Chinese Narcissus Painting

The Narcissus

To demonstrate the outline technique, a most suitable flower is the narcissus. The Shu-hsien, Water Immortal or narcissus is first mentioned in the 9th century as coming from Fu-lin, Byzantium. In late winter, when the Chinese celebrate the Spring Festival, they prepare feasts and decorate their houses with flowers and plants, their favorites for this purpose being the Narcissus. The delicate, narrow, emerald-green leaves, large white flowers, golden coronas and silvery-white roots provide an elegant background to the festivities and their delicate fragrance adds to the atmosphere.

The narcissus once grew wild along the marshes of the south-eat coast of China becoming a cultivated flower in the 10th century. There are many varieties of narcissus, which divide into the single flowered category which has six petals, or the bunch-flowered variety which has a corona of split petals clustered in a ball-shape.

The Chinese believe that the color, the fragrance and the elegance of this flower liken it to an ancient poem or painting.

Before beginning the painting, it is always important to organize the composition in the mind as fully as possible, while carefully rubbing the stick on the ink stone.

Painting the Narcissus

Load the tip of the brush only with black ink directly from the ink stone.
Beginning with the most central flower, paint its center and then each petal starting from the inside of the flower.
Next, mix the black ink with some water on the palette and with dark grey paint the outline of the thicker section of the stem nearest to the flower.
Next the bulb is painted with it roots.
Finally, the long elegant leaves are painted in dark ink.

he composition, which clearly shows white flowers in their elegant simplicity, can be left as complete at this stage, or have shades of grey (or color) added. The shades should not be added too carefully, as the intention is not merely to ‘fill in the outline’ but to add more depth to the painting; and care should be taken that all the outlines are dry before adding these shades. To demonstrate the alternative, the outline flower and solid stroke leaf method of painting flowers, the best example is the Chinese lotus.