How can I practice hard-tipped calligraphy well?
Part One: Preparations before practicing calligraphy.
1: Time planning and personal plans.
The reason why I put time planning in the first chapter of this article is because there is no book that can be completed in a day, and there is no way of practicing calligraphy that can instantly open up the two channels of Ren and Du to develop peerless martial arts. Even Huang Ziyuan's Ninety-Two Methods of Intersection Structure or Ouyang Xun's Thirty-Six Methods of Knotting are considered to be the commonly known editions of ancient books. This kind of thing also requires a lot of time to understand, think, imitate and apply before you can see the results in daily writing. Therefore, everyone should be prepared to write non-stop every day. If you don’t practice for one day, you will know it. If you don’t practice for two days, the master will know it. If you don’t practice for three days, everyone will know it. If you don't practice for a week, it won't be much different from the first day when you pick up a pen again.
Personal plans should also be written first, with conclusions first. Generally speaking, it is not too difficult to write with soft pen and hard pen, and it is not too difficult to write small handwritten notes and small regular script copybooks in regular script. Let me explain the reason: Soft pens include changes in structure and weight. Because of the characteristics of the brush, there are many, many more changes in the strokes than the hard pen (we will not discuss ink color composition and the like for now). But hard pens only have structure and less obvious changes in weight than soft pens. The difficult ones will be easy, and the simple ones will be easier to use. The same is true for upper and lower case letters: large characters that are ten centimeters square are more difficult to handle in terms of structure, because the same character spacing and stroke thickness, starting and ending strokes, turning points, etc. are more cumbersome than small regular letters. Therefore, it is better to write in large regular letters , lowercase letters won’t be too difficult.
Next, let’s talk about personal plans. I used to have many friends who wanted to practice calligraphy. After I explained the difference between upper-case and lower-case letters, soft-pen and hard-pen, most people would choose hard-pen and small-script in order to get results as quickly as possible. After his regular script became quite effective, I thought about writing a few more stickers and switching to soft-pen stickers. At this time, it didn’t matter how good my hard-pen writing was. Changing to a soft pen is basically like starting from scratch for a newbie. But if you start writing with a soft pen at the beginning, it will generally not be too difficult to write with a hard pen. This is also the conventional teaching method in calligraphy teaching nowadays, soft and hard. Whatever you write with the soft pen in each class, practice with the hard pen for the next 20 minutes, and the results are outstanding. Therefore, it is more important to set your ultimate goal before practicing calligraphy to avoid detours.
2: Tool selection.
2～1: pen.
Let’s talk about the hard pen first.
Everyone knows that if a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. But there is a saying that those who are good at writing should not choose a pen. It seems like a conflict, but it is not. There are only two requirements for the pen: moderate thickness and smooth ink dispensing. Some pens do have the illusion of being "easy to use", and that's because of the structure of the pen. Next, we will introduce them one by one from easy to difficult.
Pencil: As the simplest pen, it is often used as an entry-level pen for primary school students. When choosing, try to use a three-sided pen, and try to avoid a cylindrical pen barrel until the pen holding posture is standardized. Because the triangular pen barrel can effectively help improve the pen-holding posture. On the pen tip, the pencil has the best friction feeling of all hard pens, as well as a better sense of light and heavy discrimination. Therefore, you can choose to start with a pencil when getting started, but adults can skip this step according to their own conditions.
Fountain pen: As an advanced hard pen, the fountain pen is chosen by the majority of hard pen enthusiasts. Different brands and models of pens and whether the nib has been ground will have different writing experiences. But overall, the friction between the pen and the paper is very good, and it is easier to write changes in weight during the lifting and pressing process. It can be used as an entry-level pen for adults. When choosing, it is recommended to go to a physical store to try it out in person and pick one that is comfortable to you (I may find a pen enthusiast to supplement this part)
Gel pen: I usually use gel pen to write my posts. The advantages are that it's easy to carry, cheap, doesn't hurt if it gets damaged, and you don't have to worry about ink spilling in the bag. But the shortcomings are also obvious. The contact with the paper surface is relatively smooth and difficult to control. In addition, the structure of the pen tip makes it more difficult to write changes in weight and weight. However, it can still be written. If you choose to use a gel pen to practice calligraphy, you should have a certain foundation, and it is best to use a 0.7 pen tip.
Oil pens: More difficult than gel pens, rarely seen nowadays. No comment, not recommended.
Ink pens, signature pens, and art pens: in my opinion, these three pens should be among the three forbidden pens when practicing calligraphy. Because of its unique structure, the written words will be upgraded to a higher level than those usually practiced, the strokes will be clearer, and the priorities will be more obvious. But this is the work of the pen. Therefore, with these three pens, you can write some poems to win over girls after you have achieved some success in practice, or you can write some of your favorite situations as backgrounds, ID photos, etc. Do not use for daily practice. It will give you the illusion that the writing is complete.
Let’s talk about soft pens.
As a rule, it is better to write small characters with a big pen than to write big characters with a small pen. (But don’t write notes with a pen, that would be disrespectful)
In addition, novices who are learning Tang Kai are advised to use sheep hair, or three purples and seven sheep, and never use wolf hair. Because wolf hair is harder than sheep hair, some details are not as easy to control as sheep hair. In addition, of the same size, I personally feel that the sheep's hair has better ink storage capacity, which avoids the situation where the pen is almost out of ink before finishing a word.
Below I recommend two beginner pens that I have used.
2～2: paper.
The paper used for hard pens, whether it is a square grid or a blank grid, is fine, as long as the paper is of good quality and the ink does not smear. The grid is just a reference. To be honest, I prefer blank grids, because the posts I recommend are all ancient posts, and there are no rice-shaped grids or Tian-shaped grids on ancient posts. It is also not recommended to use mobile phone film or glass slides. Lin Tie is nothing more than finding the position of the next stroke based on the part that has been written as a reference.
For paper for soft pens, it is recommended to find handmade rough-edged paper on a certain website. It’s not expensive and feels good to write. The appearance characteristic is that the cutting position on the edge is not neat and there are burrs. Be careful not to use water to write on cloth. The function of water writing cloth is the same as that of water pens, signature pens, and art pens. Because of the characteristics of water-based writing cloth, some details unique to the brush cannot be displayed after writing. Not conducive to calligraphy practice.
2 to 3 copybooks
For hard pens, it is recommended to choose small regular script and ancient stickers. Go to the bookstore on your own to read more copybooks and choose the one you like best. Because when you encounter a bottleneck in calligraphy practice, your preferences can help you persevere and tide over the difficulties. Recommended but not limited to: Lingfei Jing, Zhong Yao's Oath Table, various small regular scripts of the two kings (Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi), Le Yi Lun, Huang Ting Jing, etc., Ming and Qing small regular scripts, Wen Zhengming, etc. Choose original copybooks, rather than copybooks copied by later generations. The one from Erxuanshe is very good, but expensive. Cultural Relics Publishing House. Affordable.
The original version of Ling Fei Sutra has the best effect and is the most recommended version.
Ling Fei Jing Bohai Edition, this edition is the first edition of Ling Fei Jing, this version is commonly seen on the market.
The Zihuitang reprint of Lingfei Jing has thicker fonts than the original version and the Bohai version. Not recommended.
Zhong Yao declared that he can be said to be the originator of regular script, and the small regular script of future generations will be more or less influenced by it.
Le Yi Lun, Wang Xizhi Xiaokai.
Huang Ting Jing, Wang Xizhi's small regular script.
Jiang Kui's "Postscript to Wang Xian's Nanny Note"
There are not so many choices for entry-level soft pen copybooks, Yan Qinli Monument or Jiucheng Palace, choose one. This is also the introductory copybook chosen by most soft-pen calligraphy training today. Each has its own advantages, so I won’t go into details one by one. If these two posts really don’t give you the desire to write down, and you have a reliable calligraphy friend or teacher who can give you guidance, you can expand a little further. But it is best to choose Tang Kai script, such as Duobao Pagoda, Magu Xian Tan Ji, Xuan Mi Pagoda, etc. Please use Baidu for pictures.
3: Writing posture
The posture for holding a hard pen is as shown below. It is recommended to use the normal pen holding posture. Although it may be extremely uncomfortable at first. Because the correct posture of holding the pen allows you to intuitively see the direction of the pen tip. If you hold the pen incorrectly, you may not be able to see the pen tip, so you may place the paper crookedly or sit crookedly. So that you can see the tip of the pen yourself. But this will lead to other problems, such as physical problems caused by incorrect sitting posture, incorrect placement of the notebook causing vertical writing without paper, excessive horizontal tilt angle, etc. In addition, holding the pen correctly makes it easier to write the changes in priorities in the copybook. Finally, I would like to emphasize that you must not use too much force when holding the pen. Just raise your hand without dropping the pen. Depending on the weight of the strokes in the copybook, the strength of your hand will also change slightly.
Soft pen postures are divided into standing and sitting postures. The standing posture requires holding the paper with the left hand, adjusting the tilt angle of the upper body according to the height of the table, opening the armpit of the right hand, and placing the small pen parallel to the paper, which is called the hanging wrist method. Used for writing large characters. The sitting posture and writing posture when writing in small regular script are also slightly different, just make sure you are comfortable. But no matter whether you are standing or sitting, make sure the pen is perpendicular to the paper and the armpits are open. When writing some slightly smaller characters, whether you are standing or sitting, one sentence is enough: "Stand if you can. If you really can't write while standing with your wrist hanging, then sit down."
Part Two: Posting Stage
1: Advantages and disadvantages of Tonglin and Shanlin
Tonglin: As the name suggests, it is the entire text, such as a Lanting preface. The spacing between the words in the original post, any smearing, and the staggered arrangement of each word must be consistent with the original post. Tonglin is to train the overall feeling and organization. It is based on a certain foundation. It can only be done if you have a certain foundation of single character writing. If a novice comes in and shows up, then the one and a half years of training will be of no use except to impress himself.
Shanlin: It means practicing word by word according to the original post, and calibrating the glyph of each word. Just temporary, no need to consider the overall rules and so on. Just look at one word. Unless there is a connection between the two words, then practice the two words as one word.
2: How to be more like.
This is the most confusing question for many enthusiasts. In fact, copywriting is imitation. When you are just learning, you must avoid being too hasty and eating one word at a time. Calibrate one word and then practice the next. Every time you finish writing a word, compare it with the original post, find the problem, and correct it. After you finish writing, find the problem again, and then correct it again. The cycle continues. So how to write accurately. It is divided into the following five points.
2~1: Size.
After writing, you should compare each stroke with the original post. Compare the size of each stroke, the size of each stroke interval (especially the horizontal spacing), the size of the hook, and the size of all the parts that can be measured in size. Does it match the original post? The size mentioned here is not the actual size, but the relative size to other strokes in the word after scaling.
2~2: Direction.
The direction of each stroke, such as the horizontal and inclined direction, whether the vertical is straight or curved, how big the curve is, inward or outward, whether the hook is flat or upward, whether the stroke is straight or curved, and if it is curved, how curved is it? How about the arc. Look at the various directions in the words.
2～3: strokes.
Characters are composed of strokes, and only good raw materials can make the final product more perfect. Look at the completeness of your strokes. For example, how to start writing horizontally, whether it is necessary to pause, and if so, how. How to write the knot. Do you pause your writing before striking out? Is there an obvious stroke at the horizontal turning point? If so, how big is the stroke and what is its direction. If you can read the first two points, you will naturally be able to read the strokes here.
2～4: Symmetry.
This is an advanced version of the content, such as the relationship between the length and length of each "King" horizontally on the vertical left and vertical right. For example, whether the opening angles of "husband" and "hu" are symmetrical. For example, the symmetrical relationship between the left and right structures of the "Yu" car. etc.
2～5: Overall.
The overall problem is caused by the accumulation of details in the above four points. If the first four points are not bad at all, then there will be no problem with the fifth point as a whole. On the other hand, if there is an overall difference, then it is because the first four points were not carefully looked at. For example, the original post of "five" was in a long and flat shape, so it would be wrong if you wrote it as a square. The reason is simply that it is shorter horizontally or longer vertically.
Part Three: Posting and Dictation.
Many enthusiasts were frustrated by the last part of the post, because they saw that their handwriting was acceptable when the post was posted, but their daily writing has not improved. So the enthusiasm for practicing calligraphy gradually faded. In fact, this is only caused by the lack of memorization and dictation. I only know how to practice but don't know how to use it, so my daily writing will naturally not improve.
How to memorize the copybook? Remember that when I recommended hard-pen copybooks above, I recommended ancient copybooks. In fact, in addition to the reason for taking the method from the above, there is another advantage of memorizing the copybook. An ancient post is usually an article, a scripture, or a letter. When writing a post, you can memorize the article almost without putting much thought into it. Convenient for memorization and dictation.
The method of back-posting is actually very simple. After calibrating a word, close the copybook, write the word without looking at the copybook, then open the copybook to compare, and so on, until the word can be written almost as well as the original without looking at the copybook. Just be consistent.
After memorizing the single word, memorize the entire article. Before practicing every day, write down the parts you have experienced silently, and then compare and select the poorly written exercises before writing new words.
The number of dictated words is limited to one page. If you have less than one page at the beginning, you can dictate as much as you can. Later, if you write more, just dictate one page. Don’t always write the beginning.
Part 4: Application.
No matter how you practice calligraphy, the ultimate goal is daily writing. For adults, writing habits have already been formed, and it is not easy to improve them.
While doing the first three steps, you can apply it. For example, Linxi Lingfei Sutra. The first line "The Five Emperors of Qiong Palace are thinking about the Dharma". These eight characters are now here. When writing in daily life, next to the character Wang, Wu, Bao character cover, mouth, scarf, as well as the characters or structures contained here, you can apply and replace your original writing habits.
By repeating this cycle, great success will be achieved.
