ONLINE ART DEMONSTRATION – DATSUN TRAN
Introduction to portraiture with inks with Datsun Tran
Datsun Tran is an Australian artist. His work primarily features the natural world, but at its core, it is all about us—our human story. Tran’s work explores themes of conflict and utopia, filtered through the lens of what we have in common, rather than what separates us. Tran has exhibited extensively in Australia, as well as North America, Asia and Europe. He has had over 25 solo and group shows, exhibited in over 30 art fairs, and has been a finalist in over 25 art prizes.
This will be a beginner’s introduction to the art of portraiture in the spirit of Chinese calligraphy. You will learn about the different techniques employed with a Chinese ‘mo’ brush, and the different looks you can achieve with differing amounts of water, speed and pressure. You will also try these techniques with different papers, sized and unsized. This session will leave you with the basics to go on and experiment on your own.
List of materials:
1. Traditional Chinese calligraphy brushes (small and medium size)
2. 1 roll of unsized rice paper
3. Chinese calligraphy ink
For paper: https://www.thesydneyartstore.com.au/product-group/809-whenzou-rice-paper-rolls/category/119-rolls
Or: https://thepaintbox.com.au/product/taiwan-rice-paper-roll/
For ink: https://thepaintbox.com.au/product/black-chinese-ink/
Or: https://www.eckersleys.com.au/chinese-black-ink-100cc
For brushes: https://www.eckersleys.com.au/nam-weasel-hair-bamboo-brushes
Or: https://www.thesydneyartstore.com.au/search/results/5f6590bca7823
4. A pot for water
5. Paper towel or rags for cleaning
6. 2 reference images: A full body image of an animal, and a full body image of a person they want to paint
Video: Courtesy of the artist
Run time: 10:33 mins
Photo: Courtesy of Andre Elhay