The following are the learning steps of Chinese painting.

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Start with replication.

China traditional painting, after a long history of melting, has formed a unique expression program. It is made by countless painters through the ages, imitating nature and integrating their own aesthetic ideals and interests. This is unique to the Chinese nation, so it has a distinct and strong national color. The so-called program is an expression style formed by refining and summarizing. For example, the four wonders in line drawing, the nail-headed mouse-tail painting and the iron line drawing are all some expressive means formed by the painter's long-term painstaking observation and thinking, or inspired by other objects, and are based on the subjective creation of objective objects. It has its own aesthetic value and does not exist independently because of the relationship between time and space. It is convenient for people to use these programs for artistic re-creation. Because there are differences in personality, interest and cultivation between people, there are many differences in application. Others are not satisfied with ready-made programs, to change and create, so there are various new expression programs. If it can stand the test of history and be confirmed by people, then the old program will be replaced and become a relic of history (for example, many descriptions in the Description of Eighteen Characters are not suitable for transfer now), and the new program will be accepted or changed by people in the future. Therefore, the program is not static, and Chinese painting develops alternately. It conforms to the objective law of the change and development of people's aesthetic views and standards.

When we talk about the stylized expression of painting, we want to express some painting materials, which should be painted like this, not like that. This is the precious painting experience provided by predecessors and the crystallization of art, which brings us reference in learning painting. There is a distinction between refined and popular works of art with and without reference. Therefore, learning to master the performance procedures of traditional painting has become a "stepping stone" to enter the door of Chinese painting. For a beginner who is committed to the cause of Chinese painting, the effective shortcut is to start from copying.

When choosing a copy template, it is ideal to directly compare the conditional original, but you can also use unconditional copies or printed matter. We should choose ancient and modern works with high artistic level and copy value, learn to master traditional pen and ink skills, and observe the intentions of ancient people and present people. However, we can't take a pragmatic attitude towards plagiarism. Generally, there is a certain distance from copying to mastering and application, and there is no ready-made application. Any means of expression is suitable for its content. It is inevitable to describe the scene at this time with certain methods of describing the scene at that time, and to describe modern clothing with line drawing suitable for expressing ancient clothing. So why copy the works of ancient masters? First, in order to understand and master the beauty of traditional line drawing procedures; The second is to learn from the highly summarized artistic techniques of the ancients, so as to inspire and guide their own artistic practice; The third is to cultivate the thoughts and feelings of loving the rich and excellent artistic heritage of the motherland.

Facing a copywriting template, look at the picture first. Analyze the technical characteristics of the template, whether it is a vigorous and powerful way or a round and powerful way, find out the rules of its pen and ink, and then study the layout and procedural factors of the template, so as to be aware of it and close your eyes. When you are painting, you can't draw a stroke at a glance, because the brushwork of freehand brushwork in ink and wash is coherent, although the strokes are discontinuous and connected, and each stroke is consistent with the copy, which is bound to be similar, ignoring how the copy author tries to be emotional and express the spirit of fun in the same furnace. We can look forward to it and even get confused, but this is not the purpose of our copying and learning. Mastering certain pen and ink techniques through copying can not be solved by expectation alone. The key is to enter my realm and become my own thing. The academic spirit of the ancients is worth learning today. Every time I see a famous book, I can't face it, I have to recite it and copy it one by one until I feel that I have gained something. Only after careful consideration, I'd better be myself, in order to get the proper effect of copying.

Since the ancient figure painting in China began to decline in the Yuan Dynasty, there are few traces left for us to copy and learn. Modern ink figure painting techniques need to learn from landscape and flower-and-bird painting techniques. Amateur painting learners may wish to be wider if they choose temporary painting. The more solid the copying foundation, the better, which is convenient for grasping the pen and ink. Sketching figures and meticulous painting figures have always been a compulsory basic course for the introduction of freehand brushwork figures, which can not be ignored. A certain number of copying assignments must be arranged. Whenever possible, get involved in museums and exhibitions, put yourself in through repeated analysis and comparison, and realize the truth of learning painting and what you should and should not learn. During the study and absorption, don't treat all works of art according to personal likes and dislikes, but try to get inspiration and learn from each work of art.

Seriously solve the modeling problem

To learn figure painting well, copying is only an important part in the learning process, and how to solve the problem of figure modeling is the most difficult step on the learning road. When we advocate realistic artistic creation methods, we need a solid modeling foundation and it is necessary to lay a certain realistic foundation. Realism must not be misinterpreted as naturalism that sees white and paints white, sees black and paints black, and does not need any artistic treatment. China's painting has always developed along the road of realism. The rise of literati painting has increased expressionism, but it is still the basis of realism. Traditional painting advocates exaggeration and deformation to enhance the appeal of art, rather than distortion and exaggeration, so it can be accepted by Chinese people. However, the premature pursuit of exaggerated deformation in modeling is one-sided, and if you want to climb the artistic peak, you will have the fear of insufficient internal strength! Therefore, in my life's artistic career, I spent a few short years at the beginning to give up my ambition, get quick success and instant benefit, and lay a good foundation in order to build my own artistic pyramid.

How to improve the ability of character modeling? The author's experience is that modeling needs a strict basic training process. Generally speaking, we should learn some sketches. A few years ago, there was a debate in art education about whether to learn sketch from China's figure painting. But I can't agree. Do not advocate that scholars think that "preconceptions" are not conducive to mastering national traditions; It is advocated that scholars think that the western sketch training method is systematic and scientific, which is convenient to improve the modeling ability quickly. Let's not decide which of these two views is right and which is wrong. However, the author believes that the learning effect is good or bad, and the method is important, but it mainly depends on subjective factors such as personal understanding and absorption ability, learning attitude and reflection ability. Although learning some western paintings may bring some negative effects to the study of Chinese paintings, we can learn scientific observation methods, anatomical perspective knowledge, and correctly grasp the modeling methods. Learn to sketch according to these, and you will have a clear purpose.

Sketch refers to monochrome painting, which can be expressed in different ways with different tools. At present, the sketch method, which is mainly based on line drawing, supplemented by light and shade, and focusing on the analysis and research of body structure, is an effective training method that can be combined with specialty as the basic training for learning Chinese painting character modeling. It is much more difficult to summarize modeling with lines than to shape objects with light and dark sides.

The author thinks that learning a decent light and shadow sketch first, mastering some decent modeling skills, and then gradually transitioning to line modeling will help to absorb collateral art nutrition more maturely in the future, with a broad mind and a broad vision.

At the same time, keeping sketching practice is particularly important for learning Chinese painting characters. Often drawing and sketching can not only cultivate keen observation ability, but also improve the artistic generalization ability of using lines. Sketch also gives birth to inspiration and feelings, as well as the expression of subjective feelings, which increases many exercise opportunities. In the art world, you can find a person with strong sketching ability, and his modeling ability will not be weak. Now some artists often use cameras to collect creative materials, which is of course understandable. But for a painter whose modeling ability is still weak, he will not get the benefits brought by sketching. How to improve his modeling ability quickly and effectively? I hope that beginners will be strict and develop the good habit of drawing and sketching anytime and anywhere.

Whether it is sketching or sketching, if there is any harm in facing the model sketch for a long time, it is nothing more than the reliability of painting. If you draw something you are familiar with, you have to sketch the scene. You don't believe in the image in your memory. According to the characteristics of freehand brushwork, it is required to observe and understand the painted object and remember its organizational structure first, so as to achieve it in one go, and the painter's ideological understanding and pen and ink skills can be fully and smoothly exerted. If you can only face the model sketching, your attention will be troubled and distracted by some performance phenomena. Thus affecting the play of skills. In this regard, we have always advocated dictation practice to improve the ability of image memory. When sketching, you are not allowed to draw a stroke while watching the movements change frequently. You must draw from memory. Only through hard memory and practice can you gradually capture fleeting pictures or actions. One dictation is incorrect, and then repeated observation and comparison, so many times back and forth, impressive. If I master the structure, perspective and dynamic law of the image, I will be more sure, so I will encounter fewer difficulties in my creation. Finally, the purpose of freehand brushwork is achieved (that is, there is no need to draft, just like freehand brushwork of flowers and birds).

The effect of learning and the speed of progress often depend on the methods and ways of learning. Speaking of the importance of dictation, I devoted myself to dictation and my memory was strengthened. However, I don't know, over time, the painted image is likely to suffer from the same dryness and profundity. Therefore, we should attach equal importance to the practice of in-depth description of on-site sketch. There are indeed some young people with strong creative ability and good modeling skills, but they can't draw sketches, or they can draw small pictures but can't draw big pictures, which shows that their skill capacity is not large. On learning painting, of course, we should not let it affect the next level for the sake of satisfaction. In short, the goal we strive to achieve is clear: vivid and accurate modeling, not only with strong sketching ability, but also with the ability of memory and free modeling, so as to adjust and arrange the learning process, set high standards for ourselves, and handle the relationship between write slowly and sketching, sketching and dictation.

The application of pen and ink in Chinese painting lies in that "pen represents its shape and ink divides its yin and yang". A pen moves with ink, and a pen cannot be written without ink. The two are inseparable. But using a pen is not necessarily easy to use ink, and using ink is not necessarily easy to use a pen. The ancients' evaluation of less beautiful pen and ink refers to a kind of "ink-free pen" or "ink-free pen" Sometimes when we evaluate a painting, we will also call it Mo Yun's excellent brushwork, which means that the pen and ink are not perfect. Because Chinese painting attaches great importance to pen and ink, both of them actually have relatively independent aesthetic value, so it is usually handled separately when discussing pen and ink techniques in ancient and modern times. In order to master the essentials of using pen and ink, it is also described here as usual.