I now compile the Guide to Wu Daoxuan's Brushwork, with every word drawn from historical painting treatises. Totalling fourteen rules, I seek to make them clear and simple:
One, Conception. Imagine the dragons on the walls of the Tiangong Temple in Luoyang, their whiskers bristling and halberds drawn; only then can you capture the spirit.
Two, Holding the Brush. Pinch the shaft with five fingers like gripping a knife, suspend the wrist and brace against the table, channeling your entire body's strength to the brush tip. Su Dongpo once said, "Daozi wields the brush like a legendary butcher carving an ox." This is exactly what he meant.
Three, Outlining. Start the stroke like a bent hairpin, move the brush like wind through a forest, and finish like an arrow leaving the bowstring. The water-shield leaf method requires bringing the centered tip straight down, turning smoothly without sharp angles.
Four, Folds of Clothing. "Wu's drapery riding the wind" relies entirely on lifting and pressing. When a figure walks swiftly, the strokes for fluttering ribbons must be light and fast; when they stand still in thought, the ink traces of hanging sleeves must be heavy and deep.
Five, Rendering Faces. For Heavenly Kings and strongmen, cheekbones require axe-cut texture strokes; for Bodhisattvas and celestial maidens, delicate eyebrows should be drawn with gossamer lines. When painting eyes, strictly avoid lifeless black. I have heard that when Daoxuan painted pupils, he infused light ink with cinnabar: from afar, they looked vibrantly alive.
Six, Coloring. Burnt ink and thin pigments. Use no more than five colors: apply blue and green to robes, dye the skin with ochre, and use gold dust only for ritual implements. Colors must not obscure the lines, nor should lines be imprisoned by colors.
Seven, Backgrounds. To paint flames, draft a threefold blueprint. Use vermilion as the base in the inner layer, a sweep of carmine in the middle, and lightly apply a golden edge on the outside. Only when viewers feel a wave of heat on their faces can you be called a master.
Eight, Taboos. Four flaws must never be committed. First, bloatedness: flesh without bones. Second, stiffness: rigid folds of clothing. Third, muddiness: colors drowning out the lines. Fourth, timidity: a withered spirit.
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