Sized Xuan (Shuen) Sampler

Usage: Sample three sized papers used in Fine Line / Gong-bi School of Painting Paper Material: Sized Xuan Papers Treatment/Process: Fully Sized / Processed Absorbency: Non-Absorbent Dimensions: 8½" x 11" approximately No. of Sheets: 6 Sheets of Paper (2 sheets of each type of paper) Additional Information: Sampler Includes: Glass is the thickest of the three sized papers. Due to its thickness, it may be difficult to see through it when tracing lines for Gong-bi painters. It has the most sizing and can withstand crinkling for landscape techniques. It presently doesn’t have glitter or sparkle that you usually find in a fully sized paper. Shimmer Xuan is slightly creamy in color and fairly transparent but thicker than Cicada. Beginners may find it difficult to see through the paper if they're tracing their work. The application of the sizing leaves tiny crystals on the surface of the paper so that it has a slight shimmer quality to it. Cicada is the thinnest and therefore the most delicate. It is the most popular among Gong-bi (fine line) papers. It gets its name because the paper is so translucent in combination with the glistening sparkle remnants of the sizing that it resembles the wings of the Cicada insect. Since it is so thin and delicate, like silk fabric, when mishandled it can wrinkle. Xuan paper that is fully sized is often a singly-ply paper that has an application of sizing (an alum mixture) applied to the paper throughout to make the paper non-absorbent, enabling artists to apply ink or color in the form of a wash to create the color gradations in the art of fine line painting. OAS has created this sampler to familiarize you with the three different fully sized papers that we now offer for Gong-bi (Fine Line) Painting style. All three types of fully sized paper are suitable for Gong-bi (fine line) painting. Each possess their own unique individual characteristics, but have the same reaction to ink and color: ink/color application floats and is able to be washed to achieve layering gradations often found in fine line painting. Ultimately, for Gong-bi painting, the artist may have a preference over one characteristic or another. Hsieh-i (Spontaneous) Although fully sized xuan (shuen) paper was traditionally made for Gong-bi (fine line) painting, in recent years, OAS has seen a growing number of artists using it for the spontaneous style of Hsieh-i (also spelled as Xie-yi) simply because there is no challenge with the moisture sensitivity of the paper due to its sizing. It’s in this style of painting we can see subtle differences between the three papers.