The writing brush originated around 1600-1066 BC. Regarding the origin of the brush, there are different theories in history. The most recorded story in history is the story of Meng Tian making a brush. However, modern scholars believe that the brush existed long before Meng Tian.
The original writing brush was used to trace the strokes of oracle bone inscriptions, and the actual use of writing brushes may have begun with writing on slips and brocades.
Types of brushes
The classification of brushes is mainly based on size, as well as the type, source, shape, etc. of the bristles.
* According to size, brushes can be simply divided into: small regular script, medium regular script, and large regular script.
* Classification by brush hair
o Types: soft hair, hard hair, mixed hair, etc.
o Source: fetal hair brush, wolf brush, rabbit shoulder purple hair brush, deer hair brush, chicken hair brush, duck hair brush, wool brush, pig hair brush, rat hair brush, tiger hair brush, ox hair brush, etc.
(1) Sheep hairs. The nib is made of goat hair. The halo pen is relatively soft and absorbs a large amount of ink, making it suitable for writing round and thick stipples. It is more durable than the Langhao pen. Most of these pens are Hu pens, which are relatively cheap. Common ones include large regular script, Jingti (or Tibi), Lianfeng, Pingfeng, Dingfeng, Gaifeng, banner, jade bamboo shoot, magnolia pistil, Jinghao, etc.
(2) Langhao pen. The tip of the pen is made from the hair on the weasel's tail. The rat tail produced in the Northeast is the most popular, and is called "Northern Langhao" and "Guandong Liaowei". Wolf brush pens are stronger than sheep brush pens and are suitable for writing and painting, but they are not as durable as sheep brush pens and are more expensive than sheep brush pens. Common varieties include orchid and bamboo, freehand brushwork, landscape, flowers, leaf tendons, clothing patterns, red beans, small Seiko, deer and wolf hair calligraphy and painting (made from adding deer hair to wolf hair), leopard and wolf hair (made from adding leopard hair to wolf hair), Specially made Changfeng Langhao, super-grade Changfeng Langhao, etc.
(3) Zihao. The tip of the pen is made of rabbit fur and is named after its purple-black and shiny color. This kind of hair is straight, sharp, and more elastic than wolf hair. Hare hair produced in Anwei is the best.
(4) Both. The pen head is made of two kinds of animal hair with different hardness and softness. Common types include sheep, wolf and both hair, sheep and purple, such as five purple and five sheep, seven purple and three sheep, etc. This kind of pen combines the advantages of the Yanglanghao pen, with moderate rigidity and softness, and is moderately priced. It is commonly used by calligraphers and painters. The types include harmonious style and heart quilt style.
o Shape: round, sharp, etc.
* Brush barrel
o Gold, silver, ivory, glass, rosewood, mottled bamboo
Currently the most famous place for producing brushes is Shanlian, Wuxing County, Zhejiang Province The town of Huzhou is called Hubi.
History
In 1954, a well-preserved writing brush was unearthed from the Chu Tomb No. 15 in Zuogong Mountain, Changsha in the mid-Warring States Period. Using wood as a pole and using bamboo tubes to cover the wooden pole with hair, this is the original brush. Legend has it that the wool brush invented by Meng Tian, ??a general of the Qin Dynasty, was made by trapping wool into the tip of the pen and stuffing it into the hole of the pen holder. The improvement of Mengtian's calligraphy pen was of great significance to the formation of small seal script. Unlike large seal script, the lines of small seal script are graceful and winding, which cannot be done by hard objects, so it should be written with a calligraphy brush. Later generations of the pen-making industry regarded Meng Tian as the founder. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, the writing brush had many names, such as "Yu", "Bulu", "Fu", etc., which were later collectively referred to as "Bi".
The "Xijing Miscellanies" records that the imperial brush used by the emperor of the Han Dynasty was inlaid with gems and made of autumn rabbit hair.
Painters on brushwork
* Wen Zhenheng: "pointed", "even", "round" and "healthy" are the four virtues of brushwork.
* Zhang Daqian. Zhang Daqian said that a very expensive watercolor pen produced in the UK is made from the fine hairs in the ears of cattle in a certain place in the UK. Only 2,500 cattle can produce one pound of cattle ear hairs. The brush made of ox ear hair is full of water absorption and elastic.
Among all kinds of pen products, writing brushes can be regarded as a unique category in China. The traditional writing brush is not only a necessary study tool for the ancients, but also has unique power in expressing the special charm of Chinese calligraphy and painting.
If the quilt also has multiple layers, there are rabbit hairs as pillars, plus a shorter wool quilt, and then draped with hairs as long as the pillars, with three layers, so the roots are particularly thick, the tips are thinner, and more ink can be stored. , easy to write. Characteristics vary depending on the mixing ratio. They may be hard or soft, or have moderate hardness and softness. They are also cheap and labor-saving, which are all advantages.
Bi: How to choose a pen
A pen has the "Four Virtues", namely "point, neatness, roundness, and health", which are introduced one by one below:
Point : It means that when the pen hairs are gathered together, the end should be sharp. The tip of the pen makes it easier to write with sharp edges and is easier to express. Writers often refer to their pens as "bald pens", but if the pen is not sharp, it will become a bald pen and the charm of writing will be lost. When buying a new pen, the vellus hairs are glued together, making it easy to tell. When inspecting an old pen, wet the pen first and gather the vellus hairs to identify tip baldness.
Qi: means that after the pen tip is smoothed and flattened, the nibs will be even. If the hair is even, the length will be equal when pressed, and there will be no gaps in the middle. When writing, "all the hair will work together". Since the pen needs to be completely lubed, it is difficult to check this when purchasing.
Round: refers to the shape of a pen that is as round as a jujube stone, which means that the hair is sufficient. If the vellus hair is abundant, the writing power will be sufficient when writing, otherwise, the body will be thin and the writing power will be lacking. If the stroke of the pen is perfect, the strokes of the pen will be smooth and smooth. When purchasing, you will know if the vellus hair is gathered together by glue. You will know if it is perfect by taking a closer look. Jian: refers to the elasticity of the waist of the pen; when the pen is lifted up after heavy pressure, it will immediately return to its original shape. If the pen is elastic, it can be used freely; generally speaking, rabbit hair and wolf hair are more elastic than sheep hair, and the writing is also strong and straight. Regarding this point, after smoothing the pen, press it again and then lift it up. A straight edge will make it strong.
The four virtues refer to the function of the pen itself, and the copied inscriptions should also be taken into consideration when choosing a pen. The so-called "use the pen used by a certain family and write that kind of calligraphy". To judge which kind of pen is used, the best way is to directly look at his handwriting: if the style is strong and vigorous, choose strong brush strokes; if the style is plump and plump, choose soft brush strokes; if the style is hard and soft, choose both brush strokes. . The characteristics of the pen also affect the calligraphy written, so that the wonderful state of calligraphy can be achieved. Another point is the font size. Use a large pen to write large characters and a small pen to write small characters. Writing large characters with a small pen is easy to damage the pen and cannot be rotated freely. Writing small characters with a large pen is a waste of time.
Pen: How to maintain your pen
After you have a good pen, maintenance is also very important. To enable a new pen, you must first open it. Soak the purchased pen in "warm water", and do not soak it in water for too long until the tip of the pen is "fully open". Do not allow the glue at the base of the pen to melt, otherwise it will become a "hair-shedding pen" and the hair will easily fall off. Purple hair is hard and should be soaked in water for a while.
Moisturizing the pen is a necessary task before writing. You cannot write as soon as the pen is stained with ink. The method is to soak the pen with clean water first, and then lift it up. Do not soak it for a long time to prevent the glue at the base of the pen from melting. Then hang the pen upside down until the tip of the pen regains its flexibility, which should take about ten minutes. The pen must be dry when stored. If the pen is written without moistening, the hair will become brittle, easy to break, and have poor elasticity if pressed hard. Only after that can you start writing. K?Jiangai?Geng?⒎qiaoqi?Zheng?Grey?ニ?Yunshu?Pure umbrella! Deputy?Pat?Zheng?Bao Meng?Liang Liaqiao? The pen must be washed immediately after writing. If the ink is not washed away, the pen will be firmly bonded to the ink and glue after it dries. It is not easy to melt when using, and it is easy to break the pen.
After cleaning, dry the remaining water on the pen and straighten it out (same as before filling in ink), and then hang the pen on the pen holder. Allow the remaining water to drip until it dries. Keep it dry in a cool place to preserve its original shape and characteristics. Do not expose it to sunlight.