Videos on Chinese Brush Painting
by I-Hsiung Ju
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These detailed lessons include many close-ups and are great for the beginner as well as the advanced student. Learn at your leisure with these easy-to-follow videos (Available in VHS or DVD format).
03 CHRYSANTHEMUM 57 minutes $45.00
In the beginning this tape shows some live chrysanthemum flower arrangements and also several of Prof. I-Hsiung Ju’ scrolls on chrysanthemum. The lessons are based on his Book of Chrysanthemum and include spider chrysanthemum with “ink leaves” and outlined mums with either ink or outlined leaves. In the last section, Professor Ju paints an old chrysanthemum inside the “Bamboo Fence” to illustrate the symbolism of Chinese brush painting.
04 PLUM 69 minutes $50.00
This tape first shows a long scroll of a “Plum Forest” by Professor Ju and a four-panel screen painting of all different techniques of painting plum blossoms. The lessons include outlined flowers, outlined trunks and branches, splashing ink flowers, splashing ink trunks and branches. Two techniques of composition are presented. First, flowers with branches added last to connect them, and second, trunks and branches first with flowers added as decoration.
05 PEONY 60 minutes $50.00
A beautiful large peony painting is presented which shows different views and stages of the blossom. Peony flowers are painted step-by-step by using ink with water, ink with white, and white on top of ink. Splashing ink and outlined leaves are also demonstrated. Composition is discussed lastly, including different ways of arranging leaves, stems, buds, and flowers.
06 TREES 60 minutes $50.00
A long, colorful hand scroll showing many different types of trees is presented first. The lesson shows the basic fundamental arrangement of the tree trunk and main boughs. A pine, a weeping willow, a tree with large leaves, and a tree with small outlined leaves are all demonstrated with many simple samples. Lastly, distant trees are painted.
07 ROCKS 60 minutes $50.00
First the tape shows a large landscape scroll by Professor Ju with many typical samples of rocks. The lesson starts with the basic structure of a rock including shaping lines and shading lines. The mountain road, water surface and even clouded mountaintops are also presented. Included also is a comparison between the shapes of rocks and formation of trees of the Northern and Southern Schools. Great Sung and Yuan masters’ typical tree styles and their coordinating rock forms are studied at the end.
08 BIRDS 60 minutes $50.00
A blue bird and peony flower in detail appears on screen before Professor Ju starts the lesson of painting a bird from an image of an egg. One can develop the egg-shape into different posses of a bird flying, sitting, or talking, and can also develop it into various kinds of bird. This tape includes the details on how to paint the body, the beak the feet, and the claws. To end this lesson, Professor Ju paints a rooster with two chicks.
09 BAMBOO #2 60 minutes $50.00
A bamboo painting made by Professor Ju is shown on screen at the beginning. Professor Ju’s voice, accompanied with his brush strokes, explains how to make twigs and leaves of a bamboo. This lesson includes how to make a painting of young bamboo, broken bamboo, bamboo shoots, and bamboo in the wind, in the rain, and under the snow. Professor Ju ends this tape by making an outlined bamboo. This is an advanced lesson.
10 BAMBOO #1 30 minutes $30.00
This is a short tape for beginners as well as an introduction to the classic Chinese brush painting. A painting of bamboo and bird in color made by Professor Ju appears at the beginning. Professor Ju then shows how to grind the ink on ink stone and how to handle the brush to apply ink on paper. The first step is making a bamboo trunk in various directions; then the formation of twigs and the composition of a cluster of leaves. Finally, he makes a painting of bamboo in the wind.
11 ORCHID #1 30 minutes $30.00
The curved orchid leaves are different from the straight bamboo leaves. The movement of brush is graceful and the formation of a group of leaves is suggesting that there are several “tails of jumping fish”. Professor Ju demonstrates how to handle the brush to make leaves and flowers. He shows the ways of doing each petal of the flower and putting them together as a cluster to form the flower. This is a complete process of making a classic Chinese orchid painting.
12 WATERFALLS & CLOUDS 90 minutes $50.00
This is a most comprehensive tape of many detailed demonstrations of waterfalls and clouds. At the very beginning, many black and white waterfall samples together with several scroll paintings of waterfalls are used to explain the basic “structure” of a waterfall. There are waterfalls in the distance, waterfalls nearby, the “foot” of a huge waterfall, and many different arrangements of rapids. This is followed by the procedure of coloring the waterfalls. Next is the demonstration on how to create clouds. Finally, Professor Ju shows how to do the “wash” technique.
13 HORSES 70 minutes $50.00
First, we have a comparative study of different styles of painting horses. Then, Professor Ju explains his “three circles” method to guide students in painting horses that are standing, gnawing, walking, running, leaping, and so on. There are also many horses painted by Professor Ju without the “three circles”. Lastly, “flying” horses are painted for the celebration of the Year of Horse, 1990.
14 LOTUS 90 minutes $50.00
The first part of this tape explains how the lotus grows. With simple sketches, we know the general structure of the roots, young leaves, old leaves, young flowers, old flowers, and the seedpods. Many samples are given, showing how to mix the color and how to make the right strokes to make leaves, flowers, and seedpods. Professor Ju demonstrates on compositions and how to paint those additional subjects to complete the painting such as fish, goldfish, and dragonfly. Lastly, Professor Ju demonstrates how to do the background.
15 INSECTS 60 minutes $50.00
This tape begins with a painting demonstration of a grasshopper facing left, then another one facing right. Professor Ju shows the step-by-steps outlined technique as well as quick-stroke method, the so-called Xie-yi style. After several kinds of butterflies, in outlined and also quick stroke techniques are shown, a painting of wisteria is quickly finished and bees are added. The way of painting a praying mantis follows. Minutes later, leaves and flowers of daylily are added. Lastly, a painting of lotus is used to show how and where a dragonfly should be painted. Dragonfly is painted in both outlined and quick-stroke methods.
16 SPRING FLOWERS 60 minutes $50.00
A painting of plum blossom is the first part of this tape. Professor Ju then demonstrates the techniques of flower first, trunk and branches afterwards. On the screen, a painting of blue iris is shown, which is done by Professor Ju at an earlier time. Then the step-by-step lesson on iris. After this, a painting of white dogwood appears and the detailed procedure of doing them follows. Professor Ju then demonstrates painting the wisteria, bees, Chinese purplish magnolia, and white magnolia. Lastly, the paper white narcissus and daffodil are the painting subjects. A review of all the flowers in this tape is most interesting.
17 SUMMER FLOWERS 80 minutes $50.00
This tape starts with the painting of two kinds of roses, one in splashing ink technique and one outlined. Professor Ju shows a third way, a very different way of painting rose by using the so-called “white on red” method. He then shows how to paint the leaves, stems and the thorns. The second demonstration is on how to paint daylily. He shows the ways of making petals, buds, and the long waving leaves. The third demonstration is on hydrangea. Outlined flowers are colored later in tinted blue. The fourth flower demonstration is morning glory. He shows two types of this flower in details. The most exciting is the fifth demonstration of painting poppy. We see quick strokes and bright colors, and at the same time, we witness a great artist produces his masterpiece. Lastly, we see the demonstration on painting the hibiscus. Once again we will be amazed by his magic touches.
18 BIRDS WITH AN ATTITUDE 80 minutes $50.00
Professor Ju’s rooster painting shows not only his utmost skill but also the great tradition of his painting school. A painting of two lovely chicks is completed by him within two minutes. A white-necked pheasant is painted together with wild flowers and a rock. Then he paints the magpie, the black bird that is believed to be a messenger of good news to people. Next is the lesson on peacock. The style of the Southern School is different from other Schools. The owl in the West is the symbol of wisdom, but in China it is the sign of bad luck. Professor Ju’s demonstration is clear and easy to follow. Lastly, the mighty eagle flies above the clouds. Quick strokes for the wings are remarkable but they are similar to bamboo leaves.
19 WATER AND MARSH BIRDS 75 minutes $50.00
We see two different kinds of kingfisher. A colorful kingfisher is rendered step-by-step. Next is a painting of two cranes done by Professor Ju. It shows the particular way of showing white (feathers) without using white paint. A pair of dancing crane is the result of his spontaneous demonstration. Thirdly, we see the flying egret. The feeling of flying or moving is the result of the movement of his quick and smooth brushstrokes. Following this, there is a standing blue heron. Again, his brush strokes, long and short, light and heavy, are used to indicate all the different kinds of feathers of this bird. A full of action landing wild duck in attractive colors follows. Lastly, the Mandarin ducks is demonstrated in great detail.
20 FISH AND OTHERS 60 minutes $50.00
This tape starts with a step-by-step lesson on how to paint’ quick-stroke” fish swimming in the water. The next are fish in the same style but using dots to suggest fish scales. The swift movements of the brush for the fish’s tail and its fins, makes the swimming action very vivid. The goldfish has the tail flying freely like a ballerina’s skirt. After the fish, Professor Ju demonstrates painting frogs in many different positions. After the frog, he paints swimming shrimps, and lastly, freshwater crabs.
21 SMALL ANIMALS 60 minutes $50.00
A kitty cat is shown at the beginning of the tape, then Professor Ju show the step-by-step lesson on how to paint cats: one cat lying down and one sitting. The next small animal is a black rabbit eating carrot, and then an outlined white rabbit sitting down. The last animal demonstrated in this tape is a very interesting small animal, a raccoon, climbing on a dead tree stump.
22 SMALL ANIMALS II 60 minutes $50.00
In this tape, professor Ju gives more lessons on how to paint cats. This time, he makes different types of cats, and cats in various movements. Then he paints the chipmunks in his garden. You will like his lesson on monkey. Quick strokes with “broken and dry” technique make the animal lively. He also demonstrates very simple but powerful style of painting them. Lastly, Professor Ju paints the fawn. His way is still similar to the techniques in making other animals.
23 AUTUMN GARDEN 60 minutes $50.00
This tape begins with a lesson on “red leaves”, then it is followed by a step-by-step instruction on how to paint “autumn begonia”. The next lessons are “chestnuts and squirrel” and “grapes and grape leaves.” After the grapes lesson, Professor Ju demonstrates painting pumpkins, and concludes the tape with how to paint corn and other vegetables.
24 WINTER GARDEN I 60 minutes $50.00
“Pine and Snow” is the first lesson of the tape; Professor Ju then paints two birds to show the step-by-step lesson on the “wash” technique with flat brush, which is a very important technique to create a good snow painting. The next lesson is painting “poinsettias with rock and insect.” The last lesson in this tape is painting holly branches with red berries covered by heavy snow.
25 WINTER GARDEN II 60 minutes $50.00
In this tape, Professor Ju gives more lessons on how to paint snow. He paints one bird first, and then branches, follow by white plum blossoms. To make the white plum blossoms he uses white color pigment on each blossom’s petal, and washes the background on the reverse side with a darker tint after the whole paper is sprayed wet. The next lesson is the “Heavenly Bamboo,” Tian Zhu, a type of Chinese berry tree with leaves similar to bamboo leaves. The final lesson on this tape is how to paint snow on bamboo.
01C CALLIGRAPHY I 25 minutes $30.00
In the first part of the tape, Professor Ju introduces Chinese landscape painting. In the second part of the tape, he explains the historical development of the Chinese written characters from oracle bone style to seal style to present day normal “kai” style. Afterwards, he shows the basic strokes involve in writing Chinese words.