China has a long history of using ink, and its ink-making technology has always been famous in the world.
There are many kinds of ink, but they are mainly divided into two categories: one is oil smoke ink, and the other is Song Yanmo.
Oily tobacco ink is mainly made by burning tobacco with tung oil, lard and other animals and plants, and then adding glue, musk and borneol. Oil smoke ink belongs to the first-class ink, with solid and delicate texture, wear resistance, black and shiny color, but heavy gum.
Song Yanmo is made by burning pine branches and adding glue, herbs and spices. It is characterized by black color, less luster, light gum and easy water ingress.
You Yan Mo and Song Yanmo are both suitable for writing calligraphy. Oil smoke ink is more suitable for calligraphy creation.
The quality of ink is generally judged by "fine quality, light glue, black color and clear sound". Boutique refers to the fine and moist texture of ink, without impurities and bubbles, or the bubbles are very small, and the structure is tight, and the ground ink particles are fine; Light glue means that there is less glue in the ink, and the ground ink is thick but not muddy, sticky, astringent and stagnant; Black means that the color is black and bright, purple light is the best in ink, followed by pure black and blue light; Clear sound means that the sound is crisp and not rough when grinding or knocking.
In addition, you can also judge the pros and cons from the smell of ink. Good ink is fragrant inside but not outside, and it overflows when it is ground.
The choice of ink should be based on actual needs. Generally speaking, the ink for writing big characters can be thicker; The ink for writing fine print should be more delicate. Writing big characters, using glue and heavy ink, is helpful to exert the pen power; Write small print with light glue to avoid the pen tip from going smoothly. Written on soft paper, the ink is fine. There is no harm in writing on hard paper with thicker ink. Write with bristles, and the ink needs to be coarsened; With a soft brush, the ink is lighter and easier to float. When writing regular script, the ink should be thicker; When writing cursive, the ink is slightly lighter and the writing is smoother. When you are new to calligraphy, don't be too particular about using ink. You can practice grinding ink with ordinary ink blocks or finished ink.
When writing with ink blocks, we should pay attention to three points: first, we should add water one by one. Use a clean inkstone for grinding ink. Add a little water at first, then add water when it is almost thick, and then grind it after adding water. You need to add water many times, and grind it to the right depth and enough according to the number of words you write. In the Song Dynasty, Zhu said in Mo Chi: "The study of ink should be cool, and cool will give birth to light; Ink should not be hot, it will bubble when it is hot. " Second, be sure to press it again and grind it lightly. When grinding ink, keep the Mo Ding basically perpendicular to the inkstone surface, and gently press and move. You can move back and forth or move in circles. Third, dry and preserve. When the ink is worn enough, take out Mo Ding, wrap it in paper and put it in a plastic bag to prevent Mo Ding from bursting, deformation and deterioration due to damp, or cracking due to dryness.
When writing with ink, you should pay attention to two points: first, you should not add water to the bottle. Ink contains preservatives, which will cause chemical reaction, corruption, deterioration and odor when mixed with water. Second, don't use a pen with water to directly insert the ink bottle into the ink. Usually, you should have an inkstone for writing, and you can also prepare containers such as plates and small bowls, and pour as much as you want. Students usually practice calligraphy with ordinary ink. If you want to create calligraphy on rice paper, you'd better choose a little more expensive calligraphy and painting ink.