Mastering Chinese Peony Painting: A Step-by-Step Drawing Technique Guide

Painting Step 1:

Outline the flower head with light ink, the front leaves with heavy ink, and the branches, stems, and back leaves with medium ink. For the main veins of the front leaves, use the "nail-head-and-rat-tail" brushstroke, where the brush starts with a clear press, ends in a slight droop, and subtly returns the tip, requiring firm control.

The lines for the branches should be strong and upright. The lines for the stems should be gentler, with graceful and natural curves near the base, avoiding stiffness. The lines for the flower head need to be agile and flowing, and remember to keep them thin to differentiate from the thickness of the branches and leaves.

Painting Step 2:

Apply a flat wash of light white powder to the flower head, and gently blend a very light layer of rouge around the pistils and stamens. Apply a flat wash of light grass green to the front leaves, and a yellowish ochre-green (ochre + grass green + a little gamboge) to the back leaves. For the background, apply a general wash of light bronze color (cinnabar + ink + a little gamboge + a little carmine).

While it's still wet, if the painting's desired light/dark effect allows, continue to apply light ink wet-on-wet. Then, while still wet, sprinkle salt crystals. The salt should not be too fine; coarse pickling salt, slightly crushed, works best. Once dry, brush off the salt and repeatedly wash the painting with clean water to remove all salt, as residual salt can cause the painting to re-absorb moisture and damage the artwork over time.

Painting Step 3:

For the background, use a light brown (ochre + ink) to blend the colors as needed, and some areas can be re-blended with light ink while wet. For the leaves and around the flower head, blend a light reddish-purple (rouge + cinnabar + a little ink) along the contours, mimicking the blended color effect of ancient paintings.

Wash the flower head with rouge, leaving a waterline at the base of the back petals. Wash the front leaves with dark teal (indigo + ink), and blend the back leaves with light ink-green (grass green + a little ink). The stems are treated the same as the back leaves.

Painting Step 4:

Continue to blend and highlight the flower head with rouge, focusing on enhancing the color. For the front leaves, use light teal (indigo + ink) to outline the fine veins, leaving a waterline for local blending. For the back leaves, use reddish-purple, leaving a waterline for blending. For the stems, blend with reddish-purple from both sides towards the middle, and lightly highlight the areas near the leaf stalks with rouge. Pay attention to the light and shadow treatment of the leaves, allowing for variations in detail; the leaves on the left, which are not the focal point, can be painted more subtly.

After most of the blending is complete, brush the entire front of the painting with clear water. Cover the flower head with two pieces of raw Xuan paper similar in size to the flower head, then crumple the paper into a small ball. After about 1 minute, carefully unfold the paper and apply a large area of light ink wash to the back of the painting as needed, avoiding the area near the flower head. Once dry, use an electric iron set to a silk fabric temperature to smooth the painting, preparing it for subsequent coloring.

Painting Step 5:

Highlight the flower head with white powder. First, apply a medium-density wash over a slightly larger area. Then, apply a denser white powder highlight to a smaller area, being cautious with the small petals around the pistils and stamens. For the front leaves, first use light ink-teal (indigo + ink) to outline the fine veins, then apply a medium-density light green (first green pigment) to highlight the bright areas. Once dry, repeatedly wash the front leaves with a clean brush to remove the floating light green pigment; some areas can be washed down to the white of the paper.

After drying again, apply a thin layer of light green pigment as needed. For the back leaves, highlight with thin malachite green (third green pigment). The color at the base of the branches should be slightly darker. Afterwards, re-outline the leaf veins and stem contours with light rouge using a fine brush, and delicately outline the fine veins of the back leaves with light rouge. Lightly highlight the tips of the distant front leaves with cinnabar. Re-outline the main vein in the center of the front leaves with medium ink. Dot the stamens with thick yellow-white (gamboge + white). Once dry, lightly dot the center of the stamens with a faint cinnabar to emphasize their three-dimensional effect.