Wheat Straw Art Greeting Cards

Works of art (pictures, greeting cards, bookmarks, etc.) made from wheat straw are a new blossom in the garden of Chinese arts and crafts. The process of making them is a unique one. The mown wheat straw is cut into segments of about 30 cm long, the covering is separated from the pith, and both parts are subjected to pressure and flattened into sheets, which are then dyed in various colors as are needed.  The first step in the actual making of a picture is to apply colors on to a piece of silk or paper serving as the background. When this has been done, the sheets are cut into pieces of the desired size and shape and pasted upon the background to form the picture or design. The covering, being light, thin and lustrous, is used to make more complicated objects, e.g. figures, animals, flowers, pavilions, etc., while the pith, which is dense and dullish, is used for rocks, hills, tree trunks and other simple or distant object.