Introdution of Calligraphy
Brush
(1)Ming Tulong pointed out: "The technique of brush making is to follow the four virtues: pointed, uniform, round, and strong."
1.Pointed：The hair of the brush should amass after it is moist, and the tip of the brush should be sharp so that each stroke is vivid.
2.Uniform：The hair of the brush should be of the same length, emitting the strength of togetherness.
3.Round：The brush tuft should be well rounded with sufficient hair. When the tuft is well rounded, the ink capacity increases, providing content writing experiences.
4.Strong：The brush's waist should be strong and flexible for one to wield the brush freely.
(2)The type of brush should be chosen depending on the font written: Goat hair is white and soft while wolf hair is brown and hard.
1.When writing in the seal and clerical fonts, softer brushes are more suitable, and long goat haired brush should do well.
2.When writing in the running and cursive fonts, more neutral brushes are more appropriate, and long goat haired brush should do well.
3.When writing in the regular font, a more neutral brush is more suitable. When writing in Wei stele font, harder brushes are more appropriate; a brush that can hold much ink will do well as well. In the regular script, the fonts of Ou-Liu-Wen are harder, Yu-Chu softer, and Zhao Mengfu's style can be both soft and hard. The brushes should be chosen based on the fonts' characteristics.
Inkstick
The primary raw materials of inkstick are soot, pine smoke, animal glue, etc., which consist of carbon element in unstructured form. Grinding with water against inkstone can produce ink for writing. The ink is a form of a colloidal liquid. The portion of the moisture and the colloid will affect the viscosity of the inkstick. Inkstick with different viscosity is used for different occasions. In addition, the new inkstick has more moisture while inkstone with longer storage time has a high density and thus producing a darker colored ink.This kind of inkstick is called "ancient inkstick". Among all, the most exquisite with the highest quality is that produced at Huizhou of Anhui Province. To select an inkstick, darker in color with a sheen and light fragrance is recommended.
Paper
It is better to use the kind of paper that is more absorbent of ink such as Xuan paper, cotton paper, and Maobien paper.
1.Xuan paper: Xuan paper is renowned for its absorbance of ink when writing with a soft brush. Its place of origin is Xuanzhou, Anhui Province, thus named Xuan paper, and the paper has been around for 1500 years. The original materials for making Xuan paper were sandalwood bark and straw. Still, after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, other plants such as mulberry, bamboo, and hemp were used to produce Xuan paper. The procedure for making Xuan paper is very complicated, including 18 major procedures such as cooking, bleaching, soaking, and pounding, and 100 or more small steps, which require one year to complete. Xuan paper is suitable for conveying the artistic expression for brushwork and application of ink both Chinese calligraphy and painting. There are two types of Xuan paper, Shengxuan (raw Xuan paper), and Shouxuan (mature Xuan paper). Shengxuan is excellent in its ability to absorb water enable ink on it to blur best, suitable for calligraphy writing of running, cursive and clerical scripts with larger variance in the movement of the strokes. Shouxuan also called "Fan Xuan", "processed Xuan", is produced with reduced ability to absorb water and is more suitable for writing with a small brush.
2.Cotton paper: Chinese-style cotton paper is made of bark of and wood pulp. It is soft as cotton, other than which has no direct relation with cotton. The fibers of the cotton paper are similar to cotton linter, hence the name "Cotton paper".
3.Maobien paper is a light yellow paper made of bamboo fiber. Its place of origin is Jiangxi at the end of the Ming Dynasty. The paper is fine, thin and soft with a light yellow color and excellent absorption property which is suitable for writing as well as printing of ancient books. Mao Jin, a great book collector of the Ming Dynasty, was very fond of books and preferred using bamboo paper to print books. He had been to Jianxi to order a large number of thicker bamboo paper and stamped his last name Mao on the edge of the paper. Thus, the name of the paper is Maobien paper which is suitable for beginners.
Inkstone
Inkstone has a long history. As recorded in the "Investigation of Ancient and Modern Items": "There has been inkstone since there were books. Its history went back as far as the Yellow Emperor period". From the texture of the inkstone, it can be classified into jade inkstone and silver inkstone, bronze inkstone, stone inkstone, etc., among which the most commonly used is stone inkstone. The type of stone used to produce Inkstones will make differences in the rate of water evaporation. If the inkstone is better in preserving the moisture, the evaporation rate of the ink will be slower, and ink for use can last longer. An inkstone, with a smooth surface and quick production of ink, is considered good inkstone. However, people nowadays rarely use inkstone, making inkstone a historical and antique collection of literati and scholars.
