Brush, ink, paper and inkstone are the main tools and raw materials of Chinese painting. Other tools include silk, murals, folding fans, Chinese painting pigments and other tools.
Classification of various materials and how to use them:
Written brushes:
Written brushes are divided into three types: hard brushes, soft brushes and fine brushes. The main material of the hard pens on the market is wolf hair, and some also use badger, rat, mink and boar hair. The brushes made from these materials are stronger for painting. There are pens specially used for calligraphy and brushes specially used for painting. The material of soft pens is mainly sheep hair or bird feathers, which are relatively soft in nature. The Jianhao brush is a brush composed of sheep hair and wolf hair, which combines hardness and softness. If you are proficient in painting, it is recommended that you have all the pens. When you first start learning, just have a few large, medium and small pens. Pay attention to cleaning in time when using it. Do not use boiling water when washing, as it will destroy the performance of the pen.
Ink:
Ink is divided into two types: oil fume ink and pine smoke ink. The ink suitable for painting is oil fume ink. Use clean water when grinding ink, and be careful to press hard and push lightly. Not too fast, not too much water. Note that the ink ingot cannot be exposed to the sun or moisture.
Paper:
In ancient times, silk was mostly used for painting, which is divided into raw silk and cooked silk. Cooked silk is suitable for fine brushwork paintings. After the Yuan Dynasty, rice paper was mostly used. The paintings made on rice paper have varying shades of ink and are full of variability, which can best demonstrate the expression techniques and expressive power of Chinese paintings.