1. The font for writing has been formed. Can it be changed and how to change it?
Answer: It can be changed, and it won’t take long. Many people think that writing has already taken shape and cannot be changed as we get older... This view is wrong. You know, writing well is not difficult, nor is it unattainable, but it is extremely easy to learn, as long as you use the right method and correct your old writing habits. Specifically, when you practice writing, you must correct your writing posture and method of holding the pen. This is the first condition.
Now I will give two examples of calligraphy practice by our ancestors and discuss this issue based on my own experience.
As we all know, Wang Xizhi, the sage of Chinese calligraphy, first learned calligraphy from Wei Shuo, and then he changed his learning after reading more famous works by famous writers such as Zhong Yao. It was he who carried on the past and opened up the future, turning the ancient calligraphy style into the beautiful and smooth modern style, and making creative contributions to regular script, running script and cursive script. This is Wang Xizhi's historical contribution in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
Let’s talk about Yan Zhenqing. He first learned from Chu Suiliang and later learned from Zhang Xu. He adopted the style of seal script and wrote dignified and majestic regular script. It was he who created a new style other than Erwang.
2. Can you still practice calligraphy well when you are older?
To write good pen and calligraphy, no matter your age, no matter whether your writing is in shape or not, as long as you write diligently, make up your mind, and realize the importance of your work and your future, you can write well after a lot of hard work.
Even if you start late, you can still catch up. Throughout the ages, there have been many famous teachers who became successful after studying in their thirties.
Liang Hao of the Song Dynasty was admitted as a Jinshi at the age of eighty-two. He chanted: "We also know that young people are good at passing exams, but those who compete for the top position belong to adults."
In the Ming Dynasty, Li Zhi abandoned his official position to study and was already fifty-four years old when he decided to write books. His famous works "Burning Books" and "Collection of Books" were completed when he was sixty-four and seventy-three years old respectively.
Achievement does not depend on age, the key lies in ambition and perseverance.
3. Writing posture and pen holding
(1) Sit upright, with shoulders flat and back straight. Your body and head should not be tilted, let alone lowered; your eyes should be about one foot from the table, and your chest should be about three inches from the edge of the table.
(2) Hold the pen upright, and the pen tip should be straight forward. Do not tilt it inwards (as long as the palm of your hand is flat, the pen tip will naturally move forward); the tip of the index finger should be about an inch away from the pen tip. If you hold the pen incorrectly or the tip of the pen is tilted inwards, you will not be able to write smoothly, you will not be able to write horizontally, you will not be able to write well, and you will not be able to write smoothly. You may even have to move your right hand every time you write a stroke. At the same time, the written lines have no spine and no rhythm, and the glyphs cannot be said to be relaxed and generous.
(3) The inclination of the pen barrel. To write large characters, hold the pen upwards, and the inclination of the pen barrel should be slightly larger. To write small characters, hold the pen downwards, and the inclination of the pen barrel should be slightly smaller. The general slope should be at the index finger joint. If it exceeds this position, the strokes written will be either rigid or dull. If the inclination of the pen barrel is inappropriate, the pen speed will be limited, and it will be impossible to write elegant and charming glyphs, so the "tiger's mouth" should not be tilted.
(4) Hold the pen lightly so that you can move the pen freely; if you hold the pen too tightly, your writing will not be broad and generous. According to what I saw during lectures in middle schools, in a class of fifty students, forty-five people held their pens incorrectly or their pen tip was tilted inward. This is also the case in universities. It is for this reason that the characters written by these students are not hooked properly. It looks like a hook, but the 捺 does not look like a 捺. The strokes are all flat and piled up.
As mentioned before, the quality of writing is absolutely related to posture and writing. Just like a carpenter sawing wood, if your posture and holding the saw are not correct, no matter how straight the "line" is, you will saw it crookedly. This is the same as writing good calligraphy.
3. How should the steps of learning calligraphy be arranged?
Answer: Children can start by learning the basic strokes of regular script, namely dot, horizontal, vertical, left, back, lift, hook and fold.
A character is like a machine. Practicing the basic strokes is like processing the "parts"; practicing the radicals is like starting the "assembly"; practicing the entire glyph is like entering the "final assembly". That is to say, learn "decomposition" first, and then learn "coherence". Therefore, regular script is the foundation, and basic strokes are the foundation of the foundation.
When practicing basic strokes, practice them in categories. For example, when practicing writing "丶", you should practice 丶,丿,丶,丨, etc. separately, and then write "continuous" and combine them.
As for adults, because of the need for daily writing and the font has gradually taken shape, they should start with the overall composition. You must know that when writing an article, the first thing others see is the overall feeling of the handwriting on the page: Either elegant or elegant... So we must first pay attention to the overall arrangement of the text, that is, the size of the characters, line spacing, etc.
Then move on to the practice of single characters, paying attention to the structure of the characters so that each character can be written correctly.
Finally, strengthen and change your own stippling. In a page of hard-written words, stippling is the smallest component and hardly affects the overall situation.
4. Do we have to start with regular script first?
Answer: No, there is no necessary connection between regular script and running script. Running script, cursive script, official script, etc. each have their own structural rules.
But I personally recommend starting with regular script, because regular script makes you calm down easily, and cursive writing for beginners tends to make you impetuous.
5. In order to write each word well, what key points should be mastered?
Answer: The first thing is to master the pen strength. This means that you should use force when making strokes that should be done hard; when you should not use strong force, you should use light strokes to make transitions. For example, if you write the words "国", "红", "真" and "steel", you can clearly distinguish the importance, which will give people a sense of beauty.
Generally speaking, when writing "丶,一,丨,丶(捺)" and other strokes, you should use strong strokes, and other strokes should be lighter. But each stroke in a word cannot be made with force. For example, when writing words such as "人,大,天", the strokes should be light and the strokes should be heavy. On the contrary, it can be written as "heavy" if the strokes are left, and "light" if the strokes are held back. In short, the force cannot be evenly distributed.
6. Some people say that basic strokes are easy to practice, but frame structures are difficult to write. Is this true?
Answer: It sounds difficult to say, but in fact it is very easy as long as you find the right method and the right path.
For example, after you first practice the basic strokes, you will have basic skills. The method to find the correct way and the right path refers to structurally distinguishing whether it is a single character or a combined character.
If it is a single character, you must grasp the center and center of gravity of the character. For example, the characters "Shang, Xia, Qian, Shi" and other characters are all single characters, so it is necessary to grasp its center of gravity: the horizontal strokes are slightly longer, the vertical strokes are slightly shorter, and the vertical strokes must be centered down (regular script).
If it is a combined character, it is necessary to distinguish whether it is a left-right structure;
Clarify these six differences, and then grasp them according to the definitions and organizational rules of the words. In this way, you can write a perfect and beautiful glyph.
For example: "Hao" and "Mom" belong to the left-right structure; "Xing" and "Su" belong to the upper-lower structure; "Chang" and "Zhang" belong to the upper-middle-lower structure; "Jiang" and "Yi" belong to the half-package structure; distinguish these different structures. Definition is easy.
For example: the two characters "Xing" and "Su" are vertically aligned up and down. Pay attention to the center alignment; the character "Changzhang" has a long shape, so don't write it too long and make it slightly compressed; the character "Hao Ma" has a left-right structure, with the left side slightly smaller and the right side slightly larger. , as long as the density is properly mastered and the unevenness is orderly, wouldn't it look good? On the contrary, if the font shape is not distinguished, the density is improper, one is wide and the other is narrow, and the weight of the lines is not distinguished, it will be ugly.
7. Some people say that if you want to write well with pen calligraphy, you must first practice calligraphy with calligraphy. Is this true?
Answer: No. Practice has proved that this requires many detours. Why? The reason is very clear: because the structural rules of Chinese characters are exactly the same, but the size of the fonts, writing tools and techniques are different, it doesn’t matter which one you learn first.
Some people are too mysterious about how to write well, and some people say that good handwriting is innate...
In fact, as long as you choose the copybook well, use the right method and are determined, you can achieve results in less than a year. Please give it a try.
Some people advocate that you must first practice brush calligraphy to write well with pen calligraphy. This is actually not necessary because you cannot master two calligraphy techniques at the same time in a short period of time.
8. How to arrange the size of fonts?
Answer: Chinese characters are large or small, with different shapes. No matter whether you use a brush or a pen, the size cannot be exactly the same. We call it "uneven and orderly".
Specific requirements: If there are many strokes, write them thinly and slightly shrink them; if there are few strokes, write them thickly and slightly spread them out. It should be written in even sizes, not like chess pieces arranged uniformly regardless of size. For example: the character "Teng" is the same as the character "小"; the character "口" is the same as the character "国"; the character "Gong" is the same as the character "Qian".
9. Writing pays attention to echo. What does this mean?
Answer: If you want to write vividly, you have to pay attention to the movement of lines and the response of strokes. There are echoes between strokes, and the beginning and end of sentences also pay attention to echoes. This writing method is to avoid mechanical and stacking phenomena. We often mention that "the pen is broken but the meaning is connected", which makes the movement between the stipples and paintings coherent. This movement is like the movement of a child reaching out to call his mother, and the mother reaching out to pick up the child.
"Shu Raf" says: Starting the pen is a call, and closing the pen is a commitment. On the contrary, if you finish one stroke and then think about the next stroke, interrupting the potential energy between the pens, that is what the "Sequel Book of Books" criticizes: "The shape is written in pictures, but it cannot contain it. It is all fragmented and incoherent, and the result is mostly beads. , of course the glyph cannot survive.”
Therefore, in order to make the writing lively, interesting and attractive, the word echo cannot be ignored.
10. It is said that there is a principled way of writing, is this true?
Answer: Yes, this is what the contemporary calligrapher Deng Sanmu said. Mr. Deng makes sense. When writing "horizontal", it should be slightly slanted, with the left side lower and the right side higher. The slope is about 5-7 degrees. Do not go below 5 degrees. No higher than 7 degrees. This is because human eyesight is not balanced. If the "horizontal" drawing is written as straight, then due to the illusion of the two eyes, it will seem that the end of the right end has fallen down, which is very unnatural.
The "vertical" painting of Chinese characters is more important and plays a pillar role in a character. Yu Shinan said in "Bi Sui Lun Commentary" (Wang Xizhi's words): "A crossbow is necessary for vertical painting, and fighting is important for heroism." Therefore, writing vertical paintings must be vigorous and powerful. Such as Zhong, Niu, Qian, Shan, etc.
11. What kind of paper is good for practicing calligraphy? What should we pay attention to?
Answer: It is better to use a square notebook because it has a certain grid and has certain constraints on the glyphs you practice writing. When practicing writing, you should do it line by line. After every page you write, you should analyze it to see where the gap is. Every time you finish writing a book, you should keep it for identification and comparison, and to measure the degree of progress. When practicing calligraphy, you must not write one word in the east and two words in the west irregularly. Such practice will affect your ability to master the composition and layout.
Practicing writing in order will help you practice the composition and arrange the layout of the entire article. It will also help you develop a good habit of writing line order. If you write randomly, then when you write formally, although the font itself is pretty good, the layout of the whole article will definitely be irregular, which is a big deal.
12. Does writing speed matter?
Answer: It has a lot to do with it. The speed of writing has a great relationship with the writing speed. The beauty of the fonts and the charm of the lines are mostly reflected in the fast writing. The echoing and coherent gestures are also reflected in the rapid movement of the brush. Words written with a slow pen have no charm.
As we all know, the glyphs and chapters written by some people who write quickly are not rigid, not rigid, and have high momentum! This is the good effect of their use of "all in one go".
If you want to write quickly and achieve satisfactory results, in addition to being knowledgeable about the structure of the glyphs themselves, it is more important to hold the pen correctly and as high as possible.
When writing each word, you should conceive it according to the basic definition of the word, write it with faith, and act with faith, without artificiality or embellishment. "The pen is powerful and penetrating, and it is beautiful and rhyming. The book is expensive, thin and hard, so it has spirit." This is what the speed of writing should reflect.
13. What should you pay attention to when writing basic strokes?
answer:
(1) When writing "point", it is as heavy as a stone, broken in shape but connected in meaning;
(2) Write "horizontal" slightly slanted. There are two "horizontal" characters in one character. The upper "horizontal" indicates an upward posture, and the lower "horizontal" represents a downward posture;
(3) The "vertical" painting should be thick and strong, and should not be crooked when written straight;
(4) "Bi" means the writing is sharp, "捺" means the writing is vigorous;
(5) The strokes of "Zhe" are slow and the strokes of "Hook" are sharp.
Practice a little slowly at first, and go step by step. You must know that to achieve success in calligraphy, you must first practice the basic strokes of regular script well, which is the starting point for writing all calligraphy well.
14. Do I have to imitate the ancient fonts to learn calligraphy?
Answer: Yes, this is a question of inheriting tradition. However, times are advancing, things are developing, and various arts always need to be constantly innovated. Therefore, we cannot blindly copy the ancients, but should take their essence.
Chen Hongshou of the Ming Dynasty said: "You are called a scholar, but you actually say King Zhong, who is the teacher of the ancients? He picked up the teachings of various schools and created one by himself." Su Shi also mentioned in "Painting Theory": "Create new ideas in the law, and send wonderful principles out of boldness." Wang Xizhi changed the official script to Xingkai and was later called "Sheng of Calligraphy"; Zhang Xu changed the Erwang Caofa to today's Cao. "Grass Saint". If we follow the ancients and repeat over and over again, thousands of people are one and a thousand words are the same, then we cannot talk about the development of calligraphy art. To break away from the stereotype and create a new look without individual innovation is equivalent to losing its vitality. This is an inevitable trend in the development of both calligraphy styles.
15. How to choose copybooks?
Answer: It depends on which font you are interested in and what kind of characters your characters are similar to. Then you can decide. If you cannot choose the ideal fountain pen copybook, you can also choose a calligraphy brush copybook, such as "Ling Fei Jing" and so on.
It is worth noting that many hard-pen copybooks currently on the market are computer calligraphy, that is, they are typed directly from the computer character library and are not handwritten by calligraphers. The gap between this type of copybook and handwritten copybook is too big and harmful, so it must not be used. The identification method is: see if the font size is consistent.
