This article about brush usage and care was written by Master Tian Yingzhang. Qi Ming has added some illustrations and shares it here to help calligraphy enthusiasts. This guide is especially helpful for those who have bought new brushes but don’t know how to prepare them properly or maintain them. (For more brush knowledge, you…
A calligraphy student preparing for an exam once asked me for help with a common and frustrating problem: ink bleeding on Xuan paper. Realizing that many artists, both new and experienced, struggle with this, I decided to create a comprehensive guide based on my own experience and tips from the wider calligraphy community. Ink bleeding…
Many people interested in Chinese brush calligraphy or preparing to learn this art form already know about the four essential tools – brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. However, there are many other useful calligraphy supplies worth having. Today, I’ll introduce you to common calligraphy tools beyond these four basic items. These tools can help improve…
Many friends who practice Chinese calligraphy face the challenge of folding grid lines on Xuan paper when creating their artwork. This article introduces common Xuan paper sizes and teaches practical folding methods. We’ll also cover the most popular technique using four-chi Xuan paper for creating five-character or seven-character quatrains. We hope this guide will be…
In our previous article about choosing the right paper for calligraphy beginners, we covered the basics of paper selection. Today, we’ll focus on an equally important topic: how to pick the right calligraphy brush when you’re just starting out. Many beginners make the mistake of simply looking for the cheapest brushes or those with the…
Many Chinese calligraphy beginners often ask me: “What kind of paper should I use when starting out?” I believe most newcomers to calligraphy struggle with this paper selection issue. You may have heard others mention using Maobian paper or Yuanshu paper, but what exactly is Maobian paper? What’s the difference between Maobian paper and Yuanshu…
Previously, we published an article on “Chinese Seals: Complete Guide to Types and Usage.” Many friends interested in carving their own seal stamps or who enjoy seal engraving may wonder: What stones are best for carving seals? What are the common stone materials used for seal carving? Which stones are suitable for calligraphy seal carving?…
This morning I found this article on the Jiangsu Calligraphy Association’s WeChat account and decided to share it for two reasons. First, this comprehensive collection of scholar’s studio objects is truly eye-opening (though some items may not be limited to study room use). Second, I’ve previously only introduced the “Four Treasures of the Study” (brush,…
Previously in our article “Top Ten Chinese Calligraphy Brush Brands,” we briefly mentioned the four virtues of calligraphy brushes—tip, roundness, evenness, and resilience—but didn’t explain them in detail. Here we’ve collected “Teacher Gudian’s” article and compiled information from other websites about brush construction, including images illustrating the four virtues. We hope this helps you gain…
