Courtyard House: Starting in a Ceramics Factory

Chapter 204 In Progress

So Li Feng then began to draw the Eighteen Arhats.

When drawing the Eighteen Arhats, the first principle to follow is to draw them in detail. The head part should be drawn in great detail so that it can be colored well.

The coloring process for the face follows traditional methods.

It's done according to the strangeness.

First, the wrinkles need to be drawn to create a three-dimensional effect, and they should also have a serene expression.

Therefore, most painters start their painting careers from here.

Li Feng was the same, of course.

So it took Li Feng almost a whole day to draw half of the Arhat's head.

It must be said that Li Feng's understanding of these Buddhist and Taoist figures is not yet thorough. However, as Li Feng's painting skills deepen, his understanding of Buddhism and Taoism gradually becomes more profound.

Therefore, Li Feng's understanding of Buddhist and Taoist figures began to deepen rapidly.

This is entirely due to experience in drawing skills.

At 5:30 p.m., Li Feng put down his paintbrush and then stretched his body.

At this moment, Li Feng was surrounded by many people.

At this moment, Han Ming nodded to Li Feng and said.

"The technique used to paint this Arhat has the flavor of both ancient polychrome and famille rose. When I first learned famille rose figures, I had never painted an Arhat before, but this leader is really well painted."

"The details of the facial textures are also handled very well. If I had Li Feng's skills, Master Deng would definitely have let me do his makeup."

Upon hearing Han Ming's words, Zhang Jiefang shook his head at Han Ming.

"You're kidding me. You simply can't handle these details. I've seen your drawings."

"You can't even compare to me, yet you think you can compare to Li Feng?"

"You should just forget about it."

After hearing Zhang Jiefang's words, Han Ming shook his head.

“I didn’t say it was about new color porcelain. I meant famille rose porcelain. After all, I used to paint famille rose porcelain. I have a foundation in painting ladies. Actually, I think painting old men is similar to painting arhats. It’s just that you have to capture the charm in the painting.”

"If you can capture the essence of the painting, then there's no problem."

As Han Ming spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Zhang Jiefang, who was not far away.

Zhang Jiefang looked at the heads of the eighteen Arhats drawn by Li Feng, and then he shook his head at Han Ming and said.

"The new color and the pastel colors are a little different, but I'm not really sure what the differences are, because I haven't painted much of them."

"But since most of the new-style paintings rely on coloring to create the designs, they use a lot of frankincense oil and hemp material."

"Li Feng's painting uses both pastel and new color techniques, so I think it can be considered a combination of pastel and new color painting styles."

“Master Deng seemed to have mentioned this painting method before, but I didn’t remember it.”

As they were arguing, Li Feng stretched his body and then turned to Zhang Jiefang and Han Ming.

"You don't need to argue about this. This is a method that Master Deng taught me. It's a combination of new and old pastel techniques. Master Deng had studied pastel painting before, so he used pastel techniques for painting. Later, inspired by new colors, he came up with the method of combining new and old pastel techniques."

"So you don't need to argue about anything anymore."

After hearing Li Feng's words, the two nodded in agreement.

"Ok".

"That seems to be the case."

When Zhang Jiefang finished speaking, he couldn't help but look at Han Ming.

Han Ming nodded in agreement.

That should be the meaning.

Just as Li Feng was about to say something, Master Deng walked in from outside.

After seeing Zhang Jiefang and Han Ming talking behind Li Feng, Master Deng didn't say anything. He simply walked up behind Li Feng and, while drawing the head that Li Feng had drawn, nodded and analyzed it to Li Feng.

"Um!".

"This leader is drawn quite well."

"It has the feel of pastel, but the lines are too rough, a bit thicker than typical pastel pieces."

"It would be even better if you could draw it in a little more detail."

As Master Deng finished speaking, he couldn't help but look at Han Ming and Zhang Jiefang.

"How's it going with your observations?"

"You two have been standing here the whole time, don't think I didn't see you."

Han Ming and Zhang Jiefang then shared their thoughts, and Master Deng nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, that makes some sense."

"However, it's not comprehensive yet."

Upon hearing what Master Deng said, Li Feng couldn't help but explain to him.

"If Han Ming and Zhang Jiefang were to paint the new color painting, their painting method would be similar to mine, except for a slight difference in the handling of details."

"My idea is to use color photography in the later stages to specifically show the facial muscles, and then blur the lines drawn around the face, or blend them into the facial muscles."

"Therefore, I believe this method is the most important one."

After Li Feng finished speaking, Master Deng listened to Li Feng's ideas and nodded to him.

"What you said is certainly true."

"But you need to pay more attention to how you treat the head and face, to emphasize both old age and strangeness."

"If you can draw this, you'll have mastered the art of drawing Arhats."

After listening to Master Deng's words, Li Feng already had some idea of ​​what was going on.

As for Han Ming and Zhang Jiefang, they seem to have grasped some of the basics.

After all, none of them had ever been exposed to this kind of knowledge, especially Zhang Jiefang, who had never been taught these things by Master Deng.

Therefore, Zhang Jiefang doesn't know much about this kind of thing either.

Now, after Master Deng's explanation, Zhang Jiefang has gained some understanding of this matter.

About an hour later, Li Feng rode his bicycle home from the ceramics factory.

Back at the ceramics factory, Master Deng kept teaching the group how to paint Arhats and the important points to note. After Master Deng's instruction, the group remembered everything.

Li Feng, in particular, after memorizing these things, prepared to apply this knowledge to the remaining leaders.

Li Feng now has quite a few ideas about how to draw the head.

However, the fundamental principle remains the same. Regarding the method of drawing the head of an Arhat, we should ultimately listen to Master Deng's advice, since this method was developed after being verified by many people.

Li Feng had no reason to object.

After Li Feng returned home.

He pushed his cart into the courtyard house, where he noticed that many people were greeting him, which left him somewhat bewildered.

Although Li Feng knew that many people thought he was a cadre because of the photo incident, he didn't expect so many people to think so. The matter had basically spread throughout the entire institute.

When Li Feng returned home, he responded to them one by one, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

When Li Feng returned to his doorstep, he found Sha Zhu sitting in front of his house with a cup of tea. Sha Zhu saw Li Feng arrive.

He immediately stood up, and then he couldn't help but say happily to Li Feng.

"Li Feng Brothers".

"You're finally back. I've been waiting for you for quite a while."

When Li Feng heard what Sha Zhu said, he couldn't help but ask Sha Zhu a question with some doubt.

"It's not even summer yet, and you're already sitting by the door. You really aren't afraid of the cold."

Then, Li Feng seemed to have thought of something, and he couldn't help but ask Sha Zhu.

"Weren't you going to Wenhui's parents' place these past two days?"

"How's it going?"

After hearing Li Feng mention this, Sha Zhu nodded excitedly at Li Feng.

"Brother, your method really works. Now Wenhui's parents don't object to me being around Wenhui anymore."

"Do you think I should marry Wenhui soon?"

At this point, Li Feng couldn't help but ask Sha Zhu a question.

"By the way, what did you do with Wenhui's blind date from the same village?"

When Sha Zhu heard about Wen Hui's blind date, he looked at Li Feng with disdain.

"As for Wenhui's blind date, I think he probably doesn't have any real skills."

"Moreover, he doesn't have a proper job. I guess he just earns work points in the village. You and I both know about the situation in the village. Even though you get work points, it doesn't necessarily mean you can have enough to eat."

"I think Wenhui definitely wouldn't want to be with Li Erniu."

When Li Feng heard this, he couldn't help but nod and say something.

"I've also analyzed what you just said."

"If you can send him back to the countryside, that would be best. If not, then there's nothing we can do."

"For things like this, it's best to cut the Gordian knot."

"The faster you are, the more opportunities you have."

"You know, there aren't many good girls, so it would be good if we could get married as soon as possible."

"So I suggest that you buy more things to please Wenhui's parents after you get off work these next few days. Don't be stingy with the money. With your abilities, it's only a matter of time before you earn it back."

At this moment, after hearing Li Feng's suggestion, Sha Zhu looked at Li Feng with a serious expression and said.

"So, tell me, should I go get my things now?"

After hearing what Sha Zhu said, Li Feng checked the time and it was only a little before seven o'clock, so he couldn't help but suggest something to Sha Zhu.

"You'd better go now. If you take good care of Wenhui's parents these next few days, everything will be easier to discuss later."

"And in the next two days, you just need to do what Wenhui's parents asked you to do."

After listening to Li Feng's advice, Sha Zhu left his house directly with his belongings.

After watching Sha Zhu leave his house, Li Feng couldn't help but sigh that Sha Zhu had finally listened to advice.

At this point, Li Feng couldn't help but estimate that it should be almost done in the next few days.

After all, there aren't as many rituals and customs associated with marrying off a daughter now as there are in later generations.

As long as the man has a good job, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Sha Zhu's current job is considered a very good job in this era, and he earns a decent salary. He also occasionally hosts banquets outside.

Sha Zhu has a lot of money on him.

After several days, Li Feng finished drawing the heads and lines of the eighteen Arhats. As for the clothing folds, Li Feng needed some more time to draw them.

After all, the painting of the Eighteen Arhats is a more elaborate and demanding genre.

The term "heavy industry" refers to painting categories that require a lot of time and effort.

It's similar to drawing patterns or edges, but the efficiency is higher than drawing edges or patterns.

This is determined by the type of painting. After all, when painting the edges of patterns, only neatness is required, but when painting figures, the requirements are higher, and a certain style is needed.

Therefore, this alone can lead to significant differences in performance.

After about seven or eight days, Li Feng finally finished drawing the eighteen Arhats.

It must be said that it took Li Feng much longer to paint these eighteen Arhats than he had to paint other types of paintings before.

And in terms of performance, they're probably about the same.

But there's nothing that can be done about it. After all, Li Feng isn't familiar with this kind of painting technique. Once he becomes familiar with it, he'll definitely be able to improve.

But right now, there's definitely nothing we can do.

Looking at the eighteen Arhats before him, Li Feng took a deep breath. He then asked his brothers at the kiln to arrange for laborers to take the porcelain slab to be fired as soon as possible.

After the firing was complete, Li Feng continued to apply the color.

There's nothing we can do about it. Before, Li Feng was able to start painting directly in the dark without even lighting a fire because he was familiar with the subject. Now, Li Feng has to light a fire first.

Li Feng was also doing this for insurance purposes.

If Li Feng makes a mistake in applying paint or color to a place he's not familiar with, he can always correct it.

If the lines weren't solidified by burning a torch, it would definitely be very troublesome.

Therefore, Li Feng was only being cautious this time.

Meanwhile, Sha Zhu, following Li Feng's advice, had been carrying things to Wen Hui's parents' house every day after work.

After seeing that Sha Zhu kept delivering things, Wen Hui's parents began to stop him from doing so.

That wouldn't be good for Sha Zhu either.

Furthermore, Wenhui's parents then instructed her to have a good talk with Shazhu about the future.

When Sha Zhu saw that his efforts had paid off, he was extremely excited.

So the next day, Sha Zhu arranged for Wen Hui's parents to visit the cafeteria's kitchen.

Wenhui's parents were overjoyed to hear about Shazhu's arrangements. After visiting the place where Shazhu worked, they prepared to return to their hometown.

After all, staying with my daughter all the time isn't a good idea.

Moreover, the space here with their daughter isn't very big, so they wanted to visit Sha Zhu's workplace and then head back as soon as possible.

Most importantly, there are still many things to do in the village, and the elderly couple don't think it's a good idea to be away for a long time, so they want to go back as soon as possible.

In the past few days, Sha Zhu had already reached an agreement with the cafeteria director, so this was just a formality.

So, when Sha Zhu was preparing for tomorrow, he planned to pick up Wen Hui's parents to visit the factory's kitchen.

(End of this chapter)