Scribbling with sticks

An artist wins online fame by painting with bamboo twigs, Wang Qian reports.

Instead of a pencil, Deng Yu uses a "bamboo brush" to sketch most of his artwork. Inspired by writing brushes in China, his brush is made of bamboo twigs, which is also his latest attempt in seeking an unpredictability for its splatter effect. He focuses on Peking Opera figures.

"After trying various materials, including paper, plastic and Styrofoam, I found the handmade bamboo brush handles the heavy and thick acrylic paint well. On canvas, its effect is close to the art of Chinese calligraphy," says the 44-year-old artist from Shenyang, Liaoning province.

Anything at hand, such as a rag, sprayer and even a broom can be used in his painting, Deng says.

Through Western and Chinese painting techniques, Deng has been looking for a crossroads between the two art styles.