Shen Jinbo's ink paintings take on lots of hues, which he says comes from his previous training in oil painting. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Unlike Qiu's white-and-black canvases, Shen's works take on lots of hues. It's as a result of his training in oil painting when he was in college.

Speaking of his transition from oil to ink, Shen says the environment that he grew up in played a big role. He was born in Gushi, a town in Henan province, which is considered a cultural hub in the country.

Calligraphy and ink painting came naturally to him, he says, because people around him had all practiced this traditional art since his childhood.

But when he joined college, oil seemed to appeal more to him than ink art, so he learned it for four years, only to later get back to ink painting.

His training in oil painting has helped his ink art though, he says. "I use different colors."