Brushwork is the most basic element of calligraphy, including three aspects: holding the pen, handling the pen, and using the pen.
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, said in "On Calligraphy": "In general, when learning calligraphy, the fingers want to be solid, the palms want to be empty, the tubes want to be straight, and the heart wants to be round.
It is also said: the wrist is upright. If the front is straight, then the four sides will be strong.
If the finger is strong, the muscles and bones will be even.
If the palm is weak, it will be easy to use." points out the correct way to write. In order to understand its meaning, Mr. Shen Yinmo, a modern man, studied the writing techniques carefully and summed up the five-character writing method of "pushing, pressing, hooking, grid, and resisting". The key points are to point to the solid, palm empty, wrist flat, and palm upright.
Practice has proved that the "five-character writing method" is an effective method of holding pen. It can ensure that the writer writes with "straight tubes and round centers". The so-called "straight tubes and round centers" refer to The pen barrel and pen core can be kept in the same straight line at all times during the writing process, so that the brush can move in any direction during writing, and can attack from all directions, and the stipples can be both powerful and flexible.
Therefore, for a beginner, we believe that he should master the "five-character writing method". Another issue to pay attention to when writing is the control of strength and height.
Generally speaking, if the pen is held too loosely, it will be unstable, and if it is too tight, it will be stiff. The general principle is to be steady but able to use it flexibly.
But for those who are new to small regular script, because the dot painting is delicate and difficult to control, you can hold the pen a little tighter and then relax more when you have mastered it to a certain extent.
The height of the writing often changes depending on the size of the book. For a small task such as the "Ling Fei Jing", it is better to hold the writing lower. The purpose is to ensure steady use and easy control.
In a broad sense, the technique of writing requires the coordination of the fingers, wrists, elbows, arms, waist and even feet and the whole body, which is what the ancients called the full strength of the whole body. This is most fully reflected when writing the list.
When writing in small regular script, focus on moving your wrists. It’s okay to use your fingers for small parts, and just sit in a correct posture.
There are three types of wrist techniques: pillowing, raising the wrist, and hanging the wrist. When writing small regular letters, just use the pillowing wrist.
The method is to place the back of your left hand under the wrist of your right hand.
Of course, in terms of high requirements, we still advocate raising the wrist or even hanging the wrist, because the stipples written in this way are more vivid.
The correct way to move the wrist is: on the premise that the wrist is flat, the wrist can swing left and right on the same plane. This movement is especially commonly used when writing horizontal drawings, and it must be mastered with great effort.
When moving the wrist, be careful not to rotate with the forearm as the axis (this problem is mainly reflected in the strokes written are often erratic and weak when writing) or flatten the raised palm and press down (this problem One problem is manifested in writing vertical paintings, and the stipples written are often timid and weak.) The key to the above-mentioned problems is stiffness of the elbows and shoulders, and inflexible joints throughout the body.
It can be seen that in order to write small regular script well, you must also pay attention to it. Therefore, experienced calligraphers in the past have advocated that writing small regular script should be treated like writing large regular script.
1. Dot painting The use of brushes in stipple painting is the ultimate realization and concrete reflection of brushwork, so people often attribute brushwork to the use of brushes.
The ancients once said: To learn a book, you need to use a pen, but to use a pen, you need to use a sharp edge.
Indeed, the brush-using methods summarized by calligraphers for more than a thousand years all revolve around how to make good use of the edge.
The writing methods summarized by the ancients are at best complicated, and sometimes mixed with some mysterious colors.
Below, we select some important brushwork techniques and make a concise analysis based on the "Ling Fei Jing".
By the way, I would like to remind readers that this part is the center of the book. It is recommended that the model characters selected here (enlarged) be used as the main study object for in-depth study of the "Ling Fei Jing" or other small copybooks. .
Stippling refers to the beginning, line and end of each stroke in calligraphy.
Sun Guoting of the Tang Dynasty said in his "Shu Pu": The dot painting is really used as the form and quality, so that it can be transformed into emotion.
"True" refers to regular script, which uses pointillism as the basic form. It requires that the beginning, line and end of each stroke should be in place and clean.
The key to starting a pen is how to start the pen. The key to starting the pen is to quickly start the pen, fold the edge, and spread out the brush strokes. The whole process must be done in one go. The requirement is to spread out the gathered brush strokes and use all the brush strokes together.
During the writing process, firstly, you must continue to spread the hair, secondly, you must lift and press, and thirdly, you must use the counter trend, that is, "no direction, no droop, no shrinkage". When closing the brush, the strokes are required to be forward. Specifically, there are two methods of finishing or starting the next stroke when it is delivered and when it is delivered. The former is often used to close short strokes, and the latter is mostly used to finish long strokes.
2. Shi Zhuan Shi Zhuan, that is, the mapping relationship between strokes, is a means of expressing expressions in regular script works, and is the prerequisite for stability and change in regular script works.
Regular script is different from cursive script. The transition between strokes is often reflected in the disconnection between strokes, which is the so-called "break of the strokes to connect the meaning". In the Qing Dynasty Tao Pei, it is believed: [True use of Pan Xian ( "Zhuan" is in the void, and its movement is also fast. This means that the "Zhuan" in regular script is used in invisible places. In order to be coherent, the movement of the "Zhuan" must be fast.
This requires us to deeply understand the relationship between each dot painting when reading the post, and write out the strokes of a few words in "Ling Fei Jing" during practice. For example, "Wei" has a running script meaning, It is easy to see the process of making and turning, but the relationship between making and turning most characters requires careful observation by readers to understand (as shown in the picture)
3. The method of raising and pressing versus raising and pressing should be understood from two aspects , in short, 'the two, mentioning and pressing, can be separated but not separated' (Shen Yinmo said) The so-called 'separable' means generally speaking, when you want to write more carefully, you should mention it, and when you want to write thicker, you can press it.
For example, the thickness of the strokes of the word "神" is very different, which is achieved by the continuous switching of the pressing.
But it is superficial to understand the mortgage in this way. We also need to see the ‘inseparable’ aspect of both parties.
Liu Xizai's "Shu Gui" of the Qing Dynasty pointed out that the calligraphers' words "Ti" and "Jian" are consistent but not separated.
Therefore, the places where the pen is heavy must be lifted by flying, and the places where the pen is light must be pressed firmly, so as to avoid the two diseases of falling and drifting.
He not only pointed out that when pressing with a pen, you must lift, there is lifting when pressing, you must press when lifting, and there is pressing when lifting. The meaning of this lifting and pressing, he also pointed out that the combination of lifting and pressing can avoid rigidity or frivolity pen disease.
Therefore, we must carefully appreciate the principle of "indivisibility" and implement it into the entire process of learning calligraphy.
It can be said that Minghu Titie is already halfway through his calligraphy thinking.
The stippling in "Ling Fei Sutra" is smart and vigorous, and can be lifted and pressed freely, setting a good example for us.
(As shown in the picture)
4. The pause is mainly used at the turning point of the strokes, which is an action in the process of adjusting the stroke.
When the strokes change the direction of movement, by pressing and turning the strokes quickly, briefly, and forcefully, it is like adding a knife and setback, so that the turning point of the stipple painting has both bone strength and unobstructed Qi and meridians, just like a person's joints. Same.
The pause and setback method belongs to the method of adjusting the front. Because of its importance, it is listed separately (as shown in the picture)
5. Beginners who learn calligraphy often end up with weak and flat writing due to the importance of adjusting the front. It was so nerve-wracking and helpless.
In fact, the reason is very simple. It is because he does not know how to adjust his attack.
The method of adjusting the front is mainly used when the strokes are walking and turning, such as vertical bends, horizontal folds and other turning points of the strokes.
Taking horizontal folding as an example, we know that when writing horizontal strokes, the pen goes to the right, but the tip points to the left.
When writing the next vertical painting, the pen moves downward. From the requirement of the center, the front must be completely upward.
This requires us to switch at the turning point of horizontal and vertical handover.
The method of adjusting the pen edge is very simple. When writing horizontally, the pen edge should be fully extended, and then gently lifted to make the pen edge straight without any direction on the plane of the paper, and then press down to write. When drawing vertically, the brush tip is smoothly adjusted in place through the transition of "towards the left → no direction → up" (as shown in the picture).
This is the truth that Chen Yunzhai said in "Xi Zi Jue" that "a turning point is the same as starting a new stroke, not a disconnection, but a change of method."
We often say that calligraphy requires "attacking from all sides" in order to be infinitely varied. The key to "attacking from all sides" is to adjust the stroke to no direction at every transition.
6. The purpose of sparing every detail is to make every detail work together and make the paintings commensurate with the flesh and blood.
Only by being able to press, pause, and setback, and adjust the front, can the paper be stretched without being tied up and weak.
The method of laying out every detail is especially important when writing small regular scripts such as "Ling Fei Jing".
Many people think that small harmonious strokes are thin and can be effective only with the tip of the pen.
In fact, the regular script written in this way is often dry and without flesh and blood, with no bones left.
The correct writing method should strive to make every gleam of the pen touch the paper play a role, and go against the grain. Not only the thicker stipples should be like "Bu, Zi", but also the thinner ones. The first five strokes of stipple painting such as "coupon" should also be plump and round.
(As shown in the picture)
7. Slowness Ouyang Xun of the Tang Dynasty said: The most important thing is not to be busy when writing. If you are busy, you will lose your power. If you are slow, you will be stupid. See "Teaching" Generally speaking, the advantage of slow writing is that the stipples are dignified and thick, but the disadvantage is that it is easy to write obsessively and slowly; fast writing can make the stipples bright and healthy, but the disadvantage is that it is light and slippery.
Therefore, it is biased to unilaterally emphasize "late" or "speed". You should combine the two according to your own proficiency.
Just as Liu Xizai's "Shu Gui" said: No matter how slow or slow the writing is, it is necessary to prepare the method. Those who are good at calligraphy will prepare the method even though they are fast, and those who are not good at calligraphy will leave the method behind even though they are late.
Whether the various rules of writing can be fully expressed is the standard for measuring whether the speed of writing is appropriate.
For those who are new to "Ling Fei Jing", they must pay special attention to the following three points: 1. It is better to be late than hasty.
2. Don’t rush into writing because you think lower regular script is easier to write.
3. It is necessary not only to speed up the overall writing speed appropriately according to the proficiency level in order to achieve vividness, but also to always pay attention to the slow speed ratio within each word and between each line in order to achieve vividness.
8. Should I hide the front when writing? This is a question that has troubled the calligraphy community for a long time.
There have always been different opinions and no concessions to each other.
In fact, this is a fairly simple question, and the answer can be found out based on the large amount of ink written down by generations.
Judging from the works of famous artists and folk relics of the Jin, Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, there are almost no dot paintings that are not started with sharp edges. The well-carved "Ling Fei Jing" also proves this. A fact.
Let’s look at "Nine Trends" by Cai Yong of the Eastern Han Dynasty who first proposed "Zang": Zangtou, because the pen is made of paper, the center of the pen is always moving in pointillism.
This sentence does not mean that the dots should be written with a round head and a round head, but that the strokes should be centered.
Those who think that the starting point of writing should not show any sharpness are, on the one hand, influenced by the inscriptions that have been blurred due to poor inscriptions, and on the other hand, the so-called "want left first and right first" in Cai Yong's "Nine Trends". "Due to the misunderstanding, "If you want to move left first, right first" is a requirement for strokes.
Clarifying this issue is of vital significance to the study of "Ling Fei Jing" and even the entire study of calligraphy.
The dots should be small, each stroke should be straight down, and the pursuit should be the ever-changing direction of the stroke.
Of course, there are many stipples in the "Ling Fei Sutra" like the beginning of the character "Zi" that seem to show no edge, but if viewed in conjunction, it is just a turning point, and it is just a horizontal stroke. The discontinuity in form is still a continuous stroke when writing. The reason is just like the beginning of the fourth stroke.
(As shown in the picture)
9. Internal painting and external painting Internal painting and external painting are two brushing methods with opposite effects, which often lead to completely different structural characteristics.
For example, Ouyang Xun's calligraphy brushes are mainly drawn from the inside, so his expression is bright and energetic, and his spirit is upright; Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy brushes are mainly drawn from the outside, so his energy is restrained.
Generally speaking, it is easier to get the bones with a pen for internal extension, and the style of the structure will be outward; it is easier to get the tendons with a pen for external extension, and the style will be inward.
In the history of calligraphy, there are very few calligraphers who use pure inner strokes or purely outer strokes. Most of them combine the two, or use inner strokes as the main method and outer strokes as a supplement, or vice versa.
The writing used in "Ling Fei Jing" is no more than this. If you look through the entire text, there are mostly internal strokes, such as the vertical strokes of the horizontal fold hook in the upper right corner of the word "Jie"; it is supplemented by external strokes, such as The word "tong", 'yong', has one vertical line on the left and right.
Penmanship is the most basic element of calligraphy, including three aspects: holding the pen, handling the pen, and using the pen.
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, said in "On Calligraphy": "In general, when learning calligraphy, the fingers want to be solid, the palms want to be empty, the tubes want to be straight, and the heart wants to be round.
It is also said: the wrist is upright. If the front is straight, then the four sides will be strong.
If the finger is strong, the muscles and bones will be even.
If the palm is weak, it will be easy to use." points out the correct way to write. In order to understand its meaning, Mr. Shen Yinmo, a modern man, studied the writing techniques carefully and summed up the five-character writing method of "pushing, pressing, hooking, grid, and resisting".
Practice has proved that the "five-character writing method" is an effective method of holding pen. It can ensure that the writer writes with "straight tubes and round centers". The so-called "straight tubes and round centers" refer to The pen barrel and pen core can be kept in the same straight line at all times during the writing process, so that the brush can move in any direction during writing, and can attack from all directions, and the stipples can be both powerful and flexible.
Therefore, for a beginner, we believe that he should master the "five-character writing method". Another issue to pay attention to when writing is the control of strength and height.
Generally speaking, if the pen is held too loosely, it will be unstable, and if it is too tight, it will be stiff. The general principle is to be steady but able to use it flexibly.
But for those who are new to small regular script, because the dot painting is delicate and difficult to control, you can hold the pen a little tighter and then relax more when you have mastered it to a certain extent.
The height of the writing often changes depending on the size of the book. For a small task such as the "Ling Fei Jing", it is better to hold the writing lower. The purpose is to ensure steady use and easy control.
In a broad sense, the technique of writing requires the coordination of the fingers, wrists, elbows, arms, waist and even feet and the whole body, which is what the ancients called the full strength of the whole body. This is most fully reflected when writing the list.
When writing in small regular script, focus on moving your wrists. It’s okay to use your fingers for small parts, and just sit in a correct posture.
There are three types of wrist techniques: pillowing, raising the wrist, and hanging the wrist. When writing small regular letters, just use the pillowing wrist.
The method is to place the back of your left hand under the wrist of your right hand.
Of course, in terms of high requirements, we still advocate raising the wrist or even hanging the wrist, because the stipples written in this way are more vivid.
The correct way to move the wrist is: on the premise that the wrist is flat, the wrist can swing left and right on the same plane. This movement is especially commonly used when writing horizontal drawings and must be mastered with great effort.
When moving the wrist, be careful not to rotate with the forearm as the axis (this problem is mainly reflected in the strokes written are often erratic and weak when writing) or flatten the raised palm and press down (this problem One problem is manifested in writing vertical paintings, and the stipples written are often timid and weak.) The key to the above-mentioned problems is stiffness of the elbows and shoulders, and inflexible joints throughout the body.
It can be seen that in order to write small regular script well, you must also pay attention to it. Therefore, experienced calligraphers in the past have advocated that writing small regular script should be treated like writing large regular script.
1. Dot painting The use of brushes in stipple painting is the ultimate realization and concrete reflection of brushwork, so people often attribute brushwork to the use of brushes.
The ancients once said: To learn a book is to use a pen, and to use a pen is to use a sharp edge.
Indeed, the brush-using methods summarized by calligraphers for more than a thousand years all revolve around how to make good use of the edge.
The writing methods summarized by the ancients are at best complicated, and sometimes mixed with some mysterious colors.
Below, we select some important brushwork techniques and make a concise analysis based on the "Ling Fei Jing".
By the way, I would like to remind readers that this part is the center of the book. It is recommended that the model characters selected here (enlarged) be used as the main study object for in-depth study of the "Ling Fei Jing" or other small copybooks. .
Stippling refers to the beginning, line and end of each stroke in calligraphy.
Sun Guoting of the Tang Dynasty said in his "Shu Pu": The dot painting is really used as the form and quality, so that it can be transformed into emotion.
"True" refers to regular script, which uses pointillism as the basic form. It requires that the beginning, line and end of each stroke should be in place and clean.
The key to starting a pen is how to start the pen. The key to starting the pen is to quickly start the pen, fold the edge, and spread out the brush strokes. The whole process must be done in one go. The requirement is to spread out the gathered brush strokes and use all the brush strokes together.
During the writing process, firstly, you must continue to spread the hair, secondly, you must lift and press, and thirdly, you must use the counter trend, that is, "no direction, no droop, no shrinkage". When closing the brush, the strokes are required to be forward. Specifically, there are two methods of finishing or starting the next stroke when it is delivered and when it is delivered. The former is often used to close short strokes, and the latter is mostly used to finish long strokes.
2. Shi Zhuan Shi Zhuan, that is, the mapping relationship between strokes, is a means of expressing expressions in regular script works, and is the prerequisite for stability and change in regular script works.
Regular script is different from cursive script. The transition between strokes is often reflected in the disconnection between strokes, which is the so-called "break of the strokes to connect the meaning". In the Qing Dynasty Tao Pei, it is believed: [True use of Pan Xian ( "Zhuan" is in the void, and its movement is also fast. This means that the "Zhuan" in regular script is used in invisible places. In order to be coherent, the movement of the "Zhuan" must be fast.
This requires us to deeply understand the relationship between each dot painting when reading the post, and write out the strokes of a few words in "Ling Fei Jing" during practice. For example, "Wei" has a running script meaning, It is easy to see the process of making and turning, but the relationship between making and turning most characters requires careful observation by readers to understand (as shown in the figure) 3. The method of lifting and pressing should be understood from two aspects. In short, that is "The two of them, mentioning and pressing, can be separated but cannot be separated" (Shen Yinmo said) The so-called "separable" means generally speaking, when you want to write more carefully, you mention it, and when you want to write thicker, you press it.
For example, the thickness of the strokes of the word "神" is very different, which is achieved by the continuous switching of the pressing.
But it is superficial to only understand the mortgage in this way. We also need to see the ‘inseparable’ aspect of both parties.
Liu Xizai's "Shu Gui" of the Qing Dynasty pointed out that calligraphers use the two words "ti" and "press", which are consistent but not separated.
Therefore, the places where the pen is heavy must be lifted by flying, and the places where the pen is light must be pressed firmly, so as to avoid the two diseases of falling and drifting.
He not only pointed out that when pressing with a pen, you must lift, there is lifting when pressing, you must press when lifting, and there is pressing when lifting. The meaning of this lifting and pressing, he also pointed out that the combination of lifting and pressing can avoid rigidity or frivolity pen disease.
Therefore, we must carefully appreciate the principle of "indivisibility" and implement it into the entire process of learning calligraphy.
It can be said that Minghu Titie is already halfway through his thoughts on calligraphy.
The stippling in "Ling Fei Sutra" is smart and vigorous, and can be lifted and pressed freely, setting a good example for us.
(As shown in the picture) 4. The pause is mainly used at the turning point of the strokes, which is the action in the process of adjusting the stroke.
When the strokes change the direction of movement, by pressing and turning the strokes quickly, briefly, and forcefully, it is like adding a knife and setback, so that the turning point of the stipple painting has both bone strength and unobstructed Qi and meridians, just like a person's joints. Same.
The pause and setback method belongs to the method of adjusting the front. Because of its importance, it is listed separately (as shown in the picture). 5. Beginners of calligraphy often write weak and thin slanted fronts, which makes them frustrated and helpless. .