Why Your Base Coat Is Lifting in Chinoiserie Painting (And How to Fix It)

This is the most common cause of paint lifting. When your paint is too thick, it doesn’t absorb into the paper properly, it sits on the surface. So when you add your shading on top, the brush pulls the base coat off.

The fix: To achieve that soft, elegant look in chinoiserie art, it’s best to use fairly diluted base layers. This helps the paint sink into the surface beautifully, creating light and delicate results.

Your base coat should be pretty watery, think tinted water, not too creamy. Mix your paint with water until you can barely see it on your brush. I use a pipette (also known as a dropper) to add a full squeeze of water to just a small dab of gouache paint. Imagine painting with tea, not cream. If it looks milky or opaque, it’s too thick. The goal is a semi-translucent wash that stains the paper softly.

Wondering how you’ll achieve deeper colours with such watery paint? Don’t worry, I’ll explain exactly how further down in this article. 

Even if your paint consistency is perfect, going over the same area repeatedly can disturb the base coat and cause lifting. It’s easy to feel unsure or want to perfect your blend by brushing over it again and again, but often the more you go over it, the more likely you are to lift the paint.

The fix: Use confident, minimal strokes, two or three passes is ideal. My chinoiserie brushes are specially designed to help you create soft blends without overworking the paint, so there’s no need to press hard or fuss over the area. They have softer outer fibres combined with firmer inner fibres, giving just the right balance of smoothness, firmness, and spring to achieve beautiful chinoiserie brushstrokes.

If you're interested in learning more about Chinese paintbrushes and how best to use and care for them, I've created a free guide for you! You can download it here.

Related blog post: How to paint with confidence and brush off the fear

Even if your paint is diluted correctly, an overly wet brush can cause a mini ‘flood’ on the paper and disturb your base layer. When there’s too much water in the brush, it becomes hard to control your strokes - the paint spreads everywhere, the brush feels too saturated to handle properly, and it’s difficult to blend out your base layer smoothly. 

This often leads to going over the area repeatedly, preventing you from getting that beautiful soft chinoiserie look.

The fix: Gently blot excess paint off your brush before painting. I usually press mine against the side of my dish and then dab onto a cloth. If water drips out, it’s too wet. You want a damp brush, not a sopping wet one.

Chinoiserie painting is all about getting the right paint consistency and controlling how much liquid is on your brush. In my detailed video course and beginner workshop, you’ll learn exactly what consistency and proportions to use.

It’s easy to press too hard with your brush while learning how to paint chinoiserie art, especially when blending. This often happens if you start feeling frustrated or rushed, but blending works best when you stay relaxed and move calmly. Pressing too hard can disturb your base coat, leaving streaks or patchy areas.

The Fix: Practice using just the tip of your brush to start the movement, and only towards the end of your blending stroke should you apply a little more pressure, but try not to push down too hard. Keep your touch light and fluid throughout. 

If you notice yourself rushing or pressing harder, pause for a moment, take a breath, and reset your grip before continuing. This will help your blends stay smooth and your base layer remain undisturbed.

Painting chinoiserie art with a brush that’s too hard or stiff, can lift too much paint from your surface. On the other hand, if your brush is too soft, it won’t have enough firmness to blend out your paint effectively, for example: some traditional Chinese brushes are made entirely of soft bristles, which can feel floppy and hard to control for this type of painting.

The Fix: Look for a brush that combines softness with just enough spring and structure. That’s why these chinoiserie brushes are designed with soft outer bristles and firmer inner bristles to give the perfect balance for achieving those luxurious chinoiserie techniques. 

Investing in the right brushes makes a huge difference to your painting experience, they’re honestly one of the most important tools you’ll ever buy.

Using the wrong surface can contribute to base coats lifting in chinoiserie painting. Surfaces not designed for water-based paints may not absorb the base coat properly, causing blotchiness or smudging as well as the base coat lifting when trying to shade on top.

Some specialist surfaces, like slub silk wallpapers (silk with texture), metallics, or vinyl-based papers, are popular with my students but are often made for commercial use, not for painting. As a result, paint may not react well on them.

The fix: I recommend Arches watercolour paper or silk paper. Both are ideal for chinoiserie painting because they allow for smooth layering and clean shading. For larger projects like panels, murals, or even full wallpaper designs, I’ve found an unexpected favourite: Wall Rock Fiberliner Smooth. It’s technically a trade-quality lining paper rather than a traditional art surface, but the results are beautiful. 

It takes paint incredibly well, giving you a stable surface that can handle multiple layers without buckling. Many of my students now use it for their bigger chinoiserie projects, and it’s become a bit of a go-to in my workshops!

Related blog post: Silk paper vs watercolour paper: which is better?

Here’s the trick: It’s not always about using thicker paint to achieve deeper colour, it’s about adjusting the tone, not the consistency.

Take a look at these two paintings, one set of leaves is a light green, the other a deeper, darker green. But here’s the surprising part: both were painted using the exact same watery consistency of paint.

The difference? The darker green simply has its tone adjusted by mixing in a small amount of burnt umber and indigo. This creates a richer base without making the paint thicker.

Combined with a slightly darker shading layer on top, it gives the illusion of a much deeper colour, while still allowing the base coat to feel light and fresh, and keeping that important contrast between base and shading that makes the leaves ‘pop’.

To deepen a colour, mix in a small amount of indigo, burnt umber, or black. Keep the paint watery, like a wash to prevent it from lifting.

Your shading layer should still be thin, about the consistency of single cream, but pigmented enough to deepen the colour without disturbing your base.

If you're still having issues, even after adjusting your technique and following all the guidance in this article - this will definitely do the trick!

Mix a small amount of acrylic or acrylic gouache (acrylic gouache is ideal, as it dries with a matte finish similar to traditional gouache) into your base layer. This helps the paint “set” more firmly onto the paper, reducing the risk of lifting when you add shading on top.

Start with a 1:1 ratio of water-based paint to acrylic-gouache, and adjust as needed, experiment until you find the sweet spot that keeps your base coat stable while still retaining that soft, watercolour-like finish. This technique gives your base just enough grip to hold shading without disturbing the underlying colour.

Once you get the hang of consistency, brush pressure, and tone, everything else becomes easier: shading, detailing, layering… even tackling full murals or wallpaper compositions!

I’ve put together an amazing freebie for you, my Chinoiserie Painting Style Guide. Inside, you’ll find colour inspiration, my favourite materials, and tips to help you start painting with more confidence.

It’s the perfect place to begin if you’re curious about chinoiserie art, and when you sign up, you’ll also be the first to hear whenever I share new tutorials, courses, or techniques!