Introducing Shuan Chinese Rice Paper

Western Uses of Shuan Paper

 


Introducing Shuan Chinese Rice Paper

1. Raw Shuan Papers: This paper is very absorbent, most Chinese papers are of this type.  These papers are good for washes and tone, when they are used in traditional Chinese painting they are used for loose gestural strokes of diluted colour, achieving delicate tone and refined strokes.

2. Semi-absorbent Papers: These papers are slightly harder than the Raw Shuan papers and are not quite as absorbent, however they good for landscape painting and beginner.

3. Sized Shuan Papers: These papers are fully sized and are good for delicate detail work.  These papers have a harder smooth surface and are not very good for loosely tones gestural work.


Western Uses of Shuan Paper

Relief Printmaking: A Raw Shuan or Semi-Sized Paper are probably the most appropriate papers.  It is also important to reduce the thickness of the ink, especially when using an oil based ink and pressure of the press.  No.7, No.16 Leather paper is very good for relief printing when hand burnishing the block.  I recommend hand burnishing for Shuan papers when doing Relief printing.

Etching: The best papers for etching on are the Semi-absorbent paper and sized papers.  No.5 Cotton paper and No. 7 Leather paper has been used successfully for etching.  Care should be taken when damping the paper.

Lithography: Sized Shuan papers are the most useful litho papers.   Cotton paper is also appropriate, yet tends to print slightly fainter, however Practise Paper is good for lithography.

Collographies: Most of the papers would be appropriate, however I know that Dragon Cloud paper has been used very affectively in collographies.

Monoprints: Raw Shuan and Semi-absorbent papers are the most useful for Monoprinting as they are the most absorbent.

Silkscreen: Most papers would be appropriate for Silkscreen, stronger papers though would be the most recommended.

Photographic Transfer Printing: Most papers could be used, Fine papers such as the No.9 Jin Pi paper and the No.14 paper have been successfully.

Model Making: Stronger Raw Shuan and Semi-absorbent Shuan paper have been used for model making, such as Village paper, Dragon Cloud or Leather paper which are the most popular paper for this technique.

Book Mending: Raw Shuan papers have been used in the past for Book Mending.  Papers that have been bought for Book Mending include Practise Paper, and Jin Pi Papers.