There are so many calligraphy practice copybooks in various fonts on the market, so which copybook is suitable for us? This should be relevant to the stage we are at.
1. Beginners or primary school students
For beginners and children who are just starting to practice calligraphy, there is no doubt that regular calligraphy is an introduction. Running script and cursive script look very beautiful and flamboyant, but they do not meet the basic needs of beginners for calligraphy practice. The basis of calligraphy practice is to learn to control the pen. Starting from the stroke-by-stroke, horizontal and vertical fonts like Kai style, we can easily understand the structure of the characters, and the hand muscles will form memory.
Another thing that beginners need to remind is that when we practice calligraphy, we should start from the order of strokes just like primary school students. Wrong stroke order is not only detrimental to the understanding of text structure, but also fails to lay the foundation for advancing to regular script or even cursive script in the future. Wrong strokes and smooth strokes will not prevent you from writing good-looking connected characters. This is the simplest reason.
Therefore, it is very necessary for beginners to start practicing calligraphy in regular script and practice smooth strokes. We should practice calligraphy like primary school students!
2. Those who know how to control pens and have a certain foundation
After we can write regular script stroke by stroke, horizontally and vertically, we can start to choose a font and copybook template that suits us. Of course, we are not here to become masters of writing, so regular script does not need to be practiced as well as printing.
So how should we choose the font that suits us?
Fonts are roughly divided into five categories: seal script, official script, regular script, running script, and cursive script. For calligraphy practice with hard-pen calligraphy, regular script and running script are mostly chosen. Seal script was mainly used for engraving in ancient times; official script was developed from seal script and is more suitable for soft-pen writing; regular script was developed from official script, and the simpler writing method is suitable for hard-pen writing; running script was developed from regular script and is more pursuing the speed of writing. ; Cursive script evolved from running script and can better reflect the personality of the calligrapher.
From the evolution of the above fonts, we can also conclude that the order of our font practice should start from the regular script copybook, then move on to the cursive script copybook, and finally break away from the copybook to start our own cursive writing creation.
3. Follow the calligraphy guide and choose copybooks
Regardless of regular script or running script, different calligraphers have slightly different styles. We can choose the one that suits us among the calligraphers and start practicing.
Regular calligraphy masters recommend Tian Yingzhang, Lu Zhongnan, Gu Zhongan, and Ding Yongkang.
1. Tian Yingzhang
Teacher Tian’s regular script is a bridge to Ouyang Xun, a master of calligraphy. Teacher Tian's regular script has decades of skill. From a calligraphy point of view, it is simple and lacks changes. But from a calligrapher's point of view, it is precisely because of his strict calligraphy that beginners can get started.
2. Lu Zhongnan
Personally, I think that Teacher Tian's works are more suitable for writing official documents, while Teacher Lu Zhongnan's works incorporate elements of face and body, and are more artistic expressions. If you feel that Teacher Tian’s copybooks lack flexibility, you can take a look at Teacher Lu’s copybooks.
3. Gu Zhongan
Teacher Gu's regular script horizontal strokes are more curved and rounded, which better reflects the beauty of book women. Girls can also consider choosing Teacher Gu's copybooks.
4. Ding Yongkang
Teacher Ding's handwriting is like steel, extremely masculine, and the strokes are precise. People with a little knowledge of regular script can study it in depth.
Recommended by cursive calligraphy masters: Tian Yingzhang, Jing Xiaopeng, Qian Peiyun, Gu Zhongan, Sima Yan, Li Fangming, Shen Honggen, Zhang Xiu
1. Tian Yingzhang
Teacher Tian's running script is just like regular script. It is a very orthodox running script, upright and elegant.
2. Jing Xiaopeng
Teacher Jing is Teacher Tian’s favorite disciple. His running script is more free and easy, which is very suitable for those who want to practice calligraphy from regular script to running script.
4. Qian Peiyun
Teacher Qian’s cursive font is thin and suitable for beginners to practice pen calligraphy.
5. Gu Zhongan
Teacher Gu's calligraphy has the charm of brush calligraphy and is loved by calligraphy enthusiasts. It is also more suitable to start practicing calligraphy.
6. Sima Yan
Teacher Sima’s calligraphy is most recommended for beginners to learn. The fonts are very popular and suitable for most people’s aesthetics.
7. Li Fangming
Teacher Li's calligraphy is masculine, and running script is its characteristic. Those with a certain foundation can learn it.
8. Zhang Xiu
Teacher Zhang is one of the few female calligraphers. Her calligraphy is beautiful yet powerful, both in regular script and running script. She recommends girls to use red calligraphy calligraphy.
