How to choose a writing brush when learning calligraphy

When learning calligraphy, a good brush should have four conditions: sharp, neat, round and healthy, commonly known as the "four virtues" of writing.

The so-called sharp means that when the pens are gathered together, the nib should be sharp and not bald. The pen tip is easy to write and express. Writers often refer to their pens as "bald pens", but if they are not sharp, they will become bald pens, and there will be no spirit in writing books. When buying a new pen, the hair is glued and polymerized, which is easy to distinguish. When checking the old pen, first wet the pen and gather the hair, then you can distinguish the sharp baldness. The so-called "qi" means that after the nib is dipped in water, it is flattened with your fingers, and the tip of the nib is neat without length. If the brush is neat, the length of the brush is equal at ordinary times, and there is no gap, then it is "ten thousand Li Qi" when writing. Because the pen needs to be completely wet, it is difficult to check this when buying it. The so-called circle means that the circumference of the pen is full and conical, not flat or thin, just right, indicating that there is enough hair. If you have more hair, you will have enough pen power to write, otherwise you will lose weight and lack pen power. The pen is perfect. The pen can turn. When shopping, there is glue in your hair. Is it perfect? Just take a closer look. The so-called health means that the elasticity of pen hair is good, that is, the elasticity of pen waist is good. When the brush hair is lifted under heavy pressure, it is easy to fold after being unfolded, and it will return to its original state after being pressed. If the pen is flexible, it can be used freely; Generally speaking, rabbit hair and wolf hair are more elastic than wool, and their writing is firm and firm. In this regard, press the pen after wetting, and the front is straight and healthy. In addition, we should pay attention to the uniformity and fineness of bristles, so that the front glume is not old and tender, old and yellow, and tender and green. The pen should be straight and round, which is also the place to pay attention to when choosing a brush.

Four virtues refer to the function of the pen itself, and we should also consider the copybook when choosing the pen. The so-called "write a family's words with a family's pen." The best way to judge what kind of pen to use is to look at his handwriting directly: if the style is strong, choose Hao Jian; If you are charming and plump, choose soft; Hard and soft, and then choose double brush. The characteristics of the pen also affect the written calligraphy, thus achieving the wonderful scenery of calligraphy.

According to the size of the font and the requirements of various books, the types of writing brushes are also diverse, generally divided into three types: small, medium and large. There are screen pens for writing screen strips, couplets for writing couplets and hawthorn pens for writing big characters. Hawthorn pen is the largest and can be used to write a list; Gui pen is the smallest, suitable for writing in lower case.

With a good brush, you must be good at using and keeping it, so that you can be handy and extend the life of the brush. Open the new pen before use, that is, soak the nib in warm water or cold water to remove the glue, so that the nib will open completely naturally, and it will be harmful to the pen if it is not opened. Squeeze out the water after you start writing, and then dip it in ink for later use. In this way, the pen contains more ink and the writing is smooth and round. There is also only one or one third of the brush hair, which is easy to control, but the ink content is small, and it naturally melts slowly.