Calligraphy – Page 2 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

The August Project: Begun, Not Begun

I’ll use the excuse that I am warming up – so to speak – to my August project of copying the Heart Sutra. After giving it some thought, I am still thinking about it.

I decided, as I thought, to simply dig out some ink and some brushes, and play a bit, loosen up. Once I did so, I realized how stressed out about everything I’ve become. Even this project, because perfection is what was on my mind, not enjoying a process.

I also was considering the reality that using the seal script might not work for me. I did a bit of research on the seal script, and realized it would be possibly more frustrating than I wanted to handle. The reason is that the lines are uniform, with none of the thick-and-thin and technical details, such as bone lines and dots, that kaisho would require. So, for now, I have decided I will probably do it in the latter.

Playtime

In the process of playing, I started with lines. Straight lines, horizontal, vertical, criss-crossed. Circles and spirals. Bone lines. Dots. I used bottled ink, and cheap, poorer quality ink sticks, and sheets of paper. The results are like photography – lotsa photos, lotsa paintings – and only a few which are particularly pleasing.

Lines

In the line category, I wonder if it is just me, or if other people from the West experience the incredible difficulty I have with doing straight lines. Both horizontal and vertical, parallel to the edge of the paper, are very difficult to produce. My theory is that as someone who was taught the Palmer method of script, everything – but everything! – has a slant on it, except the t-bar. Horizontal and vertical lines are very foreign.

In one book, one on the meditative approach to sumi, the author wrote about the importance of focusing on each line individually, not on the group of lines. This proved to be the case. As I began to paint grid after grid, the understanding of this concept became quite clear. Becoming the line as I was painting it is the simplest way I can explain the experience.

Circles / Enso

On the other hand, circles were a bit more easy, but doing them from the bottom of the` page and moving in a clockwise manner was a bit of a challenge. My penmanship training was always start the number zero at the top, and create it by moving counterclockwise. On a few pages, the paperweights did not hold, and so the paper got pulled along in the brush movement.

From circles and spirals, came a series of circles – some of which developed an incredible dynamic quality for me.

Bone Lines

Bone lines, used in kaisho, were especially difficult. I watched videos from YouTube, simply to watch how the brush was manipulated. Reading directions also created confusion. Instructions in videos and in text books emphasize that the brush is held vertical to the paper. To me, this means a 90 degree angle, perpendicular, not a tilt at all. Then, watching, of course there is a tilt to the brush, but it is done through wrist manipulation. Books say to keep the brush vertical, and then say “push the brush to the right” – well! What does that mean?? I think I figured it out – some of my bone lines began to look like bone lines.

Dots

Finally, I could not just practice lines and circles. I had to do something a bit different. Yesterday I did dots – such as would be found with grapes – and various techniques with the brush. Dots can be made by simply allowing the ink to be absorbed by the paper and spread, or by twirling the brush, to create a circle.

Brush Loading

Another technique is loading the brush in different ways. In the picture below, you can see different methods.

In the picture above, there are three ways of loading the brush demonstrated. The top one is the traditional light ink with the brush tipped in dark, and pulled at an angle across the paper. The second one was an attempt to add dark ink to the top of the brush, near the handle, along with dipping it – this did not work out too well as I was stingy with the ink. The third line, I was more generous, with both ink and water – the light middle line is visible to show the result. Finally, the fourth line is the result of using a light wash for the brush, and then adding dark ink to the middle of the brush. A rather nice effect.

Bouncing the Brush

I also practiced bouncing the brush, sort of tapping it and moving it along the paper. The picture below demonstrates what can be done with this technique.

Copying the Master

Thoroughly warmed up now, I decided to see about copying a painting, using a video to copy and learn from techniques. I admire the work of Kazu Shimura (see link to the right), who has over 70 videos on YouTube about sumi-e painting. One I really enjoyed was his demonstration painting of hydrangeas.

Two totally different approaches to the same subject. I went for the first one, and to do it with some rain. These are my first attempts. I did them from recall on what I saw, but I was not too pleased with my results. Something was missing.

I did about 5 paintings altogether, but none of them worked. So, I watched his first video again. This time, my painting was far more pleasing than any of my other attempts. Knowing full well I would fail at frogs, I did a snail.

And now?

It’s Friday, early evening. I read a book today from the library – a rare treat – and then went out shopping for a computer desk. I think tomorrow I am ready to begin the Heart Sutra. It will be slow, maybe only one character, maybe a few more than that. I think I will go page by page, as broken down on van Ghelue’s web page or from her book. This past week I have spent about 20 hours painting in ink, and enjoying every minute!

Mu

An August Project

It has been crossing my mind for quite some time that I want to use ink and brush as a means to relax, focus, and ground myself. Traditionally, calligraphy has been one means to do this. For August, I decided I would attempt to do the Heart Sutra. Nadja van Ghelue has a wonderful site, The Art of Calligraphy, about doing just this – as well as showcasing her own beautiful work – and has published a book with the Heart Sutra in seal script. On her site, she also shows her work, and that of others, of the Heart Sutra in kaisho, as well as a section dedicated to writing the sutra as a form of meditation.

Van Ghelue is, in my opinion, a very accomplished calligrapher. Her videos – 0nly three in number – show a lissome flow of brush work. As you watch her, observe how her brush moves about the paper, up and down, a pause, pressure. Her wrist remains straight with subtle movements to create the brushwork needed for a point, to turn a corner. There is a gracefulness and serenity in her movements where other calligraphers may be more dynamic.

H.E. Davey is another accomplished calligrapher from the west. He writes in his books, The Japanese Way of the Artist, and Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony, about Japanese calligraphy as a form of meditation. Davey has been involved with Japanese cultural arts his entire life, and is currently the director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in the San Francisco area. Historically, bushido encompassed mastery in the arts beyond war.

Certainly, there are benefits to focusing on what one enjoys. Expertise, finesse, internal, external, integration. Artistry. Joy. Self expression. Moving beyond present skills. Expansion. My own project is for meditative purposes, but it is also a journey into refinement of my own skills – an exploration of my own adventures in ink, brush, and line.

The Four Treasures: Inkstone / Suzuri, vi

Four Famous Stones

According to Wikipedia, and other internet sources, there are four main ink stones historically prized throughout China:

For serious calligraphers and painters, a good inkstone is as important as the quality of the ink. An inkstone will affect the quality and texture of the ink that is ground upon it. Four kinds of inkstones are especially noted in inkstone art history and are popularly known as the “Four Famous Inkstones.”

The first is Duanshi stone (Japanese: Tankei) (端石砚) from Duanxi, Guangdong. Duan stone is a volcanic tuff, commonly of a purple to a purple-red color. There are various distinctive markings such as eyes that were traditionally valued in the stone. A green variety of the stone was mined in the Song period. Duan inkstones are carefully categorized by the mines (k’eng) from which the raw stone was excavated. Particular mines were open only for discrete periods in history. For example, the Mazukeng mine was originally opened in the Qianlong period (1736-1795),　although reopened in modern times.

She stone (Japanese: Kyū) (歙砚) from She County, Anhui. This stone is a variety of slate and like Duan stone is categorized by the various mines from which the stone was obtained historically. It is a black color and displays a variety of celebrated gold-like markings. These inkstones likewise date from the late Tang period.

Of great rarity is Tao River stone (洮河砚) from South Gansu. This stone is no longer found today and was gathered from a river bottom in the Song period. The stone is crystalline and like jade. The stone bears distinct markings such as bands of varying shades. This stone can be easily confused with Duan stone of the green variety, but can be distinguished by a careful observation of its crystalline nature.

Chengni ceramic stone (澄泥砚) is a ceramic-manufactured inkstone. This process was begun in the Tang period and is said to have originated in Luoyang, Henan.

She Ink Stones

In particular, the She ink stone has long been prized for its quality.

The history of inkstone goes back to over 5,000 years ago. There is a lot of archeological evidence that Chinese used inkstone for grinding ink. There was a stone inkstone found in a 5,000-year-old archeological site in Jiazhai of Shanxi Province.

As one of the essential tool of ink brush painting, She inkstone, produced in Anhui Province in East China, is one of the most sought collector’s item among the literati and elite for thousands of years. It is one of the Four Great Inkstones in Chinese history.It is named after Shezhou Prefecture, Anhui Province, where it was first produced in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Many counties under the jurisdiction of this prefecture produce She ink slabs, but the best come from Longwei Mountain in Wuyuan County. Sometimes She ink slabs are referred to as Longwei inkstones.

She inkstone is made of gray, light green, or black rare slate with markings, and the stone appears in layers and is hard. She inkstone has three features: quick forming of ink, no harm done to the brush, and preserving wetness of ink.

She inkstone has a special artistic style with different markings resulting from geological changes with passage of time. Typical markings are Gold Star, Gold Star Patch, Gold Line, Silver Star, Silver Line, Cherry Blossom Gold Star, and Small Water Wave. More rare ones are Eyebrows, Jade Belt, Jade Belt with Gold Star, Big Water Wave, Fish Egg, Dates Kernel Eyebrows, Jade Patch, and so on.

My Suzuri

The inkstone I am writing about today is my favorite. I purchased it a number of years ago from Japan, but it is Chinese in origin. It is a very large, very heavy stone, encased in a custom rosewood box. The box measures 6 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches (17 x 25 cm) and weighs 1 lb 10.2 oz (745 g), while the stone measures 5 3/8 x 9 inches (13.65 x 22.86 cm) and weighs 4 lbs. 10.4 oz (2.1 kg). It is my understanding that this is a She inkstone, and over 70 years old. Acorn Planet has a lot of information about Chinese ink stones – unfortunately, they no longer sell them.

Custom Box for Suzuri

Boxes are custom made for each high quality suzuri, to ensure protection as well as a fit unique to the shape of each stone. Above, you can see the box for this stone. It is solid and heavy, made of rosewood. The wood is smoothly polished. The bottom half of the box holds the suzuri securely. Underneath, small feet provide support. Altogether, the box is a work of art in itself.

Underside of Box Bottom - Notice the Feet in Each Corner

My stone itself is a beautiful dark grey color, with a single inclusion or marking, which is skillfully centered in the middle of the carvings, like the moon amongst tree branches on a foggy night. The well is deep, and the slope onto the flat surface is evenly carved. There are no rough spots on this stone. Touching the stone, it is cool. The sound of the stone, when tapped, is clear and crisp. Breathing onto the stone, the moisture from one’s breath sits on the surface, and slowly – very slowly – evaporates or is absorbed by the stone, which shows the correct porosity for hand-ground ink. Tilting the stone in sunlight shows fine sparkles, indicating the presence of pyrites.

Ink ground on this stone is very fine, and quickly ground, and rests easily on the surface with little need to replenish the water. I use my finest Japanese ink sticks on this stone – to use ones of dubious quality would possibly ruin its smooth surface if there were coarse grains within the ink stick. To pour liquid ink onto it would be sacrilege!

High quality stones, according to some web sources, are well-carved, but without excessive design. Lesser quality stones may be more elaborately carved to increase their value. Various inclusions, such as color streaks or the dots, as seen on this stone, are rare and add to the value of the stone. This stone has a narrow band of elaborate carving at the top, of cherry blossoms, bamboo, and birds. Its style is very Chinese, from what I can tell; Japanese stones have different carving characteristics.

There is no way to describe the intense pleasure which comes from using a fine inkstone – it is an experience unique to itself. Any sumi artist or calligrapher will know what I mean. I am very fortunate to be able to enjoy such a wonderful stone.

Art of Ink, ii

A Digression into the West

Here, ink usually means sumi ink. Ink sticks. Painting in ink. Surprise! Ink also comes in bottles, for dip pens and fountain pens, and anything else you may wish to do with it. I’ve a small collection of vintage fountain pens, dip pens and nibs, and ink in cartridges and bottles. A lot of pleasure may be had in using fine writing tools.

Colors

For thousands of years, we have sought colors for painting, drawing, and writing. People painted the rock walls at Lascaux, using earth pigments such as red and yellow ochre, umber, and carbon blacks from wood smoke or burnt bones. White came from grinding up chalks. Cave and rock paintings can be found throughout the world, such as those at the Painted Cave in Santa Barbara. These pigments were applied with the hand, with some form of brush, and by filling the mouth with the colors and then blowing them onto the rock – people left their handprints behind using this method.

Painted Cave in Santa Barbara - by the Chumash Indians

Frescoes are attributed to the Minoans on Crete. The art of the fresco has been used for centuries, and continues to be done today. Pigments are mixed with water, and applied to wet, fresh plaster. As the plaster dries, the painting becomes a permanent part of the structure. Egyptian and Indian antiquities are filled with frescoes. European churches have frescoes which span the millenia. Mexican artists, such as Diego Rivera, created murals using the fresco. Locally, Gordon Grant painted the murals in the downtown Ventura post office in 1936-1937.

Mural in Downtown Ventura Post Office by Gordon Grant, 1936-1937

Today if we want color, it is readily available in clothing, paper, ink, paint. With technology and the advent of chemically-derived colors, we do not give much thought to the labor involved in earlier times to get colors. Just dyeing in cochineal and indigo is a time-intensive project; if thought is given to collecting the bugs or growing the plants and the transport and processing of these materials, a sense of the work needed to get colors can be gained. Earlier times meant searching out pigments, carting them home (like carrying rocks on your back!), grinding them up, purifying, whatever. And then, what about all the creative ways explored to move that color to walls or cloth? These techniques became closely guarded secrets to ensure a livelihood to those in the know.

Writing

Writing was also done on many of these frescoes, but writing itself began earlier and throughout the world. Early Chinese wrote with pictograms; cuneiform developed in the Middle East; hieroglyphics were used by the Egyptians. Alphabets developed and simplified the writing process as letters represented sounds – thousands of images did not need to be learned. Different alphabets may be found throughout the world – Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Russian, hiragana, Roman. These may be modified to meet a local need.

Codex Zographensis in the Glagolitic Alphabet from Medieval Bulgaria

Along with writing came a desire to communicate. Lugging clay tablets around was rather cumbersome – postage could be prohibitive – and so more portable, yet permanent, means of writing were sought. Parchment and vellum were developed and used for books and manuscripts. Papyrus was pounded into sheets and scrolls, and used by the Egyptians. The Chinese developed paper. Pigments and inks were developed – some good, some not so good – that could be easily applied to these surfaces. Plants, minerals, and a myriad of chemicals were used to create ink and color. Iron gall ink was used for centuries. Carbon ink, derived from soot and combined with bone glue, was and is used to form the sumi stick. Recipes for homemade ink can be found throughout the internet, and in old books for the handy housewife.

Writing Implements

All sorts of things were used to write with, but some of the noteworthy ones are the pen and the brush. Reed pens were used by the ancient Romans. Hollow reeds had a nib cut onto one end. Ink was poured into the hollow, and the reed was squeezed to move the ink to the nib. Brushes have been used extensively in the East and the West, but in the East they were used for both painting and writing, while in the West, brushes are primarily for painting. Quills cut from bird feathers were common throughout Europe, with those of swans, geese, and turkeys. An amusing, informative article about quills and pens may be found on the Jane Austen Society of Australia site.

Feather quills are not especially sturdy implements, so with time and technology, metal nibs were developed. Dip pens became commonplace in the 19th century as manufacturing technology improved. The fountain pen developed in the late 1800s, and was common until the ball point pen began to replace it in the mid-1950s. Cartridge pens came in at the same time, and are still very popular. Today we see rollerballs and gel pens and magic markers (that term dates me!) of all sorts.

Despite all these changes, writing with a nib and ink continues. Fountain pen bladders of silicon and rubber are still manufactured and used in the repair of vintage fountain pens. The delightful Fred Krinke of The Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia, California, is still going strong, with a family store in existence since the 1920s. David Nishimura sells vintage pens, as does Gary Lehrer. John Mottishaw is renown for his customization of nibs. Nibs for dip pens are available and for sale in many places – some are new, some are new old stock from over 60 years ago. Calligraphers still make their own quills, grind their own ink and pigments, and practice the art of fine writing. Carrie Imai offers private lessons as well as group instruction.

Fred Krinke of The Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia, CA

The Art of Writing

Before the printing press, and even after its invention – but before the computer! – fine handwriting has been universally admired. In many cultures, the measure of a person is often determined by the quality of the penmanship or brushwork. Graphology, or handwriting analysis, purports to be able to reveal all sorts of things about the individual, from personality traits to health. (Given the decline of emphasis on handwriting, it could be amusing to see what might be determined.) A clear hand was necessary when records were written rather than entered into a computer, but certainly a fine hand was important as well. Many of the world’s historical documents were handwritten by scribes, and flourishes added to their visual richness. Marriage contracts and other legal documents were ornate, formal, and artistic.

Because writing became such an important form of communication, the tools and instruments of writing became works of art by themselves. Sure, anyone can write with a twig, but human nature seeks to embellish and beautify: Gold and mother-of-pearl dip pens, cut glass ink bottles, fancy writing slopes and lap desks, ornately decorated ink sticks, elaborately carved suzuri, colorful fountain pens.

The Art of Slowing Down

Today, with our throw-away culture, the beauty of these functional items may seem foolish, but personally, I totally enjoy them. And, like many people, I use them as well. Email is faster than snail mail, but the thrill of a personal letter still remains. Sitting at a keyboard, indoors, at a desk, is tiresome and boring (though it is getting easier). I’d would rather be outside with paper and ink any day!

Burr Oak Writing Slope, ca 1840, by Parkins and Gotto

If you don’t have any interest in writing or painting, then all this blither means very little. However, the history of how we got here is fascinating and easily forgotten. Thankfully, I don’t have to go out and collect my oak galls or raise some geese – I like having such conveniences as stores – but I will say that there is much to be gained in re-creation of past arts. Writing with a goose quill pen is a unique experience; cutting the pen is too. Dyeing wool, writing with a dip pen, using a lap desk over 170 years old places history into the present existence. Using colors and inks from long ago, with centuries of tradition and craft, provide an insight to life when it was slower (and more difficult and deadly in many ways). Today, too many of us live in haste, moving from one task to another, and forget that leisure and creativity are as important as productivity and speed. Paper and ink and color are one way to leave it all behind.