Qui Hua- Autumn Flower

Fall classes canceled.

Due to insufficient enrollment, the Fall classes are cancelled.  If you are interested in private lessons please email me at kjneumaier@msn.com.  Check back in December for information about classes beginning in January 2012.

Class Information 2012

Instructor:  Jennifer (Jen Lao Shi)

Jennifer spent 5 1/2 years living in Shanghai, China with her husband and 3 sons.  Five of those years she studied Chinese Calligraphy and Watercolor Painting with local artist Chen Li Fan and some of his artist friends.  Chen taught her the basic strokes and stroke order for Calligraphy.  He also taught her to mix colors and use different brushes to create various paintings with Chinese themes.

For students in Fifth grade through adults.  

Calligraphy:  Learn proper technique for painting Chinese Characters.

Painting:  Learn to use ink and watercolor to create landscape, plant, animal, people and still life paintings.

Class size is limited to 15 students.

Each 6 week course is $85 plus a one time materials fee of $20.  (Cash or Check only).  Returning students are invited to join this class and continue improving their skills. Returning students do not pay the $20 materials fee. 

New classes wil begin Fall 2012.  For more information

contact  Jennifer:  248-912-4968

kjneumaier@msn.com

Materials included in the $20 fee: 

Book

Ink stick

Ink stone

Brushes

Bamboo brush holder

Paper

Brush stand

Ceramic palate

Paint

Optional materials:

Pre-inked stamps (available at www.char4u.com)

Wool mat (available at http://www.blueheronarts.com/product_info.php?products_id=159 )

Sixth/Last Class

Next  week will be our last class, but I would like to invite all my artists from this session to join the class beginning on, Thursday, October 20, 2011.  Same time, same place.  For returning students, there is no materials fee.

Fifth Class

Today we painted flowers and tea.

Hannah

Cameron

Abby

Kris

Fourth Class

We worked on painting Lotus flowers during this class.  Lotus proved to be a bit more challenging than last week's Bamboo.  I am including some photographs of Lotus plants that my friend Annette took in Chengdu, China.  Hopefully, seeing the real thing will help for the next time we paint Lotus.

Second & Third Classes

Bamboo

During our  second class, we practiced using different brushes to make different parts of a bamboo plant.  During the third class, students put into use what they learned in the previous class to make some beautiful paintings.

Kris

Abby

Hannah

Cameron

First Class

To avoid the cost of buying Chinese paperweights for around $30 a pair, we decorated our own for about $2 a pair.

Class Information

Instructor:  Jennifer (Jen Lao Shi)

Jennifer spent 5 1/2 years living in Shanghai, China with her husband and 3 sons.  Five of those years she studied Chinese Calligraphy and Watercolor Painting with local artist Chen Li Fan and some of his artist friends.  Chen taught her the basic strokes and stroke order for Calligraphy.  He also taught her to mix colors and use different brushes to create various paintings with Chinese themes.

For students in grades 5-8,  classes begin Thursday, September 1, and end October 6, 2011.

For students in High School and adults, classes begin Thursday, October 20, and end December 1, 2011.  (No class on Thanksgiving Day).  

Class size is limited to 15 students.

Each 6 week course is $85 plus a one time materials fee of $20.  (Cash or Check only).  

Classes are held Thursdays from 4:30pm to  5:30pm at Agora Coffee Shop in the Fontana Shopping Plaza located at 51st St. and Memorial Ave.  

To register or for more information

contact  Jennifer:  248-912-4968

kjneumaier@msn.com

Calligraphy:  Learn proper technique for painting Chinese Characters.

Painting:  Learn to use ink and watercolor to create landscape, plant, animal, people and still life paintings.

Materials included in the $20 fee: 

Book

Ink stick

Ink stone

Brushes

Bamboo brush holder

Paper

Brush stand

Ceramic palate

Paint

Optional materials:

Pre-inked stamps (available at www.char4u.com)

Wool mat (available at http://www.blueheronarts.com/product_info.php?products_id=159 )

Helpful Websites

This site was very helpful to me while living in China and needing to communicate with local Chinese.  It will translate English to Chinese Characters.  (Sorry no pinyin).
http://www.babblefish.com/freetranslator.php

Use the above site to translate your name and then copy and paste those characters to the space provided on the following website to have a free-online seal created just for you.
http://www.purpleculture.net/chinese_seal_generator/


This is a good place to buy additional supplies such as ink, paints, paper and wool mats. http://www.blueheronarts.com/product_info.php?cPath=7&products_id=416









This is great for practicing brush strokes and Chinese Characters without wasting paper or ink.http://shopping.netsuite.com/buddhaboard

Make your own seal

With a few simple tools you can make your own seal for your paintings.  In Chinese paintings,  your seal is like your signature.  Each person's seal is unique.  When a seal is used in place of a signature for official documents,  it is called a "chop".

Adult supervision is strongly recommended for this project.


Materials needed:

cork from wine bottle (synthetic corks work best)
black Sharpie marker
X-acto knife
ink pad with red ink
paper

1.  Use the Sharpie to draw your character on the cork.  It will need to be a mirror image of the actual character you wish to use.  I like to draw the character on a thin piece of paper, using the Sharpie, then turn the paper over and use the image that has bled through the paper to draw the character.

2.  Use the X-acto knife to cut the lines of the character into the cork.

3.  When you are satisfied with your work, press the cork into the red ink and then test it on your paper.  If your character is not clear, you may have to go back and cut some of the lines a bit deeper.

Another Option for creating your own seal:

I found this Lino Cutting Baren Kit  and the bag of extra Printing Stamps at Hobby Lobby.

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=156065


Too Much Work?

If all this seems like too much work, the following website has pre-inked Chinese seals available for purchase at a reasonable price.

 http://www.char4u.com/index.php?cPath=51

More Samples

Longevity

Harry Crabs, a Shanghai specialty

Me & Chen at Exhibition in Shanghai

A Different Vision-Art Exhibition- Shanghai, China

 The following pictures are from the art exhibition in Shanghai, China entitled "A Different Vision" featuring the works of artist Chen Li Fan and his students.

Lotus by Kay

Cherry Blossoms by Chen

Butterfly by Jennifer (me)

Water Buffalo by Anita

Rainy Season by Jennifer (me)

Dragon by Kay's very talented son.

Hangzhou Paper Factory

Mr. Chen & the factory owner.

Start:  Bamboo

smashing

Add caption

pulp

mixing it up

Workers live in dormitories & hang their clothes to dry outside.

Using a screen to capture the pulp to make the paper.

An uninvited factory guest

Mr. Chen observing the process.

Mr. Chen's students trying to make paper.

A lot harder than it looks.

It is odd that he works in a paper factory and smokes all day.

Not sure why the chickens where at the factory.  Dinner?

Drying the paper on a heated wall.

The furnace that heats the wall for drying the paper.

Getting some fuel for the furnace.

No daycare options.

Area around the factory.

Finished product!  Beautiful.

Ink.

Mr. Chen, Jennifer's painting instructor.