Anyone who has practiced calligraphy, especially those who have practiced calligraphy with a brush, knows that practicing calligraphy is a slow skill. You have to study hard and practice hard over time to see the skills. I still vividly remember the process of practicing calligraphy when I was a student. It was an experience of giving up halfway, and I am still very dissatisfied with my calligraphy. Looking back, I think that apart from my lack of perseverance, the main reason was the improper way of practicing calligraphy.
Recently, I saw a new book called "Chen Xiang's "Four Force Method" for Quick Calligraphy Practice". There are not many words in the book, there is no long narrative, and the content is not profound and difficult to understand, but I was very inspired after reading it. The method of practicing calligraphy described in the book was something I had never heard of before, and I felt suddenly enlightened. I can’t help but sigh, if I had known this calligraphy training method earlier, my calligraphy wouldn’t be as difficult as it is now.
Chen Xiang did not stick to conventions, summed up the essence of the calligraphy methods of his predecessors, and created a new method of rapid calligraphy practice that surpassed traditional calligraphy. He called it the "Four Force Method", that is, through arm strength, wrist strength, If you skillfully practice your finger power and eyesight, and learn to combine the four powers into one, the effect will be amazing. The first three forces of the "Four Forces Method" are called external forces, while the eye must be trained on internal forces. This internal force emphasizes "first look carefully, secondly remember, thirdly compare, and fourthly analyze." He studied the structure of Chinese character strokes, The analysis of strokes can best reflect its originality. The "four-point positioning method" of calligraphy characters is the core and the content that I am most interested in. He wonderfully found the highest point, lowest point, leftmost point, and rightmost point in the structure of each Chinese character, and also included an anatomical analysis of the four major dots covering the small four dots. The author dares to break the traditional calligraphy practice method of fixing the structure and layout of fonts in a grid. The grids I have seen include Tian Zi grid, Mi Zi grid, and Hui Gong grid. In short, practicing calligraphy cannot be separated from grids. I am a loser who practices calligraphy in grids without getting results. In the past, I always thought that since Chinese characters are all square, the structural fixed points of the characters should be at the four corners of the characters. Only after reading the "four-point positioning method" did I understand the mystery of the structure of Chinese calligraphy characters. Knowing how to grasp the structure of calligraphy helped me regain my confidence in calligraphy practice.
It’s very effective, give it a try~~!