Following the principle of "take the best method first", many calligraphy enthusiasts use European style as a model for getting started. However, after practicing for several years, they have achieved little results. How can we avoid this phenomenon?
European calligraphy has strict rules, the characters retain the official meaning, and the fonts are relatively long. Leaving aside these remarkable features and other basic techniques, let’s talk about a few aspects that are easily overlooked.
(1) Use a pen
European bodyThe main strokes used are square, but when practicing, don't blindly cut the opening and closing of each stroke, or excessively pursue edges and corners. Pay attention to the combination of square and circle. Use a "rubbing pen" to treat round areas, which will achieve better results. "Rub the pen" - like a circular massage on the painful area. Taking the horizontal stroke as an example, after a slight pause when closing the brush, the brush is gently lifted, but without leaving the paper, and the brush is moved in a circular motion in the direction of the return stroke, and then the brush is returned to the brush stroke. Although the movement is small, it can show the shape of a square with a circle. Others, such as the end of the vertical stroke, the end of the horizontal fold, and the end of the vertical hook based on the official script, etc., all have a round meaning and can be "rubbed".
Notice the subtle changes in thickness. first arrivalEuropean body, you can observe the changes in the weight of the strokes, such as the horizontal and vertical ends are heavy, the middle is light, etc., but if you look closely, there are many changes. For example: one is heavy at both ends and light in the middle, which often plays the role of the backbone in characters, such as the character "中"; the other is light in starting strokes, thin in strokes, and heavy in closing strokes, which is often used in characters. There are multiple long vertical lines, such as "Jian", the left vertical line of the character "国", etc., and strive to be versatile.
"Those who observe are more sophisticated, those who imitate are more valuable." Only by observing carefully, paying attention to details, and writing out subtle changes can the strokes come alive.
(2) Gesture
Some calligraphy practitioners, after writing a stroke, stop to look at one stroke, then write another stroke, and "place" each stroke on the paper, losing the inner connection and losing the gesture of the pen. The so-called "potential" refers to the relationship between strokes in motion. Only by understanding this relationship can we achieve harmony and unity, and the breath can flow through. Otherwise, the strokes will become symbols. Therefore, the ancients said: "You must first understand the potential." , it can be processed". Take the lower two points of the word "Qi" as an example. The left point points to the upper right in order to write the next point on the right, while the right point takes the pen and points to the lower left in order to write the next word. Another example is next to "Three Points of Water". After the first point closes the pen, it runs towards the second point, and the second point also runs towards the third point. Therefore, the first two points are leaning downward, and the strokes are also directed toward the "Three Points of Water". Down, and the direction of running after the third point is written is the stroke on the right, so it has an upward tendency, and the stroke is also upward. In addition, in horizontal paintings, if the slope is large, the stroke will be heavier, and on the contrary, the stroke will be lighter, etc. I will not list them one by one here.
Once you understand this, the pitch of the strokes, the weight of the strokes, the direction of the attack, etc. will not be blind and can be handled flexibly according to the specific situation. And the strokes are closely related to rhythm and rhythm. Each stroke has speed and slowness. For example, when starting the pen and squatting to gather momentum, it is a little slower. The stroke is faster. The end of one stroke is about to begin the next stroke, just like this, the speed, severity, and word are repeated. Under the premise of using the pen correctly, if each stroke can be echoed and coherent, the words will have vitality.
(3) Structure
You have to be able to hold it in, but you have to be able to let it go.European bodyIt is true that the middle palace is tight and neat and rigorous, but there must also be "sparse and loose" parts. When practicing, you must pay attention to the arrangement of proportions and dare to stretch, such as the hook drawings of the two characters "九" and "成", and try to let go , the contrast is strong and cannot be written timidly.
Every word has a "dangerous" aspect. must notEuropean bodyThe writing is too "flat" and "even". The horizontal strokes are rarely horizontal, and they are very sloping, but the danger is saved through other strokes, such as the word "huai", which relies on the long point at the end to achieve balance. Break the conventional processing and make the sides that should be centered, such as the first point of "Palace", the middle vertical of "Qian", etc.; align the things that should be staggered, such as the two verticals of "Long", etc. The seemingly flat regular script, through the structural changes of "risk", makes theEuropean bodyThere are various gestures.
The reality must be appropriate.European bodyIn some connecting places, such as the boxes with the words "rain" and "door", the upper left corner or the inside cannot be "welded". There must be a gap. There must be doors and windows in the room, which means ventilation to avoid dullness. .
Of course, the points emphasized above require proficient basic skills first, but this only solves technical problems. We also need to work hard on moral cultivation, artistic conception and other aspects, in order to show our brilliance, the principle of "words outside the skill" That's it.
