Qi Baishi: The Art of Painting Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crabs
Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs are renowned for their unique delicious taste, and as a cultural phenomenon, they have permeated into people's social lives and the art world.
Colors: All the colors used by Elder Bai Shi were self-made. For learning to paint large freehand brushwork flowers in Qi style, one can use lead tube paints as substitutes. These are gamboge, Vermilion, Prussian blue, indigo, ochre, dawn red (can be substituted with rouge or deep red), and indigo (can be substituted with ink).
Elder Bai Shi had dedicated color palettes for painting. A few minutes before painting, he would use a small spoon to take water from a small bowl to moisten the colors for use.
Crabs: Painting crabs involves simple brush techniques without complex changes, making it most suitable for beginners. In the step-by-step diagrams, the first two figures are drawn using the master brush with a slanted stroke (also known as side stroke), characteristic of Suzhou Yangcheng Lake agritainment. The remaining figures are all completed using central strokes. The key points here are:
1. When painting the double claws, the brush should make short-distance slanted movements on the paper. Avoid pressing the brush firmly onto the paper.
2. When painting the crab body, it should form several angles with the four sides of the paper. It should not be parallel or perpendicular to the edges of the paper.
3. When painting the crab legs (using the "master brush"), avoid making them parallel to each other or parallel to the legs of other crabs.
4. The position of the eyes should be far apart on both sides and tilted outward. They should not be drawn too close together or upright on the shell.
5. When painting the crab legs, the wrist should move synchronously with the direction of the legs being painted. If the wrist does not move and only the fingers do, it is hard to paint well.
6. The brush should be relatively dry, and the brush movement should be slightly slow.
7. When painting the crab claws, still use the master brush and ensure the ink is darker to highlight the texture of the claws.
8. Use large cursive goat hair brushes for painting. Paint when the crab body is half-dry; if too early, it will blur, and if too late, it won't look naturally formed.
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