Ming Yan '24 Shares His Watercolour Techniques

One of our talented Grade 12 visual arts students, Ming Yan '24, generously donated his time to teach the Grade 11 and Grade 10 visual arts classes, the techniques of Chinese watercolours using a bamboo brush.

He started with the knowledge of the tools, the bamboo brush, and rice paper (which he generously donated to the art room). First, he talked about how to hold the bamboo brush, and what side of the rice paper to use. It was very touching when he shared with us that he was first taught this style of painting by his grandfather in Beijing, China.

He stressed the importance of learning the different strokes and using the pressure of the brush to create total qualities and shapes. Everything is made of shapes. After experimenting, we attempted to paint a forest of bamboo trees, grass, birds, and flowers. It was very inspiring, and now my younger students are eager to try this technique.

Thank you Ming for your time and for sharing your knowledge with us!