Calligraphy

Writing Posture (Fundamentals Pt. 1)

• Seated on a mat or in a chair (or standing behind a standard table)

• Back straight, upright

Balance of the Shoulders (Fundamentals Pt. 2)

• Elbows pointed away from body 45 degrees

• Writing arm away from body (armpit open)

Using the body (Fundamentals Pt. 3)

• Arm muscle movement should be half of brush’s movement

• Other half should be from body positioning (like if a brush was mounted on your shoulder)

Brush Technique - Teardrop

• Starts at 45 degrees

• Made by simply placing the brush down

• Move slightly in desired direction then lift

Brush Technique - Direct Brushing

• Brush is straight up; not angeled

• Keep upright when drawing, maintaining the same shape

Circle -ぐるぐる

• Clockwise/Counter clockwise

• Keep upright when drawing

• Move your elbow, keep elbow up

• Line is the same thickness, release at the end

• Use 1/3 of brush tip

Brush technique - Side Brushing

• Begin with 45 degree angle with brush pointed up

• Coming across to the right/down

• Slightly lift after, then push back down to finish stroke

Tail Technique - Plain Tail

• Brush is stopped and lifted gently

Tail Technique - Floating Needle

• Brush is slowly lifted as it nears the bottom

Tail Technique - Iron Post

• Has a head applied to the tail of the stroke

• After coming to a stop and slightly lifting the brush, reseat the brush down on the paper as if you were rendering a head on a new stroke

Tail Technique - Hooked Tail

• Hook stroke added to tail

• After coming to a stop, instead of lifting, hook it in the desired direction while slowly lifting the the brush from the paper

Brush technique - Left Handle Stroke

• Start at 45 degrees up & left

• Move brush left in a sweeping motion

• Slowly lift brush as you near the end

Brush technique - Right-Handle Stroke

• Start at 45 degrees up and left, then move to the right

• Slowly put more pressure as you reach the bottom

• Once at bottom, decrease pressure as you taper to the right

Brush technique - Bend Stroke

• Start by drawing a straight line left to right (side brush style)

• At end of line, slightly lift brush, put back down to start a new line