Tuo pi and chien pi useful to make thin lines

Dear friends,

In addition to the center brush, there are several more ways of using the brush. Among them are tuo pi -- pulling brush and chien pi -- point brush.

To make thin lines in the manner of the center brush, pulling brush is a very practical technique; it is a method I have developed over years of studying and teaching brushwork. In pulling brush, one lets the brush itself, as it were, draw the line. Actually, it is the weight of the brush which supplies the even pressure; the artist needs only to lead the brush in the desired direction (see picture). The secret is not to control the brush with your fingers but to hold the brush very lightly, just enough to keep it from dropping out of your hand. Then, just guide the brush in the direction desired. The top of the brush handle should always be ahead of the brush and headed in the direction in which the brush is moving. Varying the position angle will vary the thickness of the line - the higher the position, the thinner the line.

This technique may be used for drawing a small stem of bamboo as well as any other linear subject. The line quality in comparison to that of the center brush is quite satisfactory. It is a convenient "short-cut" for achieving a center brush effect.

With a two-inch brush, how does one secure a hairbreadth line -- the fine lines of the center brush -- needed, for example, to paint the whiskers of a squirrel or cat or the antennae of insects and crustaceans? The answer, of course, is to make a small brush out of the large one. How? It took me years of experimenting to discover the following method of controlling the brush.

First, immerse the brush into your brush washer, touching the bottom of the container; hold the brush in a slanted position and bounce it with some pressure (but don't punish the brush) against the bottom of the container in order to force out the air from the brush head. While bouncing, rotate the brush handle slightly to the right and left.

When the brush is pulled out of the water, the brush head will hold to a point, since there is no air in it. Let the water drip from the brush. To eliminate remaining water from the head, wipe one side of the brush against the rim of the container; however, be certain that your starting point is the bottom rim of the brush handle, not the middle of the brush head, so that no water will be left in the tail of the brush. Pull the brush straight off the rim, as you wring out the water. Be certain that you rotate the "swipes," alternating the right and left sides of the brush that you are wringing against the container's rim.

As you continue, you will note that the hairs of the brush have come to a distinct, sharp point, similar to a newly sharpened pencil or the piercing point of an awl. The head can then be slightly curved by pressing it gently against the rim of the brush washer.

Only a quarter to a third of the brush is movable; the rest of the head has become "wooden," since all the hairs are without the lubrication of the water and are almost glued together by friction. It is only the live part of the brush (as shown under the dotted lines in the illustration) which is used in painting. This live section becomes the smallest part of brush.

Since the brush head is curved, the brush and handle are not in a straight line. Therefore, to secure the fine center brush lines, be sure the tip (not the handle) is perpendicular to the paper; the handle will be in a tilted position.

More methods of using the brush will be discussed later on.

-- David Kwo