Chinese pigment


Chinese pigments are the traditional medium to execute traditional Chinese brush paintings, besides ink. Chinese pigments is similar to Western gouache paint in that it contains more glue than watercolours, but more so than gouache. The high glue content makes the pigment bind better to Chinese paper and silk as well as enabling works of art to survive the wet-mounting process of Chinese hanging scroll mountings without smudging or bleeding.

Types

Traditionally, Chinese pigments come in form of chips, cakes or powder made from natural plant and minerals. Some of these require preparation by adding glue before they can be used. Traditional pigments require some skill and knowledge to mix as some pigments do not blend well with others. Also, layering a different pigment on top of another can create different effects depending on the type and transparency of the upper layer pigment.
Synthetic versions that already contain glue come in tubes and are more convenient.

Traditional colours

Out of the many pigments used for traditional colours, around 12 are basic colours that are widely used. Some of the pigments use natural plant or minerals that are poisonous or toxic. Outside of these traditional pigments, other colours are made from synthetic chemicals.

Reds

  • Cinnabar powder. Basic stone colour. Requires glue.
  • Vermilion cake. Basic stone colour.
  • Vermilion powder. Essentially, a synthetic form of mercury sulfide, more brilliant than traditional vermilion made from ground cinnabar.
  • Eosin red cake. Basic herbal colour. It is now used in replacement of traditional carmine.
  • Carmine powder. Very expensive, it is now replaced with substitutes.
  • Rouge. Basic herbal colour. Usually comes in cream form.
  • Scarlet cake. Synthetic colour.
  • Dark red cake. Synthetic colour.

    Blues

  • Azurite. Basic stone colour. Comes in four shades, from dark to light: 頭青, 二青, 三青, 四青. Requires glue.
  • Indigo cake. Basic herbal colour.
  • Phthalocyanine blue/cyanine. Basic synthetic colour.
  • Azure cake. Basic synthetic colour.

    Yellows

All traditional yellow pigments are toxic. Because of this, modern synthetic substitutes are often used.
  • Gamboge. Basic herbal colour. Comes in flakes or stick form.
  • Chrome yellow cake. Stone colour.
  • Realgar. Stone colour. Requires glue.
  • Orpiment. Stone colour. Requires glue.
  • Litharge/Lead monoxide. Synthetic colour. Requires glue.
  • Gold powder. Requires glue.

    Greens

  • Malachite. Basic stone colour. Comes in four shades, from dark to light: 頭綠, 二綠, 三綠, 四綠. Requires glue.
  • Jadeite powder. Stone colour. Requires glue.

    Browns

  • Ochre/burnt sienna cake. Basic stone colour.
  • Burnt umber. Herbal colour. Requires glue.

    Whites

In modern practice, painters tend to use white gouache paint as a substitute to traditional whites, typically for underpainting.