What kind of writing brush to use depends on the font and the size of the characters.
Under normal circumstances, both pens are used. The so-called combined brushes are actually sheep hair + wolf hair (soft hair + hard hair), and some are soft hair + nylon silk (this kind of brush is more common now and has low cost.) This kind of brush has moderate elasticity and is easy to master and control.
The more famous contemporary calligraphers actually choose different brushes according to their own feel, so it is easy to express their own personality. This is a combination of tools and technology.
Everyone who writes knows about rice paper. Rice paper is basically divided into three categories:
1. Raw rice paper, which is prone to ink smearing;
2. Cooked rice paper, which does not smudge Smeared with ink;
3. Half-cooked Xuan, not too smeared with ink.
When creating freehand Chinese paintings or calligraphy, it is best to use raw rice paper. Raw rice paper has not been brushed with alum water, so it absorbs water quickly. In addition, its pulling force is greater than cooked rice paper. Suitable for creation. Ripe rice paper brushed with alum water absorbs water slowly and is suitable for creating some meticulous paintings.
Texture is the most important thing when choosing paper. Paper with poor quality is easy to damage pens and difficult to preserve. Famous papers from ancient to modern times are all famous for their quality, such as Chengxintang paper "Miruxi" ”, the jade plate declares “flexible and durable”. Tough and tight paper is the best, and you can tell by visual inspection when choosing.
If the paper is not white, it means that the raw materials are not good, or the water quality is poor, it is not considered good paper. The extremely white jade board Xuanbian uses sandalwood as raw material, and the Shujian "paper is made from Huanhuatan water" are both examples. If it is dyed, it must be pure and white, which is the paper with good nature. However, dyed paper is not easy to pass down for a long time. If you hope that the work will be placed in a museum a hundred years later, it is better to avoid using it. You can understand whether it is white or not by looking at it with your eyes, so I don’t need to say more.
The surface of paper can be divided into smooth and rough. Smooth paper is solid and easy to write on, but if it is too slippery and the pen passes lightly, there will be no writing power. If it is rough, the opposite is true and it is easy to write. Gain writing power, but if it is too astringent, it will be difficult to apply the brush and the edge of the pen will be easily damaged. This is called thin but not astringent. This can be distinguished by sight and touch.
The paper must be able to absorb ink, otherwise the ink will float on the surface of the paper, which will easily fall off and cannot be stored for a long time. Generally speaking, rice paper absorbs ink better, while paper paper has the opposite effect. The ink absorption is too strong. If you move the pen slowly, all the dots and drawings will become ink balls. However, if the ink absorbency is too weak, it will be difficult for the ink to enter the paper, which is not suitable. Therefore, when choosing paper, you should consider the style of writing and your personal writing speed. It is better if the ink can enter the paper but not clump. When purchasing, if the store allows it, feel free to try it with ink. You will know after you try it.