Painting ideas – The Secret of Porcelain Composition

In today’s video, we’re going to look at how artists in Jingdezhen compose a painting on porcelain—whether it’s on a flat ceramic panel, a vase, or even a teacup.

Composition means planning the whole layout of the artwork:
What comes first, what comes later, what’s in the center, and what sits on the edge.
Which elements are large and important, and which are smaller and secondary.

Today, Mr. Yuan is painting two chickens among blooming flowers, so let’s watch his process step by step.

He starts with two large flowers. Notice how big they are compared to everything else—this exaggeration is deliberate. Once the flowers are in place, he adds the stems, leaves, and branches. After that, he paints a small insect to balance the scene. By adjusting which flowers are large and which are small, he establishes the proportions of near and far, front and back.

Now comes the focus: the two chickens in the center.
In Chinese painting tradition, there’s a principle called chang—showing depth by letting one subject stand out while the other recedes. That means you don’t show both chickens in full detail. Instead, one chicken takes the front, while the second hides partly behind the flowers, showing only its head. This way, the picture gains depth and perspective.

Of course, every artist has their own approach, but most painters here in Jingdezhen are influenced by classical Chinese painting traditions. This piece uses the xieyi or freehand style, which is very common in bird-and-flower painting—a traditional theme that includes blossoms, trees, small animals, and insects.

At the end, MR. Yuan signs his name. The position of the signature is not random—it acts like a weight, placed carefully in the corner to balance the whole composition. He even adds a small bee above the chickens’ heads, which helps stabilize the picture and guide the viewer’s eye.

So that’s the secret of this porcelain painting’s composition:
big and small, near and far, hidden and revealed, first and last.

I hope this little demonstration helps you understand how porcelain painting is arranged. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for watching!