The age-old tradition of Chinese Brush Painting has been practiced for more than 500 years, passed down from generation to generation.
Brush painting is a beautiful tradition, once practiced by the Chinese, but now all kinds of people. Chinese people who want to remember their cultural heritage and others who are intrigued by this tradition are all learning to practice this art form.
Whether you are a veteran in the arts or are just beginning to learn about Chinese painting, you can benefit by reading the tips that we suggest following when buying Chinese brush painting supplies.
In Chinese brush painting, the brush is one of the most important purchases you can make. A good brush will help you experience the joys of Chinese brush painting; a bad brush will only frustrate you and make you think that it is impossible for you to become an excellent painter. With a good brush, you will improve with practice. With a bad brush, you can only improve by investing in higher quality brushes.
A master painter could play around with bad quality materials and still produce a decent work of art. For a beginner, bad quality materials can be detrimental. They will automatically assume that they are not born with the “natural talent” when it could all just be due to them not having the appropriate materials!
There are many cheap brush options out there. Some are irresistible deals - ten brushes and a brush roll for less than thirty dollars! However, it is better to have a few good brushes, than ten that fall apart after a few uses. With the cheaper brushes, it is common to experience the brush hairs falling out and other manufacturing/quality issues. The cheap brushes are usually sold to tourists wanting trinkets. If you see a brush that is priced inexpensively, beware.
Good brushes are meticulously made - the hairs are hand-placed in the brush, then glued, and left to dry. For quality materials and fine workmanship, we recommend two of our brush sets. Our PRE Series Brush Set is a budget-friendly set of four brushes that are high quality for their price. For the artists who are looking for artist grade brushes, we recommend our Premium Artist Brush Set, which contains four of our highest quality brushes.
[Round brushes with stiff hair are usually made with hair from deer or ox and the stiffness of the brush head will allow you some control in how your brushstrokes appear on paper. Round brushes with soft hair made from goat or rabbit lose shape as the brush touches the paper.
Wash/hake brushes are wide and flat and have short hair.
Orchid Bamboo brushes are a type of hard brush best used for orchid leaves, lines, and strokes. Happy Dot is another hard brush in the family of Chinese calligraphy supplies. These brushes are best for very thin lines, small dots, calligraphy, and signatures.
Finding the brushes that work for you is one thing but learning new ways to hold the brush can also create new dynamics in your practice of Chinese brush painting. In Chinese and Japanese traditions, instead of holding the brush at a diagonal angle when painting like it is done in the West, the brush should be held vertically and away from the palm. To see a video demonstration on using the brush, click here.]
The quality of the ink used in Chinese brush painting is an important factor in honing your craft and improving your art. Experimenting with thin or thicker paint will help you find what you're most comfortable with.
India ink is a great choice for any artist, its waterproof quality does work best with line painting though. Mixing darker ink lines with diluted color will help in finding the right shades for your art, this is known as the line and wash method. A base ink mixed with other colors may also create new dimensions to your work.
Calligraphy inks are also commonly used in Chinese brush painting. Watercolor paints may be suitable in some cases but they do run more than other paints.
Chinese Chip Colors are a great way to add some life to your brush paintings, to balance the traditional black inks with pops of color. They are watercolor based and paint beautifully on rice paper.
While liquid inks are more common now because of convenience, using the traditional ink stick is also an option. Following this cultural tradition means that you'll need an inkstone to turn your ink stick into liquid. An inkstone is simply a container that will carry the liquid ink, it was originally made from slate, which is the easiest to grind your ink stick on, but ceramic and plastic can also be used.
We've discussed the importance of brushes and ink, but you can’t create paintings without paper! There are a couple of different types of paper in traditional Chinese brush painting.
Cheap paper will cause excessive bleeding when painting, affording the painter very little control and much frustration. Again, a master painter could work with bad materials and make them work, but a beginner should not have to be a master on his first try. If you’re a beginner and want to have a good first experience, then you should avoid these cheap papers.
If you want good quality paper for the money that you spend, we recommend our machine-pressed Practice Roll. It’s not only versatile, but also affordable. It starts off at $8 for a 50 foot continuous roll - that’s what we call a bang for your buck!
[Unsized paper is absorbent. Alum-sized paper is non-absorbent and most commonly used for the outline style of Chinese painting. Watercolor paper can also be used in this style of painting.
Shuen (Xuan) paper is one of the most commonly used and popular rice papers in Chinese brush painting and calligraphy.
If you'd like your art to be painted directly onto a decorative canvas, consider buying a Shikishi Board. These boards are made of laminated paper placed on a hard backing, the perfect way to display your masterpieces.]
Now that you know about all the necessary supplies to become an expert in Chinese brush painting, you can venture into different art forms as well. Sumi-e is the Japanese art form that uses black ink and white backgrounds to capture Japanese natural landscapes. All the Sumi-e supplies available for exploring this art form will make you an expert in no time!
Seoye is the Korean version of calligraphy. Although languages differ, all forms of calligraphy are used to present lettering in an artistic form. Some of the earliest known Korean calligraphy used thick and powerful strokes that can still be found in present-day Korean calligraphy.
These are some of the other art forms that can be practiced with supplies used in brush painting and the knowledge gained from that practice.
Chinese Brush Painting is a beautiful way to express your artistic side and pay respect to an ancient cultural tradition that is popular to this day! Experts and beginners will find resources in this list of the best buying tips of the accessories needed for a successful endeavor into Chinese brush painting and other Asian art forms.
Finding what kind of brushes, ink, ink stones, and paper types that work for you will get you on your way to creating beautiful art. Please contact us with any art supplies questions you may have!
The Unique Strengths of Paint tools Manufacturers in China
Many importers who are purchasing products from China want to find real Manufacturers, not any middlemen or trading companies, though this is not an easy task.
The topic “how to find a factory in China” is discussed frequently in many Facebook/LinkedIn/Reddit groups and trading forums or Quora related to “import from China”. But unfortunately, most answers are useless, such as visit China in person, or search Gold Supplier on Alibaba. There is no solution that can really work after I searching all related topics on the Internet.
However, we found that there is no one thinking about “Why we are not able to find factories”, which I think it’ll make more sense than just asking “How to find factories”. And only when you know the main reasons for failing, then you will figure out the best way to get the real manufacturers.
(GSB Office Building)
Get quality products from Chinese painting tools factory
What kind of products you are importing usually is the essential thing of whether you can search the real factory because you cannot find factory suppliers for every product? I think that is the main reason why foreign importers fail to find factories.
All foreign importers, no matter they can speak Chinese or not, are all sourcing suppliers on B2B platforms such as Alibaba or Global Sources or searching on Google. If a factory doesn’t have any staff who knows English, then it’s impossible for them to publish their product information on the English website. That is why there is no way for foreign importers to find them.
This is very common in China that no one can speak English in a small-scale factory, and most staff are doing work related to products and production, and dealing with domestic trading companies. Because they think that it’s expensive and not very easy to build an English sales team.
Even though some factories are Alibaba members and have published products there, it doesn’t mean they certainly will be searched by foreign importers. Because there are many skills to be ranked on the first page of Alibaba searching result, such as keywords settings and pay for Per Click, which is similar to Google AdWords.
It’s even more difficult to be searched on Google than on Alibaba for factories. Factories must have their own English website, and do SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) work such as marketing on Facebook or LinkedIn, to increase the probability of being searched.
It’s universally acknowledged that most small factories are producing all kinds of copycat products and exporting every corner of the world. Once there’s a hot-selling product in the market, maybe electronics or even a toothbrush, Chinese factories will start to copy it and sell cheap price. The interesting thing is, in a lot circumstances, importers don’t know the product is a copycat.
It’s usually quite difficult for imports to find real factories of this kind of product as involving patent or copyright issues. These small factories often work with domestic trading companies so that can export this kind of product to other countries. So that, most importers are buying from trading companies, rather than from real factories.
(Canton Fair)
Most importers want to bypass the middlemen or trading companies and purchase directly from factories, but not every importer can actually make it. In this case, you’d better find more suppliers (no matter middles or trading companies) and compare them to select the most suitable one. Or you can attend some fairs which are the best way to find factories, such as the Canton Fair, Global Sources Fair...etc.
(Global Sources Fair)
I want to share my own ideas as a factory. Our factory is a paint industry and produces all kinds of painting tools, in China. First, some online platforms like as 1688.com or hc360.com, those platforms charge expensive annual fee. In addition, manufactories have to buy advertising service, otherwise, your product will be never shown in the top 10 when customers search keyword of products.
Most small factories hope can strike a balance between trading companies and my own factory. However, they always take profits as the first priority. They would like to choose the one which can offer cheaper price even though the quality is not good, because they can increase the middle price difference. So that, it's hard to find real suppliers in China.
For many painting tools business owners, importing painting tools from China can effectively improve the profit margin, but finding original and authentic paint tools manufacturers in China can be difficult sometimes. So, I write this guide to help you find reliable China paint tool manufacturers with practical Solutions and show you their unique strengths.
Chinese manufacturers are welcomed all over the world. As for the painting tools business, manufacturers in China have gained their own unique advantages after years of development. Before we get know how to find paint tools manufacturers in China, let’s understand why exactly we should find them in the first place.
China is the biggest manufacturer and exporter of painting tools, there are tens of thousands of paint tools enterprises incorporated in China. China’s manufacturing volume accounts for about 70% of that of the whole world, which literally makes it the world's manufacturing center.
With the biggest population on this planet, China has limitless labor resources. For that reason, the labor cost of the painting tools manufacturers in China is relatively low, which obviously lowers the average wholesale price of paint tools. Highly developed industrial chain and concentrated industry clusters.
Internet is a powerful being, given the right way of utilizing, you can find almost anything you want on it. That said, searching for paint tools manufacturers online doesn’t mean anything like browsing irrelevant information aimlessly, you have to do it through the right platform and with a clear purpose.
The supporting logistics has greatly facilitated the development of the paint and painting tools industry in China. Paint tools manufacturers are well versed in the exporting processes of painting tools. With the support from domestic logistics providers and international freight forwarders, purchasing painting tools from China can be just a few clicks within your touch.
Alibaba.com is the largest B2B wholesale platform in the world, there are millions of suppliers in all product niches providing billions of different products to buyers all over the world.
Although there are tons of suppliers on Alibaba, not all of them are original manufacturers or factories. You may easily get deceived by those online Chinese suppliers as they tell you that they are factories with the capability to produce whatever kind of paint tools you like. Well, the truth is, most of the suppliers you can directly contact without much extra effort are just trade companies instead of original paint tools manufacturers.
AliExpress.com is also operated by the Alibaba Group – same as Alibaba.com, and DHgate.com is one of the earliest established online marketplaces in China. These 2 websites feature both retail and small wholesale. If your order quantity is relatively small, you can try to place your order on these two sites.
One thing to be noted is that most of the painting tools suppliers on these 2 sites use international express or e-package as their main shipping method since the MOQ (minimal order quantity) is too small for sea freight.
For many new paint tools importers, processes like manufacturer searching, overseas shipping, and customs can be really troublesome and confusing. However, you can easily get rid of the painful bits by GSB (G.SB Paint Tools Co., Ltd.), which allows you to access incredibly painting tools manufacturer resources and get the most competitive wholesale prices.
We are a business with almost 20 years of experience. The company, without losing its identity, has adapted to the professionalism which the sector demands in order to be competent in the manufacture of decoration paint tools.
(GSB paint tools factory)
Starting from 2003, GSB has helped thousands of paint tools importers fulfill their business visions. Under the current special international trading circumstance, relying on GSB would be a very good option to run a hassle-free painting tools business. So that, If you have constant needs in purchasing paint tools in large quantities, then GSB might be one of the best options for you.
Most of paint tools manufacturers don’t have a dedicated sales team, and their English level is not very good as well. So, this manufacture usually send their samples to trade companies, and the trade companies will upload all their products to their Alibaba store or independent websites. When customers place orders on those stores and websites, the trading company will place orders to the small paint tools companies.
Google is a good channel to find Chinese suppliers. In recent years. More and more Chinese factories and trading companies build their own websites on Google.
You can also search for Chinese suppliers on some social media, like Linkedin.com, Facebook, Quora…etc. Many Chinese Suppliers want to be widely noticed, so they often share their news, products, and services by these social platforms. You can reach out to them to learn more about their service and products, then, decide whether or not to cooperate with them.
Every business is unique and also has individual requirements. Therefore, the suppliers that your business needs are also different due to your unique business models and scales of each period. Obviously, the way to find suppliers will also vary.
So many suppliers for you to choose from, you must be confused about how to identify the supplier as a reliable partner to cooperate with. A good supplier is a vital element for a successful business. Let me tell you some important factors you shouldn’t ignore.
As it is easy for suppliers to register in a company in China if a supplier focuses on the same product category for a relatively long time such as 3 years +, their business would be stable to a large extent.
Check which countries the supplier has ever exported to. For example, when you want to sell the products in America, and you find a supplier that can provide you competitive price. But you learn that their main customer group focuses on the developing countries, which is evidently not a good choice for you.
Whether the supplier has relevant product certificates is also an important factor. Especially for some specific products. Many customs will have strict requirements for importing these products.
Although the price is a key aspect you should consider when you select suppliers, you may be risky of buying bad quality products. Perhaps the production quality is not as good as others such as thinner material, smaller actual product size.
All suppliers promise to say the product quality would be good, you can’t just take their words. You should ask for a sample in hand to assess if they can produce products according to your requirements, or if their existing goods are exactly what you want.
If you have repeated your requirements over and over, but your supplier still didn’t make products as you requested. You have to spend huge efforts to argue with them to reproduce the product or refund the money. Especially when you meet Chinese suppliers who are not fluent in English. That will drive you even more crazy.
(GSB Warehouse)
Good communication should have two features:
1.Always understand what you need
2.Professional enough in his industry
Final Words
If you think this guide to finding China painting tools manufacturers is helpful, feel free to share it with others. And leave a comment below about anything you want to ask or say about this article. If you need help in sourcing and importing paint tools from China, or you are interested in some particular products, please feel free to CONTACT US.
Our philosophy on paint tools: Every tool you use on the job — even the smallest one-time-use tool — matters, especially in professional and industrial settings. From paint brush to pattern-rollers, HVLP spray guns to hand tools, each item brings its own set of problems when corners are cut in quality.
You can trust our years of expertise to ensure that you have the best selection of the finest paint tools for any range of project, which is a very good supply. We don’t think any detail is too small when it comes to functional, seamless tool design and craftsmanship.
Our products include: Putty knives; scrapers; spreaders; sponges and scrub pads; knives, blades, and shavers; ladders and climbing equipment; wall-covering tools; concrete, masonry, and tile tools; drywall tools and accessories; toolbox...etc.
The company has specialized in the production of paint tools since 2003. Despite the necessary development, with the continuous acquisition of new technological machinery, the company has never wanted to abandon the craftsmanship of its products, inserting it within the various processing stages careful manual controls, essential to be able to offer your clinic excellent quality items.
Moreover, the flexibility of the production makes the Factory able to satisfy each kind of demands: from an economic product for the DIY to a quality one for the professional and to a technical one for the industry. Our aim is to Produce high quality equipment using the best raw material and the most innovative technologies in order to guarantee an excellent job.
Need help picking a product? Give us an email or phone call, or WhatsApp number. Have a large order? Take advantage of our built-in volume pricing. Our team is driven to be your trusted supplier.
Keeping our commitments, doing what is right, and providing exceptional service are what motivates our team, and serves as our steadfast promise to our customers and partners.