Tuesday, August 12, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM (PST)
Live via Zoom, recorded with forever access | Intermediate to Advanced Level
Celebrate the fleeting beauty of summer with Morning Glory!
Join Victoria for a morning immersed in the exquisite world of boneless (没骨) gongbi painting, focusing on the elegant morning glory (牵牛花/朝顔). Guided by the visionary work of Master Tian Shiguang (田世光), this class explores poetic composition and luminous color blending, all without relying on ink outlines.
Class Focus:
Emphasize color-over-line: discover how transparent, layered washes shape every petal and whorl, evoking both the delicacy and resilience of the morning glory’s trumpet blooms.
Practice nuanced transitions in blues, purples, pinks, and whites for a tapestry of shimmering flowers, soft buds, and curling vines—mirroring nature’s dynamism.
Explore lush, interwoven foliage, rendered with soft, graded values that capture both weight and airiness in a single brushstroke.
Inscribe the poetic title “早起赏花” (“Rise Early to Admire the Flowers”) in expressive Chinese calligraphy, infusing your painting with the spirit of appreciation and renewal.
Ideal for students who:
- Love the union of natural realism and lyrical expression in Chinese painting
- Wish to strengthen their mastery of boneless (没骨) and “color-before-line” approaches
- Seek inspiration from seasonal subjects and the works of master flower painters
Victoria will provide a high-resolution reference, suggested palette, and composition plan. You’ll also receive a step-by-step color guide and baimiao (outline) to place under your translucent Xuan paper (no need to ink or pencil on the surface).
Materials Needed:
- Gongbi painting brushes (BHA Basic 3 brushes, BHA Gongbi Liner)
- Sumi ink (for calligraphy) and colors: Mineral Blue, Indigo, Carmine or Rose, Gamboge, Chinese White
- Palette dishes or ceramic mixing wells (see example)
- Alum-sized or cicada-wing Xuan paper (see example)
- Testing paper (same as painting paper), water container, absorbent towel, and paperweights
Bonus Insight:
Chinese boneless painting on cicada-wing Xuan creates glowing, watercolor effects. Simply place your line drawing beneath the paper—emphasizing form through color and brushwork, not outlines.
Class includes: downloadable reference, baimiao outline, and color guide. Participants are encouraged to experiment, ask questions, and make the subject’s poetic energy their own.
Let’s paint together—honoring tradition while expressing the living spirit of Chinese flower painting!
