Accessories to help you in Chinese writing

If you are interested in Chinese culture, then by now you must have realized that Chinese writing is really elegant to look at. Almost everyone must have seen those really pretty samples of Chinese art where monochromatic images of mist-drenched mountains, sampans and waterfalls are augmented with pretty columns of Chinese writing. Sometimes these letters appear to be a par of the painting adding depth and the appearance of birds in the background of the landscape of the painting! Suffice to say that Chinese writing is really beautiful and easy to learn with the help of a few simple accessories. Here’s what you can use to learn Chinese writing in a few simple steps.

• Chinese writing language software- At present, there are several programs which offer training on Chinese writing for those who are interested. You can pay and buy the software or there are several free sites that offer software too.
• VCD’s and DVDs are another free and pay resource that you can use to learn the fundamentals of Chinese writing. Prices can range anywhere from $15 to about $45 per CD.
• Free downloadable templates. Once you’ve learned the stroke format and the basic letters. You have to be able to practice them regularly. Quite a few China based sites offer free templates that you can use to download and print workbooks for practicing the alphabets of Chinese writing.
• Online classes- There are online classes where you can learn the penmanship required to draw out the diagrams of the Chinese letters. But once you learn the format and the strokes, it’s extremely necessary for you to get the accessories to create the letters.

• Accessories for writing-
  • The ancients used brushes and ink sets to create the pictorial Chinese writings. But if you are comfortable with a biro or a calligraphy pen you can use them to create your Chinese writing.
  •  The earliest brushes that were used were from as far back as 476 BC! The brushes are still used by masters to create works of Chinese writing. The handle can be made from a large variety of material but most people prefer bamboo as its light weight while the nib is made from several materials like rabbit's hair, wolf hair, hog bristles, etc. A few of the more favorite materials used to create brushes were bamboo, ivory, silver, jade, copper, porcelain, sandal, ox horn, etc. you can also get hard and soft brushes to create differing effects on paper.
  • Choose coarse absorbent paper for writing over rice-paper as it’s more delicate and difficult to write on.
  • You can get solid or liquid ink as they are imported specially from Japan and China for Chinese writing. Grinding the solid ink into specific use is very difficult so use the liquid ink after diluting it about 1:5 with water.
  • Backing paper to protect surfaces from the ink and towelettes to clean your brushes and your biros.

Once you have all the accessories for writing you can start your practice of Chinese writing.