suitable paints for Xuan paper? Any other possibilities for art?

[罗雁 LuoYan]

I read in your other threads in this forum. You mentioned that some Chinese artists use acrylic paints to paint on Xuan paper. I have only been using special Chinese paints and natural pigments to paint on Xuan paper. How do acrylic paints perform with these Chinese traditional materials? I am very curious to know because I want to see if there is any more possibilities for me to create arts. Thanks!

[AskiaLuna]

I would not use acrylic paint with brushes that are made of natural hair,

because the acrylic paint makes the hair brittle by removing the remaining grease of the hair.

For that I like my brush too much.

Watercolor and gouache paint is not a problem, but they do not mix well with the ink. The color and the ink separate slightly on the paper.

[Lovely death]

You can use acrylics on Xuan paper too, I have done it myself; but i use a lot of water along with acrylics as applying them straight from the tube gives the paint a 3D look in comparison.

But natural pigments work best and watercolors too, due to the way Xuan paper is made

however, use a normal brush when you do so, don’t use any of the traditional brushes as acrylics are made from chemicals and would ruin the natural hair used in the brushes.

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