The three principles of Chinese brushwork

Dear friends,

There are three fundamental principles of Chinese brushwork.

The first is moisture. The brush should be washed and retain a suitable moistness before one dips it into the ink and starts to use it. The amount of moisture depends on how wet an effect one wants to produce on the paper. This is a crucial factor when using Hsuan paper, or rice paper, for it is very absorbent, somewhat like blotting paper. Watercolor and ink either drip or run, therefore, the paper must be laid on a flat table, with two paper weights to hold it in a taut position. If the brush is too wet, the ink will bleed too much. On the other hand, too little water will give a dry brush or a split-brush result, and unless this kind of textural effect is wanted, one must avoid too dry a brush.

Therefore, the controlling of water and ink in the brush is the first concern of an artist before starting his stroke. Water serves as a lubricant to the hairs in the brush, i.e., every hair can move freely in plenty of water. If the brush is too dry, then all the hairs in the brush are crowded and thus result in much friction when in motion. This naturally causes the brush to split, resulting in a bad line, unless one is deliberately trying for a dry brush effect.

Pressure, the second principle, is the amount of force the artist employs in pressing the brush down on the paper, whether doing center-brush or side-brush strokes. The heavier the pressure, the wider the line. The control of pressure is the most difficult skill to master, and is considered an art in itself. The difficulty lies in the fact that it is not easy to restore elasticity to the bristles once pressure has been applied to them; in other words, the harder the pressure, the more difficult for the brush to spring back to its original resilient strength.

This is important, for a strong line is the result of movement whereby the brush has its full elastic power.

How to control the pressure of the brush, to maintain elasticity during the pressing-downs and raising-ups in moving the brush, is indeed a major technique in Chinese art. This takes arduous labor and long practice before full control is gained, especially the changing of pressure while doing one stroke, such as light-heavy-light, or vice versa.

Pressure is significant technique for achieving calligraphic differences within a line or between lines.

The third principle is the speed of the brush, which is just as important as pressure. Speed affects the flow of the ink, the texture of a line; it determines whether a line is solid or flimsy; it creates the feeling of motion within a line. For a firm, strong line, a fairly fast, consistent speed must be used; otherwise, a low speed. If the brush moves too fast, the result will be too dry and fuzzy. On the other hand, if the speed is too slow, not only will the line show a kind of hesitation, but it may also run or bleed too much, when such an effect is not being sought (see picture). Not too fast, not too slow is the secret. How fast and how slow? Again, it takes a great deal of experimenting and practice.

-- David Kwo