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.
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.
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.
There are Chinese equivalents but not readily available at the moment. Inkston has blue, cinnabar, red and white pans.