for fine lines and tapering line strokes.
OAS Painting Challenges
What is an OAS Painting Challenge?
Painting Challenges are designed to motivate you to establish the most important habit that we've found over the years that consistently unlocks the considerable benefits of being a student of Chinese Brush Painting...painting everyday!
Recently a customer posed a question to Ning Yeh about is practice habits. “How does he practice brush painting?”
His answer was, "I paint everyday, never have practiced. I want to paint a painting - it maybe simple, it maybe small, but there is potential to be a masterpiece."
How Does an OAS Painting Challenge Work?
Participation is free and simple. Just make a commitment to paint everyday, snap a picture of what you are working on and post it to our OASlife Facebook Group. Many of the other challenge participants will share as well and for the duration of the challenge you will be able to see everyone's work and make and receive encouraging comments related to the work that is being posted.
No Facebook?
Although we feel like the best experience in Challenge participation is through the OASLife Facebook Group, you can feel free to participate without joining the group. All you have to do is paint everyday! We are working on an alternative way for people to participate without Facebook, so stay tuned. In the past people have just emailed a picture daily to OAS and we do out best to give you feedback about the work and cheer you on!
OAS 30-Day Challenge
Start Date: June 1st, 2023
So many of our exceptional OAS extended family members credit their painting development to the habit of painting everyday that was started through their participation in our OAS 30 Day Challenge. The 30-Day Challenges happen twice a year (June and November), so make sure your geared up and ready for the next one starting on June 1st!
Join Our Facebook Group: OASLife
The Perfect Gentleman Brush - Limited Supply!
HSP03: The Perfect Gentleman Brush $16 (reg. $20)
NEW Kuretake Gansai Tambi Color Sets
An excellent blend of the quality of Western watercolors and the value of Chinese watercolors.
Kuretake Gansai Tambi 12 Color Set
Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36 Color Set