Gong-Bi "Fine Line": Bamboo Lesson

Gong-bi, whose literal translation is “labor” and “brush”, is yet another discipline rooted in the long and rich history of Chinese Brush Painting. A collaboration of two artistic disciplines, calligraphy and brush painting, in Gong-bi artists meticulously create masterpieces through intricate line work and repeated washes. Also referred to as “the art of fine line painting,” Gong-bi is different from the more popular spontaneous approach of Xie-yi, which translates as “depicting idea”. Gong-bi was developed earlier and requires a strong foundation of calligraphy lines to draw your subject and composition, and then apply layer and layer of ink and color to achieve the color depth gradation that is otherwise completed in a single stroke in Xie-yi. In the spirit of studying the Four Gentlemen, this bamboo lesson takes an iconic symbol in both Chinese brush painting and Japanese Sumi-e and simplifies it with easy step-by-step techniques of Gong-bi to create an elegant masterpiece. Learn everything from ink line work and ink and color washes all in one simple lesson. 16 page booklet