The first section, writing brush
1. What kind of brush? Before choosing a brush, we should first understand the type and properties of the brush. There are many kinds of writing brushes, and the nib is made of animal hair. Therefore, people often classify pens according to their different elasticity. Generally divided into hard brush, soft brush and double-sided brush. ?
Second, the trick of choosing a pen
The ancients had high requirements for writing brushes, and they must meet the four standards of "pointiness", "roundness", "uniformity" and "health", which are called "four virtues".
Sharp means that the pen tip should be sharp, that is, the pens should be sharp when they are condensed together.
A circle means that the circumference of a pen is far away and full, and it is conical. There must be no defects or grooves on a cambered surface, otherwise writing this surface will be short of strokes and incomplete.
Qi refers to the brush hair, and the length of the brush hair should be consistent inside and outside. The test method is to flatten the pen with your fingers so that the nib is as flat as an oil painting pen. At this time, you can clearly see whether the length of bristles is consistent, and a good pen should be even and even. When writing, Qi Xin works together, and the strokes are complete and free. Poor brush hair is often uneven, and when writing, it is often exposed outside the strokes at the turning point or the front. The ancients called it "thief hair".
Sword means that the pen should be flexible and powerful. Press the pen and it will unfold; When the pen is lifted, it naturally returns to the condensed state. Inferior pens can't get together after being pressed, which means that they are hairy and unhealthy. ?
When we choose pens, we will naturally choose pens with "four virtues", but in fact, the pens and bristles taken out of the counter are bonded with glue, so we can only check the "tip" and "circle" of the pens, and the "uniformity" and "hygiene" can only be checked after the pens are issued.
Section 2 Ink
Selection of ink types
Ink is a black pigment for writing brush characters. In ancient times, manganese oxide was used as ink, which was called graphite. Han later began to use pine smoke as ink. After the Song Dynasty, oily smoke ink came into being.
(1) Song Yanmo
Song Yanmo is made of ashes smoked from pine branches mixed with animal bone glue. Because bone glue will rot, it is matched with musk, borneol, pig bile and other medicinal materials to prevent corrosion, and it can dissolve glue and enhance the penetration of ink.
(2) Oil fume ink
The malodorous ink is the smoke smoked with lard and tung oil (kerosene is often used now). Oil smoke ink, black and shiny; Song Yanmo is dark and dreary.
The quality of ink has both advantages and disadvantages. Good ink requires good quality, light glue, black color and clear sound.
Good quality means that there is no sand impurity in Mo Ding, and the quality of cigarettes is also very good. Optical glue is bone glue, not too much. Glue is heavy, and the ink will be thick after a little study, but the strokes are not black when writing, and the pen is still stagnant. Good ink is light, the color is black after short grinding, and the writing is smooth.
Black means that the ink color should be black, and it is better if it is purple. Sound is clear, that is, when grinding ink, you can't hear the sound of grinding ink, which means that the ink has no impurities. Another way of saying this is that the sound of knocking on Mo Ding is crisp, indicating that the glue is very light. Good ink with these advantages, because there is not much gum, it is brittle and easy to break, so we should pay attention to preservation.
Section 3, Paper
First, writing brush paper.
Calligraphy works are generally written on Xuan paper, because Xuan paper can best express the dryness and wetness of ink. However, the raw material of rice paper is Dalbergia bark, and the production process is complicated. The ancients said that "it is not easy to cut paper, but it is seventy-two", so rice paper is expensive. Beginners generally use cheap paper such as meta-book paper and tassel paper.
The fourth quarter inkstone?
I. Types of inkstones
The inkstone is an essential tool for grinding and holding ink. The most expensive inkstones are Duanyan and She Yan.
Duanyan was produced in Duanzhou, now Gaoyao County, Zhaoqing, Guangdong. The characteristics of Duan inkstone are: "light, rigid and soft, grinding and silent without fiber sound, pressing like children's skin, soft and tender but not slippery." (History of Duan Xi inkstone)
In other words, a good inkstone is fine in texture, and when it is ground, it will not only produce ink (easy to grind rough) but also make no noise, and the ink is not easy to dry. Therefore, the moist and delicate Guangdong inkstone is the best known at home and abroad. But it is expensive, and it is a treasure, not something that beginners should pursue.
Second, the selection and use of inkstone
For beginners, inkstone doesn't need to be exquisite, just ordinary brick inkstone. Don't choose the craft inkstone for carving dragons and phoenixes, choose the ordinary round inkstone with a thin-walled deep pool. One is that the ink is full, which is conducive to writing big characters; Both of them use up a cover, which not only prevents drying, but also is not easy to fall off.
Pay attention to the smoothness of the inkstone surface when purchasing, and the stone is fine without cracks, but it can't be as smooth as a mirror and too bright to grind ink; But it can't be too rough, the inkstone surface is rough, the grinding sound is loud, and the ground ink particles are too thick, which will affect Mo Yun and hurt the brushwork.
Extended data:
Paperweight, that is, things used to press paper when writing and drawing, are mostly rectangular strips now, which are also called weight scales and pressure scales for some reason.
First, the origin of paperweight
The original paperweights had no fixed shape. The origin of paperweight is that ancient literati often put small bronzes and jade articles on their desks to enjoy. Because they all have a certain weight, people will press paper or books with their hands when they appreciate them. Over time, they developed into a stationery-paperweight.
The original form was basically made of bronze and other metals, and gradually developed into jade, stone, porcelain, rosewood, ebony and other materials during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, among which stone was the most; In modeling, due to the increasing popularity of literati printing, inkstone engraving and the wide application of couplets, paperweights are mainly long strips, especially in pairs, with poems, aphorisms and epigrams engraved on them or bamboo chrysanthemums painted on them, which are both practical and beautiful. Especially in the decorated study, paperweights should be the crowning touch to reflect the owner's hobbies and interests.
Second, the selection and use of paperweights
For beginners, paperweights that are both decorative and practical can be ignored. Of course, if you have the financial resources and the opportunity, it is also very interesting to receive a paperweight with distinctive characteristics to add color to the life of calligraphy and painting.
Generally speaking, you can consider ordinary wooden paperweights first, which are relatively cheap and can create the meaning of pen and ink. As for jade, metal, rosewood and other paperweights, the price is a little expensive, so you can choose according to your actual situation. I don't explain them one by one. In short, if you want to practice your handwriting well, the most important thing is persistence. As for external things, just follow your heart.