Introduction - Paper
Chinese calligraphy / painting paper
Xuan paper is a renowned Chinese paper used for calligraphy and painting, originating over 1,500 years ago in Jing County, Anhui Province (formerly Xuanzhou). Made from blue sandalwood bark, plant fibers, and rice straw, it is prized as "paper of the ages" for its excellent absorbency of Chinese ink and colors, resistance to aging, and longevity.
"Rice paper" is a common misnomer used in the West for Chinese calligraphy/painting paper. The misnomer originated when the Europeans and Japanese were trying to know the trade secret of Chinese paper but
were misinformed of the "rice" ingredient.
Xuan paper has now become a generic term for Chinese CalligraPainting paper even some of them are not produced in Xuan Zhou. Xuan paper becomes wrinkled with unevenness after writing or painting, thus we have Chinese CalligraPainting mounting.
Types of paper for your selections
White Xuan paper
Considering compatability with ink or colors, white Xuan paper generally excels other paper in terms of nuances, "reaction", and other artistic qualities.
Red paper - Rolls
Red paper comes in different formats. Rolls can be 24 cm or 35 cm x 20 meters, etc. The printed circles can be dragons, dragon/phonenix, antique designs, lucky animals, etc.
I do not list all the designs of circles from my current inventories because the designs change frequently on Amazon and Temu. Sometimes it would not be feasible to find exactly the same patterns (designs). You surely will be shown at least two choices before a customized artwork starts.
Red paper are usually heavily waxed or dyed - not recommended for Wet Mounting.
Cardstocks - Round or square
- Center parts ("Picture core") for writing/painting: Red, white, and light brown.
- Margins: Red, white, light brown, or other colors.
- Heavy duty - no wrinkles.
- Will be perfectly flat when framed.
Bookmarks
- Bookmarks come in different brands, colors, margins, etc.
- Wrinkle free - they are actually dyed or waxed cardstock, not Xuan paper.
- For your custom orders, please first tell me your preferred color(s) of the "Picture core."
- Your may figure out their sizes with the rulers below.
Customized scrolls (Currently not available)
Very labor intensive, but designs can be infinite
Chinese calligraphy and painting mounting (裱画 - biǎohuà) is the traditional art of backing Xuan paper with additional layers to flatten, reinforce, and beautify artwork for hanging, scrolling, or framing. Techniques include traditional wet mounting with wheat starch paste, dry mounting using adhesive paper, or framing with silk borders.
- Traditional Wet Mounting: The artwork is lightly misted with water, backed with another sheet of paper using wheat starch or algae glue, stretched on a wall to dry, and then finished with silk borders to prevent curling and tearing.
- Dry Mounting: A more accessible method for beginners, involving silicone adhesive paper, an iron, and parchment paper to bond the art to a backing.
- Professional Services: Professional mounting provides high-quality results, including silk borders and rods for hanging. Due to back orders and intensive labor, I will resume this service in the future. Currently due to limitation of space, labor, and time, I only custom design scrolls for my artworks to be sold, but do not custom design scrolls for a customer's request.
You may look up Chinese galleries from the yellow pages of Houston, Los Angeles, and New York.
- Frames vs scrolls: Scrolls will incur wrinkles and curlings due to frequent rollings, and exposure to air will age the Xuan paper to be yellowish in about 10 years.