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Chinese Painting Brushes

Chinese Brushes occupy one of the special areas in our shop, as we have a great many types and the whole subject is complex, the following details should help your understanding. The greatest care has been applied to every brush, both in the manufacture and in its particular use and application. Chinese brushes divide into 3 main groups of hair, these are Goat, Wolf and Mixed hair.


THE CHINESE JING JA GOAT HAIR - EXTRA LARGE BRUSH
Our SPECIAL DEAL HERE is a "JING JA" large No.1 size goathair brush. Goats hair is the most liquid holding brush hair of all, as such it is used to cover large areas with a wash of colour. But it is used predominantly by Chinese Calligraphers to do Chinese Character painting - big ones.
BRUSH DETAILS
The Goat hair is 125 x 33mm or in inches 4.9" x 1.2".
The handle is lathe turned wood and black painted, with a silk loop for hanging on top.
You can buy this brush ON SPECIAL REDUCTION for just AUD$49.95 each.


"Like the Sun sparkling on waves"
A quality dark brown bamboo handled brush, used for controlled line work. It has stiffer brown hair in its inner layer (for line work) and a goat hair envelope outside. The goat hair acts as an ink reservoir to extend brush strokes.
3x sizes are available;
Small at 25mm with a 4mm girth AUD$24.50 each.
Medium at 29mm with a 6mm girth AUD$28.00 each.
Small at 33mm with a 8mm girth AUD$31.50 each.


As shown on our "Chinese Painting Beginners set" webpage. The following brushes are available singly or together as a set.
These represent a set of brushes that would set you up to do landscape or flower painting.
Dai Kwui - Fine line brush in the largest of 3x sizes This and the next 2x brushes (below) are made from wolf hair. This hair has similar characteristics to Sable and is best used for line type strokes. Of all the types of hair used by Chinese for brush making, wolf hair has about a medium tension/springiness to it. In this case - the Kwui brush is one of the very smallest, and is for any extra fine line work you wish to add to a paintings details. AUD$5.30 each.
Yip Gun - Floral Detail - in the medium of 3x sizes The next size up if compared in size to the Kwui series of brushes. The Floral Detail will work for any semi fine line work you need on a painting. i.e adding leaf veins to a wash painted leaf, stamens to flowers, etc. AUD$7.70each.
Dai San Sui - General purpose landscape brush, in the largest of 3x sizes. This brush is for all general painting work where control of a stroke is needed, but is not able to do extra fine work well, as its hair is to bulky and the tip would be to cumbersome. AUD$12.00 each.
Dai Bat Wan - White Cloud, in the largest of 3x sizes. A wash brush to cover areas of a painting with a colour shade or for a cloud/mist effect. The brush is built in 2 layers, and has squirrel hair inside, enveloped outside with goat hair. Unfortunately the goat hair tends to have no strength, and is floppy and uncontrollable - but is the best ink/fluid holding hair of any type. The firmer squirrel hair inside allows the goats hair to surround it and cling to it, thus giving the brush the best of two worlds in one brush - some control and some extra fluid holding ability. This structure of brush is used for Japanese Sumi-e and also as a Calligraphy writing brush as well as for washes. AUD$9.10 each.
HERE ARE PICTURES OF EACH OF THESE FAMILIES OF BRUSHES (3x SIZES EACH)


Bat Wan / White Cloud, Goat/Squirrel hair in 3x sizes:
Large AUD$9.10, Medium AUD$7.00, Small AUD$5.05


San Sui / General Landscape, Wolf hair, 3x sizes:
Large AUD$12.00, Medium AUD$10.00, Small AUD$8.00


Yip Gun / Floral Detail, Wolf hair, 3x sizes:
Large AUD$8.00, Medium AUD$7.70, Small AUD$7.00

Kwui / Fine line, Wolf hair, 3x sizes:
Large AUD$5.30, Medium AUD$4.80, Small AUD$4.30


DESCRIPTION OF EASTERN PAINTING BRUSHES
The shape of nearly 100% of these brushes is round and pointed, they may be thicker at the base or shorter and longer, but the basic shape is the same. The texture of the hair and flexibility determines the stroke result when put down on paper. This is how a brush gets its name - which describes its use or stroke. Often a series of sizes is made of a particular type of brush and these are named small, medium and large or have numbers – and normally - where the larger the number the smaller the size of brush. To gain a knowledge of the uses or strokes possible from the different hair types, a teacher or a good Chinese painting book will be needed, (see our Chinese Painting books page). The following pictures show popular brushes in all types of hair and are available at the shop. Please call, fax or email us to define further details



 SPECIAL SELECTION OF BRUSHES FOR CHINESE PAINTING  

SPECIAL BRUSHES USED FOR CHINESE SCROLL MOUNTING
Here is our Chinese/Japanese Mounting Smoothing brush range. These are used dry on the top layer of freshly stuck down paper, that backs a painting or scroll. The wide brush smooths the paper givving just the right pressure to flatten the glued paper onto its base sheet. The basic 5x sizes, starting at No. 3 to No. 7 above are priced as follows;
3. Small smoothing brush (no handle) AUD$35.00 each.
4. Small smoothing brush (with handle) AUD$12.00 each.
5. Medium smoothing brush (with handle) AUD$25.00 each.
6. Large smoothing brush (with handle) AUD$35.00 each.
7. Extra Large smoothing brush (no handle) AUD$38.00 each.
Those small round brushes at the left side of the picture are for stubbing out bubbles in the glued area, between the 2x layers of paper. Prices as follows;
1. Large Stubbing brush AUD$21.00 each.
2. Small Stubbing brush AUD$15.00 each.

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Call, fax or email us to define further details
Last update Sept 2008