Going against the trend is a commonly used technique in calligraphy.
In order to hide the front and pave the way, the reverse method is used, "if you want to go down, go up first, if you want to go right, go left first". Those who write in the opposite direction are called "backward". When starting to write, first write in the opposite direction, and then write in the direction of the word, that is, "start writing against the front".
1. Basic calligraphy training knowledge?
A boxer’s punch can weigh hundreds of kilograms, which shows how much power he has in his hands! But the calligraphy they write is likely to be "frail". On the contrary, the stumbling old calligrapher can write vigorous and vigorous characters! And it doesn’t look tiring. It can really be described as “free and easy”. Nowadays, you can often see some "calligraphy performance artists" shaking their heads, dancing, and making vigorous gestures, which makes people breathless. In fact, he either deceives laymen, or he has not yet started.
What’s the secret? The force on the pen tip. The arm strength of a boxer may be a hundred times that of a calligrapher, but the actual force exerted on the pen tip may be a hundred times that of a boxer. Chinese brushes, even if they are hard, are still soft. The beauty is here, "Only if the brush is soft, it will be strange" (Cai Yong's "Nine Movements"); here is the difficulty. If you don't understand the body method, technique, and brushwork, it will be very difficult to master it. For example, the whip in martial arts is a soft weapon, but it has always been considered a violent weapon that is difficult to resist. "He who uses it well can beat the sword." We can see the master shaking his arms and dancing, using the shaking of his arms and the rotation of various parts of the body, or hitting a certain part of the whip to increase power and change the center and direction of the circle, or wrap, swing, sweep, It can be hung, thrown, danced, or walked on the ground. It can be hit, whipped, hooked, or bound. It can swim like a flying dragon! However, in the hands of ordinary people, this whip is as weak as a dead snake.
When it comes down to calligraphy, of course you need to use force when writing, but you need to use energy, not exhaustion. The so-called "vitality" means to apply the power of the body to the pen tip through the arms, wrists, and fingers. This is one of the criteria to test whether a person can calligraphy.
Therefore, when learning calligraphy, one should first correctly master its techniques, body techniques, and brushwork, so that the movements are accurate, the postures are consistent, the brush strokes are coherent, the end of the pen is focused, the eyes, the heart, the hands are aware, and the consciousness and movements are Coordinate with each other and continuously improve the ability to control the pen.
“It is easy to learn boxing but difficult to change it”. Once wrong or incorrect posture becomes a habit, it is difficult to correct it.
2. How to write a pen
The ancients have been struggling with the issue of writing for thousands of years. Either they are being mysterious, or they have never been around each other for the rest of their lives. In fact, for any tool in the world, the most correct law enforcement is nothing more than the most natural law enforcement that can best perform its functions.
It is said that when Wang Xianzhi was writing, his father Wang Xizhi secretly pulled out his pen from behind but failed to pull it out, so he concluded that his son would be great in the future. If this were to be the criterion for becoming a calligrapher, then calligraphy would be too easy. In fact, holding the pen too tightly is unscientific. If you put all your strength into tightly holding the pen barrel (horizontally), how can you send the force to the pen tip (vertically)?
In this way, does it mean that there is no need to use strength to hold the pen? That's certainly not the case. To hold a pen, you need to hold the pen firmly, so that movement of the wrist and force can be effective. How much lateral force should be distributed? This is not quantitative. The general feeling is similar to holding chopsticks. The first thing is to prevent the chopsticks from falling, but the most critical issue and the ultimate goal is to be able to pick up things.
When holding a pen, the lateral force acting on it is sufficient to hold the pen firmly, that's all. We don’t seem to have to get entangled with all the weird theories of our predecessors.
The function of the fingers is to hold the pen. After holding the pen, you can start writing. When you write, you have to move. This movement is the so-called "writing movement". Writing is mainly accomplished by coordinated movements of the wrist, arm and fingers, with the wrist being the most active.
So, the wrist must be alive.
Only with wrist dexterity can the whole body's strength be directed to the pen tip through the arms, wrists and fingers; only with wrist dexterity can the tip of the pen be adjusted, and can the tip of the pen be controlled in the up and down, left and right lifts, clicks, squares, circles, turns and other changeable strokes. , and can even direct the pen tip at will, reaching the so-called "throwing the pen tip". Especially when writing running script and cursive script, the wrist is constantly swinging from side to side and tossing up and down.
Wrist work means that when writing, the wrist joints should not be tense or even stiff. "The wrist should follow your own will", but it does not mean moving randomly, but should follow the movement of the pen, naturally and Turn in harmony. Even when you are not writing, you can practice with your bare hands. Watching a violinist play, you can get a sense of the movement of the wrist. Because in terms of wrist movements, the two have quite a lot in common.
We can also get inspiration from martial arts. Wu Tunan said in "Introduction to Chinese Martial Arts": "How can you use your strength to reach the enemy at will?" It must depend on whether the wrist is flexible. If the shoulders are not loose, the force cannot reach the elbows; if the elbows are not drooped, the force cannot reach the wrists; if the wrists are not flexible, the force cannot reach the fingers. How about hoping that his power can reach the enemy's body? Therefore, flexibility of the wrist is actually a necessary condition for those who practice Chinese martial arts. "This is basically the same as calligraphy. We can also say that a flexible wrist is actually a necessary condition for those who practice calligraphy.