Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, Vol. 3

For those using colors to paint fruits or using blue and green to outline leaf veins on the front of the work, after finishing, one should also wash out the glue using the same method described for blues and greens This refers to using boiling water to remove excess binder so the pigment remains workable and vibrant the next day.

Realgar

original: 雄黃 (xionghuang); an arsenic sulfide mineral used for warm, golden yellows

Select pieces that are bright and pure. Grind them finely and use the levigation method The process of stirring pigment into water and pouring off the suspended fine particles from the heavy sediment as one does for blues and greens. Add glue-water to use it; it produces a beautiful golden-yellow color for the centers of flowers. However, this color may change or darken over time. Many artists instead simply use Gamboge original: 藤黃 (tenghuang); a resin-based yellow with a light dusting of Cinnabar original: 硃砂 (zhusha) on top. With practice, this technique successfully mimics the golden-yellow hue.

Applying White Powder

original: 傅粉 (fufen); specifically refers to the use of white lead pigment

Use "Hangzhou Return Lead" original: 杭州回鉛 (Hangzhou huiqian); a high-quality white lead produced in Hangzhou or "Fixed Powder." Grind it finely, then add glue and grind again. Wash it with water into a dish. Let it settle for a short moment, then pour the liquid into a different dish, discarding the heavy sediment at the bottom. Place the dish over a very gentle flame. Wait for a "black skin" or scum to float to the surface—this is the unrefined "lead nature" coming out. Use a piece of paper to skim it away. Repeat this—letting it rise and skimming it—until the blackness is entirely gone.

Add a light glue-water and grind it further. Dry it slowly over a low flame. When it is time to paint, wash it with boiling water for use. It can be used for white flowers or mixed with various other colors. Whenever white powder is used on the front of a silk painting, it must be supported by a backing The technique of applying color to the reverse side of the silk to enrich the tone on the front.

○ Another method: Steaming powder to remove lead impurities.
Take a piece of firm tofu and hollow out the center. Place a lump of lead powder inside the tofu and steam it in a pot. After steaming, remove the powder and grind it for use. The "black breath" (impurities) of the lead will have been completely absorbed by the tofu.

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Method of Applying Powder. When applying white powder to the front of the painting, it should be light and thin. It must align perfectly with the ink outlines original: 墨匡 (mukuang); do not let the color spill outside the lines or fall short of them. If the first layer is not even, add another. It is better to work with light, manageable layers that can be built up. If the powder is applied too heavily at first, adding more will simply bury the ink outlines, leaving you with no guide for the subsequent graded shading original: 分染 (fenran); the technique of using two brushes—one with color, one with water—to create a gradient. Furthermore, the application must not be too thick; if it is too heavy, the leaden nature of the pigment will eventually turn black over the years.

Method of Shading with Powder. For flowers like peonies or lotuses, after the initial application of powder, one must use more powder to shade the tips of the petals. Only then will the flower have a sense of depth and layered dimension. If you seek to make the petals of any flower look delicate and vibrant, you must first...