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.
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 (明膠) before they can be used. Traditional pigments require some skill and knowledge to mix as some pigments do not blend well with others (e.g. herbal and stone colours generally do not combine well).
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 ('herbal') or minerals ('stone') that are poisonous or toxic. Outside of these traditional pigments, other colours are made from synthetic chemicals.
Reds
- Cinnabar powder (硃砂粉). Basic stone colour. Requires glue.
- Vermilion cake (朱膘膏). Basic stone colour.
- Carmine cake (曙紅膏). Basic herbal colour.
- Rouge (胭脂). Basic herbal colour.
- Scarlet cake (大紅膏). Synthetic colour.
- Dark red cake (深紅膏). Synthetic colour.
Blues
- Azurite (石青). Basic stone colour. Comes in four shades, from dark to light: 頭青, 二青, 三青, 四青. Requires glue.
- Indigo cake (花青膏). Basic herbal colour.
- Sky blue/Phthalocyanine blue cake (天蘭膏/酞菁藍). Basic synthetic colour.
- Grape black (葡萄黑). Synthetic colour. Requires glue.
Yellows
All traditional yellow pigments are toxic. Because of this, modern synthetic substitutes are often used.
- Gamboge (藤黃). Basic herbal colour. Comes in flakes or stick form.
- Chrome yellow cake (鉻黃膏). Stone colour.
- Realgar (雄黃). Stone colour. Requires glue.
- Orpiment (雌黃). Stone colour. Requires glue.
- Lead monoxide (密陀僧). Synthetic colour. Requires glue.
Greens
- Malachite (石綠). Basic stone colour. Comes in four shades, from dark to light: 頭綠, 二綠, 三綠, 四綠. Requires glue.
Browns
- Ochre/burnt sienna cake (赭石膏). Basic stone colour.
- Umber (焦茶). Stone colour. Requires glue.
Whites
In modern practice, painters tend to use white gouache paint as a substitute to traditional whites.
- Clam shell cake (蛤白膏). Made of ground white clam shells.
- Titanium white (鈦白). Modern synthetic colour. Appears in modern sets of tube colours.
- Zinc white (鋅白). Modern synthetic colour. Sometimes called Chinese white. Appears in old sets of tube colours.
- Lead white (鉛白). Synthetic colour. Traditionally used in the past. Comes in flakes.