Chops are carved stamps commonly made of soapstone that are used to seal the finished painting and to balance compositions. Every Chinese painter has at least one name chop and a few leisure chops, which are inscribed with short phrases or poems such as “less is more” or “no free lunch.” Each finished Chinese painting should have a name chop as a seal below the artist’s name. In some cases, more than one chop can be used. Chops are easy to find online, where you can request your name to be translated phonetically into Chinese and carved into soapstone. If you want to use Chinese painting chops on regular watercolor paper, use red watercolor pigment instead of the oil-based rouge used for Chinese papers like Masa and Shuan.
Shuan papers are twice as large as a full sheet of watercolor paper and are usually folded for transportation and sale in stores. You’ll need paperweights to hold the paper flat on your working surface. It is not necessary to get fancy ones like my wooden set; a few small rocks will do.
A painting mat is a light gray piece of fabric approximately ⅛” (3mm) thick that provides a soft and absorbent surface for the Shuan papers. Most Shuan papers are semitransparent, so it’s best to use a light-colored mat to allow you to judge the true colors that you are applying.
Since Shuan papers are fragile in nature, soft charcoal sticks are a good choice for applying rough pre-sketches. Before you start applying ink or paint, use a clean, dry brush to lightly brush off excessive charcoal dust.
My chop set (upper left) includes a red oil-based rouge and chop for stamping. Also pictured are a light-colored painting mat, two paperweights and ceramic dishes for mixing colors. The lower left pictures some of my leisure stamps.