How to grind ink
Grind the ink gently and slowly, keep the ink flat, and make vertical circles on the inkstone. Do not grind at an angle or push straight. Use less water than more water to grind the ink. If the ink is thickened, add water and grind again. Use clean water to grind ink, not tea or hot water. The ink should be ground to a moderate thickness, not too thick or too light. After grinding, put the ink into the box to prevent it from drying out. It takes a long time to sharpen ink. In order to avoid soreness and fatigue in your right hand, it is best to practice sharpening with your left hand.
First put a small amount of water in the inkstone pool. If there is too much water, it will easily shake out of the inkstone pool when grinding ink. Soaking the ink ink in water will also make the ink soft and produce small ink chips. Once dissolved in the ink, it will affect the quality of the ink grinding. If a large amount of ink is needed to write large characters, you can grind it several times, pour the thickened ink into another container, and then add some water to the inkstone to continue grinding.
When grinding ink, pay attention to pinch and hold the ink stick straight, press it hard and grind slowly, do not grind too fast, and draw a circle along the edge of the round inkstone in a clockwise direction. The grinding range should be larger, and do not grind in Small area grinding in the center of the inkstone.
When grinding ink, you need to hang your arms parallel to the table, hold the ink stick in your hand like a pen, and use the movement of your wrist and arm to grind the ink. If you rest your arm on the table and use only the movement of your wrist and fingers to grind the ink, the ink stick will be ground at a bevel.
Grinding ink is a good way to practice the basic skills of writing. Grinding ink in the correct way is equivalent to practicing drawing circles. Grind frequently and the habit will become natural. When you pick up the pen, you will draw a very round and thick circle. This will be very beneficial for future writing, especially cursive writing.
Mr. Lin Sanzhi, a contemporary grass sage, once spurred students with the couplet "Reading is a true career, sharpening the ink and quieting the kung fu". Mr. Gao Ershi, another contemporary master of calligraphy, also has a poem that says, "People say that ink grinds away people's ink, and it becomes precious only when it is worn through an iron inkstone." They all expressed the rich connotation that grinding ink can cultivate people's patience and temper their perseverance.
The ink must be ground thick, and this "thickness" has a certain limit. If it is too thick, it will be as thick as mud, and it will stick to the pen, making it difficult to write; if it is too thin, the ink will penetrate too quickly, and the handwriting will leave a large circle of water stains on the paper, making the strokes blurry. The concentration should be moderate.
What is considered moderate? It can be seen from the traces of grinding the ink: if the ink quickly submerges the grinding traces after grinding the ink ingot, it means that the ink is not thick enough and you can continue grinding. Grinding ink is very time-consuming. You can read a book or post while grinding ink, so don't waste time. If the ink stick leaves clear grinding marks where it has been ground, and at the same time, the ink slowly submerges the grinding marks, it means the concentration is moderate. If the traces after the ink remain still, it means it is too thick and can be diluted appropriately. Another way to check whether the concentration is appropriate is to dip a little ink on the rice paper or Yuan Shu paper with the tip of the pen and touch it to see if the ink dots seep out. If the ink is as thick as paint and the ink dots seep out slightly, it proves that it has been polished. OK, you can write. After grinding the ink, you should pay attention to two points: first, do not leave the ink ingot in the inkstone pool to prevent the ink ingot glue from being removed from the inkstone surface; second, wipe off the water on the ink ingot to prevent the ink from loosening in the water-soaked part. And falling ink particles.
The key to whether the ink is good or bad is the ink and the inkstone, the method and whether to use well water are secondary.
I secretly believe that inferior ink is not as good as better ink.
Paper and ink match each other, Sun Guoting said it is a perfect fit. Of course, it is hard to find good materials now. Paper is not good, and ink is not good either. We have to keep looking for and adjusting the materials to suit our needs. , and constantly understand how to best suit your own calligraphy style. Light ink can be clear, and thick ink can be thick. Brother Yanbo likes to write Sun Guoting's calligraphy. Have you ever seen the calligraphy of the Erxuan Society edition, the pen and ink are elegant, and the original It is made with light ink, so I should not worry about light ink.
As for how to grind the ink to black, just use time to grind it. As for making the ink thicker, according to my experience, the ink will be darker after grinding. It will always be less astringent than ink because the glue of the ink stick is lighter.
Mo Zheng:
Liu Gongquan has the so-called "Bi Zheng", and the same goes for grinding ink. The heart is Zheng Zheng and the ink is Zheng. If the ink is not straight and slanted, it will be unsightly and the result will be polished. The ink is also uneven.
Use as you grind:
The ink must be ground freshly, because if the ink is left for more than a day, the glue and coal will gradually separate, and the ink will lack luster and will not last long. Books written with long-lasting ink are prone to fading. However, some of the ready-made inks sold on the market are heavy and slow down the pen, while others are too low in concentration and easily melt when falling off the paper. They also contain many preservatives and are prone to damage to the pen edge, so they should not be used.
In the storage box:
After grinding the ink, take out the ink and do not place it in the inkstone. Otherwise, the glue will easily stick to the inkstone and will be difficult to remove after drying. It can also prevent moisture from softening. , both sides suffer losses. It cannot be exposed to sunlight to avoid drying. Therefore, it is best to put it in a box to prevent moisture, direct sunlight, and dust. This is the best way.
The "Four Pus of the Study: Ink Pubu" written by Su Yijian of the Song Dynasty says: "Printing the ink is like a disease, and the cover is heavy and the ink is mixed evenly without mud." "The ink needs to be cool when grinding, as coolness will produce light. The ink should not be hot, as hot will produce foam. Avoid grinding the ink in a hurry and the ink will become hot." Li Yangbing also said: "If the user spins and grinds, he will not stop for a long time. Over time, the dust will be stained and the glue will die. The mud is so dull that it is impossible to write." Chen Yi of the Yuan Dynasty once said in "Hanlin Essentials: Meat Method": "It is necessary to grind ink." The method is to press hard and push gently, and the operation will be close to the fold. "When grinding ink, do not use inkstone water, which will cause the ink to stagnate. You must use water drops to draw new water for temporary consideration."
Grind: Never tire of grinding ink. Late. As the old saying goes: grinding ink is like getting sick. When doing research, direct research is the best. If you do research, you will see the true color without damaging the ink. If it is round and polished, it will take advantage of the strong force and come and go like the wind to help the color. It is not the true color of the ink, but the ink seller is round and polished. If you grind it incorrectly, the water will often damage half of it, and half of it is not as good as the one you used first. But ordinary people grind it incorrectly. Every ink shop does not work in making, but works in grinding, and what they sell is ink. If you study it yourself, it will always be excellent. If the coal is ground finely, it will dry slowly; if the coal is ground coarsely, it will dry quickly; if the coal is ground well, it will be like rhinoceros; if it is bad, it will be like mud.