Let's first understand what it is to start writing against the wind. For example, when writing a horizontal picture, when writing, the pen tip wants to be left and right first, hide the pen tip and then move to the right. The horizontal painting is square, not pointed. The problem of hiding the front at first is not to generalize, but to see which copybook is coming. Some posts are like this, and the common one is regular script.
Writing against the wind is a common way to start writing in calligraphy, and it is also the basic skill that beginners must learn first. Commonly used in seal script, official script and regular script. Generally speaking, whether it is seal script or official script, the brushwork should be reversed and regular script should be more flexible. For example, Zhiyong's regular script does not need to go against the wind.
We usually say that hiding the head and protecting the tail means writing against the wind. Writing against the wind can well hide the scattering, sharp and floating of the pen tip, which is a writing skill that beginners of calligraphy must firmly master.
The method of writing in the opposite direction: down, up, left and right, that is, the method of writing a line in the opposite direction. The reverse line is more full and powerful. Imagine boxing. Do you want to fight, do you want to fight directly, or take it back first and then fight? Try it now, and you will experience the second one more powerful. This is one of the reasons why you need to go against the trend.
In regular script copybooks, there are also many people who don't walk backwards or hide in front. Sharp edge goes with the flow, and the most representative is Zhi Yong's "A Thousand Characters in Regular Script", all strokes start from sharp edge. In Mi Fei's Shu Shu Tie, there are many brush strokes that reverse the pen and conceal the peak. In running script works, it is quite common to start writing with sharp edges and start writing with hidden edges. For example, many words in Preface to Lanting Collection are sharp words.
Is it necessary for Zang Feng to write?
It depends on the copybook you learn. For example, you study Yan Di's regular script. In order to express the style characteristics of Yan-style regular script, it is necessary to hide the front in the pen and show the thick characteristics of Yan-style strokes.
If you are studying Zhiyong regular script, you should be sharp and fluent, and firmly grasp the beautiful and clever strokes of Zhiyong regular script, thus showing the style characteristics of Zhiyong regular script. But this refers to the initial stage. If you practice for a period of time, you can write the same effect if you have a certain writing skills and are proficient in using the pen without deliberately hiding the front and reversing the pen. This is not difficult to master. In fact, there are not many classic copybooks that must be hidden with pens, and the face is still quite representative.
The ultimate goal of learning calligraphy is to write well and beautifully. As for what skills and means to use, we should not be too dogmatic and be bound by stereotypes. As the saying goes, "All roads lead to Rome", as long as you persist in studying hard and practicing hard, you can practice perfection and write calligraphy lines with different styles and artistic beauty.