Calligraphy Set - Four treasures of the study

What Chinese calligraphy supply do you need? To write Chinese characters, you need a brush, ink, paper and ink stone, commonly referred to as the four treasures of the study. In order to learn calligraphy, it is necessary to learn about these tools, select them carefully and take care of them. As the saying goes, one must temper the means to achieve the end. This is by virtue of necessity.

• Brush
• Ink Stick
• Paper
• Ink Slab or Ink Stone

Brush

The brush was invented by Meng Dian (?-210 B.C.), according to legend, yet primitivepainted pottery had decorative designs painted by tools more or less like a brush. Clearly visible stains or marks of a brush were left in certain places on the pottery. From this it may be surmised that the brush predated the written language itself. The history of the Chinese brush can be traced back at least six thousand years.

That Chinese calligraphy has become an art that enjoys a worldwide reputation is in a large measure related to the use of the brush to write the characters. The head of the brush is made of the hair of the goat, wolf, rat or rabbit, which is softer than bamboo, pencil, quill or ball pen. Because of its softness its written strokes can be light or heavy, thick or fine. The strokes flow naturally, entering an artistic world with an element of wonder. Other materials may give you a handsome style, but they can hardly attain the level of achievement in calligraphic art executed by the brush.

Writing brushes are soft, stiff or a combination of the two. A soft writing brush is flexible and easily moistened with ink. Made of aoat hair, it is called yang hao in Chinese. Some calligraphers think beginners should use this brush to practice handwriting, since it facilitates forceful writing. Practice begins with medium-sized characters, however, which call for regularity and neat lettering. Thus it is advisable to use a combination writing brush, since it is difficult for the beginner to handle a goat-hair brush.

Stiff Brush
This brush is stiff and hard and does not hold a large amount of ink. Made of wolf hair,itiscommonly called a wolf-hair brush. To practice writing small characters, which call for regularity and neatness, it is better to use a stiff brush.

Jian hao, or a combination of stiff and soft hair, contains goat hair and the hair of another animal. Rabbit hair is somewhat purple, so a rabbit-hair brush is called a purple brush. The ratio of hair may be 70 percent rabbit hair and 30 percent goat hair or vice versa or 50 percent of each. Zi yang jian is the name in Chinese for a rabbit-goat writing brush.

Selecting the writing brush

The Chinese brush may be big or small, stiff or soft. The important thing is that it serve your own practical purpose. Generally, a big, soft brush is used to write large characters and a small, stiff one to write small characters. The point must be "round like an awl" that can be "pressed like a chisel". The Chinese brush point should have the following characteristics: roundness, pointedness, evenness and strength. Roundness means the point should be rounded and robust. Pointed-ness means it should be as sharp or pointed as an awl. Evenness means that when you spread the brush and hold it down, the brush is even. Strength means the point is flexible or elastic. You can moisten a new brush in your mouth, then press it forward and backward on your thumb. The brush will go round and round smoothly. When you pick the brush up, it will return to its former shape naturally becoming as sharp and pointed as before. This means your brush is all right.

Protecting your brush ink stick
A new brush has a sticky coating that must be removed by immersing the brush in warm water (do not use hot water). The hair will then fluff out. Do not try to remove the glue by force. Do not use your teeth to remove the glue. The glue on brushes for writing small characters should be removed from two fifths of the length of the hair. The glue on brushes for writing medium-sized characters should be removed from half the length of the hair, and the glue on brushes for writing big characters should be removed from two thirds the length of the hair. It is not advisable to remove all the glue from the brush. If it is removed entirely, the brush will not have the required force or rigor. How much glue should be removed just depends on the convenience of the user.

The brush for writing big characters must be washed in clean water after use. Be sure no ink is left on the brush, which should be carefully groomed. The brush should be hung up with the tip downward. The brush for writing small characters must be put in a sheath after use, to protect it from gluing up. If the brush is not used for a long time, it must be kept in a box or a bag. Camphor balls should be used to protect the brush from being moth-eaten.

Ink Stick

Legend says that King Yi first invented ink stick about 2,800 years ago, yet archaeologists have detected ink marks on the back of inscribed bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty, 3,200 years ago. There are many varieties of ink stick. The most famous is hui mo;(Anhui ink stick), made from the pines that grow on Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) in Anhui Province. The trees are burned and the soot left after burning makes excellent ink stick. Xi, a famous ink maker, moved to Shexian County in Anhui at the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). His method for making ink stick from pine soot was handed down to later generations. Such a ink stick has enjoyed a good reputation for more than a thousand years. The Anhui ink stick has magic qualities. It is as hard as stone and does not deteriorate for as long as ten years. The ink produced from the Anhui ink stick is as black as black paint. Many charming stories and anecdotes about the Anhui ink stick have been recounted in literary circles, past and present. Ink sticks fall into three major categories, according to the chief materials used in manufacture. The pine-soot ink stick. This is made with the mixture of pine soot, which is the main part, a certain amount of glue, medicinal material and spices. The oil-soot ink stick. Tung oil, sesame oil, rapeseed oil or petroleum is burned and the soot is mixed with gelatine, medicinal material and spices. The oil- and pine-soot ink stick. This is a mixture of the previous materials for making the oil-soot ink stick and pine-soot ink stick. Proportions vary, and the quality of the ink stick differs accordingly.

Choosing the ink stick
The quality of the ink stick may be judged by its color and sound. Glossy purple is best. Black is second. Glossy green is third. Glossy white is last. If you strike the ink stick and it gives a light sound, this means it is a fine ink stick. If the sound is muffled, it is not a good one. If the sound is fine when you grind the ink stick on the slab, it means you have a good ink stick. If the sound is rough during grinding, it means the ink stick is none too good.

How to grind the ink stick
Clean water is used for grinding. The best water contains a small amount of salt. Next comes well water, then tap water, then distilled water. Do not Use tea or hot water to grind an ink stick.

The ink stick must be balanced in the hand during grinding or rubbing. Press hard and rub lightly. Rub the ink stick slowly and evenly against the ink slab or ink stone in big circles. At first use only a little water. When a thick liquid forms, add water and rub or grind again. The thickness or thinness of the ink depends on how much or how little you need to use. If the ink is too thick, it will be difficult to use the tip of the brush, which will glue up. If the ink is too thin, it will probably filter through the paper.

You may use prepared liquid Chinese ink to write Chinese characters during ordinary practice sessions. This form of ink is very convenient. If the ink is too thick, pour out a small amount from the ink bottle, add water and rub. Don't pour water into the bottle of prepared liquid ink. You will only spoil the glue, which will stink. In learning calligraphy it is best that you rub or grind the ink stick on the ink slad or ink stone. If you use prepared liquid ink you will not enter the art world. Rubbing or grinding the ink stick against the ink slab or ink stone prepares you for practicing handwriting. During the rubbing or grinding you have time to study the specimen of writing that you intend to copy. This will enable you to make better progress in the course of time. So whenever you can, rub or grind the ink stick against the ink stone yourself.

Paper

Paper was invented by Cai Lun (7-121), according to legend. Archaeological discoveries reveal, however, that in the early Western Han Dynasty, or two hundred years earlier than the time of Cai Lun, a coarse paper made of hemp had already come into existence. Paper is of many kinds, but Xuan paper has been considered best throughout the ages for Chinese calligraphy. Xuan paper is produced in Jing County, Anhui Province. The county was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou Prefecture in the Tang Dynasty. Jing County paper was first shipped to Xuanzhou, then transshipped to other ports. That is whv Jing County paper is called'Xuan paper. The paper is soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting.

Xuan paper has good tensile strength and not easily eaten by moths. It can be preserved for a long time. It therefore has the reputation of lasting a thousand years. There are numerous kinds of Xuan paper, such as dan, jia, luowen, coral, tiger-skin and jade-plate. Quality depends on whether the paper is unprocessed, processed or half-processed. Unprocessed paper absorbs water easily. Ink filters through this paper easily, too. Put your brush on this paper to make sure the thickness or thinness of your liquid ink is suitable. Processed paper goes through a process whereby gelatine made from bones and alum are added. This kind of paper does not absorb water easily. It is stiff or hard to the touch. Half-processed paper has a neutral character, in that it absorbs water, but it does not filter through easily.

Xuan paper for painting and calligraphy is rather expensive. Beginners can use coarser, rougher paper instead. More commonly used paper includes yuanshu, maobian and baima. It is not good to use too glossy a paper, such as youguang and kaobei. It is easy to practice forceful writing on coarse, rough paper, but not on glossy, smooth paper. Calligraphers in ancient China used to practice writing on stone slabs found by the side of >a well, because it was difficult to obtain paper then. In the end they became good calligraphers. In modern times white-painted wooden boards, thin plastic film and plastic sheets are used as substitutes for paper to practice writing. You may erase the characters with a wet cloth and write again. You don't need to use paper, and the result is just as good. It's somewhat to your advantage to use coarse paper. If you practice handwriting under less favorable conditions, you develop greater adaptability. Do not think that you cannot produce good handwriting if you do not have good-quality paper to practice on.

Ink Slab or Ink Stone


When the ink slab was invented is a rather controversial question. Ancient Chinese attributed the invention to the Yellow Emperor, yet the ink slab had been in use in primitive times, six to seven thousand years ago, two thousand years earlier than the era of the Yellow Emperor, to produce colors. Archaeologists have discovered many ancient ink slabs, such as a jade ink slab of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, a stone slab of the pre-Qin Dynasty, a painted slab and a painted slab mixed with sand belonging to the Han Dynasty, copper and silver slabs as well as iron slabs of the Wei and Jin dynasties, a blue porcelain slab of the Six Dynasties and a clay slab of the Tang Dynasty. Most ink slabs, modern or ancient, were made of stone. The earliest ink slab was made of stone and acquired the greatest popularity. Ink stones or ink slabs have been classified into three categories since the Tang Dynasty: Duan, She and Tao.

Duan ink slab

Produced in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, it is made of Duan stone, so named because the Duanxi River runs at the foot of Mount Fuke, where the stone is found. Said to be the best stone for making ink slabs, Duan stone was used to make ink slabs as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Duan ink slabs have earned a high reputation among Chinese scholars ever since.

She ink slab

It is named after Shezhou Prefecture, Anhui Province, where it was first produced in the Tang Dynasty. Many counties under the jurisdiction of this prefecture produce She ink slabs, but the best come from Mount Longwei, Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province. Sometimes She ink slabs are referred to as Longwei ink slabs.

Tao ink slab

This ink slab has been produced in Taozhou since ancient times. Now it is produced mainly in Taoyan Village, Zhuoni County, Gansu Province. Tao ink slabs are made of stone found at the Tao River; hence the name.

One feature common to all three kinds of ink slabs is that the stone is hard and fine. Though hard, the stone is not dry. Though fine, it is not slippery. With a hard, smooth stone you produce liquid ink easily by rubbing the ink stick against the stone. Since the stone is fine, but not slippery, it yields ink very quickly.

Any stone not too glossy or slippery or too coarse or rough may be used by the beginner. The slab may have a cover, since a covered slab stores ink more easily. The ink will not blow away or dry up.

In grinding the ink stick against the ink slab exert your force evenly, so as to keep the ink slab steady. Grind only the ink you need for writing. After use, the slab must be washed clean. Leave a bit of clean water in the center of the slab. This will keep the slab in good condition. Take care not to stain the slab with oil or grease.

Book References Guo, Bonan 1995. Gate to Chinese Calligraphy. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press.

Source : http://www.chinavoc.com/arts/calligraphy