So I still see many friends who want to practice calligraphy, because there is no teacher and I don't know how to start.
I have been practicing calligraphy for more than ten years, and I plan to write a tutorial for your reference and discussion.
Many friends have never practiced calligraphy, and their foundation is very low, and our goals are not high. We don't want to enter the calligraphy room, we just want to write a beautiful hard pen, which is comfortable for ourselves and comfortable for others.
So, let's talk about the preparation of tools, paper and pen first.
Tian Zige, Mi Zige, Gong Huige, vertical grid, horizontal grid and blank grid are suitable for practicing calligraphy.
Let's briefly introduce the characteristics of these exercises.
Tian Zige's exercise book divides each word into four paragraphs, which is convenient for observing the structural distribution and center of gravity of a word.
Mi Zige is more meticulous and has a more accurate grasp of details than Tian Zi.
Spaces are more convenient to observe the whole of a word and will not be interfered by other lines.
Similarly, Mi Zige's grasp of the structure is more accurate, but at the same time, there are too many lines and the interference is obvious.
The grid mentioned above is very useful for the practice of single words, but it has one defect, that is, it has nothing to do with composition.
Vertical grid, when we write a work vertically, it will be easier to use, so you can slowly adjust how to write the vertical lines neatly.
A horizontal grid is similar to a vertical grid, but the rows and columns are different. Horizontal lines are used more in real life, while vertical lines are more beautiful in the completion of calligraphy works.
What is the difference between this kind of horizontal grid paper and our exercise books and notebooks? First, the line spacing is wider, and the written words will not appear crowded; Second, the paper is softer and easier to write.
The above includes several mainstream hard pen calligraphy practice papers on the market. Of course, there may be other kinds, but there won't be much difference. When you finally choose, it is best to be consistent with the copybook you bought, so that it is convenient to post and compare.
Now the copybook itself has a corresponding grid, and Tian Zige and Mi Zige all have vertical grids. The selection of copybooks will be discussed in detail later, and you can also refer to my hard-pen copybook selection guide first.
In addition to buying special practice paper, in fact, any paper you can write on hand can be used to practice writing. There is not much difference in essence. Let me briefly talk about the subtle differences first.
The paper we often see at hand is naturally A4 paper in the office environment, and students are more exercise books and notebooks. And friends who study calligraphy and painting may also have some rice paper.
One of the characteristics of all these papers is that there are no squares, even no horizontal lines and vertical lines, but when we first practice calligraphy, from strokes to words (strokes don't need to spend a lot of time practicing alone), without squares, it won't have much influence. We'll talk about how to send it later, and everyone will know why. The most important difference is actually the material and touch of paper.
1, A4 paper
The running script written by myself above is finished on A4 paper, using an ordinary gel pen. It feels good to write, which is very suitable for practicing calligraphy. In particular, there are many units or enterprises that have a weak sense of saving, like single-sided printing, or there are still many blanks after printing, which is very suitable for practicing calligraphy and saving costs. If you need a grid, you can draw with a pencil, which is also convenient. If you want to be lazy, it will be easier to draw a grid directly on the computer and print it out. You can design any grid you want.
The only drawback of A4 paper is that it is too thick, so it can't be used for tracing (writing on copybooks). However, in the process of practicing calligraphy, description itself should be used less or even not, so the problem is not big.
2. Exercise books and notebooks
For the student party, I don't recommend using this paper to practice writing, because exercise books or notebooks are mostly horizontal, but they are too narrow, and the written words are often crowded, which is too obvious for writing.
Another problem with some exercise books and notebooks is that the paper is too hard. The most important thing in practicing calligraphy is to write on hard paper with fine lines, because you will find it difficult to write straight strokes. Some tiny particles on the paper will make the strokes deviate, which is annoying, and some strokes can't be reflected.
The student party wants to practice calligraphy, so it is suggested to use manuscript paper. All kinds of manuscript paper can be used, or you can buy some special practice paper. Nowadays, parents are usually not too stingy and spend less in this respect.
What's more, students have heavy academic work and won't spend too much time practicing calligraphy, so it's no harm to try to pursue a better experience and buy some exercise paper.
3. Xuan paper
Xuan paper is very easy to use, because the texture is soft, and the lines of hard pen can also produce better line effect on paper, which is also suitable for description. When you want to finish your work, it is also convenient to tick the box with a pencil, and of course there is no problem in practicing calligraphy.
The premise is that economic conditions permit, because rice paper is more expensive. As a beginner, I don't need this paper for the time being.
In addition, it is easier to ink when giving lectures, but it is not suitable to write with a pen.
To sum up, it is easy to practice hard paper and pen, and it doesn't take too much time to choose. If you can, buy some special practice papers online. If there are no conditions, you can even practice with white paper.
Next, let me talk about the choice of pen.
People often ask me, do I have to use a pen to practice calligraphy? Can gel pens be used? Which is better?
Let me talk about my views on this issue.
First of all, there are basically four mainstream hard pens: pens, gel pens, ballpoint pens and pencils. First throw out my conclusion: these four pens can all be used to practice calligraphy, and the gel pen is the most suitable. Then let's compare the advantages and disadvantages of these pens one by one.
1, pen
In fact, pens have many advantages, and a good pen is very suitable for practicing calligraphy. Before the appearance of gel pen, when it comes to hard pen calligraphy, it generally refers to pen calligraphy. The hard pen copybooks we see in the market are basically made of pens. Although there used to be copybooks written by ballpoint pens, there were very few, let alone pencils, which I have never seen.
The biggest advantage of a pen is that it can write an effect close to that of a brush.
In what we often say, we can write a "pen". Of course, other pens can also write, but the effect of pens is better.
First of all, the thickness of the pen tip is more different. Needless to say, the pen tip is thin, and the thick one has an art pen, which can write very thick strokes. The thickness of lines can be changed by changing the contact between the pen tip and the paper.
Secondly, because the ink used for pens is basically liquid, or "water-based", it has a certain wetting and smudging effect on many papers, so it is easier to reflect the strokes and thickness.
So, why isn't the pen the most suitable tool for practicing calligraphy?
1) pen standardization is poor. The poor standardization of pens here means that when we choose pens, even the same pen, because of the different nib, the writing experience and writing effect are quite different. This means that it is much more difficult for you to take a pen with you than to take a gel pen with you.
2) The better the pen, the more expensive it is. The problem is not that you spend a lot of money to buy a good pen, because if you buy a pen together, you can use it for a long time, while gel pens need to be refilled frequently, which is not necessarily more expensive. The problem is that if the pen you bought at a high price doesn't work well, then your replacement cost is too high-it's not surprising that100 pens are not as good as gel pens.
3) The fountain pen is unstable. To tell the truth, I like to buy pens, gel pens and pens. I often buy a dozen at a time, and I don't write much with a pen. Because blue ink is smoother, but black ink is not, and it is easy to block the pen-don't tell me there is "no pen" ink, I have basically tried all the mainstream inks on the market, as long as you don't write every two days, it will definitely block.
And blue ink is not as beautiful as black ink. Now, in addition to blue-black ink, it combines the advantages of both, but the color of ink is still not as good as pure black.
In addition to blocking pens, some pens also have the problem of too much water, which many friends should have encountered. When you write down a pen, the ink can't wait to "pile up". Speaking of thinner paper, it soon gets wet. Thicker paper won't get wet, but it won't dry for long. When writing the second line, it is easy to rub the little finger black, which is even more hateful.
4) For beginners, the advantages of pen can't be reflected. The first problem to be solved in hard pen writing is not the strokes, but the structure. When the structure is mature, we will put forward higher requirements for stippling.
And if the written words are still crooked, it doesn't make much difference whether your strokes are sharp or not.
2, ballpoint pen
Needless to say, there are too many ballpoint pens. Because they are marginalized, few people use them. Mainly because of its poor writing experience, there is a gap compared with pens and gel pens. This is because its refill is very oily and the writing is too sticky. Of course, there is another problem that the nib is thick and sticky, which is much lighter, but because it is easy to get oil, it often leaves some big ink spots on the paper, which will be dirty if it is not dried for a long time.
3. Pencil
It is rare to see someone practicing calligraphy with a pencil, so I will just talk about its advantages and disadvantages, although it is also very good.
Advantages: erasable; There are many changes in lines; Cheap.
Disadvantages: light color; Poor writing experience; Easy to fold.
4. Gel pen
I think gel pen is the most suitable, so I will focus on its advantages and disadvantages.
We mainly illustrate this problem by comparing it with pens.
Let's take a look at the comparison of the effects of several pens, which is the most concerned issue for everyone:
As can be seen from the above picture:
1) The effect of ordinary pen is similar to that of 0.5 gel pen (including 0.7, which is also very good, but it is not in hand for the time being), but the lines of gel pen are smoother, because the friction of the nib is greater, and the stability of the lines written is slightly worse.
2) The effect of gel pens with different thicknesses is very different. 0.3 is too thin, the strokes are not full enough, 1.0 is too thick, and inking is too fast, which is prone to large ink spots.
3) Some ballpoint pens have a strong sense of hysteresis. If you write quickly, the color distribution of the ink is uneven, and large "oil spots" are easy to appear.
1, although this comparison is not rigorous enough, it can basically explain the problem. So the conclusion is that the writing effect of gel pen is not worse than that of pen.
2, the acquisition of gel pens, pens are much easier and easier to carry. This is also one of the main reasons why gel pens are more popular. It's so cheap that even if you change a refill, you won't feel bad if you throw it away.
3. The writing effect of gel pen is stable. If you like a pen and you buy ten pens, there will be no difference in writing effect and writing experience, which is a big advantage over pens.
4, gel pen is easy to carry, this advantage is not obvious to students, but it is still very useful for office workers. Carrying a pen with you is prone to the problem of "running water", and it is inconvenient to carry ink on frequent business trips. Although there is such a thing as an ink bag now, it is still not as good as a gel pen.
Of course, there will be some other differences, but under the condition that the writing effect can be guaranteed, gel pen is a more suitable choice for beginners.
In fact, for hard pen writing, whether it is paper or pen, its importance is far lower than the post itself, and it is not the key factor to write good words, so it is not worth spending too much time on it.
Here, I will help you make some comparisons between paper and pen, because many friends actually have an inertia: although they want to practice their handwriting well, they have never made up their minds to do it, and they are unwilling to start work on such small things as buying paper and pen on the pretext of not knowing which is better.
Of course, it does not rule out that some friends are really worried that the improper choice of tools will make their handwriting get twice the result with half the effort and produce bad results, so this article will be a good reference.
Finally, the choice of paper and pen is not so important for practicing calligraphy. You can take my advice or buy according to your own preferences, which won't have much impact. Want to practice calligraphy, start now!
Continuous output, be sure to pay attention.
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