Register of Woody Flowers, Volume One

page number ten

Method of Drawing Branches

The branches and stems of woody flowers muben: plants with hard, perennial stems, such as trees and shrubs differ significantly from those of herbaceous plants caoben: soft-stemmed plants that die back each year. While herbaceous flowers should appear supple and charming, woody flowers must appear aged and vigorous. This is not the only distinction; there are also differences based on the four seasons. Even among spring flowers, the plum, apricot, peach, and plum-blossom original: li (李), the Chinese plum are not only different in their blooms, but their branches each possess a unique character.

The old trunks of the plum should appear ancient, while its tender shoots should be slender. Only then can one capture the spirit of "iron bones and ruggedly majestic peaks." original: tiegu lengceng (鐵骨崚嶒), a classic phrase describing the resilient, bony strength of plum branches Peach twigs must rise straight upward and appear thick and lush. Apricot branches should be rounded, smooth, and gracefully bent back. By observing these three examples, the characteristics of others can be inferred.

As for pines and cypresses, their roots and joints must appear twisted and gnarled; for the paulownia and bamboo, the trunks and branches must appear pure and lofty. When painting a "broken branch" zhezhi: a composition focusing on a single detached spray of flowers arranged in space—whether upright, inverted, or horizontal—one must carefully judge the momentum original: shi (勢), the dynamic energy or "pose" of the subject so it is appropriate. The brushstroke at the end of a branch should carry the appearance of having been snapped or broken; it must not be cut flatly. If painting fruit, the composition should emphasize a downward-pulling momentum to truly capture its character.

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Method of Drawing Flowers

Most woody flowers possess five petals. This includes the plum, apricot, peach, plum-blossom, pear, and camellia. These species do not only differ in color; the shapes of their petals must also be distinguished.

The peony, being the "King of Flowers," naturally does not belong to the same class as common flowers; its petals are far more varied. The red peony has many long petals that rise to a peak in the center. The purple peony has fewer petals which are rounded, forming a flat top in the center.

The pomegranate, camellia, plum, and peach all have "thousand-petaled" qianye: double-flowered or multi-petaled varieties forms. The magnolia opens like a lotus bud, while the hydrangea clusters together like plum blossoms. Among the climbing vines—such as the rose, rugosa rose, powder-cluster rose, monthly rose, and the "syrup-soaked" Lady Banks' rose—the buds, stems, and sepals may look similar, yet their colors are all different when they bloom.

The petals of the gardenia resemble the jasmine, yet they differ in size and form. The sweet osmanthus flower is like the shanfan original: shanfan (山礬), the Symplocos lucida or "mountain alum" shrub, but they are distinguished by their blooming seasons of spring and autumn. Among crabapples, one must distinguish between the "West Mansion" variety original: xifu (西府) and the "Weeping Silk" variety original: chuisi (垂絲) by their sepals and stems. Among plum blossoms, the green-calyx variety...