BRUSHES
Brushes vary according to their function. There are brushes for landscape,
for flowers and birds, for xieyi paintings, and for gongbi works. There
are three main qualities: soft, stiff, intermediate, and they come in
a range of sizes. They are made from the hair of an animal-goat, rabbit,
wolf, weasel, horse-or a combination of hair.Brushes made of goat hair
are soft, pliant and non-resilient; because of their pliancy, they are
good for spreading ink and applying colour washes, and they are indispensable
for painting flowers and leaves. Rabbit hair is slightly stiff. Wolf hair
is stiffer, highly resilient and is the most versatile; it is ideal for
painting landscape, and, in brushes of a different size, for painting
orchids and bamboo. Horse-hair brushes are used to produce a rough, dry
line.
A large area in a picture, such as the sky or sea, is sometimes painted
with a number of brushes fastened together in a row, called a pai bi(row
of brushes). Some strokes should be made with a stump brush, made by slightly
searing the tip of a new brush in a flame.
There are no fixed rules governing the length of hairs in a brushes. Long
and short tufts can be used equally well, so it is largely a matter of
preference. However, the handle, or stem, of the brush should be relatively
long, with about one third of the length of the hairs inserted into it
to ensure a firm grip. The quality of a brush can be tested by soaking
the tuft in water and spreading out the hairs. The hairs on a good brush
spread evenly at the tips. New brushes are sized to maintain their shape
and must be soaked before use. Because of the sizing, it can be difficult
to determine the quality of a brush in the shop. Good-quality brushes
are essential and the price usually tells you this. The higher the price,
the better the quality.
A new, unuaed brush can be stored with the cap removed if mothballs or
camphor powder are placed nearby. After use, the brush must be washed
clean and dried with paper, then hung on a rack, or stored wrapped in
a bamboo mat.
