Introduction to Chinese colours

More on Chinese pigments

Marie colour tube numbers  – Marie’s is the oldest Chinese painting colour brand established in 1919 in Shanghai.

Sakura colour tube numbers -Sakura is a joint Japanese – Chinese venture, made in Shanghai.  Made with artificial glue, not animal-based.

Colour Powder

Powdered mineral colour is a traditional form.  You need a mortar and pestle to grind a fine powder.  You need to add glue before use.  They are harmful if swallowed or inhaled (including their dust) and you should wash your hands after touching.  Note any hazard labels or warnings.

Rattan

Rattan is a traditional colour material for CBP., a lovely delicate transparent yellow.  (It  is not the same plant as used for rattan furniture.  Natural rattan is the resin of the mangosteen, Garcinia hanburyi tree).
It is hard to find large chunks of rattan.  You can get small lumps from: Oriental Arts or Inkston, which should last quite a while.
Put the lumps in a small shallow china dishTo use it, spray lightly with water, and just take the colour off with a brush.  Let it dry out after use.  It will gradually get wrinkly-looking, but that does not affect its use.  Leave the dish open.
Remember that natural rattan is poisonous, so wash your hands after touching it and do not ingest it.

Cake Colours

Gansai are traditional Japanese watercolour cakes in small rectangular dishes.  Teppachi are cakes in round dishes.
They have other Japanese colour sets also.
Jackson’s Art has individual colour gansai.    There are gansai sets on Ebay.  Metallic teppachi from Cornelisson – very expensive!
There are Chinese equivalents but not readily available at the moment.  Inkston has a limited range of mineral colour pans.

Natural Pigments

Artist Fu Hua sometimes used pigments made from rocks that he found in Australia, and given to him by Indigenous Australian artists.