1. Materials and Techniques :
Calligraphy and
Inscriptions on
Chinese
paintings Prepared By:
Ania Isobel Acebedo
Sebastian Vines Arnisto
Karane Seane Batas
Elline Fritzie Domingo
Christabel Ligpit
Janica Denisse Santos

2. ChineseCalligrap
hy
• The history of Chinese calligraphy is as long as
that of China itself. Calligraphy is one of the
highest forms of Chinese art.
• Chinese calligraphy serves the purpose
of conveying thought but also shows the
'abstract' beauty of the line. Rhythm, line, and
structure are more perfectly embodied in
calligraphy than in painting or sculpture.

3. Chinese
Calligraphy
- “Beautiful Writing”
- Art of writing
- Beautiful handwriting with the brush
- Began with Hieroglyphics
- Over the long ages, it has developed various
styles and schools
Calligraphy as Traditional Art
- Occupies the same position as painting in the
history of Chinese Art
- Constitutes an indispensable part of the
heritage of national culture

4. Traditional
Chinese
• Calligraphy
1. Seal Character (Zhuan)
• 2. Official or Clerical Script (Li)
• 3. Regular Script (Kai)
• 4. Running Hand (Xing)
• 5. Cursive Hand (Cao)

5. 4 Treasures of the
Study
(Wenfang Sibao)
- Indicating the high esteem in which the materials of
calligraphy are held
- Same materials employed by traditional Chinese
Painters
Brush / Water Brush
- Consists of a bundle of animal hairs (black rabbit,
white goat, yellow weasel) pushed inside a tube of
bamboo or wood
- Comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that
determine the type of line produced
- Flexibility is common to all brushes

6. • 3 most used models: Yang Hao (Brush with Hairs of Goat) -
Generally used to paint great surfaces and for gradations
of colors
• Lang Hao (Brush with Hairs of Wolf) - Used for the more
precise layouts such as contours, the bamboos, the trees
and the rocks
• Jian Ho (Brush with Hairs of Goat and Wolf) - Combines
the quality of the two preceding brushes.
Paper
• Made from various fibers (mulberry, hemp & bamboo)
• Provided an inexpensive alternative to silk as a ground
material for calligraphy and painting
Ink stone
• A carved stone slab with a reservoir for grinding ink
Ink
• Usually made from lampblack (sooty residue created by
burning pine resin or oil underneath a hood)

7. Basic Principles of
Chinese Calligraphy
• Empty the fist and keep the inside of palm round ( 掌虛 ) as if
we can hold a small egg.
• The benefits of keeping the Tiger Mouth round may be realized
when one practices
smaller size calligraphy in cursive style and writes curved strokes
in faster speeds.
• Keep the fingers firm ( 指實 ) and use the fingertips instead of
knuckles to hold the brush.
• Level the wrist to a more natural and horizontal angle and avoid
strained angles.
• Keep the brush upright. The technique or principle is called
"round stroke" or "upright stroke."
• Keep the wrist supple, firm, and soft. Do not tighten up the
wrist.

8. Bao’s Methods
• In the Ching Dynasty, Bao Shichen ( 包世臣,1775-1855)
published a famous calligraphy book Yi Zou Shuang
Ji ( 藝舟雙輯 ). His deep admiration for his teacher
Deng Shiru ( 鄧石如 ) and his methods gave a
revelation to later calligraphers such as Wu Rangzhi
( 吳讓之 ) and Zhao Zhiqian ( 趙之謙 ). In this book.
• Bao emphasized the importance of holding a brush as
adopted by Deng Shiru.

9. Three-Fingers Method
• This method is used mostly when one is using the
Hanging Arm Technique ( 懸肘 ) - holding the brush with
the whole arm hanging in the air; the elbow, wrist, and
hand must not rest on the desk. This method was widely
used in the pre-Chin Dynasty periods for Zhuan Shu
writing.
• The Three-Fingers Method ( 三
指法 ) insists on using fingertips to
hold the brush instead of using
knuckles. Many calligraphers in the
Ching Dynasty used five-fingers
methods that let them rotate the
brush with knuckles when
necessary in writing a stroke.

10. Five-Fingers Method
• five-fingers method is suitable for larger characters while
a three-fingers method is excellent for smaller
characters. However, there are no strict rules to use a
specific method for a specific style or size. After one has
studied and understood theories and principles, the
methods can be discerned by the calligrapher’s
understanding, needs, insights or preferences.

11. Hanging Arm Technique
• The Hanging Arm Technique is being neglected today; it
is also widely used improperly to brag one's skill level.
Without doubt, this technique is the most important step
in the training of a Chinese calligrapher's skills.
• If no part of the arm touches the desk, the strength of
our whole body can pass through the shoulder, arm,
elbow, wrist, and fingers into the brush tip. Only in this
way will the strokes be correspondingly more vivid and
profound.
• To attain mastery of this method may require decades of
persistent practice, discipline, bravery as well as good
eyesight, sound personality, and a healthy nerve system

12. Ways on to hold a
Chinese calligraphy
brush

13. Inscriptions on Chinese
paintings
• One of the distinctive characteristics of Chinese
painting is the use of inscriptions in poetry of
calligraphy and of special seals as part of the
painting itself. This was a major contribution
made by scholar painters.
• Its significance lies in its ability to express the
theme and artistic conception of the painting
more clearly and deeply while, at the same time,
giving great insight into the artist's individuality,
emotions and views on art and life.

14. • In ink-and-wash
paintings, the bright red
seal adds a final touch of
beauty. When preparing
the inscription and seal,
therefore, the Chinese
painter, in addition to
considering their
content, has always given
great thought to the
placement, length and
dimensions of the
inscription and the
position of the seal on
the painting.

15. • The simplest inscription
consists of the artist's
name and the date.
Sometimes the
inscription could include
the occasion for the
painting and the name of
the person for whom the
painting was done. It
could be about the
subject and style of the
painting. Quite often the
artist might include a
piece of poetry or a
literary allusion. These
are all followed by the
artist's own seal.

16. • The seals can be carved in
stone. It can contain a name,
poetical saying, a design or
symbol which has a
connection with the painting.
The seals are pressed into a
pot or tin of cinnebar paste, a
scarlet red color, and are
impressed onto the painting.
The paste contains mercuric
oxide, ground silk and oils. It
required a careful stamp as it
is rather permanent. When
using red seal on a
monochrome painting, it is
said to be "adding the eye to
the dragon".

17. References
• http://factsanddetails.com/china
• http://oilpaintingfactory.com/
• http://asiasociety.org/
• http://www.galleryofchina.net/
• http://news.at0086.com/